Just a quick word today. I had a thought about the lessons we seek to learn during our trials. So often I find myself, in the midst of a trial, asking the Lord,
"What do You want me to see here?"
"What am I supposed to be understanding that I am not?"
As I pondered these questions this morning, James 1:2-4 came directly to mind...
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Perhaps there's not always a monumental, new lesson that accompanies every trial, but instead simply another opportunity to grow in our faith and perseverance, that we may become mature and complete.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
I am CONTENT, because God is in CONTROL of my CIRCUMSTANCES
Long time, no post...unsure I have any readers, so I delayed. But, along came a Saturday with a little free time, and I've missed writing. So, here goes! Life has had a way of reminding me of lessons from my own book lately--namely that contentment comes when I remember the One who's in control of my circumstances.
In chapter 3, of Let Your Light Shine, I cover three C's that I term, "Danger Zones:"
Comparing
Coveting
Complaining.
These C's are in opposition to contentment. When we compare, it's like we're telling God, "You're not fair." When we covet, it's like saying to God, "I'm not thankful for what you're doing for me. I want what you've done for them." When we complain, we might as well tell God, "I don't trust what you're doing here and I'm not happy with it."
In His Word, He leads us away from comparing, coveting, and complaining and toward a life of faith and contentment. One place I found an excellent lesson on this is in the story of the Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk. In case you're a little rusty on the details, I'll give you a brief synopsis of its three chapters. Habakkuk was a prophet living in about 600 B.C. The book records Habakkuk's complaints to God about the prevalent evil in Judah which is seemingly going unpunished by God. Then God responds to Habakkuk by telling about His impending judgement through the use of the wicked Babylonians. Habakkuk is greatly dissatisfied with God's plan to use the Babylonians as a rod of correction upon Israel. But, the book concludes with Habakkuk's resolve that God is God and we see a beautiful prayer of trust.
I'm going to offer a condensed version of four lessons I found in this little book. First, we see if verses 2 through 4 of chapter 1, that Habakkuk takes his complaints directly to the Lord. Something that makes Habakkuk unique among other prophetic writings is that it is a dialogue between the prophet and God, and not a message from God addressed to His people. Often as women, we like to do more than dialogue with God. We strike up a little dialogue with our spouse, with the gals, and sometimes with just about anyone who will listen, instead of taking our issues directly to the Throne of Grace.
I shared in the book that the Lord impressed upon me to do what Habakkuk did--take my complaints to Him instead of my husband, and when I was obedient, He answered. We'll see that God answered Habakkuk, too. But, take a look at the prophet's words in verses 2 and 3: "I cry out, but you don't save." "Why do you..." Ever said that to the Lord before? Ever felt like you were crying out to deaf ears? But, flip back a few books to one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." He will answer, but Habakkuk found out what we are going to see in lesson two.
A second lesson I see is that God may answer in a way that we don't expect or even like. Habakkuk 1:5-6 tells us God's response, to which Habakkuk gives a little bit of, "That's not fair." How could Israel's enemy, the Babylonians, be used to discipline God's very own chosen people? What was God thinking? Sometimes we want an answer, but when we get it, we sure wish God would reconsider. After all, we've probably already formulated a perfect plan God could use, right?!
Well, Habakkuk went back to God a second time with his complaints (1:12 and 13). Notice he got what I consider to be our third lesson: we can ask God to help us understand Him, but we must be willing to accept His answer, even if it doesn't change. In those verses, I see a little bit of what may be manipulation in that praise (take this as personal interpretation; read Scripture and make your own prayerful judgements). Habakkuk ultimately wants to know why those that are more wicked than Judah going to be used to punish Judah. God doesn't change His mind, however. He does tell him in the second chapter that the Babylonians will also be punished and the righteous will live by faith.
If you slip over to Isaiah 26:1-6, you'll see the song of praise of the Jews returning from Babylonian captivity--the disciplinary captivity that the prophet, Habakkuk, had been told about. In Isaiah, we get to see the other side. Though God used the wicked for Judah's discipline, He wanted His righteous to live by faith.
Habakkuk rightfully went to God with his complaints on both occasions. We, too, should go directly to the throne. However, God's omniscience, omnipotence, and sovereignty will always rule in the lives of His children, and our complaining may not lead to our way. God knew the song of praise that would be sung years later in Isaiah 26. God knows the song of praise, the growth in faith, the journey to Christ likeness, that you will experience years later as well, when today His answers may be different than you expect.
We see that once Habakkuk came to an understanding that God is God, he moved to what we see in lesson four, which is our primary lesson in all of this: I am CONTENT, because God is in CONTROL of my CIRCUMSTANCES. This lesson is found in all of chapter 3. Let me close with two verses from that chapter.
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce to food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:17~18
Though life hands you lemons, will you rejoice and be joyful in God your Savior? Will you be content knowing that He is in control of all your circumstances?
In chapter 3, of Let Your Light Shine, I cover three C's that I term, "Danger Zones:"
Comparing
Coveting
Complaining.
These C's are in opposition to contentment. When we compare, it's like we're telling God, "You're not fair." When we covet, it's like saying to God, "I'm not thankful for what you're doing for me. I want what you've done for them." When we complain, we might as well tell God, "I don't trust what you're doing here and I'm not happy with it."
In His Word, He leads us away from comparing, coveting, and complaining and toward a life of faith and contentment. One place I found an excellent lesson on this is in the story of the Old Testament prophet, Habakkuk. In case you're a little rusty on the details, I'll give you a brief synopsis of its three chapters. Habakkuk was a prophet living in about 600 B.C. The book records Habakkuk's complaints to God about the prevalent evil in Judah which is seemingly going unpunished by God. Then God responds to Habakkuk by telling about His impending judgement through the use of the wicked Babylonians. Habakkuk is greatly dissatisfied with God's plan to use the Babylonians as a rod of correction upon Israel. But, the book concludes with Habakkuk's resolve that God is God and we see a beautiful prayer of trust.
I'm going to offer a condensed version of four lessons I found in this little book. First, we see if verses 2 through 4 of chapter 1, that Habakkuk takes his complaints directly to the Lord. Something that makes Habakkuk unique among other prophetic writings is that it is a dialogue between the prophet and God, and not a message from God addressed to His people. Often as women, we like to do more than dialogue with God. We strike up a little dialogue with our spouse, with the gals, and sometimes with just about anyone who will listen, instead of taking our issues directly to the Throne of Grace.
I shared in the book that the Lord impressed upon me to do what Habakkuk did--take my complaints to Him instead of my husband, and when I was obedient, He answered. We'll see that God answered Habakkuk, too. But, take a look at the prophet's words in verses 2 and 3: "I cry out, but you don't save." "Why do you..." Ever said that to the Lord before? Ever felt like you were crying out to deaf ears? But, flip back a few books to one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." He will answer, but Habakkuk found out what we are going to see in lesson two.
A second lesson I see is that God may answer in a way that we don't expect or even like. Habakkuk 1:5-6 tells us God's response, to which Habakkuk gives a little bit of, "That's not fair." How could Israel's enemy, the Babylonians, be used to discipline God's very own chosen people? What was God thinking? Sometimes we want an answer, but when we get it, we sure wish God would reconsider. After all, we've probably already formulated a perfect plan God could use, right?!
Well, Habakkuk went back to God a second time with his complaints (1:12 and 13). Notice he got what I consider to be our third lesson: we can ask God to help us understand Him, but we must be willing to accept His answer, even if it doesn't change. In those verses, I see a little bit of what may be manipulation in that praise (take this as personal interpretation; read Scripture and make your own prayerful judgements). Habakkuk ultimately wants to know why those that are more wicked than Judah going to be used to punish Judah. God doesn't change His mind, however. He does tell him in the second chapter that the Babylonians will also be punished and the righteous will live by faith.
If you slip over to Isaiah 26:1-6, you'll see the song of praise of the Jews returning from Babylonian captivity--the disciplinary captivity that the prophet, Habakkuk, had been told about. In Isaiah, we get to see the other side. Though God used the wicked for Judah's discipline, He wanted His righteous to live by faith.
Habakkuk rightfully went to God with his complaints on both occasions. We, too, should go directly to the throne. However, God's omniscience, omnipotence, and sovereignty will always rule in the lives of His children, and our complaining may not lead to our way. God knew the song of praise that would be sung years later in Isaiah 26. God knows the song of praise, the growth in faith, the journey to Christ likeness, that you will experience years later as well, when today His answers may be different than you expect.
