Lana MacKay

To All Who Are Thirsty

2009-11-21T19:50:00.001-08:00

This evening, I went to Spokane to run some errands and do a little Christmas shopping. On my way home, heading north on highway 395, I looked up and directly in front of me was the Big Dipper -- right over the road ahead of me. It reminded me of the last time it was significant to me. The kids and I were camping overnight at Eloika Lake, this past summer. Tristen, my 12-year-old daughter, and I looked up, and in a break in the trees we saw it. It was pointing down, as if to be pouring out onto our campsite.

What is the dipper? It is a cup. It reminds me of Jesus' love.

Jesus loves others through our love for Him.
Matthew 10:42, 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Jesus loves us through His love for the Father. He drank the cup of a horrific and painful death and poured out life on all who will receive it.
Matthew 26:39, 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Luke 22, 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who happens to read this. May His love pour from His cup out over you. May you drink and not be thirsty. I hope, the next time you see the Big Dipper, that you will reflect on this and remember how big the Lord's love is for you. I hope, you will remember Him and look for His fingerprints in all of His beautiful creation.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22

But It Isn't Me

2009-07-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Today, three of the four of us were in the Settler's Day parade. Brad marched with the football team... Tristen threw candy for kids dressed in a Deer Park Church of the Nazarene T-shirt, and our worship team played songs in the back of a wagon pulled by a tractor. LOL! At first I felt a bit uncomfortable. Marlin had me sing instead of playing my flute, because Cathy, our lead female, is sick with a sinus infection and didn't come. I didn't realize what a blessing this would be, because I'm simply more comfortable behind my flute. It's not easy to look out on the crowd of people (strangers) on the side of the road and sing, smile and wave. Until... you realize it's not you. It's Jesus reaching out from your smile and your wave and through your eyes to touch the hearts of the created beings He has compassion on. I could tell He was working through me. I could see it on the faces of those strangers. I could also see it on the faces of believers... I recognized the Spirit in them, too.

What a great day, so far. I wanted so bad to stay home, too... Evening Grosbeaks showed up at my feeders this morning as Tristen and I were getting ready to go. I got some pictures, but I knew I had to go and serve the Lord, today. I may be obsessed with the birds in my free time, but my life belongs to God, so when it's time to go sing to strangers for the Lord, I'm there (Matthew 10:21-22). When we got home, much to my delight, the grosbeaks were still there! Perhaps if Christians understood that God wants to bless us according to His riches in glory, it wouldn't be so hard to give up our own stuff. There is a time for everything under heaven.

It was the spring of 2006, when we first began watching birds and we'd barely set up anything for them when a male and female Evening Grosbeak came to visit our very first feeders. They were big birds and they made *THUD!* when the landed on the crossbar of the wooden stand I'd made. I was hooked on bird watching from that moment on. They looked like animated stuffed animals. NEVER AGAIN did they visit our feeders... until TODAY. It looked like a Ma and Pop raising a single offspring.

Good Character Essential for the Christian Life

2009-07-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

As we develop as Christians, we start out basking in the love of Jesus, His sacrifice, and the miracle of it all. Then, at some point soon after, some of us experience some disillusionment as we realize salvation of our soul doesn't mean an easy life, it doesn't mean we won't struggle with sin, it doesn't mean all Christians act godly all the time. We learn to focus on Jesus and not the people and to look inward and persevere to become the person He wants us to be. After we've been a Christian a while we might lose the urgency to become better people, because, after all, we always endeavor to be righteous. Yet, it's a living relationship led by the Spirit and our human nature sometimes prevails and His presence seems to wax and wane whether it be because we've lost our focus or He wants to bring us closer, we have trials and in those trials some nasty fruit can be revealed. Ah... it's not condemnation... it's not judgment... it's the HOLY SPIRIT! And He's there to take us to the next level. One thing I never want to be in my relationship with the Lord is complacent, but the truth be told and all of us reach levels of complacency. And thankfully, we have a God who doesn't allow us to stay there long. Even if we're not complacent... exactly... even if we've just grown accustomed to the level we are at with the Lord, He won't let us stay there. He's the Living God. Sometimes we have to be so put out by ourselves, that we can't imagine anything but change. Sometimes He'll let us see a vivid snapshot of where we are as to reveal something He wants to change in us. I'm thankful. Remember, if you have everything, but don't have love, you actually have nothing. And if you are everything in your own eyes, you will be brought low, like Saul who lost his anointing. Sometimes we need to get back to the basics and admit that we have work to do.

Colossians 3: Character of the Christian Life and Home
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Character of the New Man
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Galatians 5: Walking in the Spirit
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Matthew 5: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit: I confess that I need to change and go to the next level. Help me to want what You want. Help me to see You and not my circumstances or other people, and help me see truth without deception of any kind. Help my first response to be godliness and not selfishness, but don't allow the enemy to convince me to be a doormat to him or others in this process. Help me not become discouraged. Being obedient to you is more important to me than any gift or calling, and I also want to be used by You for the good of Your Kingdom. Help me to be confident enough that I may succeed in good character and come to the place you want me to be, yet humble enough not to let any of it make me big in my own eyes. You loved me and so I love you. I love you because you are good. You are worthy of my obedience and love. You created everything and everything you've created is wonderful. I adore you. I am so glad I have You and that You have chosen me. Thank you for helping me know You and for showing me Your truth. Thank you for not being willing that I should perish. I am thankful in all things, not for all things. Keep teaching me, Lord. I love you. In the name of the Son, Jesus the Christ, Amen.

It Really Is All About HIM

2009-03-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

I was reading about the life of the Christ, today, and I ran across this scripture:

Hebrews 4:15, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (KJV)

The same article I was reading mentioned the people He came to help often worked against Him and even His closest friends didn't always come through when He needed them. We have all kinds of struggles in life -- struggles with health, struggles with money, struggles with many different circumstances, but I think the ones that mean the most to the Lord are the ones mentioned here -- our struggles with people.

