"For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." Proverbs 8:11
Last night in our home Bible study we sang a song I dearly love called More Precious than Silver. It’s one of those songs that brings tears to my eyes almost every time I sing it. It goes like this; I’m sure you’ve heard it.
Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares with You.
And then the chorus --
Worthy, Oh worthy are you Lord.
You are worthy to be thanked and praised
And worshipped and adored.
And then the verse is repeated.
In looking for these words in scripture, which I usually do, not because I think we can only sing a song that’s taken directly from scripture, but because I think the meaning of the song is enhanced if a scripture goes along with it, I found Proverbs 3:13-15.
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
The man who gains understanding,
For she is more profitable than silver
And yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
Nothing you desire can compare with her.
I think you will probably agree with me, if it’s not the scripture the songwriter was thinking about when he wrote the song, it’s close.
Solomon, in the very beginning of Proverbs, tells us why we should know proverbs. And I love how this passage reads in the Complete Jewish Bible.
The proverbs of Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra’el,
Are for learning about wisdom and discipline;
For understanding words expressing deep insight;
For gaining an intelligently disciplined life,
Doing what is right, just and fair;
For endowing with caution those who don’t think
And the young person with knowledge and discretion.
Someone who is already wise
Will hear and learn still more;
Someone who already understands
Will gain the ability to counsel well;
He will understand proverbs, obscure expressions,
The sayings of the riddles of the wise.
And if you go on to chapter two, verse six,
Solomon tells us where we get wisdom.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
And from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
And then, if you read further, right after the passage ending with the words “nothing you desire can compare with her” you will find the most amazing words I’ve heard only one preacher mention: “By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations…” And then at length in chapter eight Solomon explains:
The Lord brought me [wisdom] forth as the first of his works,
Before his deeds of old;
I [wisdom] was appointed from eternity,
From the beginning, before the world began.
When there were no oceans, I [wisdom] was given birth,
When there were no springs abounding with water;
Before the mountains were settled in place,
Before the hills, I [wisdom]was given birth,Before he made the earth or its fields
Or any of the dust of the world.
I [wisdom] was there when he set the heavens in place,
When he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
When he established the clouds above
And fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
When he gave the sea its boundary
So the waters would not overstep his command,
And when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
Then I [wisdom] was the craftsman at his side.
I [wisdom] was filled with delight day after day,
Rejoicing always in his presence,
Rejoicing in his whole world
And delighting in mankind.
Did you get that? Before God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, He created wisdom. Wisdom was the first thing God ever created. “For whoever finds me [wisdom] finds life and receives favor from the Lord, verse thirty-five tells us. “Whoever finds me……….finds life.” Does God need wisdom to bring forth life, so he creates it? Isn’t that what Solomon may be implying?
My sisters, if God needs wisdom, don’t I? And if God gives wisdom, shouldn’t I go to him to get it? Solomon says, “…if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1-5
turn your ear to it……call out.….….cry aloud……....look for it……..….search for it......
Do you see the progression here?
I repeat, if God gives wisdom, shouldn’t I go to him to get it?
My sisters, I hope you know that I know this is a rather lengthy introduction to a post that, as of now, I’ve not even talked about the topic. But I want you to know first of all, why I believe what I believe and why I can believe it with conviction. Please hear my heart. I am so saddened when Christians go to secular books to get their “wisdom” and don’t believe the Bible is “relevant” enough to give answers to questions they’re asking today. Is this where I need to be worshipping? Is the building a hindrance to evangelism? What is the role of the Holy Spirit? Does God cause suffering? Are my kids rebelling or is this typical behavior? Is it okay for a Christian to suffer from depression? Are home Bible studies scriptural? Can we have a praise team? And on and on we search for answers and on and on the questions are asked. You know them. You probably have asked some yourself.
When The Shack, written by Wm. Paul Young came out, everyone asked me to read it and I tried. I read approximately half of it, which is where everyone tells me it just gets started. But this is why I had trouble reading The Shack or have trouble reading any SECULAR piece of literature that’s written by a man/woman. The power I need to make wise decisions can only come from the power of the Holy Spirit who inspired Moses and the prophets and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the other authors to write the Bible. I have a plethora of books on a room full of book shelves, but none of them gives me the power I receive from the Holy Spirit that comes directly from God. All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and nothing else. Yes, when I write I’m inspired, but not like the writers of the Bible. I hope you agree with me on that.
The same Spirit that reveals scripture to the authors also interprets them to me. Spiritual truths are spiritually discerned and unless I have the Spirit to interpret them for me, I cannot fully understand scripture. Will I ever “fully” understand scripture? No. But the Holy Spirit will guide me into all truth (John 16:12).
I need the power in my life that only the Spirit can give. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in me and I need that resurrection power to give “life” to me. When my son David was nine and wanted to be baptized, I asked him this question, wondering what he knew about the Holy Spirit: “David, do you know what the Holy Spirit does?” And he answered: “He helps me make better decisions.” So with all my doubt pushed aside David was baptized that Sunday morning. Do I think it’s necessary for everyone wanting to become a Christian to know what the Holy Spirit does? No, I don’t. I believe they need to know that Jesus is the son of God. But, David’s answer definitely convinced me that he knew what he was doing.
When I read a secular book, I am reading a book written by another human being. When I read the Bible, I am reading the inspired word of God. The Holy Spirit interprets what I’m reading and when I listen and do what He says, I am being led by the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that what a person, who turns his ear to, calls out, cries out, cries aloud, looks for it and searches for wisdom wants? How CAN that come from secular literature?
From my own personal experiences, to be Spirit-led is the number one desire of the Christian who’s searching for God, seeking his answers. I’ve seen countless Christians take their questions to God, yet believe He’s going to answer in a secular book. And they come away even more confused than when they first sought the answers. Does this sound like I’m being a hypocrite because I started the Let’s Read book club? Yes, in one way, but not if I trust you spend an equal amount of time searching, studying, and reading your Bible.
My sisters, the following is my very first entry in the Titus 2 Group, that I wrote on February 4, 2009. I'm posting it again, in conclusion, because it so aptly goes with this lesson.
"When Amy Hughes asked if I would consider writing weekly devotionals I was both thrilled and humbled at the same time—thrilled in that someone wanted to read what I wrote—humbled because somebody would. Actually, Amy gave me one of the highest compliments I have ever been paid when she said to me, “you can impart your words of wisdom, especially to those of us who’ve moved away.” I was moved and thus sent out a letter inquiring if anyone else would read them. And this is how the journey begins.
"God is all knowledge. Paul wanted the Colossians to “know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And Peter wanted God’s elect, strangers in the world, to know that “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Pet. 1:3
"In Christ alone is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge—not me. Devotionals tell us about God. They do not come from God. When I hear about how God touched someone else’s life, my telling their story is not as effective as their telling their story because they’ve lived it. I must tell my own. “That which was from the beginning,” John says, “which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” 1 John 1:1 We are touched most when we hear, see and touch God ourselves. Peter tells us, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” 2 Pet. 1:16, 18 God wants us to be eyewitnesses of his majesty. He wants us to experience Him ourselves. When John tells us that the apostles heard, saw, looked at and touched Jesus, he mentions they heard once--they touched once. But when he says they saw, he not only says they saw, he adds “they looked at Jesus.” They were interested enough to see him twice—once in passing and once on purpose. The scripture implies they took him in.
"Sunday morning I heard my granddaughter Bella, calling for me through the singing. I knew she was calling for me because I recognized her voice. I had heard it many times before. When I turned to see her, to confirm what I already knew, she was raising her arms as if to say, “I want to come to you.” It broke my heart that she could not. But what would have broken my heart even more would have been for her to see me reaching out to her and she not want me. God has written the greatest love letter ever written and wants us to read it. How He must feel when we don’t! One of my favorite quotes is from the book Victory Over the Darkness by Neil Anderson, “Satan knows that he may not be able to stop you from serving God by making you immoral, but he can probably slow you down by making you busy!” And that’s what busy-ness does. It keeps us from taking the time to get to know God through scripture, prayer, meditation and service, just to mention a few. If your time is precious and you have to choose between reading the Bible or reading a devotional, let me make that decision for you. Choose God’s voice over mine. Sit at His feet and listen. If you can, do both. But if you can’t, choose what Mary chose, and that will be better."