We see that once Habakkuk came to an understanding that God is God, he moved to what we see in lesson four, which is our primary lesson in all of this: I am CONTENT, because God is in CONTROL of my CIRCUMSTANCES. This lesson is found in all of chapter 3. Let me close with two verses from that chapter.
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce to food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:17~18
Though life hands you lemons, will you rejoice and be joyful in God your Savior? Will you be content knowing that He is in control of all your circumstances?
Monday, March 26, 2012
Too Hard on Ourselves??
If you've read the stuff on my blog, book, or previous women's e-letter, you know my content is focused on The Potter's molding and shaping of us as His mounds of clay. That process isn't always pretty, but it is my belief that we are in constant need of shaping. Now, I've sometimes been accused of "being too hard on myself," by my own mother, no less! But the bottom line is, I haven't arrived (and I don't think I'm the only one)!
To my mom's point, though, we can become "too hard on ourselves." I believe it's possible to be participating in the journey of becoming like Christ, yet rest in a state of gloom and possibly self-loathing. On this end of the spectrum, we begin to say, "I'll never measure up," "I couldn't possibly please my Heavenly Father," "I fail again and again." It's here we are immobilized to doing the work He's called us to do and it's here our lights are certainly not shining.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, you've got the over-emphasis on self-esteem--a complete satisfaction with who you are, with no notion of your sinful nature that needs taming and no acceptance that the Creator may have some special modifications in mind for your Mary Poppins personality.
Isn't that where Satan wants us to be? If we see no need for God's molding, we remain in our natural unholy state, don't we?
This is what today's culture promotes, in quite an overt manner I might add. Though it is pronounced greatly in secular media, it has quietly seeped into the hallowed halls of the church as well. "God made me who I am..." Yes, indeed, He did. He also told us, "There is none righteous, no not one"(Romans 3:10; Psalm 14:3) He also told us, "He is the Potter and we are His clay" (Isaiah 64:8). He created the distinct characteristics in all of us that He may shape us, within that bent, to be more like Him...if we are pliable.
That brings us to balance. Balance is where we recognize we are, in fact, wretched sinners in need of saving grace. We realize it's only through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit that "we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Balance is also a place where we recognize God has told us to, "Be joyful always" (1 Thes. 5:16). A place where Jesus has called us "The light of the world. A city on a hill..." (Matt. 5:14). He made His light shine in our hearts (2 Cor. 4:6). Though we are being transformed, we must do that with our lights on. I can be aware of my wretchedness without Christ, yet still shine for His glory, acknowledging it's His power at work in me (Col. 1:29) that produces anything of value.
To my mom's point, though, we can become "too hard on ourselves." I believe it's possible to be participating in the journey of becoming like Christ, yet rest in a state of gloom and possibly self-loathing. On this end of the spectrum, we begin to say, "I'll never measure up," "I couldn't possibly please my Heavenly Father," "I fail again and again." It's here we are immobilized to doing the work He's called us to do and it's here our lights are certainly not shining.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, you've got the over-emphasis on self-esteem--a complete satisfaction with who you are, with no notion of your sinful nature that needs taming and no acceptance that the Creator may have some special modifications in mind for your Mary Poppins personality.
Isn't that where Satan wants us to be? If we see no need for God's molding, we remain in our natural unholy state, don't we?
This is what today's culture promotes, in quite an overt manner I might add. Though it is pronounced greatly in secular media, it has quietly seeped into the hallowed halls of the church as well. "God made me who I am..." Yes, indeed, He did. He also told us, "There is none righteous, no not one"(Romans 3:10; Psalm 14:3) He also told us, "He is the Potter and we are His clay" (Isaiah 64:8). He created the distinct characteristics in all of us that He may shape us, within that bent, to be more like Him...if we are pliable.
That brings us to balance. Balance is where we recognize we are, in fact, wretched sinners in need of saving grace. We realize it's only through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit that "we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Balance is also a place where we recognize God has told us to, "Be joyful always" (1 Thes. 5:16). A place where Jesus has called us "The light of the world. A city on a hill..." (Matt. 5:14). He made His light shine in our hearts (2 Cor. 4:6). Though we are being transformed, we must do that with our lights on. I can be aware of my wretchedness without Christ, yet still shine for His glory, acknowledging it's His power at work in me (Col. 1:29) that produces anything of value.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
A Work in Progress
Let me tell you a little story about myself. When I was five years old, I came home from the first day of kindergarten crying and very frustrated because we did not learn to read that day. I tell you the story because it provides an accurate picture of my personality to this day. I like results and I like them yesterday. As you can imagine, I’ve spent much of my life battling disappointment and frustration.
God has decided to press me on this issue this year. And as I’ve been squeezed and stretched, I think He wants me to understand that I am not a failure, but a work in progress. I want instant master piece, He wants progress.
He’s laid out for us a picture of the most excellent wife in Scripture. I read it, I embrace it, and I want to be her—the most excellent wife…now! He says, “Slow down. I need to squeeze you, and stretch you, and mold you into the most excellent wife.” I get discouraged and feel hopeless; yet He feels loving, merciful, and hopeful. He knew, before I was born, that I would be a work in progress.
As a wife, many days I feel hopeless about my progress. I wonder how I can know the right thing to do, and neglect (or stubbornly fight) doing it. I know that my tone of sarcasm instead of honor gets me nowhere with my husband, but I let snippy words come out. I should have made greater gains in resisting the SALE signs by now, but again, I’ve given in to those beautiful red and white letters. Ahh! I want instant results!
But, God wants a few achievable things from you and me. He desires us to be:
· PLIABLE ~ Isaiah 64: 8 says, “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (see also 2 Corinthians 4:7-18) A pliable heart is one that’s ready for God to do a work. It’s a heart that’s soft toward His sometimes challenging molding and shaping.
· PATIENT ~ Isaiah 30:18 says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (see also Psalm 27:13-14; Psalm 40:1-3; Isaiah 40:30-31) He is faithful to complete the work, even when at times it seems to us He’s given up. He pushes us gently, and sometimes slowly, toward the picture of the most excellent wife He’s designed.
· PERSISTENT ~ James 1:4 says, “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (see also 1 Peter 4:19; Hebrews 10:35-39; Psalm 119:145-149) Keep running to Him. Feelings of failure can become bondage. Don’t let the enemy steal your hope. You are God’s work—His progress—not your own.
God is forming you into His masterpiece!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
An Unachievable Standard
In a great effort to bring revival to our parenting skills, my husband and I were reading through a terrific child training book entitled, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, by Tedd Trip. A repetitive theme throughout the texts’ message was the importance of exhorting our children to turn to Christ for the strength and power to accomplish character change in their lives. The author pointed out how our flesh always wants to win the battle of temptation, obviously. He went on to say—and this is the thought that really struck me—that in parenting, if we reduce God’s standard for our children, thinking it is simply too difficult to accomplish and therefore reducing the standard to one they are more able to keep, then what we’re essentially doing is providing a standard where knowing and trusting God is not essential. Let me say that in another way to ensure it sinks in: We are unable to keep God’s standard in our mere humanness. However, reducing His standard to make it more achievable only discredits our need for God. Instead we must hold our children (and, as I will further pursue, ourselves) to God’s standard, which is only achievable through His strength and the gift of His grace, ensuring our complete and utter need for Him.
That is shepherding. That’s what God wants our children to embrace through our training, and that is what I know He wants us to embrace in our own adult lives.
As a woman seeking to become a wife of noble character, Proverbs 31 is an unachievable goal in your humanness, is it not? So, do we reduce the standard—God’s standard—to mold it into one we can actually keep? Rhetorical questions that I am, however, going to answer with an emphatic, NO! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His standards are the same yesterday, today, and forever. He doesn’t want the standard to change. He wants our reliance on Him to grow. He wants us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Him. By modifying the standard, we reduce our need for His strength and grace, and we are in desperate need of both!
It is my desire, in honoring my Savior and my husband, to “bring [my husband] good, not harm, all the days of my life” (Proverbs 31:12, NIV). I certainly set out to meet my husband’s needs and build him up, as a Godly helpmeet to him. I am unable. If I seek to accomplish this task in my own strength, I fail. If I seek to accomplish this task by reducing what is required to succeed, I fail. Instead, I pray as Paul prayed for the Ephesians, “…out of His glorious riches He may strengthen [me] with power through His Spirit in [my] inner being” (Ephesians 3:16, NIV). I believe, as Paul confirmed, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, NIV). I receive, as Paul did from the Lord, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
Our job is to be a humble, pliable, willing vessel. It’s God’s job to mold us and make us into the treasures He has purposed for us to be. God says, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27, NIV). Your inability to be a wife of noble character is not the task that is all of the sudden too hard for the Lord. It has always been and will always be too hard for you. He just requires you to be a willing vessel. And when, in your humanness, you fail, you then need His grace. Accept it, stand up, and offer yourself to Him as a willing vessel again.
