Ambulance at KFC

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 


Today as we were driving around town, we passed a KFC. In the parking lot, there was parked an ambulance. As I chuckled, I thought of the irony and possible circumstances surrounding this conveniently placed medical service vehicle outside of a possible heart attack-inducing fast food joint. Maybe it had been called as an emergency situation arose inside. As an EMT, imagine being called to KFC or any other fast food restaurant in response to a patient who has had a heart attack. A more comical and far-fetched possibility is that someone, knowing the risks of indulging in too much fried chicken and biscuits, arranged for an ambulance ahead of time, in case tragedy should strike. Maybe they feared going into a competitive chicken eating battle without the appropriate back up.
This got me thinking though about dependency on Christ. Are we fearful of going into everyday life without his guiding our path? Part of boasting in weakness may just be calling ahead of time for assistance as opposed to waiting until we find ourselves in the middle of a predicament. I want my life to be one that is simply impossible to live with the strength of Jesus Christ!  

Toot His Horn Often

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." -2 Corinthians 11:30 

Coach once told us that we should not be focusing on lifting Jesus up, because he can't go any higher, and even if he could, what makes us think that we'd be able to do that? We instead need to focus on humbling ourselves. I think sometimes we think we might need to put ourselves down and this verse is a great counter to that argument. We don't need to put ourselves down or minimize the talent's the Lord has blessed us with, rather we need to highlight what makes us low and what shows that we are broken, that his power my be evident! I wonder what exactly this looks and sounds like. I wish I had more to write about that, but I don't. Venture with me to seek opportunities to boast in weakness and maybe we can figure it out together. 

Garbage

"Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." -Psalm 119:37 

-Focusing on worthless things leads to death in our hearts
-This act is not a function of our own will, but of God's power in us to redirect our focus on things that are above.
- The second part of the verse says "give me life in your ways" not "give me life in your ways and my accomplishments, and in love, and in money, and in ______." Go ahead and fill in the blank, but this verse suggests life comes in his ways and in his ways alone.
-This small line is an awesome prayer when we feel ourselves getting sucked into the ways of this world. However that looks for you, maybe challenge yourself to recognize those worthless things, and immediately go to the Lord in prayer with this simple line.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." -Romans 8:18 

Say you and I are sitting at my favorite Indian restaurant just about to dig in to a savory meal cooked with probably over 30 different spices. The aromas that met our noses are so rich that they seem to make the food instantly palatable. After a quick blessing of course:) we venture into the depths of grilled meats, fresh vegetables, and seasoned basmati rice. You tell me about the delicious spice and sweetness your dish provides, and with a somewhat displeased look on my face I say to you, "yeah, that's cool, ya know....I could really go for a good PB&J."

What?!?!

It would be beyond silly, probably downright insulting, to compare delicious ethnic cuisine to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I wonder if that's not just a little glimpse into how ridiculous it is for us to complain about our sufferings when we have an eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15) waiting for us. I'm encouraged, because sometimes those sufferings do feel intense and at times they rock our worlds, but God has promised us the opportunity to experience a glory so intense it will seem like those sufferings were like piddly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in comparison.        

Mom always says "don't play ball in the house"

"O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you." -Psalm 38:9 

I guess you could look at this verse two ways.
   #1.) Through the eyes of Peter Brady when he broke his mom's vase while she wasn't home. Sometimes there's part of us that wants to hide what's going on in our hearts. We don't like to confront the reality of sin or face the conviction of scripture or of the Holy Spirit.  Confessing sin is like telling mom we broke her vase, as we grow fearfully weary of the consequence.

  And the other way....welp, I tried to come up with another TV character or some fun analogy, but I couldn't think of one, so let's just bring this real close to home. We can think of what we want out of every day; what we want out of life. I guess those deep desires that never change; the ones that actually feed our want for a car or a new gadget, nice clothes, or a piece of jewelry, relationships or acceptance. God understands what is beneath the surface and what resides in our hearts.

The Good News is that Jesus died for the broken vases and for the pain we experience when our longings seem to go unsatisfied. So regardless of which way we look at this scripture, hope reflects back at us! 

"look daddy i'm growing"

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up in salvation" -1 Peter 2:2 

 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence"-2 Peter 1:3 

This afternoon, I watched a gorgeous, blond haired, four year old girl reach up to the table portion of a tall desk. As she stood on her tip-toes and stretched out her little arms, bellybutton exposed and tiny fingernails white from gripping the edge of the desk so intensely, she called out to her daddy. "Daddy, look, I'm growing, I can reach all the way to the top now!" She was so proud of how she'd changed and how she could now reach the top like a big girl.

It made me think that this little everyday life picture is an example of how we should respond to God's desire to grow us. Think about what that little girl's daddy provided for her that allowed her to grow that way: food, water, love, doctors visits, a place to sleep. She was so excited to share and show him her growth. What if we recognized how completely we've been resourced for growth, as the above verses show? Then what if we embraced and rejoiced in the opportunity to grow as followers of Jesus like that little four year old did?!


 
 

Security

"He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord." -Psalm 112:7


There are those times when things come up in life that scare you and seem to throw your circumstances and security into extreme question. I love this saying I heard a pastor say in reference to fear: "stop concerning yourself with "what is" and start realizing that "who is" never changes."