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
2 Cor. 9:8 Friday
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8
I have all that I need and more. God has been so good to me--all my life. There's never been a year, a month, or a day that I've not had more than enough and some left over. I realized that even more so today as I was looking through my closets trying to figure out what to wear to a wedding this week-end. I thought I was going to have to buy something new but realized I didn't when I just took inventory of what I already had.
I don't know about you but when I've thought about abundance prior to this week, I've usually thought about blessings, good fortune or just lots of "stuff" and I've never felt guilty, as I've called it for being blessed. To be honest, I've never thought about abundance in terms of good works at all. I've just considered every-THING I've had as a gift from God and thanked Him for letting me have it.
Today, however, as I was sorting through my clothes, determining what to keep and what to give away and what to wear to the wedding, I had a revelation -- I mean a moment when the Spirit spoke to me as loudly as He has ever spoken to me before. He said, "Maybe, you've not been so blessed as you've been so greedy." And I wept. Why am I so blessed, as I've always thought, while so many have had so little? It may just be because I've been so greedy. God is able to make all grace abound so that in all things at all times, having all that we need we will abound in every good work. He doesn't just give us things because we need them, he may be giving us those things because someone else needs them.
I really hope this Holiday season you look at what you have and remember you may have it because God expects you to give it away. If we think we have to "work" more to have more, we're deceiving outselves. I believe if we have more, we need to "'work" more to give it away. We truly have been blessed abundantly.
I have all that I need and more. God has been so good to me--all my life. There's never been a year, a month, or a day that I've not had more than enough and some left over. I realized that even more so today as I was looking through my closets trying to figure out what to wear to a wedding this week-end. I thought I was going to have to buy something new but realized I didn't when I just took inventory of what I already had.
I don't know about you but when I've thought about abundance prior to this week, I've usually thought about blessings, good fortune or just lots of "stuff" and I've never felt guilty, as I've called it for being blessed. To be honest, I've never thought about abundance in terms of good works at all. I've just considered every-THING I've had as a gift from God and thanked Him for letting me have it.
Today, however, as I was sorting through my clothes, determining what to keep and what to give away and what to wear to the wedding, I had a revelation -- I mean a moment when the Spirit spoke to me as loudly as He has ever spoken to me before. He said, "Maybe, you've not been so blessed as you've been so greedy." And I wept. Why am I so blessed, as I've always thought, while so many have had so little? It may just be because I've been so greedy. God is able to make all grace abound so that in all things at all times, having all that we need we will abound in every good work. He doesn't just give us things because we need them, he may be giving us those things because someone else needs them.
I really hope this Holiday season you look at what you have and remember you may have it because God expects you to give it away. If we think we have to "work" more to have more, we're deceiving outselves. I believe if we have more, we need to "'work" more to give it away. We truly have been blessed abundantly.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
2 Cor. 9:8 Thursday
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Cor. 9:8
I absolutely love Bibles -- always have -- probably always will. Thanks to you, Lynn Mosher, I recently purchased The Everyday Life Bible, Amplified Version featuring notes and commentary by Joyce Meyer. Lynn's blog is fabulous (if you haven't read it, it's called Heading Home and has a sub-tab under Blogs in the main menu bar) and she refers to the Amplified Bible often. After you see how 2 Corinthians 9:8 reads, I think you'll understand why she uses it and why I bought one.
"And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances, and whatever the need, be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]
......so that in all things......at all times.......
I absolutely love Bibles -- always have -- probably always will. Thanks to you, Lynn Mosher, I recently purchased The Everyday Life Bible, Amplified Version featuring notes and commentary by Joyce Meyer. Lynn's blog is fabulous (if you haven't read it, it's called Heading Home and has a sub-tab under Blogs in the main menu bar) and she refers to the Amplified Bible often. After you see how 2 Corinthians 9:8 reads, I think you'll understand why she uses it and why I bought one.
"And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances, and whatever the need, be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]
......so that in all things......at all times.......
2 Cor. 9:8 Wednesday
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Cor. 9:8
I absolutely love Bibles -- always have -- probably always will. Thanks to you, Lynn Mosher, I recently purchased The Everyday Life Bible, Amplified Version featuring notes and commentary by Joyce Meyer. Lynn's blog is fabulous (if you haven't read it, it's called Heading Home and has a sub-tab under Blogs in the main menu bar) and she refers to the Amplified Bible often. After you see how 2 Corinthians 9:8 reads, I think you'll understand why she uses it and why I bought one.
"And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances, and whatever the need, be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]
......so that in all things......at all times.......
I absolutely love Bibles -- always have -- probably always will. Thanks to you, Lynn Mosher, I recently purchased The Everyday Life Bible, Amplified Version featuring notes and commentary by Joyce Meyer. Lynn's blog is fabulous (if you haven't read it, it's called Heading Home and has a sub-tab under Blogs in the main menu bar) and she refers to the Amplified Bible often. After you see how 2 Corinthians 9:8 reads, I think you'll understand why she uses it and why I bought one.
"And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances, and whatever the need, be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]
......so that in all things......at all times.......
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
2 Cor. 9:8 Monday
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Cor. 9:8
Last Sunday morning at 7:30 (believe it or not I made it) those of us who work with the Burmese refugees at our church in some capacity met at Panera Bread to discuss where we go in 2010. There were about twenty-five of us who put our heads together and asked the question, “What next?” At least three of us who work very closely with them on a regular basis have the same sentiments. Here is the jist of what we believe and said.
This is not our work, IT’S GOD’S WORK.
God would not have brought the Burmese to us if he hadn’t had a plan. He has a plan -- IT’S HIS PLAN.
We will only be required to serve them to the point He has equipped us -- HE HAS EQUIPPED US.
Ours is the easy part -- to sow and water the seed. His is the hard part – to make it grow. I CAN’T MAKE IT GROW.
God isn’t in a hurry, BUT USUALLY I AM!
We cannot meet all their needs, BUT WE CAN HELP THE ONES WHO CROSS OUR PATHS.
I can do this, because God is able to make all grace abound to me, so that in all things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every good work.
I can give a glass of water. I can feed. I can clothe. I can visit. I can be there. I can help. It’s really not that hard; it’s really pretty simple. We don’t need to fix; we need to befriend.
Listen to what actually happened this morning that illustrates the point I'm trying to make.
This morning there was a teenager in the youth group who was sitting right next to our family where we sit every Sunday morning, who had a nosebleed. I was unaware of what was going on, but two rows back Christina wasn’t. So since she was seeing what was going on, Christina poked Josh who in turn poked me which in turn, made me turn around to see Christina who asked me if I had any Kleenexes, as she was pointing to the teenager having the nosebleed. I jumped up with my Puffs travel tissues that Bella had been playing with and went across the aisle to help the boy. Quickly he stuffed one tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding and he used the others to wipe off his arms, hands and clothes that had been spattered with blood. Heather, who carries baby wipes with her for Brayden, threw the baby wipes over to me knowing they would be wetter. So, between Christina, Josh, Heather and me we all got the bleeding stopped and the boy taken care of. I guess you could say even Bella, my granddaughter helped because she had been playing with the tissues that I grabbed that were laying on the seat in the first place.
My sisters, isn’t it our "work" to help "the bleeding stop" in a world who needs a savior whose bleeding never stops -- who binds up the wounds of the broken hearted and sets the captives free?
God is able to make ALL grace abound to you, so that in ALL things at ALL times, having ALL that you need, you will abound in EVERY good work. None of us knew when we left for church what was going to happen once we got there. None of us knew that this nameless teenager was going to have a nosebleed. And none of us knew how we were going to respond or that God had already equipped us before we even knew we were going to respond. None of us had planned it, orchestrated it, or even knew what was going to happen. But because God is able, He knew it, he equipped us, and he took care of the boy -- through us. God is able to do this – to do all of this. That's just the way he operates.
I will be highlighting different words everyday throughout this week, just like I always do. But, know from the start you don’t have to meditate on any other words besides “God is able” –and to know that, to really know that, to absolutely unquestionably, without a shadow of a doubt, to know that God is able....... is enough.
Last Sunday morning at 7:30 (believe it or not I made it) those of us who work with the Burmese refugees at our church in some capacity met at Panera Bread to discuss where we go in 2010. There were about twenty-five of us who put our heads together and asked the question, “What next?” At least three of us who work very closely with them on a regular basis have the same sentiments. Here is the jist of what we believe and said.
This is not our work, IT’S GOD’S WORK.
God would not have brought the Burmese to us if he hadn’t had a plan. He has a plan -- IT’S HIS PLAN.