People disappoint us and let us down. Jesus never does. We disappoint people and we let others down, sometimes, even if their expectations may be more than we can bear. But Jesus can bear any and all burdens. And sometimes our own expectations are far beyond what is reasonable. How should we, as Christians, respond to each other?

The answer is obvious: With grace, mercy and love. Yet, we fail, even within our churches. And the world sees us striving with each other, and our witness is ruined. And Satan rejoices. A very wise man once said to me, "Sometimes our biggest persecutors are our own brothers and sisters in the Christ." And a sad testimony is that. Divide and conquer; the devil's favorite game -- kill, steal and destroy, and he laughs! And we fall for it. Why?

Self. The devil knows better than anyone how to get us off the track. If he can get us to fall the same way he did, he's won.

Isaiah 14
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.e
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”

And as Christians, that should appall us enough that we should do everything not to let it happen. Ask yourself, when you struggle with others... are you exalting yourself? Above others? Above God? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That simply means depend on Him, trust Him, love Him.

Ephesians 6:12 says your struggle isn't against people. It's against the dark rulers. How do you combat dark rulers? You don't. The battle belongs to the Lord. You keep yourself clean (put on the armor of God -- forgive others... let go of offenses) and you pray. Let God handle it. Psalm 35:1 is a prayer..."Lord, strive with those who strive with me, contend with those who contend with me, fight against those who fight against me." And you can have peace, because the burden is all His. And then you will not be striving with your brothers and sisters in the church. It really is as simple as keeping ourselves in check and letting God handle it. No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

I can think of tons of scripture to support what I'm saying, but let me just say this: When I say "keep your eyes on Jesus" it's not just some Christianese cliche. It really is the key to living a peaceful life. Staying focused on Him puts everything into alignment. Your attitude is better. Your outlook is better. Everything is better. Nothing good can come from focusing on your circumstances or focusing on yourself. In order to do this, though, you have to get to know your Bible -- study it and find out how the Word can empower you to stand upright in an upside down world. The verse right after Hebrews 4:15 -- verse 16 says to come boldly to the throne of grace to get mercy and find help in time of need.

If this reads disjointed, I'm sorry. It was off-the-cuff. Feel free to add your thoughts at Facebook or Blogger.

Hope

2009-03-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

When you're at the end of your rope, and maybe you're home alone or driving in your car and you cry out and scream, whether on the inside or outwardly, and you feel so foolish and maybe even ugly on your insides and out, do you know what God is doing?

He's wailing with you from the inner depths of His heart. He's not judging you. He thinks you're beautiful. And His heart is breaking, because He so wants to give you hope.

Depression: A Modern-Day Parable

2009-03-01T04:19:00.000-08:00

A Parable: A short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

It’s 3:30 a.m., and I can’t sleep. Part of that is the coffee I drank too late in the evening. Part of it is the excitement I have about something the Lord’s been showing me. I’m going to attempt to convey it to you using a parable.

There was a man who was suffering from depression. That man went to see his pastor for help, deliverance or something that could take the heaviness off. As the man talked, the pastor mostly listened and he heard tales of financial woes, relationship troubles with his wife, family and friends who criticized and judged him, rejection and a general sense of self-hatred and disapproval. When the pastor attempted to say something positive, the man would counter with something negative. Then something happened. The man said, “Did you see that?”

The pastor said, “What?”

“It was something dark over there!” He pointed through the doorway to the pastor’s office, out into the hall.

“It was probably just a shadow,” the pastor said.

“NO! It was as dark as night, and it moved across the hallway!”

The pastor said, “I think I know what you saw. You see, at the precise time you saw it, I saw a presence of light above the doorway. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a shadow move in the hall, but I was focused on the light, so I didn’t see it as clearly as you did. You saw something demonic. I saw an angel of light.”

How often do we focus on the negative things in life versus the positive things? I can’t help but wonder if Christians are flocking to the doctor’s offices for some kind of fix for the heaviness they feel when all they really need is to focus on Jesus and look for His light. I’m not saying there is no such thing as clinical depression. I’m not saying to forget the doctors, but I am saying, before you run to the doctor’s office and then to the pharmacy, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to evaluate where your focus has been. Did you know you can control your thoughts? You can control what you choose to focus on. You can choose how you let something affect you. You don’t have to put up with the demons that want to drag you down and kill, steal and destroy your joy. Reject thoughts of despair, depression and death. Look for Jesus and you will see Him instead. And you will have life and have it to the full.

2 Corinthians 10:5, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” Amen?

John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Yay, Jesus! Amen??

John 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."” CHOOSE TO HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE.

Operation Cleanse

2009-02-27T04:53:00.000-08:00

I've never really known what I should do with this blog. I've made posts and deleted them. I've posted things I've taught in Sunday school class and Bible studies. But I think I'd like to be more casual and more personal. That's hard for me in a public place, but I also feel the need to share things that are on my heart. I don't even know if anyone will read it, but that's OK.

I've got a lot of things on my mind, this morning. I've been up all night backing up files from my laptop, because it's been infected with a virus. I'll have to wipe the entire drive and start over, since it is corrupted. That's kind of like our Christian life. We accept Jesus into our life, we're cleansed of all unrighteousness, because of the blood He shed on the cross... but we still have to live here in the world where we become infected, defiled and corrupted. Whether or not we slip into sin, because of it, we need to be cleansed. We have to call on Jesus to do it. He's the Master System Disk who will wipe us clean from the things of the world. He will refresh, renew and revive us, because Jesus is about new beginnings.

Ephesians 6: 12, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Answered Prayer

2008-06-07T16:54:00.001-07:00

Matthew 18:19-20

18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

1. What is “binding” and “loosing”?

Binding is stopping, loosing is allowing.

2. In verse 19, is it just like that? We agree, we ask, it happens?

No. We must be obedient children of God and be asking for things that are His will. And God will not interfere with the will of man.

3. John 15:7 says, “ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” In your own words, what is Jesus saying to you?