The Lord’s standard is great. His expectation is, therefore, that you rely on His strength and grace to grow in your character and meet His standard. As you commit your ways to such a goal, remember, “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13, NIV).
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Burlap Chandelier Makeover
So, I have this unlovely, mission style chandelier in my not so mission style dining room. I also have this lovely, but extremely frugal (ok, VERY tight and cheap) husband who is not happy when I buy new things to replace things we already have. What to do? What to do?
Let the repurposing begin! I keep burlap on hand like most people keep sugar or milk. So, no cost there. I sewed a little burlap ruffle to "skirt my chandelier." The ruffle is about 10 inches wide and I sewed it to a scrap piece of twill, to make it easier to attach to the chandelier when I was done.
Then, whola! Took my glue gun and glued that sucker right on to the ugly chandelier. I finished it off with a little jute string around the candles. It'll do...until I can convince the man to get me the one I really want!
Hey there, if you've reached my blog through Pinterest, take a look at my other articles and check out my book. I'd love to send you a copy!
On Things Above - Lesson 3 LYLS
It's here! Lesson 3! It has taken me at least three sittings to get this down. For any of you who are following, I am sorry for taking so long between posts. It is my goal to do better. At any rate, this corresponds with Chapter 2 in the book. Have a look and think Heavenward!
Months ago, as I began to prepare this lesson, the song, "I See the Lord," began to flood my head. You've probably heard it:
I see the Lord seated on the throne, exalted.
And the train of His robe fills the temple with glory.
And the whole earth is filled. And the whole earth is filled.
And the whole earth is filled, with His glory.
Beautiful! It's words are taken directly from Isaiah 6:1-3. When this Scripture is sung, I can just see the train of His robe radiating; I think I can see Heaven and I am in awe.
I believe the Lord has called us in His Word to take a meditative view of eternity. And, simply put, I believe we don't. We meditate and dwell on a lot of things, but the Lord seated on the throne is most often just not one of them.
If you've read Chapter 2, On Things Above, in Let Your Light Shine, we studied 2 Corinthians 4:18, which tells us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is eternal. We also focused our attention on Colossians 3:1-2, commissioning us to set out hearts and minds on things above. Setting and fixing are terms that indicate a steadfastness, not a casual reflection upon.
We've been called to take on a new perspective: that we are aliens in this land, as 1 Peter 2:11 says. However, we like this land too much to stop dwelling on it, don't we? Or, perhaps we're too consumed with its hold on us to stop dwelling on it. This world can overtake us either in a negative or a positive way, and we think we're home...here. Does that make sense?
What I'm saying is, we dwell on "earthly things," as Paul calls them, that are good (desirable) in our own minds, like our possessions, some relationships, or even our ministries. Or, we dwell on "earthly things" that are bad (undesirable) in our minds, like the physical or emotional sickness of a child, financial disaster, or marital discord. Either way, they are pulling us from dwelling on things eternal.
What we want to explore in this lesson is what it means to dwell on things eternal--how do we take on this new perspective that we are aliens in this land? What is Paul referring to when he says things like, "what is unseen is eternal" and "on things above" and "an eternal glory that far outweighs?" And finally, what does all this have to do with us letting our lights shine?
Let's begin with what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:18,"...what is unseen is eternal." Being in the military, we have lived various places for various lengths of time. Some places just months and some years. But how long we are expected to reside somewhere usually taints how I take up living there. We started our military journey in Sierra Vista, Arizona (I have to say, a place I hope to never return). The desert is just not my thing. I am captivated by the beauty of green grass, trees, colorful flowers. Brown sand just doesn't float my boat. But, I didn't really have to settle in Arizona too deeply because when we moved there, I knew it was only temporary. We would only be there for the six months of training my husband had there.
Now, in great contrast, our next duty station was Oahu, Hawaii. There was my green for sure! Paradise! We anticipated being there longer, so we settled in. We developed great friendships. I hung all the pictures, unpacked all the boxes and bought curtains to fit the new windows (fellow military wives are chuckling in understanding with me about now). We even bought a dog and changed our address on our driver's licenses. Do you see what I mean? We considered it home, so our perspective was different from that in Arizona.
God has called us to treat this world as temporary. The earth as we know it today is not our eternal home. We need to live like we will be moving and like we want all those around us to move with us--from the desert to paradise!
Between these for verses we are using today, we are instructed to fix our eyes, set our hearts, and set our minds. When I began to study for this lesson, I expected to find that "fix" and both "sets" had the same Greek meaning. What I discovered, however, is that they are all different. Let me try to break it down with some order:
In 2 Corinthians 4:18, where we see, "fix our eyes," the Greek
word for fix is skopeo, meaning to watch out for, fix our eyes
on, see to it.
In Colossians 3:1 "set your hearts," set is the Greek word
zeteo,meaning to look for, seek out, desire to possess,
searching for, determined, demanding.
In verse 2, "set your minds," this set is the Greek word
phroneo, meaning to think, hold an opinion, set mind
on, take such a view.
So, we are applying all three different verbs to what is eternal--skopeo, watch for it. Then the next step is a little deeper, zeteo--seek it and desire determinedly to possess it. Then finally phroneo--take hold of the view of things eternal.
With our eyes, we see what God's design for perfection was in Eden. That was His plan. It is a tangible thing we can watch and fix our eyes on. He created a perfect place to dwell with His creation, mankind. He walked and talked with them in fellowship. With our hearts, we seek that perfection and desire to possess what He has planned for us in the new heaven and new earth to come. With our minds, we take hold of His promises. We take hold of something He says in Daniel 2:44 and 6:26 will never be destroyed. We take hold of a view that our inheritance kept in Heaven for us can never perish, spoil or fade, as 1 Peter 1:3-5 says. What's unseen and eternal is something different than what is seen and temporal. It's a perfection placed in our souls to desire.
God's desire for the earth and for man was eternal in nature. After the fall, redemption for man was necessary and He provided that in His eternal Son. Redemption, now, for the old Heaven and the old Earth is necessary as well. God will do that when He brings forth the New Heaven and New Earth, "the home of righteousness" (1 Peter 3:13). That will be our eternal Heaven.
I mention this now, because there is a distinction between what some refer to as "the intermediate Heaven" and the eternal Heaven or the New Heaven and New Earth. To have an accurate understanding, we must distinguish between the two. What God has planned for us that is eternal is following the rapture, when He then creates a New Heaven and New Earth for us to dwell with him forever. This will be the Heaven I am referring to from here on out.
We now want to move to the question: what is above anyway? Now let me clearly state that I have neither the knowledge nor the time to completely cover the answer to this question. What I hope to do is point us in the direction to look and give a simplified overview of things above, since, again this is where God wants our hearts and minds set. We enjoy tremendous blessings on this earth that God has bestowed as somewhat of a foretaste of what is to come, then accelerated to the level of perfection in Heaven. Because He's directed us to turn our gaze Heavenward, He's given us tangible elements today, in our mortal lives, to picture the greatness of eternity.
The first and most glorious things our eyes will behold is "Christ seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1-2). In just that portion of the verses, we observe three of the most important aspects of what is above: Christ is there, God is there, and they are on their thrones. Let's look at a few Scriptures references, beginning with Revelation 3:21. It says, "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne." Now, the issue of us having the right to sit with Him on His throne we will come back to, but for new we see that John has established for us that the Father and Son are sitting on their thrones. He does this again a couple of verses later. In John's vision of heaven, he says in 4:2, "...and there before me what a throne in Heaven with someone sitting on it." In verses 8 through 11 we see that it was the Lord sitting there, as John makes reference to the angels saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty," and "Him who sits on the throne lives forever and ever," and the elders throwing their crowns before the throne and calling the Lord worthy. In chapter 22, John says, "the angel showed me the river of life...flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city."