Confidently Broken

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."-Psalm 51:17 

I do not understand how a flawless, all-powerful God can be so loving. I am reminded of something I have witnesses many times on the soccer field (and though I am embarrassed to say, I have probably also partaken in). So, you're at a try-out or something of the sort, and there's this one girls....and well, she's just not good at all. Whether it be in our minds or through our words and actions, we separate that beautiful daughter of God because she's just not as good as everyone else at soccer (as if that mattered in light of all of eternity). Anyway, there's a point here. Imagine if God did that. He's perfect, it would be: "There she goes forgetting to love again" or "She just stinks at trusting." He would despise us for everything that we are, because in nothing do we ever come even close to measuring up to him. Instead he accepts our brokenness when we can't even accept it ourselves. Every part of me wants to suppress vulnerability, fear, and weakness, shove it in the closet and slam the door, so that no one will see it. Praise Jesus for bringing about his glory through even the most broken parts of us!

I Choose You!

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" -Colossians 3:12

The other day I was watching Home Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, and one of the most powerful moments comes not at the end of the journey, but at the very beginning. The host, who's probably combed through thousands of applications, shows up at the door of a select applicant, who is most often at their wit's end. They are broken, hurting, out of options, and in many cases, feeling unworthy or worthless. Chris Powell shows up, they are shocked, and he looks into their eyes and says three powerful words: "I choose you." As I watched, brought nearly to tears (yeah, I am a little bit of a softy when it comes to this stuff), I thought about how empowering the phrase is to that person who is about to embark on an intense one year weight loss trek. Powell can give them all of the resources and education imaginable, but his putting his faith in them and his willingness to walk along side of them is probably more powerful than all of that combined.

This scene made me think about how amazing it must feel to have someone say those simple words to you, then I considered the truth that Jesus has indeed chosen us! How does that empower us to live? Jesus' love should drive us to boldness, faith, and humility.     

Rain for the Fruit

"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains." -James 5:7

When I've had a bad day.....or two.....or three, James is my go to guy! This scripture is under the title "Patience in Suffering" in my Bible, so I'm thinking about how what he wrote applies to trials or days when it seems like nothing good has resulted. So if God began a good work in us that he is faithful to finish (Philippians 1:6), then I am wondering if trials, whether they're falling flat on my face at therapy or reaching a point of uncertainty about my future, are little rain showers on the field of planted fruit that the Lord plans to harvest in my heart. Only our God could make beauty out of a mess like me! Praise the Lord for that!

This is the Stuff-Francesca Battistelli   (I think this song nails it!)

Like a Flashlight

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." -Psalm 119:105 

This is such a Sunday School memory verse, but our wonderful chaplain recently shed new light on it (no pun intended) for me. Her comments were something along the lines of this: think about using a flashlight to light a darkened path in front of you so that you can walk in the woods without wiping out on a root or crossing paths with a forest friend. The flashlight really only allows you to see a certain distance in front of you, maybe three or four yards.

That's what God's Word does for us, it directs us as to what the next couple steps should be, but the Lord rarely gives us insight into the more distant path ahead. In light of this truth, a life in which every decision is dictated by the Word of God is really quite exciting because to some extent, you never know what's beyond that circle of light.  

My First Love

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world." -1 John 2:15-16

Can you think of anyone you know who actually loves Jesus more than anything? I want my life to be like that, so that Jesus is above success and pride and relationships and things and comfort and myself.

I am sure it looks different in different people, but in this video, Francis Chan describes someone he saw it in. 
Francis Chan-Grandma Clara

One other piece of this scripture that stands out, it's pretty clear that there is no middle ground. Either love Jesus or love the things of this world. We can't serve two masters.

Not Mistaken

"O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." -Psalm 104:24 

We were created intentionally. I circled the word "wisdom" in this verse then looked it up. And even though I feel that putting Wikipedia and scripture in the same text box might just be a violation of the 11th unsaid commandment, I think this definition for wisdom reveals a lot about how intentional the Lord is in designing his children.
 
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realizing of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to choose or act or inspire to consistently produce the optimum results

It is by no accident that you or I are the way we are. Our heavenly Father designed us uniquely for the individual purposes that he has predestined us to do, and I think that's amazing. What would my life look like if every day I understood and acted on the understanding that, though I may be awful at sewing and tennis and listening to directions and dancing and.....well, you get the picture, I am designed to honor God, and that's one thing I will never be incompetent at because that's what he created me to do! Once again, I feel honored.

I Should Be Honored

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." -2 Timothy 3:16 

I have a Bible sitting here on the table next to me right now. There are three upstairs in my bedroom, and a couple New Testaments in my backpack. People all over the world died because they were caught with a copy of God's word and others need a copy and have no way of receiving one. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, these words are the Lord's, so if I actually believe that, shouldn't I be utterly honored to open it? Who am I to even repeat his word aloud? Someone encouraged me to think of it this way: if God's word is profitable in all situations, not allowing it to radically change my life is a waste of any potential God has given me. That's convicting, but equally exciting if you ask me.