If I live my life in Him and His words live in me, my desires will match His will and He will do it for me.

4. Psalm 37:1-6 says, “1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.” As you read the scriptures in this lesson, what is revealed to you as the key to getting your prayers answered?

Stay righteous, trust the Lord, be nurtured by His faithfulness, delight in Him, and He will give me the desires of my heart and will also make them happen.

5. John 9:31 says, “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.” Are you a sinner or a saint?

He who says he does not sin is a liar, but I am a saint. He died for Me while I was a sinner, and washed me clean of all sin with His blood. He who has started a work in me will bring it to completion. God hears my prayers.

The Trinity -- An Introduction to the Triune Godhead

2008-06-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

God the Father *God the Son * God the Holy Spirit

Dear Class:

The Trinity, more aptly described as the Triune Godhead, has never been something easily understood. I, myself, have struggled my entire Christian existence trying to understand how three persons can be one God. But it is nonetheless so. It is an important distinction in Christianity, as we are monotheists. Other false prophets and teachers defile the Bible with different doctrines. We have a responsibility to understand, as much as it is possible, the truth about the God we profess to love and follow. This is the first step in our beginning to understand the Holy Spirit and His role in our lives. My goal is to help you understand our Lord better so you can have all the tools you need in your walk with Him and so you’ll fall more and more in love with Him as your relationship grows.

Love,
Lana

Isaiah 43:10 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

A Trinitarian believes that God is one being that consists of three persons. That is hard to wrap your mind around, but it

is nonetheless true. While they are one being, they have different roles in our lives. And though they have different roles

in our lives, they are unified in everything. Jesus saves, for example, so God saves. The Father created, yet everything

was created through the Son.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

Note there is one name and three distinct persons Jesus is referring to, here. Jesus says that all authority is His and He

empowers us with the same authority if we are His. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the Lord our God.

The Nicene Creed (on page 2) shows both the distinction and the unity of the Triune Godhead, so I’ve collected some

Information on this website (http://www.kencollins.com/Why-07.htm) to help in understanding what the Nicene Creed is

and how it came to be.

“The Nicene Creed was formulated at the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in AD 325 to combat Arianism, and it was expanded at the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in AD 381 to balance its coverage of the Trinity by including the Holy Spirit. It is the only creed that was promulgated by any of the seven ecumenical councils and thus it is the only creed that is truly ecumenical and universal. In the Orthodox Church, it is the only creed.The New Testament and the Nicene Creed are deeply entangled with each other. The wording and the concepts in the Nicene Creed come from the New Testament—in fact, one of the most important debates at the Council of Nicea concerned whether it is proper to include a word in the Nicene Creed that does not occur in the New Testament. On the other hand, at the time that the Church issued the official canon of the New Testament, it customarily compared writings to the Nicene Creed to determine if they were orthodox. So you are correct if you say that the Nicene Creed proceeds from the New Testament, and you are correct if you say that the New Testament is certified by the Nicene Creed. To put it more precisely, the Nicene Creed and the canon of the New Testament were formed together as part of the same process.”

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The term “catholic” means “universal” or all inclusive. In the sense that it is used here in the Nicene Creed, it means the entire body of the Christ.

We Finished Up on the Subject of Forgiveness & Reconciliation

2008-06-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

To reconcile is to restore to friendship or harmony, or to settle or resolve differences. It is the doing away with an enmity, the bridging over of a quarrel. Reconciliation implies that the parties being reconciled were formerly hostile toward one another.

What is “enmity?” (See Genesis 3:15)

IF YOU NEED TO BE FORGIVEN, as an act of the will, you must…

· Confess your sin to God and ask Him to forgive you and, by His Holy Spirit to fill your heart with His love. (Psalm 32:1-5)

o 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Why is it important to ask God to fill us by the Holy Spirit with His love?

· Right now, take a moment to search your heart for anything you may need forgiveness for. Cry out to God silently, and ask him to forgive you and fill you with His Holy Spirit to strengthen you to obey.

· God alone forgives sins. He forgives and He forgets (Look up Psalm 103:12). By faith, accept God’s absolute forgiveness and cleansing.

o That being said, it is Biblical to confess our sins to one another:

James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

IF POSSIBLE, go to those you have wronged, humbly make confession, and ask for their forgiveness.

· Six of the most powerful words in the English language, “I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

· Look up Matthew 5:23-24 and write out, word for word, your commitment to personally obey it:

· If possible, do this face to face. However, do to logistics, you may have to communicate with the person by telephone or in writing.

· If the person you have wronged has passed away, you need simply to go to God with your confession (see above, God alone forgives sins).

What is the “ministry of reconciliation”? Hint: 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

We also talked about how we shouldn't "take up the offenses of others." We some how excuse ourselves, sometimes, to be offended at others for offending our friends and family. It is no better to harbor unforgiveness for a friend than it is to harbor it for yourself, and it does just as much damage to your soul and spirit, and even your body if you carry it too far and too long and too often. God is very clear on this in the Bible. There is a difference in being an advocate and taking up offenses.

I gave them a Pop Quiz

2008-05-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, I wasn't very popular. ;)

What? You didn’t know there’d be a test??

Forgiveness Mid-Term Pop Quiz

1. The word “forgive” means to…

a. Make them pay!

b. Let it go before it happens.

c. Give away.

d. Pay it forward.

2. The word “resentment means to __________ __________.

3. Forgiveness is …

a. Earned.

b. Free, unmerited and undeserved.

c. Trust.

d. Raspberries.

4. List six things that are separate issues form forgiveness:

a. –

b. –

c. –

d. –

e. –

f. –

5. List four reasons people might become offended:

a. –

b. –

c. –

d. -

6. What are some results of becoming offended?

a. –

b. –

c. –

d. –

e. –

f. –

7. What is the five-point process of forgiveness after you have been offended?

a. –

b. –

c. –

d. –

e. –

8. Do you have any questions about the topic of forgiveness so far?

Forgiveness Lesson 3 -- Keep From Being Offended

2008-04-23T13:40:00.001-07:00

Offend: To cause displeasure, anger, resentment, or wounded feelings in.

