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Compassionate Living
August 2, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: abuse, anger, changed lives, compassion, divorce, embarrassment, Ephesians 4:32, failure, fear, forgiveness, God, grace, hatred, Holy Spirit, It's all about me, Jesus Christ, Restoration, trust, wounds | Leave a comment
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
“It’s not about you!” Is a phrase that pops up occasionally? The intent of the phrase is to remind the listener that all of life doesn’t revolve around their feelings, their comfort or their life in general. Much as we’d like to think otherwise, life will go on without us. The flowers will still bloom, the rain will still fall and the seasons will still go through their cyclical changes.
When it comes to our spiritual/emotional lives the phrase takes on a somewhat different meaning. In God’s eyes everything is about us. We are his special creations, the apple of His eye, and the motivation for everything he does.
God created the world for our pleasure as much as His. He sent His only Son for our eternal forgiveness and blessing, not because He had to. Not because He felt obligated due to our frailty as human beings. God did what He did for our benefit.
In the Apostle Paul’s’ letter to the church in Ephesus he encourages them to live lives centered on the feelings and emotions of other people. The church in Ephesus was known for ‘getting it right.’ John writes to them in the Book of Revelation and commends them for taking a stand against those who were rebellious towards the things of God. They knew right from wrong and weren’t afraid to tell people who’d stepped outside the circle of God’s will.
Where the people of God in Ephesus fell short was in the area of love. John exhorts them to return to the basics. To love, accept and forgive those who had wronged them. Neither Paul nor John gives the church in Ephesus any room for arguing their case. How they treated people had nothing to do with how they were being treated. It wasn’t about them. It was about Jesus.
The message is true for us as well. As followers of Jesus we are commanded to be compassionate and forgiving because that is exactly how Jesus treats us. Other people who speak ill of us, attack us verbally or physically and hurt us (intentionally or otherwise) are in God’s eyes no better or worse than we area.
We are not forgiven because of anything we have done or because of our ability to live like Christ. We are forgiven because when we are at our worst God’s loves us at His best. Forgiving others doesn’t mean we allow them to continue to hurt and abuse us. It does mean we put ourselves in a safe place and don’t retaliate. Being compassionate doesn’t necessarily mean we allow ourselves to be used and taken advantage of. It does mean we do what we can, in a safe way, to bring those in need to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through prayer, refusal to speak ill of them and whatever other ways we can to remain safe and extend the hand of Christ’s love and forgiveness.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, when I think of how I’ve been hurt and taken advantage of by others it’s really hard to treat my attackers with love, compassion and forgiveness. Yet in my heart I know you have forgiven me for much more. I confess to you the hatred I have for certain people, abusers, in my life. I ask that you would heal my wounds and empower me by your Spirit to forgive them. Help me to know that in your eyes it’s all about me and because of your love I can release my enemies into your hands. Amen.
So Where is This God of Love?
July 7, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: 1 Samuel 1:10, agony, anger, bitterness, embarrassment, emotional abuse, failure, fear, God, God's silence, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, prayer, Restoration, unanswered prayer | Leave a comment
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:10 (NLT)
Do you ever grow tired of hearing how good God is? Sick of those annoying people who tell you all about how God miraculously provided for them. How He answered their prayers and made everything okay? If so you are not alone. Many people in the Bible (and all through history) have asked the same question: “So…Where are you God?”
Job did it. He was considered the most holy and wise man of his time. Well respected, rich, good family, generous. Yet he suffered emotionally, physically and spiritually for no apparent reason. Hannah was another person who endured years of anguish with no relief from God.
Hannah was one of two wives who shared a husband named Elkanah. During this period in history it wasn’t unusual for a man to have more than one wife. But Hannah had a problem. She had no children. Her counterpart, Peninnah, had been blessed with two sons. In societies eyes this gave her more prestige than Hannah.
Not only was she looked upon more highly by society, Peninnah used her status as a weapon of mass humiliation towards Hannah. Every day, for years she reminded Hannah that it was SHE who had provided sons to Elkanah. Every morning when Hannah rose from bed she would see those two boys and be reminded that, in her eyes, she was a failure.
Hannah was a Godly woman. She believed in the God of heaven and did all the rituals and sacrifices that the law required. She obeyed God, loved her husband and prayed constantly. It’s no surprise that her prayers usually centered on her desire to have children. Finally, after years of having no answer from God, I Samuel 1:10 tells how Hannah bitterly prayed to God one day in the temple. Her prayer was so fervent, so agonizing and so emotional that the priest on duty thought she was drunk!