We will only be required to serve them to the point He has equipped us -- HE HAS EQUIPPED US.
Ours is the easy part -- to sow and water the seed. His is the hard part – to make it grow. I CAN’T MAKE IT GROW.
God isn’t in a hurry, BUT USUALLY I AM!
We cannot meet all their needs, BUT WE CAN HELP THE ONES WHO CROSS OUR PATHS.
I can do this, because God is able to make all grace abound to me, so that in all things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every good work.
I can give a glass of water. I can feed. I can clothe. I can visit. I can be there. I can help. It’s really not that hard; it’s really pretty simple. We don’t need to fix; we need to befriend.
Listen to what actually happened this morning that illustrates the point I'm trying to make.
This morning there was a teenager in the youth group who was sitting right next to our family where we sit every Sunday morning, who had a nosebleed. I was unaware of what was going on, but two rows back Christina wasn’t. So since she was seeing what was going on, Christina poked Josh who in turn poked me which in turn, made me turn around to see Christina who asked me if I had any Kleenexes, as she was pointing to the teenager having the nosebleed. I jumped up with my Puffs travel tissues that Bella had been playing with and went across the aisle to help the boy. Quickly he stuffed one tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding and he used the others to wipe off his arms, hands and clothes that had been spattered with blood. Heather, who carries baby wipes with her for Brayden, threw the baby wipes over to me knowing they would be wetter. So, between Christina, Josh, Heather and me we all got the bleeding stopped and the boy taken care of. I guess you could say even Bella, my granddaughter helped because she had been playing with the tissues that I grabbed that were laying on the seat in the first place.
My sisters, isn’t it our "work" to help "the bleeding stop" in a world who needs a savior whose bleeding never stops -- who binds up the wounds of the broken hearted and sets the captives free?
God is able to make ALL grace abound to you, so that in ALL things at ALL times, having ALL that you need, you will abound in EVERY good work. None of us knew when we left for church what was going to happen once we got there. None of us knew that this nameless teenager was going to have a nosebleed. And none of us knew how we were going to respond or that God had already equipped us before we even knew we were going to respond. None of us had planned it, orchestrated it, or even knew what was going to happen. But because God is able, He knew it, he equipped us, and he took care of the boy -- through us. God is able to do this – to do all of this. That's just the way he operates.
I will be highlighting different words everyday throughout this week, just like I always do. But, know from the start you don’t have to meditate on any other words besides “God is able” –and to know that, to really know that, to absolutely unquestionably, without a shadow of a doubt, to know that God is able....... is enough.
Psalm 119:18 Tuesday
"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." Psalm 119:18
They are just three simple prayers that have shaped my life. The first one I started praying as a teenager – an empty slate
“Lord, give me wisdom.” – a prayer James tells us to pray.
The second I started praying right after Laura was born, twenty-five years ago – a seeker:
“Give me a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I might know you better.” –Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, we looked at yesterday.
And the third one I started praying when you, Dana Abee, were a student in my class – a teacher:
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” –the Psalmist’s prayer we prayed this week.
God revealed the prayer I needed to pray, when he knew I needed the answer, at exactly the right time.
I beg you to start praying just one of these prayers, preferably all of them, to see if it doesn't make a difference. Even if your life doesn’t change, your attitude about your life will. How God does it, I just don't know. My part is just to pray.
They are just three simple prayers that have shaped my life. The first one I started praying as a teenager – an empty slate
“Lord, give me wisdom.” – a prayer James tells us to pray.
The second I started praying right after Laura was born, twenty-five years ago – a seeker:
“Give me a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I might know you better.” –Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, we looked at yesterday.
And the third one I started praying when you, Dana Abee, were a student in my class – a teacher:
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” –the Psalmist’s prayer we prayed this week.
God revealed the prayer I needed to pray, when he knew I needed the answer, at exactly the right time.
I beg you to start praying just one of these prayers, preferably all of them, to see if it doesn't make a difference. Even if your life doesn’t change, your attitude about your life will. How God does it, I just don't know. My part is just to pray.
Psalm 119:18 Monday
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18
This is the verse I started using years ago that I used to tell the ladies in my Bible classes to pray when they went to their Bibles but didn’t know what to study. Many people want to study; they just don’t know how. This is where I think it starts. It’s such a simple prayer--not very long-- but very, very powerful and affective. It goes right along with Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:15-22, when he prays for the eyes of their heart to be enlightened.
This is what he prayed:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know this hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
(JUST AS AN ASIDE) -- Did you read that? Did you really read every word of every sentence in that entire paragraph? If you didn’t, would you please go back and read it now? Would you not let Satan keep you from reading every word of every sentence in this paragraph? Please let me tell you something that someone told me years ago, that I, myself, have found to be true. If you are reading a passage of scripture and there’s a part of the verse you skim over or can’t remember if you’ve read it or not, that’s the very part of the verse you need to read, that Satan KNOWS you need to read, so he has you skim over it. That is the part of the verse you need to go back and read again and again and again. Please take reading every word of God’s word seriously.
Now, to explain Ephesians 1:15-22. I have read Paul’s prayer for the last forty-five minutes in The Complete Jewish Bible, The Message, The New Living Translation, The English Standard Version, The Amplified Version, The New Century Version, The New International Version plus Matthew Henry’s Commentary and I simply can’t wrap my mind around all the wonderful things Paul is saying here. I can’t write about what I was going to write about now. So, I’m leaving it up to you to extract the meat from this passage. It’s incredible, but beyond my ability to write about it in such a way as to do the passage justice. I can, however, say like Paul, that ever since I heard about YOUR faith in the Lord Jesus and YOUR love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for YOU, remembering YOU in my prayers -- those of YOU in Titus 2. This is what Paul said before he prayed, that I CAN articulate. Whenever I pray a prayer for YOU, I pray Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving – the time of year we pay attention to what we’re thankful for. Or rather, I hope we pay attention to WHO we’re thankful for. When I started to write this last night, I wrote until 1:00 a.m. trying to use this verse to point out that whenever we pray, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” there’s no-thing in THE LAW that doesn’t point back to Jesus. Every scripture in the Torah (as this would have been), every word written in the entire Bible goes back to the cross and what Jesus did for us – who we are in Christ Jesus; that’s why Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is so important to me and why I was going to use it in conjunction with Psalm 119:18. I did not see last night that the connection between the two passages was thanksgiving; this morning I do. (It’s just like God to know the connection I needed to make, and reveal it to me the week of Thanksgiving.)
Right before Paul prayed for the Ephesians he told them who they were:
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”
When you break this verse down to its simplest thought it reads, “In him we were also chosen …..in order that we …..might be for the praise of his glory.”
This is the true spirit of Thanksgiving. We praise God for who we are and whose we are. We were created to praise his glory. This is what we’re here to do.
I hope this Thanksgiving, that every time you remember what you’re thankful for, you remember WHO you’re thankful for and why -- the most important part. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” and when you do, you will see Jesus.
This is the verse I started using years ago that I used to tell the ladies in my Bible classes to pray when they went to their Bibles but didn’t know what to study. Many people want to study; they just don’t know how. This is where I think it starts. It’s such a simple prayer--not very long-- but very, very powerful and affective. It goes right along with Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:15-22, when he prays for the eyes of their heart to be enlightened.
This is what he prayed:
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know this hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
(JUST AS AN ASIDE) -- Did you read that? Did you really read every word of every sentence in that entire paragraph? If you didn’t, would you please go back and read it now? Would you not let Satan keep you from reading every word of every sentence in this paragraph? Please let me tell you something that someone told me years ago, that I, myself, have found to be true. If you are reading a passage of scripture and there’s a part of the verse you skim over or can’t remember if you’ve read it or not, that’s the very part of the verse you need to read, that Satan KNOWS you need to read, so he has you skim over it. That is the part of the verse you need to go back and read again and again and again. Please take reading every word of God’s word seriously.