Why do we become offended?

a. Expectations (realistic or not) are not met (either by us or by others)

b. Abandonment

c. Jealousy/Envy/Favoritism shown to others

d. Taking up the offense of others (someone offends your friend/family)

e. Being mistreated

Can you think of others? Discuss & jot them down.

What are the results of becoming offended?

a. Bitterness

b. Defiles others

c. Troubles the human heart

d. Divides us from relationship with the Lord

e. Provides a playground for the enemy

f. We bring judgment on ourselves

Can you think of more? Discuss & jot them down.

What does the Bible say about offenses?

Proverbs 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle.

Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression.

Psalms 119:165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.

(King James says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them).

Mar 11:25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

(Other Bible references to this topic: Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 2:7, Ephesians 4:31&32, 1 John 1:9, Psalm 103:12, Titus 3:3-5)

One of my favorites: Ephesians 6:12 – remember this: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

How to proceed when you have been offended:

Ø Don’t curse it! Don’t curse the situation or those who caused it. (Job 2:9-10)

Ø Don’t nurse it! Don’t nurse a grudge. Don’t feed the situation with self-pity.

Ø Don’t rehearse it! Don’t keep going over and over it in your mind. This is resentment, and we learned earlier that resentment means we’re feeling it again, thus we’re wounding ourselves when we rehearse an offense.

Ø Disperse it! Forgive. Let it go. Give it away. Lay it at the cross.

Ø Ø Reverse it! Pray blessings: Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Matthew 6:12

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

Correcting Misconceptions of Forgiveness

2008-04-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

“Forgiveness is the act of releasing another person from my personal judgment. It isn’t based on feelings, but it is a choice that I make.” ~ Pastor Craig Langhans of Mirabeau Chapel

1. Forgiveness is a separate issue from trust.

a. Forgiveness is free, and your responsibility.

b. Trust is earned, and the responsibility of the other party. If they earn it, you should give it.

2. Forgiveness is a separate issue from liking a person.

a. I can forgive you, and it doesn’t mean I like you – there isn’t necessarily an automatic restoration of whatever level of friendship or intimacy that existed in the relationship prior to the offense just because forgiveness has been extended.

b. Restoration can happen with work from both parties, but it is not a direct result of forgiveness.

3. Forgiveness is a separate issue from remembering.

a. It is not realistic to think that as human beings that we would forgive and then truly forget.

i. We remember it.

ii. Just because we remember it, doesn’t mean we haven’t forgiven.

iii. It can be a good thing to remember to avoid future issues of offense.

b. To forgive means that we stop bringing it up, but not that we have to forget it.

4. Forgiveness is a separate issue from the boundaries that are necessary to a good and healthy relationship.

a. When someone wrongs or hurts you or someone you care for, they forfeit rights they previously had in the relationship because you set up healthy boundaries to avoid future problems and more offenses.

i. If someone steals from you, your boundary may be that they are no longer in charge of money. It’s an issue of losing the right to be alone with the money, because they haven’t been trustworthy with it.

ii. If someone in the family sexually abuses a child, you can forgive and even have relationship with them, but you will not leave them alone with any children in the family because this would be irresponsible. It isn’t a forgiveness issue. It’s a boundaries issue.

iii. If you are grown and your mother consistently degrades your husband every time you get together, you may set a boundary that states if you degrade my husband anymore, you will not be allowed to come to our house anymore and our relationship will have to take place outside of our house or not at all. It is not an issue of forgiveness; it’s an issue of boundaries (for the record, my mother adores my husband).

5. Forgiveness is a separate issue from pain or having been healed from the offense.

a. When there is an offense, the longer we take to deal with it (forgive), the more there is required to extract it from our life.

i. The sooner we catch cancer before it spreads, the less surgery is required to remove it.

b. Healing is from the Lord and from the Lord only. If we have an old wound that is reopened by another offense, it can intensify the pain, and forgiveness needs to be reestablished. We need to seek Him for healing, and forgiveness can be an ongoing process.

6. Forgiveness is a separate issue from cooperation from the other person.

a. The other person does not have to be alive.

b. The other person does not have to apologize.

i. You may ask for an apology, but you do not have to get it in order to forgive. An apology is the debt owed you that you may have to let go of. In Matthew 18, the king comes to collect the debt owed him, but he forgives it graciously.

c. The other person does not have to feel bad.

d. The other person does not have to repent. That is between him/her and God.

An Encouraging word about forgiveness: Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

The Cost of Bitterness and the Reward of Reconcilation

2008-04-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

Almost 14 years ago my son’s dad left me for another woman. I very much loved him, and it was quite devastating. To make matters worse, the woman he chose to leave me for was mean-spirited toward me. She flaunted their relationship and she said things to me like, “He’s MY husband, now!” She called and tormented me on the phone, and one day, I’d just had enough. I said, “YOU (I won’t be profane, here, but let’s just say it started with a B and rhymed with itch)!”

At the time, I had a mentor. I was not very mature in my faith, and this mentor was helping me cope with the loss of my marriage. She came along side me, reached her hand down into the miry clay of my life, and slowly and gently pulled me out of the muck. I called her and I told her what I had done. She said, “Lana! You must call her up apologize and ask her for her forgiveness. And you MUST forgive her.” WHAT???? I thought to myself, She’s nuts. There was absolutely NO WAY I was going to do that. I don’t remember the entirety of our conversation, but somehow she convinced me it was the right thing to do.

I remember it was very painful and humiliating to call her and tell her I was sorry and ask her for her forgiveness. She didn’t make it easy, either. She said, “And you call yourself a CHRISTIAN.” Ouch.

