Abraham had already saved his life once. He used brute force with a willingness to sacrifice his own people and even his own life to save this city-boy nephew of his. But this time, Abraham knew the battle would be impossible to win. This time the army he would be facing, wouldn't be flesh and blood. This time, in order to save Lot's life by force, he would have to do battle with the Lord, and that just wasn't going to work.
I can't imagine how Abraham must have felt when the Angel of the Lord told him that Sodom and Gomorrah was going to be destroyed, because of their great sin. He must have been stunned, realizing that Lot - who was living there at the time - would be destroyed with all the rest.
Immediately, Abraham got to work - not with his hands this time, but with his words. Lot's uncle petitioned the Lord over and over again - six different times - to spare the cities, if He found any a number of righteous people there. After the sixth time, the Angel of the Lord left, leaving Abraham to his imagination and wandering thoughts.
I'm sure that wasn't the last time Abraham interceded for Lot. I am sure that the rest of the day, Abraham had Lot on his mind and petitioned God in heaven for his life and the lives of the others around him. I also can imagine that he probably didn't sleep much that night. I know I wouldn't have.
Scripture says Abraham went "early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plains, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt" (Gen. 19:27).
I wonder how long it took before Abraham found out that God had spared Lot? No inhabitant of the cities remained alive to run and tell him of Lot's safe passage, as they'd done before. That morning as Abraham looked out toward the cities, it seems all that was visible was the smoke. Sodom and Gomorrah had been destroyed without even ten found to be righteous...not even ten.
I wonder what went through Abraham's. Was he heartbroken? Did he trust God's will was done? Did he think his petitions went unanswered? Whatever the case, what seemed to be THE CASE, wasn't really THE CASE at all.
For, little did Abraham know what had really transpired overnight. Little did he know that the angels had met Lot at the gate and provided them a place of refuge. Little did Abraham know that after the visitors told Lot about the cities' pending destruction, he hesitated in leaving, so they physically hurried him and his family out of the city. Little did Abraham know that when they arrived safely outside the city, the angels told Lot he needed to hurry to the nearby city of his choosing, because they could not "do anything until you arrive there." (v.22). Little did Abraham know that Lot was safe and that God had "remembered" him.
All Abraham could see was smoke.
What he thought had happened in the middle of the night - what he thought was the reality of the situation, wasn't the reality at all...little did he know...
And little do we.
We have no idea what events are unfolding in the lives of those around us, simply because we are praying for them. Little do we know if God is using this hard thing in their lives to cause them to be incredible trophies of His grace and testimonies of His love in the near future. Little do we know how He is protecting and personally guiding their every step - their every moment. Little do we know the impact that our prayers are having today, on the lives of those we love, especially, if all we see is smoke.
My friend, don't let the "seeming reality" fool you. God is living and very much involved in your life and the lives of those around you. And when you choose to intercede, God is overjoyed with excitement that you chose to ask Him to do a great work in the life of someone else. However, this "great work" may not seem like such a "great work," as you pray. It may seem like everything is actually getting worse, than before you started interceding.
Let me encourage you though. Don't just look at the smoke. Don't just look at what you see with your physical eyes. Trust God to "remember" your prayers in the lives of others. For little do we know...
Dearest Jesus, I pray for that person right now who needs Your encouragement to keep praying when the "good work" doesn't seem so good. I ask that You give them Your eyes to see what is truly going on and Your strength to continue praying through their concerns. Oh what a great and mighty God, You are...capable and able to do exceedingly above all that we can ask or even imagine. Encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ today, Lord, as You have encouraged me. I love You, Lord.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Distractions, Distractions, Distractions
Smart phones - Iphones - "U"phones - "Me"phones - I think technology has passed me by, and I know it. I do, however, own a phone of my own. It's not smart, though. It's just a little Cricket, $19.99, WalMart special, but I love it. I can call my husband. I can text my friends and family. I can stay in touch with people I haven't seen in a very long time...and I don't even have to be home to do it! Anywhere I have "service," I can communicate. Pretty awesome, huh?
But sometimes "awesomeness," comes with a warning: Don't text and drive.