As this lesson commenced, I shared a portion of a worship song coming from Isaiah 6: "I see the Lord seated on the throne, exalted. And the train of His robe filled the temple with glory. And the whole earth is full of His glory." Ladies, I'm not telling you anything you don't know--you know that God is on His throne and His Son is at His right hand. What I am trying to do is to get our focus to shift HERE--the throne--thing eternal. And the reason I start with the Godhead on the throne is because that is the essential factor. Randy Alcorn, in his book, Heaven, says, "However great the wonders of Heaven, God himself is Heaven's greatest prize." He also says, "To be with God--to know Him, to see Him--is the central, irreducible draw of Heaven." A verse I mentioned in LYLS is Psalm 73:25, which always take me to the mindset Randy speaks of, "Whom have I in Heaven but you?..."
Beyond the radiance of God, the only way I could think to organize our exploration of things above was to categorize according to our senses. We will briefly cover what it will look like, sound like, feel like and "creatively" what it will taste and smell like. I want us to get our earthly thoughts headed in the direction of eternity as a reality. If we continue to think of it as intangible, we are less likely to take on a true eternal perspective. As we progress through these points, allow yourself to imagine the gloriousness of Heaven, realizing that my humble attempt to direct you there pales greatly in comparison to its true form.
So what will Heaven LOOK like? It will be radiantly bright! Revelation 21:23 says, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp." Revelation 22:5 says, "There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." Isaiah 60:19 tells us, "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." That is a solid message. I am expecting it to be radiantly bright!
Heaven will also be exquisitely beautiful. Revelation 21:10-21 focuses on the details of the beauty of New Jerusalem. I will pull out a few: "brilliance like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal;" "it had a great high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels at the gates;" "the wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone" (then it details each of the precious stones); "twelve gates were each made of a single pearl;" "the great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass." Amazing! Maybe kings of old, with their grande, elaborate palaces could imagine a place like John describes, but this country girl is having trouble wrapping her mind around it!
This brings us to the sounds of Heaven. Based on the average person's knowledge of the angels and saints around the throne, an obvious conclusion is that Heaven will sound worshipful. But, I want us to see that Heaven's worship is a mighty kind of worship. Whenever we see worship described in Heaven,
we see exclamation points!!!!!!!
things shaking and trembling
and angels calling out.
If you'll return with me to Isaiah 6:1-4, you will see that here on earth, we put it mildly! "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke." (Emphasis mine.) Tell me, when was the last time you left a shaken, smoke-filled worship service here on this planet?
Now flip to Revelation 5:11-14. I'll allow you to read it in its entirety while I emphasize certain segments here: (v. 12)"In a loud voice they sang." (v. 12 & 13) Note the worshipful words and exclamation points.(v.14) Note that their worship brought them to their knees. Again in 7: 11-12 we find a similar description, complete with exclamation and prostrate positions. In chapter 19 we see a great multitude shouting Hallelujah, "like the roar of rushing waters" and "loud peals of thunder!" Awesome!
We will certainly hear and feel true, pure, untainted worship in Heaven. I don't think on this earth we even have anything to compare to the multitudes in worshipful agreement. Julie Andrews sang, "The hills are alive with the sound of music...", but I don't believe she had any idea!
Moving through our five senses, we will answer the question: What will Heaven feel like? Heaven will feel peaceful. Isaiah 65:25 says the wolf and the lamb will feed together. John sends a greeting of peace from God to the seven churches in the opening of the book of Revelation. "...Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come..." Isaiah 11:6-9 describes the state of peace in the kingdom to come: animals that once preyed upon one another will lie down together; the lions diet will change to straw; infants will play near the homes of snakes without harm or destruction. Micah 4:3 says, "...Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." This is a message of peace.
Heaven will also feel joyful. We can assume from all the praise and worship we have already explored, that joy will be in the air. Isaiah 60:20, 65:19, and Revelation 21:4 say there will be no more weeping or crying or sorrow. I'm going to type this one out because it creates such a beautiful picture: Isaiah 35:30, "and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." Think about that last line for a moment. Do you, like me, have days where a sigh just says it all? The sigh says, "I'm not overtaken with gladness and joy, just overtaken. Worn out. Disappointed. Sigh..." It will flee away and in its place will be joy everlasting! Can I get an, "Amen sister?!"
Okay, on the last two of our five senses, I had to get a little creative. We're on to taste and smell, and if you ask me, I believe it will definitely taste like chocolate cheesecake, but I just couldn't find any Scriptural basis for this. However, I did find several references to banquets in the New Heaven and New Earth. Take a look at Luke 14:15, 22:29-30; Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 8:11; and Revelation 19:9. So, it looks like Heaven will taste delicious. Imagine stepping into your favorite restaurant. The best food isn't prepared without the best smells filling the air. If is tastes delicious, it's going to smell good too!
Thus far, we have explored eternity in reference to our key verses of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 and Colossians 3:1-2. We've looked at Paul's phrases, "what is unseen is eternal," and "on things above." That brings us to the last of Paul's words we want to understand: "an eternal glory that far outweighs." Let's read that whole verse once more. Second Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Romans 8:18 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." We look at our troubles as heavy and enduring, not light and momentary--the opposite of how Paul directs us to view them. And this has to do with why we stay in our non eternal perspective.
The way to redirect these thoughts is to believe that they indeed are achieving for us an eternal glory. How? you might ask. Well, let me tell you what I think. This earth and its troubles are a training ground for our future place in eternal heaven. Let me say that again. Our perseverance, understanding and wisdom gained through our earthly trials are training for our place in Heaven. The Bible clearly states that we will reign with Christ in Heaven. In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, Paul says, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world...do you not know that we will judge angels?" Here are some other references to our specifically reigning with Him in eternity: Luke 22:29-30; Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 20:6, and 22:5. God owns the land and we are His heirs.
Consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Verse 21 says, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things..." Hebrews 10 tells us that our perseverance will be rewarded with what He has promises in eternity. Randy Alcorn states in his book, Heaven, "God is grooming us for leadership. He's watching to see how we demonstrate faithfulness. He does that through His apprenticeship program, one that prepares us for Heaven. Christ is not simply preparing a place for us; He is preparing us for that place. We all have dreams but don't often see them realized. We become discouraged and lose hope. But as Christ's apprentices, we must learn disciplines. Apprentices in training must work hard and study hard to prepare for the next test or challenge. Apprentices may wish for three weeks of vacation or more pay to pursue outside interests. But the Master may see that these would not lead to success. He may override His apprentices' desires in order that they may learn perspective and patience, which will serve them well in the future. While the young apprentices experience the death of their dreams, the Master is shaping them to dream greater dreams that they will one day live out on the New Earth with enhanced wisdom, skill, appreciation, and joy."
So this "real life" that we encounter every day IS achieving for us a true eternal glory. One that I think we don't often ponder. There is not just earthly purpose to our trials; there is ETERNAL purpose and that is why we fix our eyes on what is unseen...what is eternal.
Remember that all these lessons are centralized by the concept of letting our lights shine for Christ. What does an eternal perspective do for those lights? To answer this I want to compare two Scripture passages. The first is foundational to this study, Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." A city on a hill...keep that in mind.
Now flip to Micah 4:1. "In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it." The "capital," so to speak, of the New Heaven and New Earth will be the New Jerusalem, which Micah says will be chief among the mountains--the greatest of "hills." A city on a hill cannot be hidden. We are to be that city on a hill, radiating His glory. This is a picture of the glory to come in the New Jerusalem. Grasp this: as we dwell on eternity, eternity radiates from us.
I'll conclude with a quote from C.S. Lewis that Randy Alcorn includes in his book, Heaven. "If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought the most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."
Blessings to you as you Let Your Light Shine Heavenward!
Months ago, as I began to prepare this lesson, the song, "I See the Lord," began to flood my head. You've probably heard it:
I see the Lord seated on the throne, exalted.
And the train of His robe fills the temple with glory.
And the whole earth is filled. And the whole earth is filled.
And the whole earth is filled, with His glory.
Beautiful! It's words are taken directly from Isaiah 6:1-3. When this Scripture is sung, I can just see the train of His robe radiating; I think I can see Heaven and I am in awe.
I believe the Lord has called us in His Word to take a meditative view of eternity. And, simply put, I believe we don't. We meditate and dwell on a lot of things, but the Lord seated on the throne is most often just not one of them.
If you've read Chapter 2, On Things Above, in Let Your Light Shine, we studied 2 Corinthians 4:18, which tells us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is eternal. We also focused our attention on Colossians 3:1-2, commissioning us to set out hearts and minds on things above. Setting and fixing are terms that indicate a steadfastness, not a casual reflection upon.