Most of the heartbreaking things happened in the beginning, and eventually, she kept to herself and didn’t bother me much, anymore. I don’t remember how long it was into their relationship, but sometimes when I would call with a message for my ex, she would keep me on the phone a little longer…. Just being friendly and conversational. To my amazement, I even began to like her. It even got to the point where I was completely comfortable with her, and one day I called her up, jokingly, I said, “Now, you can’t break up with him (my ex), because I finally have you trained the way I want you.” She laughed with me, but at the time she knew something I didn’t know. He was already leaving her for someone else.

Since that time, she’s become extended family to me. My son had gone the first eight years of his life with her as a stepmom, and he loves her. Because I love him, and I was able to forgive her, we are able to keep in touch as family. People in my life who care about me have a tough time understanding my relationship with her. But her soul is important to me, and we love her. For those who do not understand, it’s probably because they are nursing some bitterness of their own. But I do not want them to take up my offense. I am no longer offended.

Below is a lesson for the Women's Bible Study I'm teaching tonight.

The word “forgive” means literally, to give away.

Forgiveness costs me, but bitterness costs me more. It also costs others around me.

§ Unwillingness to forgive produces resentment. Resentment means to feel again. Resentment clings to the past, reliving it over and over. Resentment, like picking a scab, keeps us from our wounds receiving the healing they need.

ü Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; (NKJV)

ü Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And is kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (NKJV)

§ Wrath: An outburst of a strong, vengeful anger or indignation, seeking retribution.

§ Anger: A state of mind marked by fretfulness and grief.

§ Evil speaking: Unkind words, verbal abuse against someone, slander, wounding someone’s reputation by evil reports, backbiting, insult and defamation.

§ Malice: Hateful feelings that we nurture in our hearts. A desire to see another suffer.

Ask yourself, “Are any of these common in my life?” If so, you may have bitter roots of resentment that need your attention and healing and deliverance from your Redeemer. It is my hope that if you have any unresolved issues of bitterness in your life, no matter how many or how big or small, that they will be revealed to you, through the course of our study of the scriptures. We will learn how to uncover these issues, resolve them, and prevent new ones from arising, or at least have the tools to deal with situations as they arise.

Pride	Lack of trust in relationships
Self-Righteous	Lack of intimacy in marriage
Self-Pity	Sexual dysfunction
Emotional Disturbances	Judgmental & critical of others
Anxiety, tension & stress	Ultra-sensitive & easily offended
Health Problems	Absence of peace & joy
Eating Disorders	Broken fellowship with Jesus

If someone injures me and I forgive them, I give away the freedom to continue being angry and resentful towards the one who wronged me. True forgiveness is undeserved, unmerited, and free.

At this time, turn your papers over and list any issues of bitterness that you can think of, no matter how big or small. No need to give details, just one or two words that indicate to you what the matter is.

Did Jesus Have Biological Siblings?

2008-03-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to my friend Badsede from LiveJournal who chose a different part of my last post to discuss. He said,

I find it interesting how quickly and suddenly parts of Christianity abandoned the idea of Mary's perpetual virginity and embraced the idea that the brothers and sisters of the Gospel were siblings. I think it comes down largely to the iconoclastic fervor of the early exegetical movement. They seemed almost eager, rather than just willing, to overthrow previous understandings of scripture and would latch on to any exegetical foothold to do so.

The word used in the Gospel is adelphos, which does not exclusively mean sibling. It also means step-sibling, cousin, countrymen. That it means sibling would be a reasonable assumption, but there are indicators throughout the Gospels that that is not the intended meaning.

When the brothers and sisters come to Our Lord, they come to admonish him unless people think that He is crazy. We know that Jesus is Mary's oldest child, and in that culture it would be very odd for a younger sibling to come admonish an older sibling .. not impossible, but unlikely.

We also have the trip to Jerusalem at 12. There is no mention of siblings. In fact, Luke tells us that they went every year, something that would be very difficult if Mary had other younger children to care for. She could have left them behind, but that too would be very unlikely.

We also have the scene at the foot of the cross where Jesus gives Mary to his disciple. If Mary had other children, this would not be necessary, in fact this would be somewhat unthinkable. The Apostle James is identified as "the brother of the Lord," if he were a child of Mary, at least he would have taken her in.
Beyond scripture, we have widespread attestation from early Christianity that they believed that Jesus had no siblings and that Mary was "ever-virgin" (Tertullian, Origen, Epiphanius, Eunomius, the liturgies of both the Greeks and the Latins, etc.)

Hiya Badsede.

Obviously, my intent wasn’t to spark an orthodoxy debate, but I’m ok with having a discussion about your way of thinking based on our differing perceptions of the scriptures. Before doing so, though, I want to make it absolutely clear that even though we have differing opinions about certain doctrines that I in no way hold those things against you and I very much see you as my brother in the Christ. And over the years I’ve grown to love you as such a brother and I in no way want to damage our relationship (even though we don’t talk that much anymore!). And I think you’re great.

Personally, I don’t see a dilemma in Mary having relations with her husband after Jesus’ birth. The Bible is clear on the expectations of marriage, and I highly doubt that God would expect Joseph to lie with Mary indefinitely for years and never touch her. It could happen, I suppose, that God might require that, but in light of the grace that Jesus stood for here on the earth, it doesn’t seem to ring true.

Biblically, I can make the case that Joseph and Mary eventually had marital relations and that he, i.e., “knew” her in the Biblical sense and, later that Mary eventually had other children.

Mat 1:24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

Mat 1:25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

He took her as his wife before she gave birth.
And he knew her not “till” she had brought forth her firstborn Son. The word “till” means “until an event comes to pass.” This passage says that the event that was to come to pass was the birth of Jesus, and the event that would take place after that would be marital relations, because he would “know” her then, after that event. You could make the weak case that the word “knew” or “know” means that he simply wasn’t acquainted with her until after Jesus’ birth, but in the context of the scripture, that would be a hard sell.
Jesus was her “first” born Son, which implies she would have more. You could make an argument that everyone calls the first the first regardless if there are others to follow. But usually, eventually, they are called their “only child," even as Jesus is the Father's only begotten Son.