We know that don't we, and yet it is incredibly difficult to NOT pick up that little gadget, when you hear that "ding-ding" or whatever you may have your text tone set to. Why is that? Why did the government have to make such a law? I know you know the answer, but in case you are wondering, it's because a phone in your hand while you are driving is considered a distraction.
I don't normally do statistics, but this was just too striking. According to drivingsafety.com, DWI has come to mean Driving While Intexticated! The website states that in 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones - that's 1.3. million crashes. It also states that 77% of young adults are very somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving and that 55% of young adult drivers claim it's easy to text while they drive.
Scary, isn't it...and that was in 2011 when cell phones were not as prevalent as they are today.
Does that mean that we should make a law to ban all cell phones? No, phones are not bad things. On the contrary, they are very helpful things - unless they become a distraction.
The word "distraction" can be defined in the dictionary as something that diverts attention: something that interferes with concentration or takes attention away from something else. I would say that's a pretty good definition of what happens when people text and drive. They become distracted. Their eyes are no longer focused on the road, but on the cute little, colored-cased thing they hold in their hand.
Which brings me to my verse for the day. Hebrews 12:1,2 says that as Believers in Christ, we should "lay aside very weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith."
For most of us, we "get" that we should lay aside every sin that besets us or entangles us. We understand we shouldn't go against God's Word, and we realize that we when we do, our walk becomes sludgy and difficult. However, there's another part of that verse that has been on my mind a lot lately. We are to lay aside every WEIGHT. Makes me tired just typing it.
The weight spoken of here is not necessarily a sin. God covers that in the rest of the verse. But the weight He is speaking of, is anything that takes our eyes off Jesus....anything that distracts our eyes from the "Finisher of our faith" and diverts our attention to ourselves or to other areas of life.
Let me use your imagination for a moment. Picture yourself in a race, okay? You have trained so very hard and the day has finally come. You stand on the track, shake out your muscles, making sure every part of your body is loose. You put your feet into the blocks and "bang!" You're off. All of the sudden, you realize your left leg is a little heavier than you remember. You look down, only to find in your panic that you forgot to take off your left ankle weight. It's okay, though. You can still run pretty fast. But that leg is getting heavier - distraction.
A few yards go by, and someone joins you in the race. Hey...that's your friend. That's your buddy. How great! They've come along side you to cheer you on...or so you think. But all of the sudden, they remove an ankle weight from their back pocket and strap it on to your right ankle, telling you that you forgot your other ankle weight back at the starting line. Now, your legs are heavier than ever, and the weight is getting much more noticeable - distraction.
Then, out of nowhere, you see a doughnut stand off to the right of the track. You are soooo hungry. You've had nothing but brussel sprouts and egg milkshakes for weeks, getting ready for this race. One bite won't hurt. So, you tell the vendor to toss you one, and as you race around the track, you scarf the thing down, only to realize that some jelly from the donut fell onto your shirt and is about to - heaven forbid - descend onto your favorite running shoes. Oh no! You love those shoes - distraction.
Okay, I could go on forever, and as you can tell, I'm getting a little distracted as well! I think you get my point. Distractions make the race harder to run. They divert your attention from the real prize and make other things seem more important.
So, what could these distractions - these weights - look like in the life of a Believer? I don't know what your distractions are, but a few things come to mind for me. Personally, guilt from my past is a weight in my life sometimes. Caring too much about what other people think about me is a definite distraction that I have to lay aside. Feeling the need to be perfect, instead of being forgiven causes stress in my life more than I want to admit. More recently, my distractions - my weights - have been merely letting my mind wander, instead of taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ.
Whatever the weight, whatever the distraction is in our lives, God calls - not to run with it...not to lumber along. laboring under its heaviness - but to lay it aside. We're to get rid of it. We're to stop focusing on what's in front of our feet or on our feet or on our shoes(!) and look out ahead of us to the end of the race. We must refocus our attention onto Jesus...the Author and Finisher of our race.