Now, to explain Ephesians 1:15-22. I have read Paul’s prayer for the last forty-five minutes in The Complete Jewish Bible, The Message, The New Living Translation, The English Standard Version, The Amplified Version, The New Century Version, The New International Version plus Matthew Henry’s Commentary and I simply can’t wrap my mind around all the wonderful things Paul is saying here. I can’t write about what I was going to write about now. So, I’m leaving it up to you to extract the meat from this passage. It’s incredible, but beyond my ability to write about it in such a way as to do the passage justice. I can, however, say like Paul, that ever since I heard about YOUR faith in the Lord Jesus and YOUR love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for YOU, remembering YOU in my prayers -- those of YOU in Titus 2. This is what Paul said before he prayed, that I CAN articulate. Whenever I pray a prayer for YOU, I pray Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving – the time of year we pay attention to what we’re thankful for. Or rather, I hope we pay attention to WHO we’re thankful for. When I started to write this last night, I wrote until 1:00 a.m. trying to use this verse to point out that whenever we pray, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” there’s no-thing in THE LAW that doesn’t point back to Jesus. Every scripture in the Torah (as this would have been), every word written in the entire Bible goes back to the cross and what Jesus did for us – who we are in Christ Jesus; that’s why Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is so important to me and why I was going to use it in conjunction with Psalm 119:18. I did not see last night that the connection between the two passages was thanksgiving; this morning I do. (It’s just like God to know the connection I needed to make, and reveal it to me the week of Thanksgiving.)
Right before Paul prayed for the Ephesians he told them who they were:
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”
When you break this verse down to its simplest thought it reads, “In him we were also chosen …..in order that we …..might be for the praise of his glory.”
This is the true spirit of Thanksgiving. We praise God for who we are and whose we are. We were created to praise his glory. This is what we’re here to do.
I hope this Thanksgiving, that every time you remember what you’re thankful for, you remember WHO you’re thankful for and why -- the most important part. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” and when you do, you will see Jesus.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 119:96
"To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless." Psalm 119:96
Occasionally I like to read Matthew Henry's commentary to see his take on something, as I did this week regarding Psalm 119:96. Since he is much more philosophical than I and believes David wrote it, I'm concluding my thoughts this week with his interpretation. I must admit, I had to read this several times before I understood it. But once I did, I liked it. He's probably right about David being the author; I don't know.
Psa 119:96
Here we have David’s testimony from his own experience, 1. Of the vanity of the world and its insufficiency to make us happy: I have seen an end of all perfection. Poor perfection which one sees an end of! Yet such are all those things in this world which pass for perfections. David, in his time, had seen Goliath, the strongest, overcome, Asahel, the swiftest, overtaken, Ahithophel, the wisest, befooled, Absalom, the fairest, deformed; and, in short, he had seen an end of perfection, of all perfection. He saw it by faith; he saw it by observation; he saw an end of the perfection of the creature both in respect of sufficiency (it was scanty and defective; there is that to be done for us which the creature cannot do) and in respect of continuance; it will not last our time, for it will not last to eternity as we must. The glory of man is but as the flower of the grass. 2. Of the fulness of the word of God, and its sufficiency for our satisfaction: But thy commandment is broad, exceedingly broad. The word of God reaches to all cases, to all times. The divine law lays a restraint upon the whole man, is designed to sanctify us wholly. There is a great deal required and forbidden in every commandment. The divine promise (for that also is commanded) extends itself to all our burdens, wants, and grievances, and has that in it which will make a portion and happiness for us when we have seen an end of all perfection.
Occasionally I like to read Matthew Henry's commentary to see his take on something, as I did this week regarding Psalm 119:96. Since he is much more philosophical than I and believes David wrote it, I'm concluding my thoughts this week with his interpretation. I must admit, I had to read this several times before I understood it. But once I did, I liked it. He's probably right about David being the author; I don't know.
Psa 119:96
Here we have David’s testimony from his own experience, 1. Of the vanity of the world and its insufficiency to make us happy: I have seen an end of all perfection. Poor perfection which one sees an end of! Yet such are all those things in this world which pass for perfections. David, in his time, had seen Goliath, the strongest, overcome, Asahel, the swiftest, overtaken, Ahithophel, the wisest, befooled, Absalom, the fairest, deformed; and, in short, he had seen an end of perfection, of all perfection. He saw it by faith; he saw it by observation; he saw an end of the perfection of the creature both in respect of sufficiency (it was scanty and defective; there is that to be done for us which the creature cannot do) and in respect of continuance; it will not last our time, for it will not last to eternity as we must. The glory of man is but as the flower of the grass. 2. Of the fulness of the word of God, and its sufficiency for our satisfaction: But thy commandment is broad, exceedingly broad. The word of God reaches to all cases, to all times. The divine law lays a restraint upon the whole man, is designed to sanctify us wholly. There is a great deal required and forbidden in every commandment. The divine promise (for that also is commanded) extends itself to all our burdens, wants, and grievances, and has that in it which will make a portion and happiness for us when we have seen an end of all perfection.
Psalm 119:96 Thursday
"To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless." Psalm 119:96
Fixing your eyes on Jesus begins by being in THE WORD. “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” If I want to know Jesus, then I must be in THE WORD that became that flesh. No, I don’t want to just become a student -- "knowledge puffs up but love builds up." 1 Cor. 8:1 I want to become like Jesus who was the epitome of love, who came to earth to show us what love is. “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only son....” John 3:16.
My Bibles tell a journey; all of them are written in and underlined. The words I’ve underlined, as well as the notes written about those underlined words, show a natural progression any student takes when she’s in THE WORD daily. At first I learned facts for fact's sake. But, ultimately those facts led to greater understanding. That progression is described in Psalm 119:98-100 – verses I’ve considered using for one of the weekly meditations.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders [the aged], for I obey your precepts.
Notice the natural progression: if God’s commands are ever with me, e.g., I know them, then I will be wise; if I meditate on his statutes, I will have insight; if I obey his precepts, I will have understanding. To put it simply -- I know; I have wisdom. I meditate; I have insight. I obey; I have understanding. Proverbs 4:5, a verse I memorized in Leona Emberton’s class when I was in grade school, says: “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.” This passage is about the supremacy of wisdom.
Fixing your eyes on Jesus means not watching the winds and the waves. When Peter got out of the boat to walk on the water, it was when he took his eyes off Jesus that he started to sink. I sink when I start watching people; they are the winds and the waves to me. Caring too much what people think, trying to please everybody all the time takes my eyes off Jesus. Martha did this when she told Jesus to tell Mary to come help her in the kitchen. He, himself, said to Mary, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41 That one thing that is needed is being with Jesus, e.g., looking to Jesus, listening to Jesus, sitting at His feet, which I’m calling “fixing your eyes on.” What will fixing your eyes on Jesus do? Jesus tells us it will keep us from becoming “worried and upset about many things.”
When the disciples thought they were going to drown in the storm in Mark 4, and woke Jesus up, asking him if he cared, Jesus asked them “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Obviously, Jesus’ question points out that fear is the opposite of faith, which is exactly what Satan wants—for Christians to live in fear. Fear stagnates; it freezes; it keeps the church from being the church. There is only one fear that is a healthy fear—to fear God and keep his commandments.
Listen to Hebrews 12:1-3—the one passage I’ve quoted more than any other in my entire lifetime. These are the verses I live by and call my mantra.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
This is the modern-day translation of this verse that I, myself, have written.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great temptation to be like the world, let us stop doing everything that benefits us -- everything that anchors us to the rock -- and let us run ourselves to death at the pace the world dictates. Let us fix our eyes on each other, the distracters of our faith, who for the joy we try to have with each other, entices us, not considering who we are in Christ, to stand in the way of sinners. Consider the world that enjoys the approval of men, so that you will be heavy-laden and your heart will grow hard.”
The sin that so easily entangles is lack of faith. If faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, then I must be in the Word to have faith. I am amazed when people want stronger faith, but they don’t know where it comes from or how to get it. Romans 10:17 tells us how. God requires of us to be faithful, not successful or perfect.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus teaches us to persevere. He never wavered. He never sinned. He kept going even when he died for the people who crucified him.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus teaches us to endure opposition from sinful men; it does not say change yourself to please them. It says endure the opposition. (And by-the-way, I think sinful men would be everybody.)
Fixing our eyes on Jesus will keep us from growing weary and losing heart. Fix your eyes on yourself and you will.
When I look at myself, which is where part one started, i.e., at my imperfection, I am never going to be satisfied. But when I fix my eyes on Jesus, I will see perfection. He already is what I can never be, and I am thankful. I will not grow weary and I will not lose heart. No wonder Satan wants me to be a perfectionist. Why would I ever need Jesus?
end
Fixing your eyes on Jesus begins by being in THE WORD. “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” If I want to know Jesus, then I must be in THE WORD that became that flesh. No, I don’t want to just become a student -- "knowledge puffs up but love builds up." 1 Cor. 8:1 I want to become like Jesus who was the epitome of love, who came to earth to show us what love is. “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only son....” John 3:16.