Regarding the Greek word for “brothers,” again, I’m going to appeal to common sense. In the scripture I cited, it says, Mar 3:35 For^G1063 whosoever^{G3739 G302} shall do^G4160 the^G3588 will^G2307 of God,^G2316 the same^G3778 is^G2076 my^G3450 brother,^G80 and^G2532 my^G3450 sister,^G79 and^G2532 mother.^G3384

The Greek Jesus used signifies male and female parts, thus brothers and sisters, and if He meant “countrymen,” as you put it, it’s highly unlikely he would have been that specific --considering the times. These days, if he’d have said it that way, it could have been because He was trying to be politically correct. No, He’s making a specific reference to family. He wanted to convey that special relationship He wants with all of us, male and female, Jew (specifically) and gentile, which is more to the point of my original post. He wanted all present with him, male and female, to understand His message of kinship through obedience. You’re focusing on the reproach instead of the positive. Jesus had not disowned Mary and His countrymen, or family, as the case probably is. He was simply telling those He was fellowshipping with that they were important to Him, and that obedience was/is important to that relationship. It only really makes sense if Mary were traveling with Jesus’ biological brothers. Jesus couldn’t have been saying, “You’re from my country if you obey.” Nor could he have been saying, “You’re my cousins if you obey.” Nor could he be saying, “You’re fellow Jews if you obey.” They WERE Jews, and through and through. And, “You’re my step-siblings if you obey?” No, you are my kin, my brothers and sisters, if you obey the Father…that is the message. Like Jesus is the Son of God, we are His brothers and sisters if we obey the Father.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

John 1:13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

If we obey the Father, we’re His children, and brothers and sisters to the Christ.

Mat 13:53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.

Mat 13:54 When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

Mat 13:55 Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

Mat 13:56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?"

Mat 13:57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."

Mat 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

In this scripture passage, these people were His countrymen, so the brothers and sisters referred to here had to be His blood relation, especially in the context of His being a carpenter’s son, and Mary’s son.

On the part of scripture where Jesus asks John to take care of Mary, this could have been for any number of reasons, and it’s wise not to read too much into it. We simply do not know why Jesus chose John to look after Mary. Perhaps his brothers were not able to for one reason or another. This doesn’t negate that he had siblings. However, it does show His heart for His mother and for widows in general. I love that passage because of that alone.

Whatever early Christianity seemed to believe about Jesus having brothers and sisters, or lack thereof, is negated by the scripture I’ve cited here in Matthew.

My friend, the fact that you are Catholic and I am Protestant does not matter. If we each obey the Father and make Jesus Lord of our lives, we are His brother and sister, and that makes you my brother. I love you, brother.

Jesus didn't say, "father."

2008-03-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Mark 3 -- 31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You." 33 But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

I saw verse 35 on one of my Facebook applications, today. And it struck me that Jesus didn’t say, “father.” I realize that apparently Joseph wasn’t there with them, but my mind went with that for a moment and I had the realization that there is really only one Father. That’s not to say that earthly fathers aren’t important. I know they are. My own father is very important to me.

It occurred to me, though, that Jesus knows what it’s like to be raised by someone who is not His biological father. My daughter’s biological father isn’t in her life at all, and even though she has a wonderful stepfather, it doesn’t erase the void the biological father has left in her life. I intend on sharing this revelation with her, because Jesus truly does know what it’s like for her. He was different. His siblings had a biological father, and he did not, even though I’m sure Joseph was every bit as good to Jesus as my husband is to my daughter. She will see that He knows how she feels, and knowing He relates can be very beneficial to her.

Also, Jesus makes it clear that biology means squat if you don’t do the will of God. I’m sure Jesus loved his mother and brothers, but His focus was on the work of the Father. We cannot allow ourselves to be drawn away from His purpose by ungodly family members. When I say “ungodly,” I mean, we cannot enter in with them in their sinful behaviors.

In Numbers 6, the vow of the Nazarite, they were required to keep themselves completely holy and separate for the Lord. If they messed it up somehow, they had to do a string of rituals and sacrifices and start over completely. Not even if a family member died, could they be in their presence, because this made them unclean.

Numbers 6: “7 He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the LORD.”

He couldn’t drink wine with them, either. He couldn’t even have grapes. While we live in the “age of grace,” as some call it, the Father still expects us to keep ourselves clean and not enter into sin, even with our biological family members.

As Christians, we are called to be holy because He is holy. I can’t find that scripture reference because when I put “holy” into my online concordance, it gives me 567 results. Holiness is obviously an important concept. I did find it, however, in my Strong’s .

1 Peter 1:16, Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2, 20:7.

You can’t choose your parents, your brothers, your sisters, or even your in-laws. You can choose your spouse, and in some cases, your children. You can be chosen. The Creator loves you. The Heavenly Father, loves you. His will is that you accept His offer to be one of His chosen adopted children.

John 1, “12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

And you can choose to be holy.

An Epiphany

2008-01-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

I've come to an epiphany, today, about good and evil people, and those on the fence.

What I've learned is that people with good hearts are easy to pick out of the crowd. If you're good and you meet someone else who is also good-hearted, you know it in each other. I've met someone (online) recently, and we clicked right away. There were all kinds of reasons why we might be leery of the other, but after some observation we both knew the good in the other, and we quickly opened up and allowed vulnerability in our relationship. That's not to say I'm mistake free. Good people sometimes do bad things, but my overall heart is good, and when I do wrong things or make mistakes, I am remorseful and try to change. People with good hearts don't automatically know Jesus. I think it's entirely possible that someone can have a good heart and not know Him. One person comes to mind, and I don't think he'd mind my sharing this, is my friend Will. Before he ever knew the Christ, I knew he had a good heart. I would think things like Will has a great heart. If he knew Jesus, he'd be awesome for the Lord. Will eventually did come to know Jesus and he married a Christian woman and they're raising their family for the Lord. Good-hearted people, whether they know the Lord yet, or not, have decisively chosen to be good.