When she was done praying and explaining to the priest her situation she was told by him that she would soon be blessed with an answer. Hannah went home and within a year she saw and held the answer to her prayers. She had a baby!
In the midst of her despair Hannah no doubt asked the same question we all do: “Where are you God? Why won’t you answer my prayers? Why are you letting me live in such misery?” Some people have even given up on believing in God all together because of His silence.
When life seems unbearable and God seems completely absent, learn a lesson from the story of Hannah. Even though Hannah was being emotionally abused by Peninnah, she never retaliated in any way and from all appearances she remained true to her husband. Hannah’s faith never ever waivered concerning God’s ability to work in her life.
Another thing we can learn from Hannah is the importance of persistent prayer in the midst of turmoil. Hannah was a devoted wife and godly woman regardless of whether God answered her prayers of not. Much as she wanted to have a baby, she knew her self-worth was not wrapped up in a baby. Her self-identity came from her faith in God.
Lastly, even though she did not bear children to Elkanah, he loved her deeply. There may be times in our lives when it seems all of life is falling apart. When life is at its worst it is crucial to surround yourself with those who love and support you. The enemy wants to alienate you from your support system. Don’t allow that to happen. You are loved. You are loved by God and others. Don’t let the enemy tell you otherwise.
PRAYER: Father God. I’m tired of feeling like I am under constant attack and scrutiny by those around me. I want so much to believe in You, but it seems like all my prayers go unanswered and right now, to be honest, I doubt you even exist. If you do, I question whether you really love me or are concerned about me. Help me to find you like Hannah did. I need to know that you love me and that you have my best interests in mind. Lead me to people who will show me the love and support I need so desperately. Amen.
Bringing Prosperity from Chaos
June 26, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: blessings, changed lives, embarrassment, eternity, failure, fear, forgiveness, God's people, grace, Isaiah 58:12, Israel, Restoration, second chances | 1 comment
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. Isaiah 58:12
The word of the Lord came to the Prophet Isaiah concerning Israel’s return from exile. It was a word that had a dual significance to God’s people. On the one hand it spoke of their physical return from bondage and how the cities and towns that lay in ruins would once again rise from the ruble to become thriving towns and villages.
One the other hand, the passage holds eternal meaning. It speaks of a time when, once and for all, God will deliver His people from all their enemies. In Jesus we find spiritual restoration, but one day, Jesus will return to gather us to Himself where we will spend eternity with Him. No more death. No more sickness. No more division of nations, cultures or denominations. Eternity in peace with our Savior!
For the Christ-follower this verse reminds us that the ruins of our past are not permanent. Regardless of what you have done, who you have hurt or who has hurt you, the past is just the past. Because of the forgiveness we have in Christ we can put the past behind us and press onward with the promise that God can use us and even the sins and poor choices of our past for His glory.
It is also important for us to realize that no matter what the past holds for you in the sense of memories, pain and devastation, there is some good to build upon. The prophet says “Your people…will raise up age-old foundations”. When the people of Israel returned home to the devastation brought to their homeland by invading armies there was ruin everywhere. Walls and roofs had collapsed and were useless. But the foundations stood firm. It was on these foundations that the buildings would once again rise.
In the same way, we may have wandered from Christ. We may have come to a point where we no longer believed, no longer chose to follow Him. Our choices of the past may have brought ruin and devastation to our lives. But no matter what has been destroyed as a result of our decisions, there is always something God can use to build us back up for His glory. No life is a total loss when God is involved.
The prophet gives us one more challenge in this verse. Not only is there always something to salvage from our own lives, the same is true for those around us. As Christ followers we have the privilege and opportunity to be “Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings”. We are surrounded by friends and loved ones whose lives have become nothing but shattered ruins of what could have been. With God’s help and the power of His Holy Spirit working in us we can reach out to those that have been demoralized, attacked and defeated and help them to rebuild on the foundations that still exist.
What an awesome opportunity awaits us! Some day we will be taken out of this world to a far better place. Until then we can build our own lives and the lives of others on the love and forgiveness offered through Jesus!
PRAYER: Father God. When I think of the devastation that your people of Israel must have experienced when they returned home I am reminded of my own devastation. I’ve felt beaten up, battered and misunderstood as a result of choices I’ve made and the injustice I’ve suffered at the hands of others. But that is my past. Forgive me for my part in the ruins of my life. Empower me to rebuild on the truths you have told me about myself. Give me wisdom and strength to lift my brother from the ruins as well for your names sake. Amen.