We've been called to take on a new perspective: that we are aliens in this land, as 1 Peter 2:11 says. However, we like this land too much to stop dwelling on it, don't we? Or, perhaps we're too consumed with its hold on us to stop dwelling on it. This world can overtake us either in a negative or a positive way, and we think we're home...here. Does that make sense?
What I'm saying is, we dwell on "earthly things," as Paul calls them, that are good (desirable) in our own minds, like our possessions, some relationships, or even our ministries. Or, we dwell on "earthly things" that are bad (undesirable) in our minds, like the physical or emotional sickness of a child, financial disaster, or marital discord. Either way, they are pulling us from dwelling on things eternal.
What we want to explore in this lesson is what it means to dwell on things eternal--how do we take on this new perspective that we are aliens in this land? What is Paul referring to when he says things like, "what is unseen is eternal" and "on things above" and "an eternal glory that far outweighs?" And finally, what does all this have to do with us letting our lights shine?
Let's begin with what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:18,"...what is unseen is eternal." Being in the military, we have lived various places for various lengths of time. Some places just months and some years. But how long we are expected to reside somewhere usually taints how I take up living there. We started our military journey in Sierra Vista, Arizona (I have to say, a place I hope to never return). The desert is just not my thing. I am captivated by the beauty of green grass, trees, colorful flowers. Brown sand just doesn't float my boat. But, I didn't really have to settle in Arizona too deeply because when we moved there, I knew it was only temporary. We would only be there for the six months of training my husband had there.
Now, in great contrast, our next duty station was Oahu, Hawaii. There was my green for sure! Paradise! We anticipated being there longer, so we settled in. We developed great friendships. I hung all the pictures, unpacked all the boxes and bought curtains to fit the new windows (fellow military wives are chuckling in understanding with me about now). We even bought a dog and changed our address on our driver's licenses. Do you see what I mean? We considered it home, so our perspective was different from that in Arizona.
God has called us to treat this world as temporary. The earth as we know it today is not our eternal home. We need to live like we will be moving and like we want all those around us to move with us--from the desert to paradise!
Between these for verses we are using today, we are instructed to fix our eyes, set our hearts, and set our minds. When I began to study for this lesson, I expected to find that "fix" and both "sets" had the same Greek meaning. What I discovered, however, is that they are all different. Let me try to break it down with some order:
In 2 Corinthians 4:18, where we see, "fix our eyes," the Greek
word for fix is skopeo, meaning to watch out for, fix our eyes
on, see to it.
In Colossians 3:1 "set your hearts," set is the Greek word
zeteo,meaning to look for, seek out, desire to possess,
searching for, determined, demanding.
In verse 2, "set your minds," this set is the Greek word
phroneo, meaning to think, hold an opinion, set mind
on, take such a view.
So, we are applying all three different verbs to what is eternal--skopeo, watch for it. Then the next step is a little deeper, zeteo--seek it and desire determinedly to possess it. Then finally phroneo--take hold of the view of things eternal.
With our eyes, we see what God's design for perfection was in Eden. That was His plan. It is a tangible thing we can watch and fix our eyes on. He created a perfect place to dwell with His creation, mankind. He walked and talked with them in fellowship. With our hearts, we seek that perfection and desire to possess what He has planned for us in the new heaven and new earth to come. With our minds, we take hold of His promises. We take hold of something He says in Daniel 2:44 and 6:26 will never be destroyed. We take hold of a view that our inheritance kept in Heaven for us can never perish, spoil or fade, as 1 Peter 1:3-5 says. What's unseen and eternal is something different than what is seen and temporal. It's a perfection placed in our souls to desire.
God's desire for the earth and for man was eternal in nature. After the fall, redemption for man was necessary and He provided that in His eternal Son. Redemption, now, for the old Heaven and the old Earth is necessary as well. God will do that when He brings forth the New Heaven and New Earth, "the home of righteousness" (1 Peter 3:13). That will be our eternal Heaven.
I mention this now, because there is a distinction between what some refer to as "the intermediate Heaven" and the eternal Heaven or the New Heaven and New Earth. To have an accurate understanding, we must distinguish between the two. What God has planned for us that is eternal is following the rapture, when He then creates a New Heaven and New Earth for us to dwell with him forever. This will be the Heaven I am referring to from here on out.
We now want to move to the question: what is above anyway? Now let me clearly state that I have neither the knowledge nor the time to completely cover the answer to this question. What I hope to do is point us in the direction to look and give a simplified overview of things above, since, again this is where God wants our hearts and minds set. We enjoy tremendous blessings on this earth that God has bestowed as somewhat of a foretaste of what is to come, then accelerated to the level of perfection in Heaven. Because He's directed us to turn our gaze Heavenward, He's given us tangible elements today, in our mortal lives, to picture the greatness of eternity.
The first and most glorious things our eyes will behold is "Christ seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1-2). In just that portion of the verses, we observe three of the most important aspects of what is above: Christ is there, God is there, and they are on their thrones. Let's look at a few Scriptures references, beginning with Revelation 3:21. It says, "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne." Now, the issue of us having the right to sit with Him on His throne we will come back to, but for new we see that John has established for us that the Father and Son are sitting on their thrones. He does this again a couple of verses later. In John's vision of heaven, he says in 4:2, "...and there before me what a throne in Heaven with someone sitting on it." In verses 8 through 11 we see that it was the Lord sitting there, as John makes reference to the angels saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty," and "Him who sits on the throne lives forever and ever," and the elders throwing their crowns before the throne and calling the Lord worthy. In chapter 22, John says, "the angel showed me the river of life...flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city."
As this lesson commenced, I shared a portion of a worship song coming from Isaiah 6: "I see the Lord seated on the throne, exalted. And the train of His robe filled the temple with glory. And the whole earth is full of His glory." Ladies, I'm not telling you anything you don't know--you know that God is on His throne and His Son is at His right hand. What I am trying to do is to get our focus to shift HERE--the throne--thing eternal. And the reason I start with the Godhead on the throne is because that is the essential factor. Randy Alcorn, in his book, Heaven, says, "However great the wonders of Heaven, God himself is Heaven's greatest prize." He also says, "To be with God--to know Him, to see Him--is the central, irreducible draw of Heaven." A verse I mentioned in LYLS is Psalm 73:25, which always take me to the mindset Randy speaks of, "Whom have I in Heaven but you?..."
Beyond the radiance of God, the only way I could think to organize our exploration of things above was to categorize according to our senses. We will briefly cover what it will look like, sound like, feel like and "creatively" what it will taste and smell like. I want us to get our earthly thoughts headed in the direction of eternity as a reality. If we continue to think of it as intangible, we are less likely to take on a true eternal perspective. As we progress through these points, allow yourself to imagine the gloriousness of Heaven, realizing that my humble attempt to direct you there pales greatly in comparison to its true form.
So what will Heaven LOOK like? It will be radiantly bright! Revelation 21:23 says, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp." Revelation 22:5 says, "There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." Isaiah 60:19 tells us, "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." That is a solid message. I am expecting it to be radiantly bright!
Heaven will also be exquisitely beautiful. Revelation 21:10-21 focuses on the details of the beauty of New Jerusalem. I will pull out a few: "brilliance like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal;" "it had a great high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels at the gates;" "the wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone" (then it details each of the precious stones); "twelve gates were each made of a single pearl;" "the great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass." Amazing! Maybe kings of old, with their grande, elaborate palaces could imagine a place like John describes, but this country girl is having trouble wrapping her mind around it!
This brings us to the sounds of Heaven. Based on the average person's knowledge of the angels and saints around the throne, an obvious conclusion is that Heaven will sound worshipful. But, I want us to see that Heaven's worship is a mighty kind of worship. Whenever we see worship described in Heaven,
we see exclamation points!!!!!!!
things shaking and trembling
and angels calling out.
If you'll return with me to Isaiah 6:1-4, you will see that here on earth, we put it mildly! "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke." (Emphasis mine.) Tell me, when was the last time you left a shaken, smoke-filled worship service here on this planet?
Now flip to Revelation 5:11-14. I'll allow you to read it in its entirety while I emphasize certain segments here: (v. 12)"In a loud voice they sang." (v. 12 & 13) Note the worshipful words and exclamation points.(v.14) Note that their worship brought them to their knees. Again in 7: 11-12 we find a similar description, complete with exclamation and prostrate positions. In chapter 19 we see a great multitude shouting Hallelujah, "like the roar of rushing waters" and "loud peals of thunder!" Awesome!