Evil people aren't as easy to pick out of the crowd. They're manipulative. So they have no qualms about lying to make you think they're good-hearted. They also lie to themselves, because they need to believe the lie that they are good-hearted. But there are questions you can ask and answer that will give you signs about a person and their heart. What motivates them? We're all slightly motivated toward self, but an evil person will be wholly motivated toward self. Do they make you feel good or bad about yourself? Evil people have an ability to make you question your own motives, in my estimation, because the evil in themselves makes them cautious of you. Then there's the obvious outward things about their lives. Do they pay child support if they're supposed to, etc? or do they hide? Do they promote peace and amicable relations, or do they stir up conflict? I will probably develop more thoughts on this, as it's a relatively new discovery for me. Evil-hearted people have decisively chosen to be evil. I don't have much hope for these people. They remind me of Pharaoh with the hardened heart, and I see that God gave him many opportunities to make good choices, but everything God did only hardened his heart more. Pharaoh decisively chose to harden his heart. I think when the Bible speaks of throwing your pearls before swine, these are the people it's talking about. This may sound judgmental, and it is, a little... but I think it's important to make the distinction because of the people on the fence. The evil-hearted people have the ability to tie up our lives and our attention which keeps us away from the people who really need us.

The people on the fence are the ones we Christians are vying for. They haven't made up their minds. They do both good and bad things and seem to be feeling everything out. We can't let these people fall through the cracks. They matter, and they're important, and just like you once we're (if you now know Jesus), they're searching. They're watching us, which sometimes is too bad, because we do fail. But what else have they got to go on when it comes to finding out what Christ is all about? There's the Bible, but that's particularly hard to understand without the Holy Spirit. Except, I think the Spirit can be revealed if someone reads it with a sincere interest and a good heart. I hope that's true, because sometimes people on the fence rarely get the opportunity to see Christ working in someone's life. My heart goes out to these people.

When I look back on my own life and I see where I've been, it's sad and it's a blessing. It's sad because I can see how LONG it took me to get where I am today. But it's a blessing because if God can reach someone like me through patience, grace, and understanding, there's hope for others. But I pray they don't have to make it as long a process as I did. I had to learn everything the hard way. I always thought I knew better. It took me many years, even after knowing Jesus, to put it all in His hands and be completely submitted to Him. But now I see how beneficial letting go of my own will is. And it's hard to think about how many years I wasted.

I would be glad to hear any insights or additions to this.

x-posted to LiveJournal, Blogger, and Facebook.

Undeniable Truth

2007-12-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

One of the most compelling things to me about the validity of the Bible is how it seems to support itself so well despite the fact that it was written over hundreds of years by many different authors. Because I’m a believer, this isn’t the most compelling evidence of the Christ, but I realize that there are people who do not have the benefit of relationship with Him, thus no faith.

Last Sunday, my pastor pointed out a prophecy and fulfillment of that prophecy in scripture. The prophecy is in Micah chapter 5. For someone like me, who placed all her initial faith on what is written in the Bible, it speaks loudly.

2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."

Micah was written 800 years before Christ, and the fulfillment of it was written in the New Testament after He was dead. And now, 2000 years later, it has power…amazing power. The Bible is truth. Jesus is real and He lives. He was born in Bethlehem, just as the scriptures predict. Not Seattle, or Bethany, but Bethlehem, just as was foretold.

Today's Sermon - Overcoming Rejection

2007-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

Rejection: Feeling unloved, unwanted and unworthy.

The causes of rejection are too many to point out all of them, but some things might be divorce, depression, parental abandonment/rejection. Pastor said that parental rejection is probably one of the main causes of feeling unloved, unwanted and unworthy.

How do we get out of the bondage of rejection?

Remember you can't get out until you figure out how you got in and face it honestly. Ultimately, we have to be responsible for our own feelings. We can't keep blaming our parents or whomever for how we feel. We need to recognize why we feel rejected. Perhaps, like my daughter, your biological father has abandoned you and never given you attention (or even abused you). Perhaps your mother would withdraw love when you did something wrong. Maybe you were raped. Or maybe you were falsely accused. Maybe a number of those things are true. If we want to feel loved, wanted and worthy, we also should extend that to others and not hold their offenses against them. In forgiveness, we release people from the past just as Jesus released us from our past when He died on the cross "for" us...

Romans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

For literally means "instead of." So Christ died "instead of" me, the ungodly (vs. 6).

It doesn't matter how others see you.
It doesn't matter how you see yourself.
It only matters how God the Father sees you.

Jesus died for you when you were still ungodly. If you're not godly... not holy... if you don't love, trust and obey God, you can still have everything by submitting your life to Him. When you do that, it's a decision to love, trust and obey God and you will be filled with His Holy Spirit. If you are filled with his Holy Spirit, you are lovable, you are wanted and your are worthy to Him, because He won't reside in someone who will not accept Him. He wants us to be reconciled unto Him, though, because He loves us even when we were yet sinners. That connotes choice... accepting or rejecting Him. You are wanted. Do you want Him? You are loved. Will you love Him? Will you accept Him, or align yourself with rejection?

Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--

No matter what your past is, you can be holy, blameless and above reproach in His sight. You also need to let others off the hook, because harboring unforgiveness magnifies your own feelings of rejection, and also can magnify feelings of rejection in others. God doesn't want us to live like that. He wants us to live in peace and love, trust and obey Him. He wants us to have life and live it to the full.

God is the God of love.

On a personal note, I have struggled most my life with feelings of rejection. But God is faithful and through my decision to love, trust and obey Him, He has brought me to a place where I no longer place so much value on what others think, but only what He thinks. In that, I have been able to change my own opinion of myself and see myself as lovable, wanted and worthy of love and respect. Most of this change has taken place since May of 2002, and I've noticed that the change came on slowly and the longer I have remained in Him, the more accelerated the change. Most of what has changed has changed in the last two years.