My Bibles tell a journey; all of them are written in and underlined. The words I’ve underlined, as well as the notes written about those underlined words, show a natural progression any student takes when she’s in THE WORD daily. At first I learned facts for fact's sake. But, ultimately those facts led to greater understanding. That progression is described in Psalm 119:98-100 – verses I’ve considered using for one of the weekly meditations.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders [the aged], for I obey your precepts.
Notice the natural progression: if God’s commands are ever with me, e.g., I know them, then I will be wise; if I meditate on his statutes, I will have insight; if I obey his precepts, I will have understanding. To put it simply -- I know; I have wisdom. I meditate; I have insight. I obey; I have understanding. Proverbs 4:5, a verse I memorized in Leona Emberton’s class when I was in grade school, says: “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.” This passage is about the supremacy of wisdom.
Fixing your eyes on Jesus means not watching the winds and the waves. When Peter got out of the boat to walk on the water, it was when he took his eyes off Jesus that he started to sink. I sink when I start watching people; they are the winds and the waves to me. Caring too much what people think, trying to please everybody all the time takes my eyes off Jesus. Martha did this when she told Jesus to tell Mary to come help her in the kitchen. He, himself, said to Mary, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41 That one thing that is needed is being with Jesus, e.g., looking to Jesus, listening to Jesus, sitting at His feet, which I’m calling “fixing your eyes on.” What will fixing your eyes on Jesus do? Jesus tells us it will keep us from becoming “worried and upset about many things.”
When the disciples thought they were going to drown in the storm in Mark 4, and woke Jesus up, asking him if he cared, Jesus asked them “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Obviously, Jesus’ question points out that fear is the opposite of faith, which is exactly what Satan wants—for Christians to live in fear. Fear stagnates; it freezes; it keeps the church from being the church. There is only one fear that is a healthy fear—to fear God and keep his commandments.
Listen to Hebrews 12:1-3—the one passage I’ve quoted more than any other in my entire lifetime. These are the verses I live by and call my mantra.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
This is the modern-day translation of this verse that I, myself, have written.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great temptation to be like the world, let us stop doing everything that benefits us -- everything that anchors us to the rock -- and let us run ourselves to death at the pace the world dictates. Let us fix our eyes on each other, the distracters of our faith, who for the joy we try to have with each other, entices us, not considering who we are in Christ, to stand in the way of sinners. Consider the world that enjoys the approval of men, so that you will be heavy-laden and your heart will grow hard.”
The sin that so easily entangles is lack of faith. If faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, then I must be in the Word to have faith. I am amazed when people want stronger faith, but they don’t know where it comes from or how to get it. Romans 10:17 tells us how. God requires of us to be faithful, not successful or perfect.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus teaches us to persevere. He never wavered. He never sinned. He kept going even when he died for the people who crucified him.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus teaches us to endure opposition from sinful men; it does not say change yourself to please them. It says endure the opposition. (And by-the-way, I think sinful men would be everybody.)
Fixing our eyes on Jesus will keep us from growing weary and losing heart. Fix your eyes on yourself and you will.
When I look at myself, which is where part one started, i.e., at my imperfection, I am never going to be satisfied. But when I fix my eyes on Jesus, I will see perfection. He already is what I can never be, and I am thankful. I will not grow weary and I will not lose heart. No wonder Satan wants me to be a perfectionist. Why would I ever need Jesus?
end
Psalm 119:96 Wednesday
"To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless." Psalm 119:96
I found this verse a long time before I realized what it meant. I would say it was on the back-burner stewing for a period of years before that ah-ha moment came when the Spirit said “Now listen!” I knew that for us, as sinners, perfection was impossible, even though my mind wasn’t convinced I couldn’t be. I just couldn’t see the connection between the two clauses until finally one day the Spirit spoke. This is what He said:
Teresa, you are limited in how perfect you can be, but you're not limited in what you can do for ME. His will is boundless (some versions say “broad”) in that you will never run out of things to do for God plus his will covers everything you cannot be.
"To all perfection I see a limit," is totally looking inward with both eyes on me; "but your commands are boundless" is looking outward with both eyes on God.
I have suffered from depression most of my life. I really can’t look back far enough to see a time when I didn’t, even down to today. It’s my “thorn” that God uses to keep me close to Him and, like Paul, to keep me from becoming conceited. Depression, as I have learned, "often symbolizes that you’re holding on to an unattainable goal." And my unattainable goal was perfection. It just wasn’t going to happen. And what I thought was going to happen if I, through my own efforts, became perfect, was exactly the opposite of what God wanted to happen. The only way God’s strength could be made PERFECT in me, was for me to admit my weakness. I had not realized that to think I could be perfect was the epitome of arrogance. I still cringe when I remember how I felt when I realized how arrogant I had been.
God stripped me of all my “perfection” and arrogance by throwing me into the pit of depression. Yes, I still suffer from depression, but nothing like then. He stripped me of me, so he could mold me and make me from the ground up. This is what “Up from the Pit” the video series I taped is all about. All eight videos are based on Mark 4:35-41 where Jesus calms the storm. There is an often overlooked phrase I want to mention here, that’s found in verse thirty-six. “Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.” The phrase is “just as he was.” When Jesus goes with us, so does perfection – His perfection, not mine. And it’s so obvious, yet something I want to point out, if I take Jesus along just as He is, then He also takes me along just as I am. If Jesus is with me always, even to the very end of the age, then I am always in the face of perfection. He is being perfect for me; so I don’t have to be. That is what grace is.
God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. He gives me everything because I have nothing. I am nothing without Him. Even my RIGHTEOUS acts are but filthy rags.
When I realized what Dr. Pfohl had told me, that “perfection is not a goal it is a disorder” I realized that by trying to live perfectly on my own, I had actually kept Jesus out. I was so full of myself there was no room left for him. I had to empty myself of myself so Christ could live in me.
GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense—such a simple acronym but so true. “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Rom. 8:3-6
Jesus condemned sin, not me. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” and when I realized, really realized what that meant, I felt the chains fall off and gave myself permission to be me, less than perfect. I took my eyes off myself and started fixing my eyes on Jesus.
(part three)
I found this verse a long time before I realized what it meant. I would say it was on the back-burner stewing for a period of years before that ah-ha moment came when the Spirit said “Now listen!” I knew that for us, as sinners, perfection was impossible, even though my mind wasn’t convinced I couldn’t be. I just couldn’t see the connection between the two clauses until finally one day the Spirit spoke. This is what He said:
Teresa, you are limited in how perfect you can be, but you're not limited in what you can do for ME. His will is boundless (some versions say “broad”) in that you will never run out of things to do for God plus his will covers everything you cannot be.
"To all perfection I see a limit," is totally looking inward with both eyes on me; "but your commands are boundless" is looking outward with both eyes on God.
I have suffered from depression most of my life. I really can’t look back far enough to see a time when I didn’t, even down to today. It’s my “thorn” that God uses to keep me close to Him and, like Paul, to keep me from becoming conceited. Depression, as I have learned, "often symbolizes that you’re holding on to an unattainable goal." And my unattainable goal was perfection. It just wasn’t going to happen. And what I thought was going to happen if I, through my own efforts, became perfect, was exactly the opposite of what God wanted to happen. The only way God’s strength could be made PERFECT in me, was for me to admit my weakness. I had not realized that to think I could be perfect was the epitome of arrogance. I still cringe when I remember how I felt when I realized how arrogant I had been.
God stripped me of all my “perfection” and arrogance by throwing me into the pit of depression. Yes, I still suffer from depression, but nothing like then. He stripped me of me, so he could mold me and make me from the ground up. This is what “Up from the Pit” the video series I taped is all about. All eight videos are based on Mark 4:35-41 where Jesus calms the storm. There is an often overlooked phrase I want to mention here, that’s found in verse thirty-six. “Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.” The phrase is “just as he was.” When Jesus goes with us, so does perfection – His perfection, not mine. And it’s so obvious, yet something I want to point out, if I take Jesus along just as He is, then He also takes me along just as I am. If Jesus is with me always, even to the very end of the age, then I am always in the face of perfection. He is being perfect for me; so I don’t have to be. That is what grace is.
God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. He gives me everything because I have nothing. I am nothing without Him. Even my RIGHTEOUS acts are but filthy rags.