We will certainly hear and feel true, pure, untainted worship in Heaven. I don't think on this earth we even have anything to compare to the multitudes in worshipful agreement. Julie Andrews sang, "The hills are alive with the sound of music...", but I don't believe she had any idea!
Moving through our five senses, we will answer the question: What will Heaven feel like? Heaven will feel peaceful. Isaiah 65:25 says the wolf and the lamb will feed together. John sends a greeting of peace from God to the seven churches in the opening of the book of Revelation. "...Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come..." Isaiah 11:6-9 describes the state of peace in the kingdom to come: animals that once preyed upon one another will lie down together; the lions diet will change to straw; infants will play near the homes of snakes without harm or destruction. Micah 4:3 says, "...Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." This is a message of peace.
Heaven will also feel joyful. We can assume from all the praise and worship we have already explored, that joy will be in the air. Isaiah 60:20, 65:19, and Revelation 21:4 say there will be no more weeping or crying or sorrow. I'm going to type this one out because it creates such a beautiful picture: Isaiah 35:30, "and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." Think about that last line for a moment. Do you, like me, have days where a sigh just says it all? The sigh says, "I'm not overtaken with gladness and joy, just overtaken. Worn out. Disappointed. Sigh..." It will flee away and in its place will be joy everlasting! Can I get an, "Amen sister?!"
Okay, on the last two of our five senses, I had to get a little creative. We're on to taste and smell, and if you ask me, I believe it will definitely taste like chocolate cheesecake, but I just couldn't find any Scriptural basis for this. However, I did find several references to banquets in the New Heaven and New Earth. Take a look at Luke 14:15, 22:29-30; Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 8:11; and Revelation 19:9. So, it looks like Heaven will taste delicious. Imagine stepping into your favorite restaurant. The best food isn't prepared without the best smells filling the air. If is tastes delicious, it's going to smell good too!
Thus far, we have explored eternity in reference to our key verses of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 and Colossians 3:1-2. We've looked at Paul's phrases, "what is unseen is eternal," and "on things above." That brings us to the last of Paul's words we want to understand: "an eternal glory that far outweighs." Let's read that whole verse once more. Second Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Romans 8:18 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." We look at our troubles as heavy and enduring, not light and momentary--the opposite of how Paul directs us to view them. And this has to do with why we stay in our non eternal perspective.
The way to redirect these thoughts is to believe that they indeed are achieving for us an eternal glory. How? you might ask. Well, let me tell you what I think. This earth and its troubles are a training ground for our future place in eternal heaven. Let me say that again. Our perseverance, understanding and wisdom gained through our earthly trials are training for our place in Heaven. The Bible clearly states that we will reign with Christ in Heaven. In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, Paul says, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world...do you not know that we will judge angels?" Here are some other references to our specifically reigning with Him in eternity: Luke 22:29-30; Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 20:6, and 22:5. God owns the land and we are His heirs.
Consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Verse 21 says, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things..." Hebrews 10 tells us that our perseverance will be rewarded with what He has promises in eternity. Randy Alcorn states in his book, Heaven, "God is grooming us for leadership. He's watching to see how we demonstrate faithfulness. He does that through His apprenticeship program, one that prepares us for Heaven. Christ is not simply preparing a place for us; He is preparing us for that place. We all have dreams but don't often see them realized. We become discouraged and lose hope. But as Christ's apprentices, we must learn disciplines. Apprentices in training must work hard and study hard to prepare for the next test or challenge. Apprentices may wish for three weeks of vacation or more pay to pursue outside interests. But the Master may see that these would not lead to success. He may override His apprentices' desires in order that they may learn perspective and patience, which will serve them well in the future. While the young apprentices experience the death of their dreams, the Master is shaping them to dream greater dreams that they will one day live out on the New Earth with enhanced wisdom, skill, appreciation, and joy."
So this "real life" that we encounter every day IS achieving for us a true eternal glory. One that I think we don't often ponder. There is not just earthly purpose to our trials; there is ETERNAL purpose and that is why we fix our eyes on what is unseen...what is eternal.
Remember that all these lessons are centralized by the concept of letting our lights shine for Christ. What does an eternal perspective do for those lights? To answer this I want to compare two Scripture passages. The first is foundational to this study, Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." A city on a hill...keep that in mind.
Now flip to Micah 4:1. "In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it." The "capital," so to speak, of the New Heaven and New Earth will be the New Jerusalem, which Micah says will be chief among the mountains--the greatest of "hills." A city on a hill cannot be hidden. We are to be that city on a hill, radiating His glory. This is a picture of the glory to come in the New Jerusalem. Grasp this: as we dwell on eternity, eternity radiates from us.
I'll conclude with a quote from C.S. Lewis that Randy Alcorn includes in his book, Heaven. "If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought the most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."
Blessings to you as you Let Your Light Shine Heavenward!
Monday, January 23, 2012
A Love We Need to Imagine - Lesson 2 LYLS
If, by chance, you have been following, this is in fact the second session of teaching for Let Your Light Shine. I didn't forget...this is really it! This session is based on the content in the first chapter, A Love We Need to Imagine. Grasping how wide and long and high and deep God's love is for us will be a process. My goal with Chapter One is to provide a spring board from which we can begin to transform our knowledge of His love from, "Jesus loves me, this I don't understand," to "Jesus loves me, this I know."
I'm working from the following premise this week: I think we often hold a skewed view of God's love for us and it's dimming our lights. While teaching this lesson to my home-church Bible Study ladies, the homeschool mom in me began with a little object lesson depicting our view of God's love for us. So, picture this, if you will...
A teeny, tiny Dixie Cup, with holes all over it...
A pitcher of water attempting to fill the teeny, tiny Dixie Cup, which proceeds
to leak at every hole...
You guessed it! Teeny, tiny Dixie Cup = our inadequate, minimized view of God's love for us. Holes...all those things we do (and don't do) that must inevitably make His love
leak
out
of
our already small view of that love--graceless!
drip!
drip!
We aren't spending enough time in the Word and prayer--there's a leak. We decide not to make a meal for the family in church who just had a baby--more love leaking out. By the end of the week, our little Dixie Cup is empty! Now, Monday rolls around, we've been spiritually reenergized at church on Sunday, so we are determined this is going to be a better week--set the alarm an hour earlier, read the new devotional, skip our favorite program on Monday night so we can make it to that church meeting, and we imagine that our Dixie Cup is filling up again. But wait! More holes! Kids were super bratty, lost my patience--leak! Had every intention of making it to Bible study, but didn't want to face the ladies again--leak! And so on and so on, until the Dixie Cup is empty again.
This little Dixie Cup not only misrepresents the size of God's love for us, it also misrepresents the unconditional factor of His love. Why do we do this? Why do we Dixie Cup a God-sized love?
I believe one of the reasons is because we measure His love through human eyes, and in our humanness, we are conditional and we fail. We give love that is often conditional. We have many things that poke holes in our love for others (and even for God), therefore we think His love can leak just like ours does.
Beth Moore beautifully illustrated God's loving character in this way in a women's retreat study: She said that she is a woman. She is a woman and that is unchangeable. First John 4:16 tells us plainly that, "...God is love." In fact, it begins by telling us, "And so we rely on the love God has for us...". God is love. Nothing can change that, just like nothing can change the fact that you are a woman. Love is who He is.
He's written a love letter to us, filled with statements of His love. There are over 600 references to love in the Bible. It's a message He wants to sink in. Sometimes the only way that can happen is if we read it, read it, and read it some more. I've provided some of the many references here. Keep them, read them, treasure them often!
Psalm 36:5, 7; 52:8; 136:26; Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16; 15:9; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-5; 3:17b-19; 5:2; 1 John 4:9-10
If you completed the "homework" in Chapter One, you saw that it is what was done in sacrifice that most assuredly demonstrates that love for us. That sacrifice--what the Christian faith hinges on--is a BIG love. We must move from Dixie Cup thinking to JUMBO CUP reality!
It's at this point in the teaching that I pull out my giant ceramic mug. (You've seen them; the ones used for potting flowers. Super big!) It's the visual for God's Jumbo Cup love for us. God demonstrates a big love for us and it does not leak out, it pours out (here is where I began to pour water from the pitcher into the jumbo mug until it's overflowing). This is the love we need to imagine. This is the love that makes our lights shine.
Feel free to get up and take a stretch. I'd say we've completed about half of this lesson. Grab a warm cup of coffee and a tasty chocolate!