Right now, you might be saying, "So help me out. How do I lay aside these things? I don't even know what they are?" Well, do this. When your distractions manifest themselves - when you find yourself feeling heavy and weighted down in your walk with Him - first of all, confess any known sin. Get rid of the weight that is obvious in your life. Then, ask God to show you what the other weights are - what the other distractions in your life might be. You might be surprised to find that these things aren't necessarily bad things, just distracting things. Beg Him to reveal those to you and then, with His help, lay them aside. Take your eyes off of your distractions and divert your attention back to where it belongs - to Jesus.
Here's a simple one: Put down your phone and pick up your Bible, even if your Bible is ON your phone! The temptation to be distracted will still be there if "Aunt Sally" texts you!
Oh, what a joy to run a race that was designed especially for us to run, completely free of anything that would weigh us down. I know you want that. I want it, too. The good news is that we can have that. We can run fast and furious toward the prize - unhindered, unbound, un-weighted, completely free.
And by the way, if you find that your cell phone has indeed become a distraction in your race toward Christ, take off that cute cover and tape a 10 lb. weight to that "thang!" That should do the trick! : )
God, help me to see my distractions today. Show me what weight I need to rid myself of, in order to keep from being distracted. I want to please you. I want to run my race with patience. I want to run fast and free. Lift my eyes and my head, Jesus, to focus on You. Thank You, Lord for Your faithfulness to show me and help me with these things. I love You, Lord. I really do.
But sometimes "awesomeness," comes with a warning: Don't text and drive.
We know that don't we, and yet it is incredibly difficult to NOT pick up that little gadget, when you hear that "ding-ding" or whatever you may have your text tone set to. Why is that? Why did the government have to make such a law? I know you know the answer, but in case you are wondering, it's because a phone in your hand while you are driving is considered a distraction.
I don't normally do statistics, but this was just too striking. According to drivingsafety.com, DWI has come to mean Driving While Intexticated! The website states that in 2011, at least 23% of auto collisions involved cell phones - that's 1.3. million crashes. It also states that 77% of young adults are very somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving and that 55% of young adult drivers claim it's easy to text while they drive.
Scary, isn't it...and that was in 2011 when cell phones were not as prevalent as they are today.
Does that mean that we should make a law to ban all cell phones? No, phones are not bad things. On the contrary, they are very helpful things - unless they become a distraction.
The word "distraction" can be defined in the dictionary as something that diverts attention: something that interferes with concentration or takes attention away from something else. I would say that's a pretty good definition of what happens when people text and drive. They become distracted. Their eyes are no longer focused on the road, but on the cute little, colored-cased thing they hold in their hand.
Which brings me to my verse for the day. Hebrews 12:1,2 says that as Believers in Christ, we should "lay aside very weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith."
For most of us, we "get" that we should lay aside every sin that besets us or entangles us. We understand we shouldn't go against God's Word, and we realize that we when we do, our walk becomes sludgy and difficult. However, there's another part of that verse that has been on my mind a lot lately. We are to lay aside every WEIGHT. Makes me tired just typing it.
The weight spoken of here is not necessarily a sin. God covers that in the rest of the verse. But the weight He is speaking of, is anything that takes our eyes off Jesus....anything that distracts our eyes from the "Finisher of our faith" and diverts our attention to ourselves or to other areas of life.
Let me use your imagination for a moment. Picture yourself in a race, okay? You have trained so very hard and the day has finally come. You stand on the track, shake out your muscles, making sure every part of your body is loose. You put your feet into the blocks and "bang!" You're off. All of the sudden, you realize your left leg is a little heavier than you remember. You look down, only to find in your panic that you forgot to take off your left ankle weight. It's okay, though. You can still run pretty fast. But that leg is getting heavier - distraction.
A few yards go by, and someone joins you in the race. Hey...that's your friend. That's your buddy. How great! They've come along side you to cheer you on...or so you think. But all of the sudden, they remove an ankle weight from their back pocket and strap it on to your right ankle, telling you that you forgot your other ankle weight back at the starting line. Now, your legs are heavier than ever, and the weight is getting much more noticeable - distraction.