When I realized what Dr. Pfohl had told me, that “perfection is not a goal it is a disorder” I realized that by trying to live perfectly on my own, I had actually kept Jesus out. I was so full of myself there was no room left for him. I had to empty myself of myself so Christ could live in me.
GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense—such a simple acronym but so true. “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Rom. 8:3-6
Jesus condemned sin, not me. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” and when I realized, really realized what that meant, I felt the chains fall off and gave myself permission to be me, less than perfect. I took my eyes off myself and started fixing my eyes on Jesus.
(part three)
Psalm 119:96 Tuesday
"To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless." Psalm 119:96
My daddy didn’t believe in compliments—said giving them might go to your head. He was wrong; not giving them goes to your heart. I remember the day he told me he loved me unsolicited – it was June 14, 2005. I was fifty years old. It was such a red letter day I put it on my calendar and one year later actually wrote it in red so I could remind myself again. I made it a permanent red letter day. Reba McIntyre wrote a song several years ago called The Man I Never Knew about her dad—the man she never knew who lived down the hall; I could relate. My dad and I have gotten closer as I've gotten older, but it’s taken a long time getting here. I’ve heard statistics say that girls get their self-esteem from their fathers. So it stands to reason, little girls whose fathers don’t compliment them, see nothing but imperfections when there’s so much more. I was an over-achiever in grade school, high school and college. I pushed myself to do more and more and chastised myself when I made less than an A. I was trying to be that ethereal pefectionist, because I couldn't see anyone accepting me as anything less. I threw up before almost every test I took and every speech I gave. I spent my honeymoon night throwing up on the bathroom floor while Phil lay snoring in bed. Yes, I had nervous jitters but I was laden with fear of imperfection and fear of the unknown. I missed the first day of my first job with an upset stomach because of anxiety.
I grew up in a very conservative church – legalistic, saved by works and not by grace. I had to abide by a set of rules I could not keep. Every time I mastered one, my line always moved to another level I could not reach again. I felt so imperfect, less than God expected regardless of how hard I tried.
As a young adult, still saved by works and not by grace, I felt the harder I worked for God the more He loved me. So I worked and worked, never doing enough, seeing all the things I SHOULD be doing, but wondering how I could possibly do everything anyone asked me to do, without making them mad if I said no. I SHOULD myself to death. Then is when the panic attacks started and the doctor told me to learn how to say no – to go home, take five milligrams of valium and relax. He didn’t know I didn’t know how.
All of this from childhood to adulthood had an effect on my body. By the time I had my first colonoscopy in 1990 (I was 35) the doctor said I had the colon of a 55 year old woman -- that what was going on in my gut had been going on a long time; and it had. (I have been taught that whatever your thought process is, there is a parallel connection with some part of your body that’s affected. When I went to see Dr. Tapp for my colon, he noted that I kept saying, “I split a gut for my parents. I split a gut for my parents.” And he reminded me, my gut problems were the reason I came to see him in the first place.)
Satan’s three weapons are temptation, accusation and deception. Anyone who has found herself in bondage to Satan, constantly feeling inadequate to be his child, yet knowing they’re a child of the King, needs to read The Bondage Breaker, along with any other books written by Neil Anderson. The Bondage Breaker is a bit much for the younger audience to read, but the material can be adapted to their maturity level. When I first read the book I thought it was “way out there.” But now realize in my fifties it’s right on the money. Here is an excerpt from chapter nine.
“One of the most common attitudes I have discovered in Christians—even among pastors, Christian leaders, and their wives and children—is a deep-seated sense of self-depreciation. I’ve heard them say, “I’m not important, I’m not qualified, I’m no good.” I’m amazed at how many Christians are paralyzed in their witness and productivity by thoughts and feelings of inferiority and worthlessness.
“Next to temptation, perhaps the most frequent and insistent attack from Satan to which we are vulnerable is accusation. By faith we have entered into an eternal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, we are dead to sin and alive to God, and we now sit with Christ in the heavenlies. In Christ we are important, we are qualified, we are good. Satan can do absolutely nothing to alter our position in Christ and our worth to God. But he can render us virtually inoperative if he can deceive us into listening to and believing his insidious lies accusing us of being of little value to God or other people.
“Satan often uses temptation and accusation as a brutal one-two punch. He comes along and says, “Why don’t you try it? Everybody does it. Besides, you can get away with it. Who’s going to know?” Then as soon as we fall for his tempting line, he changes his tune to accusation: “What kind of a Christian are you to do such a thing? You’re a pitiful excuse for a child of God. You’ll never get away with it. You might as well give up because God has already given up on you.” page 141
When Dr. Pfohl said the words “Perfection is not a goal, it is a disorder,” I couldn’t believe my ears. They were words I couldn’t let myself believe. Never in my life had anyone given me permission to be less than perfect. I really thought I could be, that it was expected of me, and I was going to be one day if I just tried hard enough.
(part two)
My daddy didn’t believe in compliments—said giving them might go to your head. He was wrong; not giving them goes to your heart. I remember the day he told me he loved me unsolicited – it was June 14, 2005. I was fifty years old. It was such a red letter day I put it on my calendar and one year later actually wrote it in red so I could remind myself again. I made it a permanent red letter day. Reba McIntyre wrote a song several years ago called The Man I Never Knew about her dad—the man she never knew who lived down the hall; I could relate. My dad and I have gotten closer as I've gotten older, but it’s taken a long time getting here. I’ve heard statistics say that girls get their self-esteem from their fathers. So it stands to reason, little girls whose fathers don’t compliment them, see nothing but imperfections when there’s so much more. I was an over-achiever in grade school, high school and college. I pushed myself to do more and more and chastised myself when I made less than an A. I was trying to be that ethereal pefectionist, because I couldn't see anyone accepting me as anything less. I threw up before almost every test I took and every speech I gave. I spent my honeymoon night throwing up on the bathroom floor while Phil lay snoring in bed. Yes, I had nervous jitters but I was laden with fear of imperfection and fear of the unknown. I missed the first day of my first job with an upset stomach because of anxiety.
I grew up in a very conservative church – legalistic, saved by works and not by grace. I had to abide by a set of rules I could not keep. Every time I mastered one, my line always moved to another level I could not reach again. I felt so imperfect, less than God expected regardless of how hard I tried.
As a young adult, still saved by works and not by grace, I felt the harder I worked for God the more He loved me. So I worked and worked, never doing enough, seeing all the things I SHOULD be doing, but wondering how I could possibly do everything anyone asked me to do, without making them mad if I said no. I SHOULD myself to death. Then is when the panic attacks started and the doctor told me to learn how to say no – to go home, take five milligrams of valium and relax. He didn’t know I didn’t know how.
All of this from childhood to adulthood had an effect on my body. By the time I had my first colonoscopy in 1990 (I was 35) the doctor said I had the colon of a 55 year old woman -- that what was going on in my gut had been going on a long time; and it had. (I have been taught that whatever your thought process is, there is a parallel connection with some part of your body that’s affected. When I went to see Dr. Tapp for my colon, he noted that I kept saying, “I split a gut for my parents. I split a gut for my parents.” And he reminded me, my gut problems were the reason I came to see him in the first place.)
Satan’s three weapons are temptation, accusation and deception. Anyone who has found herself in bondage to Satan, constantly feeling inadequate to be his child, yet knowing they’re a child of the King, needs to read The Bondage Breaker, along with any other books written by Neil Anderson. The Bondage Breaker is a bit much for the younger audience to read, but the material can be adapted to their maturity level. When I first read the book I thought it was “way out there.” But now realize in my fifties it’s right on the money. Here is an excerpt from chapter nine.
“One of the most common attitudes I have discovered in Christians—even among pastors, Christian leaders, and their wives and children—is a deep-seated sense of self-depreciation. I’ve heard them say, “I’m not important, I’m not qualified, I’m no good.” I’m amazed at how many Christians are paralyzed in their witness and productivity by thoughts and feelings of inferiority and worthlessness.
“Next to temptation, perhaps the most frequent and insistent attack from Satan to which we are vulnerable is accusation. By faith we have entered into an eternal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, we are dead to sin and alive to God, and we now sit with Christ in the heavenlies. In Christ we are important, we are qualified, we are good. Satan can do absolutely nothing to alter our position in Christ and our worth to God. But he can render us virtually inoperative if he can deceive us into listening to and believing his insidious lies accusing us of being of little value to God or other people.