I'm thankful for a gracious and loving God, a husband who loves, wants and accepts me, children who love, trust and obey me, and a church family that is faithful to show God's love and call me "sister." And they really mean it. I'm thankful for my parents, who I adore more and more every day as God helps me to see things as they really are.

The Authenticity of the Bible -- My Standard

2007-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

I’m Protestant. Here’s a definition from the American Heritage Dictionary:

Protestant: n.
1. A member of a Western Christian church whose faith and practice are founded on the principles of the Reformation, especially in the acceptance of the Bible as the sole source of revelation, in justification by faith alone, and in the universal priesthood of all the believers.

That’s not to say that I am not in unity with my Catholic, Anglican or Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters. I am in the sense that I don’t let our doctrinal differences get in the way. After all, ideally, we all see the Bible as the ultimate authority and measuring stick in spiritual matters. Our differences are a bit more than denominational, but I look at it more or less in the same way. These differences have no bearing on salvation, nor do they necessarily have to hurt our relationships with each other or with our LORD. That is solely the responsibility of the person/people involved.

I believe there has to be a solid standard, and that standard is the Bible, complete in every way, orchestrated by our LORD. Without that, everything is subjective and left to the whims of our own flawed perceptions. Even with the Bible, we have trouble not letting our own views and biases taint our interpretations, and often our spiritual maturity level can even hinder our efforts toward truth. However, I believe there is an absolute truth in the Bible, and the more we seek Him in reading, prayer, fellowship and obedience, the more there is that is revealed to us about it’s truth.

That’s not to say that someone who has never heard of God cannot have relationship with Him, because Romans 1 says since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. So, one can be submitted to our LORD though his understanding of things made.

Craig Langhans, one of my former pastors, taught me some things about the Bible and they’ve been very helpful, so I’ll share them with you from notes:

What compelling evidence exists for the authenticity of the Bible? The primary thing is the historicity. There is more corroborative evidence than any other unquestioned historical document. There is also the issue of authorship. Authorship spans approximately 1600 years by 40 authors – the continuity of these authors of this span of time implies a divine superintendent. And all New Testament scripture was written under the authority of the apostles. Undeniably, there is also the evidence of changed lives, [Personally, I cannot argue with the changes that have happened in my own life]. Then there is the matter of fulfilled prophecy.

What is the best way to interpret the Bible? There are a few general rules of interpretation to keep in mind and they include, but are not limited to the following:
1. If the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense. In other words, go by what you know [what is written], not by what you don’t know.
2. Scripture always interprets scripture.
3. Scripture interprets my experience. My experience never interprets scripture.
4. Context (historical, cultural, language, etc.).
5. Literary context.

[emphasis mine]

Thank you, Craig Langhans.

Feel free to add any comments regarding the authenticity of the Bible you feel are important that I may have missed. If you disagree, please don't hesitate to state your opinion in a respectful manor. I am notified of comments and will respond unless I feel there is combativeness, disrespect or unnecessary attitude. Those comments will not be posted.

Welcome LJ Users!

2007-11-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are watching from the LiveJournal rss feed, welcome! There are six of you watching at this present time. I have a request. Please do not comment on the LiveJournal comment option. There are a couple of reasons I'm making this request:

1. LiveJournal does not email notify for rss feeds. I have this blog set up so that I'm notified if someone comments, and I would like to respond to your comments.

2. Eventually, when I have enough posts made, I'll be letting more people know about the blog and I want to encourage discussion here at the blog. Your comments here would benefit that result.

Two questions:

1. Are you willing to participate in discussions here?

2. What are some theological topics you'd like to discuss?

Single Parent Family Ministry

2007-11-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

Exodus 22:22-24
22 "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24 and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

Deuteronomy Chapters…
10, 14, 16, 24, 26, 27

Psalm 10:14 & 18
14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, To repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.
18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Psalms 82:3
Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.

Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

An Aspect of Prayer

2007-11-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

I teach a Bible study for single moms during the Sunday school hour at our church. There was a theme tied into my Sunday school lesson and my pastor's sermon this morning, though our overall lessons were different. I'm always amazed when that happens, and blessed. I taught the first eleven verses of John 15 (I'd meant to teach through verse 16, but ran out of time). Pastor Premus preached on "Covenant Benefits."

The verse in my lesson was John 15:7 and my pastor's verse that he touched on in the sermon was Ephesians 3:20, and here they both are in context.

John 15:1-81 -- "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

Ephesians 3:14-21 -- 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

We found in Sunday school that if our desires match His desires (NKJV says "desire" instead of what the NASB says, which is "whatever you wish") and will, then we will have what we ask for. If we "abide" or "remain" in Him, our wills will coincide with His will. *I think the best way to make sure we're balanced in His will is to read the Bible, pray, be faithful attenders in church, and witness to others (taught by Craig Langhans of Mirabeau Chapel, Spokane Valley).

The Ephesians passage touches on the same prayer thought. It all depends on Him dwelling in our hearts and us abiding in Him. It is a true relationship.

Next week I will teach the remaining verses in John 15, which we did not cover, today. I love that part of the chapter because Jesus calls us "friends." I'm friends with Jesus. ♥

*Our salvation doesn't depend on any of those four things, but if any one of them are missing from our lives, we're not living our lives in Jesus Christ to the fullest. Also, this isn't a complete list of things that will help us to live a full life in the Christ. There are also things like serving in your gifts, being giving and generous, and being hospitable.

Word of Warning

2007-11-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

It's entirely possible that I may write things in this blog that will offend you. This is not my goal, however. The Word of God must be rightly divided and it's truths sought out in earnest. We live in the day and age of "tolerance," and I won't cater to that. Here are some scriptures that may illustrate what I mean more clearly:

2 Timothy 2:15 -- 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Luke 12:51-53 -- 51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Hebrews 4:12 -- 12 or the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Numbers 6:1-27 - 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate ^F12 themselves unto the LORD: 3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. 4 All the days of his separation ^F13 shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. 5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration ^F14 of his God is upon his head. 8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.

God be with all who read and may His Word not return void.