Jesus Christ is My Light
May 27, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: anger, anxiety, embarrassment, failure, fear, forgiveness, freedom, God, grace, healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Psalm 27:1, relationship, Restoration, second chances, shame, sin, success, trust | Leave a comment
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
During a particularly stressful time in my life I learned to hate darkness. Everything I had counted on in life was gone. I faced a bleak future. My thoughts were riddled by guilt, shame, embarrassment and fear. I hated closing my eyes and would stay up into the wee hours of the morning afraid to sleep, and more fearful of what morning might bring.
In the morning, nothing had changed. The fear of the future and guilt from my past was still there. Huge gaping wounds slashed across my emotions. But the fear seemed abated because there was light. I could see what was around me.
In the Bible light is a common figure for comfort. Light brings us strength when we can’t go on. Light is a stronghold, giving us a sense of security. Light warms more than the soil and the air around us. Light warms our very soul.
Jesus Christ is referred to as the light of the world. When we follow Him and grow in a relationship with Him, His love and forgiveness dispels the shadows and warms the coldness of our hearts. The painful ordeals life can bring us will still be there. We’ll still fail. We’ll still feel some of the pain as the wounds heal and the scars slowly disappear. But in the midst of our pain we see hope.
Light also shows us where the dirt is. As we earnestly seek a closer walk with Jesus, His light finds those dark corners of our lives where we’ve forgotten about areas that need to be cleaned up. But He doesn’t just leave us there to clean up the mess! Through His Holy Spirit He gives us the power to cut through the dirt of our lives so we can better reflect His light in us to those around us.
Jesus. The light of my world. The source of comfort. The foundation of my security. The only One who can supply my every need emotionally, spiritually and physically. Without Him I never would have seen my way through the darkness. Friends fail. Family fails. Relationships fail. Jesus NEVER fails.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I thank you that you are the light of the world. Please be the light of my world. You alone know the pain I am feeling. You alone know the emptiness of my soul, the shame of poor decisions and the struggle I have to survive. I ask that you empower me by your Holy Spirit to feel the warmth of your sunshine on my face so that I can see my world in a whole new, exciting way. Amen.
Keep Focused!
April 30, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: anger, anxiety, blame others, blaming God, blaming ourselves, changed lives, embarrassment, failure, fear, focus, forgiveness, God, Philippians 4:8 Jesus Christ, pure thoughts, relationship, Restoration, second chances | Leave a comment
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
Recently I got a new camera for a trip we took to Disney World. We took hundreds of pictures to remember our trip by. When we got home we sat down to look at the pictures. Many of them were fantastic memories of our trip, but several of the pictures were a disappointment. Apparently the new camera I got had a slight design flaw. If you weren’t careful one of the dials could be switched and the focus of the pictures would become grainy or blurry. Several picture memories were ruined because the picture was out of focus.
There are software programs out there that can improve the lighting, the color and many other aspects of the picture. But if the focus is off, there is little that can be done. I learned the hard way to make sure that this camera had its dial on the correct settings before taking a picture!
Sometimes life can be like that. We get out of focus. It’s not dials that cause our problems. We play the ‘blame game’ and blame people, our past, our family, the injustice of the ‘so-called’ justice system, finances, politics, bad choices or even God for all the bad things that happen in our lives.
We get failure and adversity so ingrained in our thought processes that we lose sight of the many positive aspects of life. The circumstances of life aren’t what keep us in prison. It’s our reaction to the circumstances of life that hinders our ability to move forward. Fear, guilt, hate, anger, shame and unforgiveness keep us in bondage so that we can’t function. We go through life crippled by unhappiness and frustration.
The Apostle Paul gives us a cure for losing the focus on life. He tells the Philippians to keep their minds focused on the truth. There are some things in life that we will never change. Learn to accept them. There are other things we can change if we rely on God for the strength and wisdom to forge ahead.
We can’t always change the circumstances in our lives, but we can always change how we react to them. Start your day by forcing your mind to focus on the good things God has done for you. The fact that you can read this is a start! You are breathing! Jesus loves you even when you can’t feel it! If you are a Christ-follower you are forgiven and have eternity to look forward to. These are just a few things we can focus on. Train your mind to see the many works of God around you. Live a life of praise in the midst of adversity.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I admit to you that I can find plenty of people and things to blame for the pain I’m suffering right now. I’ve been attacked wrongfully. I’ve tried to follow you and failed. I’ve even questioned your Love and power. Sometimes I’ve wondered if you are even there! I ask that through the power of your Holy Spirit you would empower me to train my mind to focus on the true and honorable things in my life. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 