“Satan often uses temptation and accusation as a brutal one-two punch. He comes along and says, “Why don’t you try it? Everybody does it. Besides, you can get away with it. Who’s going to know?” Then as soon as we fall for his tempting line, he changes his tune to accusation: “What kind of a Christian are you to do such a thing? You’re a pitiful excuse for a child of God. You’ll never get away with it. You might as well give up because God has already given up on you.” page 141
When Dr. Pfohl said the words “Perfection is not a goal, it is a disorder,” I couldn’t believe my ears. They were words I couldn’t let myself believe. Never in my life had anyone given me permission to be less than perfect. I really thought I could be, that it was expected of me, and I was going to be one day if I just tried hard enough.
(part two)
Psalm 119:96 Monday
"To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless." Psalm 119:96
My first panic attack came on February 12, 1987. I told a friend I was talking to on the telephone that my left arm was going numb, I just didn't feel quite right and my heart was pounding. She told me I needed to call the doctor, who told me to come in immediately. So, I got Laura, who was three at the time, drove to my husband's law office, whisked her out onto the sidewalk to Phil, told him I was going to see Dr. Burt and drove myself. Dr. Burt did an EKG and found my heart was beating 186 beats a minute. So he admitted me into the step-down unit of coronary care. He told me I was not having a heart attack; he just wanted to keep an eye on me. For the next few hours, nothing out of the ordinary happened, my heart rate went down and everything seemed okay. I don't think this is actually what caused the incident, but after one of our elders came to see me, my heart rate went back up again and I was taken into the coronary care unit to be watched more closely. I remember asking the nurse if I was having a heart attack and he said he didn't know for sure, but that something was wrong and he would take good care of me; and he did. I asked him if he would just call my husband so I wouldn't be alone. I was there two days and sent home with the instructions to take five miligrams of valium, as needed, and learn to say no. (More on that later). I had my second panic attack August 13, 1991, was seen in the emergency room, told it was just another panic attack and to just go home.
I had my first colonoscopy in February of 1990, my second in 1991, my third in 1992 and my fourth in 1996. After the third colonoscopy in 1992 I started counseling with Dr. Pfohl here in Bowling Green, who said one sentence to me that changed my life. It was a sentence so foreign to me, I asked him to repeat it, I'm sure more than once. This is what he said:
"Teresa, perfection is not a goal, it is a disorder."
(Part one)
My first panic attack came on February 12, 1987. I told a friend I was talking to on the telephone that my left arm was going numb, I just didn't feel quite right and my heart was pounding. She told me I needed to call the doctor, who told me to come in immediately. So, I got Laura, who was three at the time, drove to my husband's law office, whisked her out onto the sidewalk to Phil, told him I was going to see Dr. Burt and drove myself. Dr. Burt did an EKG and found my heart was beating 186 beats a minute. So he admitted me into the step-down unit of coronary care. He told me I was not having a heart attack; he just wanted to keep an eye on me. For the next few hours, nothing out of the ordinary happened, my heart rate went down and everything seemed okay. I don't think this is actually what caused the incident, but after one of our elders came to see me, my heart rate went back up again and I was taken into the coronary care unit to be watched more closely. I remember asking the nurse if I was having a heart attack and he said he didn't know for sure, but that something was wrong and he would take good care of me; and he did. I asked him if he would just call my husband so I wouldn't be alone. I was there two days and sent home with the instructions to take five miligrams of valium, as needed, and learn to say no. (More on that later). I had my second panic attack August 13, 1991, was seen in the emergency room, told it was just another panic attack and to just go home.
I had my first colonoscopy in February of 1990, my second in 1991, my third in 1992 and my fourth in 1996. After the third colonoscopy in 1992 I started counseling with Dr. Pfohl here in Bowling Green, who said one sentence to me that changed my life. It was a sentence so foreign to me, I asked him to repeat it, I'm sure more than once. This is what he said:
"Teresa, perfection is not a goal, it is a disorder."
(Part one)
Psalm 119:126 Thursday
"It is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being broken." Psalm 119:126
There is a parallel verse that goes along with this verse we're meditating on this week, that looks at God's law being broken, more from God's perspective than from man's. Whereas the Psalmist in verse 126 demands God's response, in verse 136 he, himself, responds. "Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed." He is so sorry for man's disobedience, He cries. (My mother-in-law has always said you can tell someone anything and they'll usually listen, as long as you have tears in your eyes. And I bet this psalmist may have talked to someone about his sinfulness since sinfulness was what moved him to tears.)
I know most of us know the Bible; we can and do quote it. But does that knowledge go beyond our head to penetrate our hearts to reach out to others who don't know God? How much effort am I putting into making the world a better place? Have I myself been crucified with Christ to the point the world sees that I no longer live but Christ lives in me? Do I shed tears of sorrow for the sinfulness of the world? Do streams of tears flow from my eyes because God's law is not obeyed? Do I, myself, obey it?
God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If MY PEOPLE, who are called by MY NAME, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." As Mollie Geralds pointed out to me a few weeks ago, "God said 'If MY PEOPLE, would humble themselves and turn.' He didn't say 'if the world would humble itself and turn.' The church is the one not doing its job. It's not the world's fault it's in the shape it's in." (I remember when I heard Chuck Miller say, "The world acts exactly the way the world should act; it serves Satan." That was a lightbulb moment for me.)
Can any of us disagree with Molly? I believe it's easier for us to tell God what HE needs to be doing, than to tell ourselves what WE need to be doing.
Which is more important to me--for me to tell God that his law is being broken, or to tell myself it's His law I need to obey?
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
There is a parallel verse that goes along with this verse we're meditating on this week, that looks at God's law being broken, more from God's perspective than from man's. Whereas the Psalmist in verse 126 demands God's response, in verse 136 he, himself, responds. "Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed." He is so sorry for man's disobedience, He cries. (My mother-in-law has always said you can tell someone anything and they'll usually listen, as long as you have tears in your eyes. And I bet this psalmist may have talked to someone about his sinfulness since sinfulness was what moved him to tears.)
I know most of us know the Bible; we can and do quote it. But does that knowledge go beyond our head to penetrate our hearts to reach out to others who don't know God? How much effort am I putting into making the world a better place? Have I myself been crucified with Christ to the point the world sees that I no longer live but Christ lives in me? Do I shed tears of sorrow for the sinfulness of the world? Do streams of tears flow from my eyes because God's law is not obeyed? Do I, myself, obey it?
God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If MY PEOPLE, who are called by MY NAME, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." As Mollie Geralds pointed out to me a few weeks ago, "God said 'If MY PEOPLE, would humble themselves and turn.' He didn't say 'if the world would humble itself and turn.' The church is the one not doing its job. It's not the world's fault it's in the shape it's in." (I remember when I heard Chuck Miller say, "The world acts exactly the way the world should act; it serves Satan." That was a lightbulb moment for me.)
Can any of us disagree with Molly? I believe it's easier for us to tell God what HE needs to be doing, than to tell ourselves what WE need to be doing.
Which is more important to me--for me to tell God that his law is being broken, or to tell myself it's His law I need to obey?
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
Psalm 119:126 Wednesday
It is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being broken.” Psalm 119:126
I ask God, "God, what are you doing?" And he tells me to look at Job.
Job in all his misery, like the Psalmist in Psalm 119, cries out to God saying, “I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.” Job 30:20
When I remind God it’s time for him to act, his law is being broken, it's much like Job telling God he needs an explanation for his misery. We know, because we know the rest of the story, what God was doing. Before God appears on the scene Elihu, in my opinion, speaks to Job some of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible.
“God thunders wonderfully with his voice, he does great things beyond our understanding.He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth!’ – likewise to the light rain, also to the downpour.He brings all human activity to a stop, so that everyone he has made can know it.Then the animals go into their lairs and hibernate in their dens.
“Out of its chamber comes the storm, with cold out of the north.By the breath of God, ice is given, and the wide waters freeze over.He weighs the clouds down with moisture, and they flash forth his lightning.He, by his plans, turns them around, so they do what he commands them anywhere on earth;He brings them forth on the earth sometime to punish, sometimes to express his grace.
“Listen to this, Lyov [Job]! Stop and consider God’s wonders.Do you know how God puts them in place, how he causes lightning to flash from his cloud?Do you know how he balances the clouds?These are marvels of him who knows everything!