We want to look at what makes God's love Jumbo. In the first chapter of Let Your Light Shine, we studied the characteristics of God's love--unfailing, everlasting, supportive, etc. What if God's love was all of those things, but not everlasting? Or what if it was all of those things, but not sacrificial? It just doesn't work does it? God's love is Jumbo because it is every aspect of love, all the time.
I was listening to Christian radio on my way to the grocery store the other day and one of the song's lyrics went like this: "...God is love and love has come for us all." "Love has come for us all." "Love" is referring to God. So it got me thinking, what if we just start referring to God as "love"--use love as a pronoun for God. What if we chose to call Him "Love" out loud? Would it help us view what we expect from Him differently? If, for example, in reference to a sick child's daily anguish we responded, "Love is in control. Love is going to do a work in her life. My hope is in Love."
You can fill in your own blank. Maybe you're praying for healing in a relationship. Could you say, "I need Love to bring forgiveness. Love is the power at work within me"? God is love and He will always operate from the mode of love in all He does in our lives.
If we can come to an understanding of the size and unconditional factors of His love, we must then move to accepting it. I want to expound here on a concept from the chapter--a broken and contrite heart--and then move on to a beautiful New Testament story that pulls these concepts together.
Let's start by looking at Psalm 51:16-17 again. Here David has poured his heart out to the Lord regarding his sin and is desiring to be once again in right standing with the Lord. He realizes God has not left him, but that he needs cleansing. And to get to that place, he also realizes that what is most important to God is not the sacrifice of a burnt offering, but the heart behind it: David's own brokenness about his sin and about the division it has placed between his Lord and him. He knows that is the place where he can receive the love the father delights in lavishing on him.
A broken and contrite heart, which the world thinks is weakness, is where we come to accept His jumbo sized love. I think that in our day and time, we've come to view the concept of a "broken and contrite heart" with a negative connotation. The world today sens a message that being broken is weak and means you have low self-esteem.
These are some quotes I took off the Internet on a random day:
"Building self-esteem and self-confidence is the key to happiness and success."
"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."
Oscar Wilde said, "I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay."
"The most important starting point for all humans...to love oneself."
This philosophy has led to a lot of empty people trying to love "me" with superficial means. They disappointedly put their confidence in a bunch of external stuff. When people are confronted with their sin, they see it as weakness to come to a place of brokenness before the Lord. Unfortunately for them, the place of being broken and contrite is also the place where we are able to accept the love the Lord desires to lavish upon us.
It doesn't have to be sinfulness that brings us to the place of a broken and contrite heart, but the place we come to of accepting His great love is a place of humility before Him. Humility is what the world views as weak. Humility, though, is realizing how big He is, how big His love is, and how much we are in desperate need for all of Him. Humility is where God can fill us with His love and power.
I want you to read a passage in His Word, Ephesians 3:16-20. In this passage, Paul specifically points out that to really know and grasp this love, His Spirit must infuse in us the power to do so. We can also see this same concept in Romans 5:5. With the heart preparedness that you studied in Chapter One, God can infuse in you the power to grasp and accept the jumbo size love He has for you. In the Ephesians passage we see words like power, rooted, established, filled, fullness, surpass knowledge. These words are all associated with His love for US! This was Paul's prayer for the church at Ephesus.
There is a familiar parable told by Jesus, recorded in Luke 15:11-31. You know it as the parable of The Prodigal Son. It's a lot to read, but I want you to do so because I think it perfectly pulls together all that we have been talking about today. So although you know the story, as you read it, I want you to think about Dixie Cup love, Jumbo Cup reality, and a broken and contrite spirit of acceptance and how each character in the parable illustrates these concepts.
You're reading....reading....reading...reading...reading...
Okay, do you see the Dixie Cup view of love from the prodigal? He thought his squandering and sin had created leaks in the Dixie Cup of his father's love. Like the prodigal, his older brother thought there should be leaks in the Dixie Cup. He showed great displeasure in the fact that his father had a Jumbo-sized love for his young undeserving brother that was not leaky and conditional. So, although he had done all the right things and was more deserving of the love of the father in his own eyes, he actually had the same view of love as the prodigal--Dixie Cup, leaky love. But there was one difference and it was a difference that allowed the prodigal to receive the love and make the older son miss out on accepting the love: a broken and contrite heart. The younger son realized he was undeserving of such greatness from his father. He knew he was unworthy, but what did the father do? (see vv.22-25) He lavished his son in his love. See the true picture of the father's love was that he had the same love for the son who stayed as he did for the one who was the prodigal. (v. 31) The prodigal son was able to accept the father's love and the older son was not; he never came to that heart preparedness.
God has a jumbo sized love to pour out on us that we can receive by the power of the His Spirit. Our lights will shine when we come to a place where our hearts are ready to accept it.
We made it! Phew! God loves you! Believe it! Accept it!
I'm working from the following premise this week: I think we often hold a skewed view of God's love for us and it's dimming our lights. While teaching this lesson to my home-church Bible Study ladies, the homeschool mom in me began with a little object lesson depicting our view of God's love for us. So, picture this, if you will...
A teeny, tiny Dixie Cup, with holes all over it...
A pitcher of water attempting to fill the teeny, tiny Dixie Cup, which proceeds
to leak at every hole...
You guessed it! Teeny, tiny Dixie Cup = our inadequate, minimized view of God's love for us. Holes...all those things we do (and don't do) that must inevitably make His love
leak
out
of
our already small view of that love--graceless!
drip!
drip!
We aren't spending enough time in the Word and prayer--there's a leak. We decide not to make a meal for the family in church who just had a baby--more love leaking out. By the end of the week, our little Dixie Cup is empty! Now, Monday rolls around, we've been spiritually reenergized at church on Sunday, so we are determined this is going to be a better week--set the alarm an hour earlier, read the new devotional, skip our favorite program on Monday night so we can make it to that church meeting, and we imagine that our Dixie Cup is filling up again. But wait! More holes! Kids were super bratty, lost my patience--leak! Had every intention of making it to Bible study, but didn't want to face the ladies again--leak! And so on and so on, until the Dixie Cup is empty again.
This little Dixie Cup not only misrepresents the size of God's love for us, it also misrepresents the unconditional factor of His love. Why do we do this? Why do we Dixie Cup a God-sized love?
I believe one of the reasons is because we measure His love through human eyes, and in our humanness, we are conditional and we fail. We give love that is often conditional. We have many things that poke holes in our love for others (and even for God), therefore we think His love can leak just like ours does.
Beth Moore beautifully illustrated God's loving character in this way in a women's retreat study: She said that she is a woman. She is a woman and that is unchangeable. First John 4:16 tells us plainly that, "...God is love." In fact, it begins by telling us, "And so we rely on the love God has for us...". God is love. Nothing can change that, just like nothing can change the fact that you are a woman. Love is who He is.
He's written a love letter to us, filled with statements of His love. There are over 600 references to love in the Bible. It's a message He wants to sink in. Sometimes the only way that can happen is if we read it, read it, and read it some more. I've provided some of the many references here. Keep them, read them, treasure them often!
Psalm 36:5, 7; 52:8; 136:26; Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16; 15:9; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-5; 3:17b-19; 5:2; 1 John 4:9-10
If you completed the "homework" in Chapter One, you saw that it is what was done in sacrifice that most assuredly demonstrates that love for us. That sacrifice--what the Christian faith hinges on--is a BIG love. We must move from Dixie Cup thinking to JUMBO CUP reality!
It's at this point in the teaching that I pull out my giant ceramic mug. (You've seen them; the ones used for potting flowers. Super big!) It's the visual for God's Jumbo Cup love for us. God demonstrates a big love for us and it does not leak out, it pours out (here is where I began to pour water from the pitcher into the jumbo mug until it's overflowing). This is the love we need to imagine. This is the love that makes our lights shine.
Feel free to get up and take a stretch. I'd say we've completed about half of this lesson. Grab a warm cup of coffee and a tasty chocolate!
We want to look at what makes God's love Jumbo. In the first chapter of Let Your Light Shine, we studied the characteristics of God's love--unfailing, everlasting, supportive, etc. What if God's love was all of those things, but not everlasting? Or what if it was all of those things, but not sacrificial? It just doesn't work does it? God's love is Jumbo because it is every aspect of love, all the time.