Then, out of nowhere, you see a doughnut stand off to the right of the track. You are soooo hungry. You've had nothing but brussel sprouts and egg milkshakes for weeks, getting ready for this race. One bite won't hurt. So, you tell the vendor to toss you one, and as you race around the track, you scarf the thing down, only to realize that some jelly from the donut fell onto your shirt and is about to - heaven forbid - descend onto your favorite running shoes. Oh no! You love those shoes - distraction.
Okay, I could go on forever, and as you can tell, I'm getting a little distracted as well! I think you get my point. Distractions make the race harder to run. They divert your attention from the real prize and make other things seem more important.
So, what could these distractions - these weights - look like in the life of a Believer? I don't know what your distractions are, but a few things come to mind for me. Personally, guilt from my past is a weight in my life sometimes. Caring too much about what other people think about me is a definite distraction that I have to lay aside. Feeling the need to be perfect, instead of being forgiven causes stress in my life more than I want to admit. More recently, my distractions - my weights - have been merely letting my mind wander, instead of taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ.
Whatever the weight, whatever the distraction is in our lives, God calls - not to run with it...not to lumber along. laboring under its heaviness - but to lay it aside. We're to get rid of it. We're to stop focusing on what's in front of our feet or on our feet or on our shoes(!) and look out ahead of us to the end of the race. We must refocus our attention onto Jesus...the Author and Finisher of our race.
Right now, you might be saying, "So help me out. How do I lay aside these things? I don't even know what they are?" Well, do this. When your distractions manifest themselves - when you find yourself feeling heavy and weighted down in your walk with Him - first of all, confess any known sin. Get rid of the weight that is obvious in your life. Then, ask God to show you what the other weights are - what the other distractions in your life might be. You might be surprised to find that these things aren't necessarily bad things, just distracting things. Beg Him to reveal those to you and then, with His help, lay them aside. Take your eyes off of your distractions and divert your attention back to where it belongs - to Jesus.
Here's a simple one: Put down your phone and pick up your Bible, even if your Bible is ON your phone! The temptation to be distracted will still be there if "Aunt Sally" texts you!
Oh, what a joy to run a race that was designed especially for us to run, completely free of anything that would weigh us down. I know you want that. I want it, too. The good news is that we can have that. We can run fast and furious toward the prize - unhindered, unbound, un-weighted, completely free.
And by the way, if you find that your cell phone has indeed become a distraction in your race toward Christ, take off that cute cover and tape a 10 lb. weight to that "thang!" That should do the trick! : )
God, help me to see my distractions today. Show me what weight I need to rid myself of, in order to keep from being distracted. I want to please you. I want to run my race with patience. I want to run fast and free. Lift my eyes and my head, Jesus, to focus on You. Thank You, Lord for Your faithfulness to show me and help me with these things. I love You, Lord. I really do.
Monday, April 1, 2013
He's Alive and He's Mine
I recently read about an English soldier in the Revolutionary War who had to write a letter to his grieving family about his existence. They had heard he was dead, but he was very much alive. He wrote, "I take this early opportunity of contradicting both (my death and final words) and of assuring you that I now exist and appear in the land of the living by the miraculous care of Providence, that protected me beyond all human expectation."* The soldier spoke of God's provision for him and that even though he had "four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me," he was still very much alive. That soldier's name was George Washington.
Can you imagine the relief and joy at the reading of that letter? His brother, Jack - to whom the letter was addressed - was, I am sure, so beside himself that tears filled his eyes, and he ran to tell everyone he knew.
Well, it's the week after Easter, and God didn't just send us a letter (the Bible) to tell us that the Hope of the world was alive. The news of His own resurrection was something that Jesus just had to tell, Himself! Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb earlier that morning and found the stone, which had sealed the opening of the tomb, was no longer covering the entrance. She fled to get Peter and John, who came to the conclusion that Jesus' body had been stolen. Oh, what misery must have engulfed the next few moments. Not only had her Lord been beaten horribly and then crucified, now His body had to endure more brutality at the hands of thieves. That news must have been too much to bear.
Enter Jesus...
In her grief, she thought He was the gardener. In her grief, her eyes were blinded - until He spoke her name and then she immediately she recognized Him.