“Out of the north comes a golden glow, fearsome majesty surrounding God.Shaddai, whom we cannot find, whose power is immense, in his great righteousness does not pervert justice. excerpts from Job 37 Complete Jewish Bible
Since 09/11/01, I have used this passage, especially verse 7 -- “He brings all human activity to a stop, so that everyone he has made can know it,” -- to point out what happened when the twin towers came down. He brought all human activity to a stop, got everyone’s attention and made man look at HIM; the same usually happens in times of natural disasters; he did this to Job.
I find it very interesting that Job questioned God about Him doing nothing, while God stopped Job from doing anything, so Job could see that God was doing it all.
“In his book Wishful Thinking, Frederick Buechner sums up God’s speech. “God doesn’t explain. He explodes. He asks Job who he thinks he is anyway. He says that to try to explain the kind of things Job wants explained would be like trying to explain Einstein to a little-neck clam . . . . God doesn’t reveal his grand design. He reveals himself. The message behind the splendid poetry boils down to this: Until you know a little more about running the physical universe, Job, don’t tell me how to run the moral universe.
“Why are you treating me so unfairly, God?” Job has whined through the book. “Put yourself in my place.”
“No!!!” God thunders in reply. “You put yourself in my place! Until you can offer lessons on how to make the sun come up each day, or where to scatter lightning bolts, or how to design a hippopotamus, don’t judge how I run the world. Just shut up and listen.”
“If one world exists inside another world, it will only make sense from the higher world’s point of view.” Disappointment with God, page 217
I cannot, nor will I ever, understand God, his will and his ways.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8 says.
I know, like Job, when I see God's hand-I-work, that His hand-WILL-work, in His time.
I ask God, "God, what are you doing?" And he tells me to look at Job.
Job in all his misery, like the Psalmist in Psalm 119, cries out to God saying, “I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.” Job 30:20
When I remind God it’s time for him to act, his law is being broken, it's much like Job telling God he needs an explanation for his misery. We know, because we know the rest of the story, what God was doing. Before God appears on the scene Elihu, in my opinion, speaks to Job some of the most beautiful words in the entire Bible.
“God thunders wonderfully with his voice, he does great things beyond our understanding.He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth!’ – likewise to the light rain, also to the downpour.He brings all human activity to a stop, so that everyone he has made can know it.Then the animals go into their lairs and hibernate in their dens.
“Out of its chamber comes the storm, with cold out of the north.By the breath of God, ice is given, and the wide waters freeze over.He weighs the clouds down with moisture, and they flash forth his lightning.He, by his plans, turns them around, so they do what he commands them anywhere on earth;He brings them forth on the earth sometime to punish, sometimes to express his grace.
“Listen to this, Lyov [Job]! Stop and consider God’s wonders.Do you know how God puts them in place, how he causes lightning to flash from his cloud?Do you know how he balances the clouds?These are marvels of him who knows everything!
“Out of the north comes a golden glow, fearsome majesty surrounding God.Shaddai, whom we cannot find, whose power is immense, in his great righteousness does not pervert justice. excerpts from Job 37 Complete Jewish Bible
Since 09/11/01, I have used this passage, especially verse 7 -- “He brings all human activity to a stop, so that everyone he has made can know it,” -- to point out what happened when the twin towers came down. He brought all human activity to a stop, got everyone’s attention and made man look at HIM; the same usually happens in times of natural disasters; he did this to Job.
I find it very interesting that Job questioned God about Him doing nothing, while God stopped Job from doing anything, so Job could see that God was doing it all.
“In his book Wishful Thinking, Frederick Buechner sums up God’s speech. “God doesn’t explain. He explodes. He asks Job who he thinks he is anyway. He says that to try to explain the kind of things Job wants explained would be like trying to explain Einstein to a little-neck clam . . . . God doesn’t reveal his grand design. He reveals himself. The message behind the splendid poetry boils down to this: Until you know a little more about running the physical universe, Job, don’t tell me how to run the moral universe.
“Why are you treating me so unfairly, God?” Job has whined through the book. “Put yourself in my place.”
“No!!!” God thunders in reply. “You put yourself in my place! Until you can offer lessons on how to make the sun come up each day, or where to scatter lightning bolts, or how to design a hippopotamus, don’t judge how I run the world. Just shut up and listen.”
“If one world exists inside another world, it will only make sense from the higher world’s point of view.” Disappointment with God, page 217
I cannot, nor will I ever, understand God, his will and his ways.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8 says.
I know, like Job, when I see God's hand-I-work, that His hand-WILL-work, in His time.
Psalm 119:126 Tuesday
"It is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being broken." Psalm 119:126
Today as I was updating the Meditations Archive, I realized I had failed to post last Friday’s meditation, which was based on Psalm 119:105, due to the technical difficulties we were experiencing at the time. Oddly enough though, what I had written then about “a lamp for my foot” answers the question I was going to ask God today – “Are you really in control?" Here is what I wrote last week:“Your word is a lamp for my foot and a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105
When I saw the word “foot” in the Complete Jewish Bible, I checked to see what Young’s Literal Translation said and sure enough the verse reads, “A lamp to my foot [is] Thy word, And a light to my path.” I love that, because what I believe about God’s plan and mine, is substantiated in this translation.
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord purpose that prevails.” Pro. 19:21
Do I think we ought to throw caution to the wind and not make any plans? No, I don’t. But what I’ve learned over the last 54 years is that when I think I have a plan, God always shows me who’s in charge.
His word is a lamp for my foot—not feet—my foot. When I have considered this verse in the past, I have visualized myself walking down this path with both feet on the path. But when I visualized this verse today, after reading it in the original language, I saw one foot at a time, not two, going down the path. I saw one foot in the air freeze-framed at all times, with the other one on the ground. I am not determining my “walk” I am raising my foot for God to determine my walk. Where I want to go and where He wants me to go may be two entirely different places.
I can look back over my life and see where God’s plan and mine did not coincide.
I was going to be physically fit all my life; I was not by the age of 30.
I was never going to marry; I married.
I was going to be a high school English teacher for life; I taught for two years.
I was going to have three children; I had two children and a hysterectomy.
I was going to climb the corporate ladder; I became a stay-at-home mom.
I was going to speak publically for God because I hated writing; now I’m writing publically for God and not speaking.
God has proved over and over again that I do not know what will happen tomorrow. That my life is a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. That I must say, “If it is the Lord’s will, I will do this or that.”
“By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Heb. 11:8
“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Jer. 10:23
May we have the willingness it takes to lift our foot, praising God wherever it lands.
Today as I was updating the Meditations Archive, I realized I had failed to post last Friday’s meditation, which was based on Psalm 119:105, due to the technical difficulties we were experiencing at the time. Oddly enough though, what I had written then about “a lamp for my foot” answers the question I was going to ask God today – “Are you really in control?" Here is what I wrote last week:“Your word is a lamp for my foot and a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105
When I saw the word “foot” in the Complete Jewish Bible, I checked to see what Young’s Literal Translation said and sure enough the verse reads, “A lamp to my foot [is] Thy word, And a light to my path.” I love that, because what I believe about God’s plan and mine, is substantiated in this translation.
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord purpose that prevails.” Pro. 19:21
Do I think we ought to throw caution to the wind and not make any plans? No, I don’t. But what I’ve learned over the last 54 years is that when I think I have a plan, God always shows me who’s in charge.
His word is a lamp for my foot—not feet—my foot. When I have considered this verse in the past, I have visualized myself walking down this path with both feet on the path. But when I visualized this verse today, after reading it in the original language, I saw one foot at a time, not two, going down the path. I saw one foot in the air freeze-framed at all times, with the other one on the ground. I am not determining my “walk” I am raising my foot for God to determine my walk. Where I want to go and where He wants me to go may be two entirely different places.
I can look back over my life and see where God’s plan and mine did not coincide.
I was going to be physically fit all my life; I was not by the age of 30.
I was never going to marry; I married.
I was going to be a high school English teacher for life; I taught for two years.
I was going to have three children; I had two children and a hysterectomy.
I was going to climb the corporate ladder; I became a stay-at-home mom.
I was going to speak publically for God because I hated writing; now I’m writing publically for God and not speaking.
God has proved over and over again that I do not know what will happen tomorrow. That my life is a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. That I must say, “If it is the Lord’s will, I will do this or that.”
“By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Heb. 11:8
“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Jer. 10:23
May we have the willingness it takes to lift our foot, praising God wherever it lands.
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