I was listening to Christian radio on my way to the grocery store the other day and one of the song's lyrics went like this: "...God is love and love has come for us all." "Love has come for us all." "Love" is referring to God. So it got me thinking, what if we just start referring to God as "love"--use love as a pronoun for God. What if we chose to call Him "Love" out loud? Would it help us view what we expect from Him differently? If, for example, in reference to a sick child's daily anguish we responded, "Love is in control. Love is going to do a work in her life. My hope is in Love."
You can fill in your own blank. Maybe you're praying for healing in a relationship. Could you say, "I need Love to bring forgiveness. Love is the power at work within me"? God is love and He will always operate from the mode of love in all He does in our lives.
If we can come to an understanding of the size and unconditional factors of His love, we must then move to accepting it. I want to expound here on a concept from the chapter--a broken and contrite heart--and then move on to a beautiful New Testament story that pulls these concepts together.
Let's start by looking at Psalm 51:16-17 again. Here David has poured his heart out to the Lord regarding his sin and is desiring to be once again in right standing with the Lord. He realizes God has not left him, but that he needs cleansing. And to get to that place, he also realizes that what is most important to God is not the sacrifice of a burnt offering, but the heart behind it: David's own brokenness about his sin and about the division it has placed between his Lord and him. He knows that is the place where he can receive the love the father delights in lavishing on him.
A broken and contrite heart, which the world thinks is weakness, is where we come to accept His jumbo sized love. I think that in our day and time, we've come to view the concept of a "broken and contrite heart" with a negative connotation. The world today sens a message that being broken is weak and means you have low self-esteem.
These are some quotes I took off the Internet on a random day:
"Building self-esteem and self-confidence is the key to happiness and success."
"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."
Oscar Wilde said, "I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay."
"The most important starting point for all humans...to love oneself."
This philosophy has led to a lot of empty people trying to love "me" with superficial means. They disappointedly put their confidence in a bunch of external stuff. When people are confronted with their sin, they see it as weakness to come to a place of brokenness before the Lord. Unfortunately for them, the place of being broken and contrite is also the place where we are able to accept the love the Lord desires to lavish upon us.
It doesn't have to be sinfulness that brings us to the place of a broken and contrite heart, but the place we come to of accepting His great love is a place of humility before Him. Humility is what the world views as weak. Humility, though, is realizing how big He is, how big His love is, and how much we are in desperate need for all of Him. Humility is where God can fill us with His love and power.
I want you to read a passage in His Word, Ephesians 3:16-20. In this passage, Paul specifically points out that to really know and grasp this love, His Spirit must infuse in us the power to do so. We can also see this same concept in Romans 5:5. With the heart preparedness that you studied in Chapter One, God can infuse in you the power to grasp and accept the jumbo size love He has for you. In the Ephesians passage we see words like power, rooted, established, filled, fullness, surpass knowledge. These words are all associated with His love for US! This was Paul's prayer for the church at Ephesus.
There is a familiar parable told by Jesus, recorded in Luke 15:11-31. You know it as the parable of The Prodigal Son. It's a lot to read, but I want you to do so because I think it perfectly pulls together all that we have been talking about today. So although you know the story, as you read it, I want you to think about Dixie Cup love, Jumbo Cup reality, and a broken and contrite spirit of acceptance and how each character in the parable illustrates these concepts.
You're reading....reading....reading...reading...reading...
Okay, do you see the Dixie Cup view of love from the prodigal? He thought his squandering and sin had created leaks in the Dixie Cup of his father's love. Like the prodigal, his older brother thought there should be leaks in the Dixie Cup. He showed great displeasure in the fact that his father had a Jumbo-sized love for his young undeserving brother that was not leaky and conditional. So, although he had done all the right things and was more deserving of the love of the father in his own eyes, he actually had the same view of love as the prodigal--Dixie Cup, leaky love. But there was one difference and it was a difference that allowed the prodigal to receive the love and make the older son miss out on accepting the love: a broken and contrite heart. The younger son realized he was undeserving of such greatness from his father. He knew he was unworthy, but what did the father do? (see vv.22-25) He lavished his son in his love. See the true picture of the father's love was that he had the same love for the son who stayed as he did for the one who was the prodigal. (v. 31) The prodigal son was able to accept the father's love and the older son was not; he never came to that heart preparedness.
God has a jumbo sized love to pour out on us that we can receive by the power of the His Spirit. Our lights will shine when we come to a place where our hearts are ready to accept it.
We made it! Phew! God loves you! Believe it! Accept it!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Let the Word of Christ Dwell...
This is not lesson two from Let Your Light Shine, but the words of the following verse have been repeating again and again through my thoughts for the past two days, so I thought I might share them...
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16
I have a Bible verse app as the wallpaper on my phone, and a couple of days ago Colossians 3:16 popped up. One word caught my attention in particular: dwell. "Let the word of Christ dwell."
I began to think of the other things that dwell inside me--my heart, my stomach, my bones, muscles, you get the idea. We'll stop there before we get too graphic. Those body parts just reside inside my body (dwell), functioning, giving me life, keeping me going.
Colossians 3:16 tells me that the word of Christ is also supposed to dwell inside me, with all my body parts. How does it dwell?
The psalmist says in Psalm 119:15:
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
In verse 97:
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Reading, studying, meditating, praying. Oh how I fail to do this consistently! I dwell on a lot of garbage far more than the word of Christ; far more than eternity! Lord forgive me!
If I dwell, I think the word of Christ functions quite the same as my other body parts--giving me life, keeping me going. Without it, spiritually I cease propelling forward. When I think of who I am--fleshly, natural me--without the word of Christ dwelling in me, I am wretched. I catch glimpses of that ugly flesh now and again, and every time become acutely aware of the kind of person I'd be without Christ. The things that tempt me, my knee-jerk reaction to what life throws at me, my harsh judgements; these all make me see a picture of Angie without the word of Christ dwelling in me.
Without the word dwelling in me, I also lack the wisdom to encourage others and spur them on to love and good deeds. And this is so important in the faith. Fellowship with other believers and productive conversation on the word enriches my walk tremendously. Many times I don't realize how much I gain from it until I've gone without it for a period of time. I feel so energized and stirred when I am once again engaged.
The remainder of Colossians 3:16 is icing on the cake! Praise and worship with a heart of gratitude. How can the word of Christ really dwell in us without us then being motivated into praise and thanksgiving? Impossible! Praise the Lord, His word sustains us and "through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him" (2 Cor. 2:14)!
We're studying human anatomy right now in our homeschool science. I think as I picture all my other body systems alive and well dwelling inside of me, I'm going to picture the word of Christ right along side!
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16
I have a Bible verse app as the wallpaper on my phone, and a couple of days ago Colossians 3:16 popped up. One word caught my attention in particular: dwell. "Let the word of Christ dwell."
I began to think of the other things that dwell inside me--my heart, my stomach, my bones, muscles, you get the idea. We'll stop there before we get too graphic. Those body parts just reside inside my body (dwell), functioning, giving me life, keeping me going.
Colossians 3:16 tells me that the word of Christ is also supposed to dwell inside me, with all my body parts. How does it dwell?
The psalmist says in Psalm 119:15:
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
In verse 97:
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Reading, studying, meditating, praying. Oh how I fail to do this consistently! I dwell on a lot of garbage far more than the word of Christ; far more than eternity! Lord forgive me!
If I dwell, I think the word of Christ functions quite the same as my other body parts--giving me life, keeping me going. Without it, spiritually I cease propelling forward. When I think of who I am--fleshly, natural me--without the word of Christ dwelling in me, I am wretched. I catch glimpses of that ugly flesh now and again, and every time become acutely aware of the kind of person I'd be without Christ. The things that tempt me, my knee-jerk reaction to what life throws at me, my harsh judgements; these all make me see a picture of Angie without the word of Christ dwelling in me.
Without the word dwelling in me, I also lack the wisdom to encourage others and spur them on to love and good deeds. And this is so important in the faith. Fellowship with other believers and productive conversation on the word enriches my walk tremendously. Many times I don't realize how much I gain from it until I've gone without it for a period of time. I feel so energized and stirred when I am once again engaged.
The remainder of Colossians 3:16 is icing on the cake! Praise and worship with a heart of gratitude. How can the word of Christ really dwell in us without us then being motivated into praise and thanksgiving? Impossible! Praise the Lord, His word sustains us and "through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him" (2 Cor. 2:14)!
We're studying human anatomy right now in our homeschool science. I think as I picture all my other body systems alive and well dwelling inside of me, I'm going to picture the word of Christ right along side!
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