John 20:17 gives us the idea that she grabbed Him - not unlike George Washington's friends and family must have grabbed him! Yet, Jesus said, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; (and here it is...the Good News Jesus just couldn't wait to tell) but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"
Can't you just see the twinkle in His eye and His smile that was probably broad enough to engulf a whole piece of pizza (forgive me, I haven't had lunch), as He spoke those words?!? It's interesting also that He didn't just tell her to tell the disciples that He was alive. Instead, Jesus told Mary to tell His "brethren" that He was going to ascend to "My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." What incredible news from the Savior. I think He couldn't wait to tell them that not only was He alive, but more importantly, because of what had been accomplished through His death, that God was THEIR Father and THEIR God.
I wonder, in the disciples confusion over the whole crucifixion thing, if they thought they had lost their connection with God. I wonder if thought that they had been abandoned once Jesus died and that's why Jesus emphasized these words to them - your Father and your God. Whatever the case, I am sure their hearts leaped for joy when they got the message. How could they not?
And for me and you today...the message is still the same. Jesus is alive and well - contrary to what many may think - and He sends us the same encouragement He sent to the disciples over 2000 years ago. Whatever has happened in the past, because of the resurrection and our belief in Christ, God is our Father and our God. He's personal. He's involved. He's not left us abandoned to live this life by ourselves.
I'm so glad He's alive...aren't you?
Thank You, Jesus, that You took time to tell the disciples of Your resurrection. Thank You that You encouraged them, and us, of our position in the family of God, because of what You accomplished on the cross. Help us always to remember that You, indeed, are our Father and our God. Praise You Jesus...we praise You.
*Battlefields and Blessings by Jane Hampton Cook
Can you imagine the relief and joy at the reading of that letter? His brother, Jack - to whom the letter was addressed - was, I am sure, so beside himself that tears filled his eyes, and he ran to tell everyone he knew.
Well, it's the week after Easter, and God didn't just send us a letter (the Bible) to tell us that the Hope of the world was alive. The news of His own resurrection was something that Jesus just had to tell, Himself! Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb earlier that morning and found the stone, which had sealed the opening of the tomb, was no longer covering the entrance. She fled to get Peter and John, who came to the conclusion that Jesus' body had been stolen. Oh, what misery must have engulfed the next few moments. Not only had her Lord been beaten horribly and then crucified, now His body had to endure more brutality at the hands of thieves. That news must have been too much to bear.
Enter Jesus...
In her grief, she thought He was the gardener. In her grief, her eyes were blinded - until He spoke her name and then she immediately she recognized Him.
John 20:17 gives us the idea that she grabbed Him - not unlike George Washington's friends and family must have grabbed him! Yet, Jesus said, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; (and here it is...the Good News Jesus just couldn't wait to tell) but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"
Can't you just see the twinkle in His eye and His smile that was probably broad enough to engulf a whole piece of pizza (forgive me, I haven't had lunch), as He spoke those words?!? It's interesting also that He didn't just tell her to tell the disciples that He was alive. Instead, Jesus told Mary to tell His "brethren" that He was going to ascend to "My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." What incredible news from the Savior. I think He couldn't wait to tell them that not only was He alive, but more importantly, because of what had been accomplished through His death, that God was THEIR Father and THEIR God.
I wonder, in the disciples confusion over the whole crucifixion thing, if they thought they had lost their connection with God. I wonder if thought that they had been abandoned once Jesus died and that's why Jesus emphasized these words to them - your Father and your God. Whatever the case, I am sure their hearts leaped for joy when they got the message. How could they not?
And for me and you today...the message is still the same. Jesus is alive and well - contrary to what many may think - and He sends us the same encouragement He sent to the disciples over 2000 years ago. Whatever has happened in the past, because of the resurrection and our belief in Christ, God is our Father and our God. He's personal. He's involved. He's not left us abandoned to live this life by ourselves.
I'm so glad He's alive...aren't you?
Thank You, Jesus, that You took time to tell the disciples of Your resurrection. Thank You that You encouraged them, and us, of our position in the family of God, because of what You accomplished on the cross. Help us always to remember that You, indeed, are our Father and our God. Praise You Jesus...we praise You.
*Battlefields and Blessings by Jane Hampton Cook
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