Change

Knowing Jesus ... meeting Jesus ... changes lives. If you really meet Him and know Him, you're life will never be the same again. That's why some people don't want to accept him. It means that they can't go on living their lives the way they've always lived them. Just look at Mark 5.

 

Jesus and His disciples come upon a man possessed by demons. Plural. Many. A legion of demons, in fact. Jesus (well, being Jesus) casts the demons out of the man, but allows the demons to enter a herd of pigs nearby. The herd of pigs then runs of a cliff and dies. Then, the pig herders go running into the town to tell everyone what happened ...

 

Did they say: "Hey, come see the man who cast the demons out of that crazy guy! He's amazing! What power and authority He must have to be able to do that!"

 

No.

 

They went into the village to complain. They obviously knew that Jesus was "responsible" for the death of the pigs (meaning that He had allowed the demons to enter the herd and destroy them), because the people came running out to beg Jesus to leave. They didn't want Him there. They didn't want Him doing His thing there. They didn't want to have anything to do with Him and what He was all about.

 

Some people fear change. Change means dealing with the unfamiliar, which can be uncomfortable. Change can often be painful and difficult.

 

It takes a lot of work for a fat caterpillar to change into a delicate butterfly. I don't know if it's painful ... but it does take a lot of work on the part of the caterpillar. And it's time consuming. No doubt, it would be a lot easier for a caterpillar to stay a caterpillar. To just spend it's time filling its tummy. But think of how much it would miss out on if it didn't go through the process and change into a butterfly! Not to mention the fact that it would be failing to fulfill it's purpose as a caterpillar.

 

What those who fear change don't take into account are all of the rewards that can come from change. Change isn't always for the best. But when it's brought about by Jesus, it definitely is!

 

Among other things, Jesus brings freedom (Romans 6:18; Galatians 5:1a) ...

     peace (John 14:27; Romans 5:1-2a; Ephesians 2:13-18) ... 

     joy (Matthew 13:44; John 15:10-11) ... 

     and everlasting life (Matthew 19:29; John 3:14-16; Romans 6:22-23**)!

 

Jesus helps us to become the people that we were always meant to be.

 

Personally, I don't want to stay a fat caterpillar. And thanks to Jesus, I am being transformed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16). Praise God! It isn't always easy. And I still mess up. But I'm getting there.

 

"... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

 

 

 

 

 

** These passages (all of them) are only samples. There are tons more where those came from. It's all over the Bible ... check it out!

 

 

 

Bitter

I (Aimee) was feeling really bitter the other day. 

 

I don’t even know what made me think of it, but I started brooding over how I was treated by someone a few years ago (yes, that’s right … talk about not moving on, right?!). 

 

I started complaining to myself in my head about her. How she just didn’t appreciate any of the sacrifices that I made for her. She was oblivious. She never thanked me nor did she ever take advantage of what my sacrifices offered her. She just continued on living her life just the way that she wanted with no regard to anyone else.

 

And then, as soon as these thoughts ran through my head (all in the matter of a second or two), the word sacrifice seemed to echo back to me. Then, suddenly, I was questioning myself:

 

How often do I show my appreciation for Christ’s sacrifice?

Do I live like I don’t even notice the difference it’s made?

I definitely don’t thank Him often enough.

I definitely don’t take full advantage of what His sacrifice has given me.

Sometimes, I do live my life just the way I want with no regard to Him.

 

“Oops” in this case would be a huge understatement. All I could do was stop complaining, let go of my bitterness, and beg for forgiveness. No, it doesn't mean that I'll never be bitter again or that I'll never have any similar issues. It means that I have a new perspective. And it's a perspective that I know I will have to work on remembering.

 

I’ve talked about forgiveness before (see June, 2011), and I don’t really want to get into that. What I want to say is that before we go around condemning those that have wronged us, we really need to spend more time thinking about the wrongs that we have committed. 

 

More than likely, our own mistakes would keep us so busy that we wouldn’t have time to fuss over the mistakes of others. And maybe it’s better that way. Then we can focus on how to better ourselves. After all, I am the only person that I can change. 

 

So, I choose to focus on trying to be a better me. That means not judging others, admitting that I don’t know everything, and leaning more fully on God… and remembering that I can’t do it on my own.

 

I want to share a song with you guys that has been breaking me down lately. Sidewalk Prophets (who will be performing at Ignition 2012!! Check out www.studentignition.com for more info) have a song on their latest album, Live Like That, which is called "Keep Making Me." They don't play it on the radio ... but they should! Listen to the words and let them be the prayer of your heart. I know that it is the prayer of mine.

coffee + OCD is my drink of choice

if you know me (sherann) at all, then you would know that i'm a coffee junkie. if we were at an event together, don't be surprised if i already have a cup of coffee in my hand or if we end up at starbucks together.  time and time again, my former students tell me about all the moments i took them to starbucks. see the picture on the left? yeah, that's my cup and i made it, too :) a lot of people know that i love coffee. people know this about me.

if you know me, then you would know that i'm good at hiding my thorn in my flesh.  meet OCD. to be honest, only a few people know about this.  it's not something i enjoy talking about and most of the time i'm embarrassed.  what are people going to say?  how will they view me?  granted, i've met a lot of people who have certain OCD tendencies, such as objects need to be in a certain order, the picture doesn't look straight, etc... i wish that were the case.  so to help me with this, every night i take a small white pill.  truth is... every time i wake up, i don't know if i'll have a 'good' day or a 'bad' day.  i've had a lot of moments where i cried, got angry at God, pleaded with God to take it away, and constantly asked, "why?"

if you know the apostle paul, then you would know that he was a man transformed by the grace of God.  a servant of Christ, proclaiming the gospel, specifically to the gentiles.  Paul also had a thorn in his flesh. (commentators say that it was some type of physical ailment) How did Paul feel about this?
"three different times i begged the Lord to take it away." 2 Corinthians 12.8 (NLT)

did you catch that?

he begged.
three different times.
take. it. away.

and from what we know, God didn't.

Paul wanted removal. God didn't do it.
Paul wanted to be normal. God didn't do it.
Paul wanted what was best for him. God always had Paul's best interest in mind. come on, He's God after all.

but, God gave Paul this instead...
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12.9a, ESV)

there's something about perfection.  we hear it all the time, "be a perfect daughter/son, do everything with perfection." sure, we will find times when we accomplish something with perfection or you were able to be that "perfect daughter/son" for some time, but sooner or later you'll find out that you're not perfect.  you're human.

crazy thing about this verse?  God's perfection and power is found not in "perfect" people, (there isn't a perfect person in the world, hence the reason why Christ died for you and for me, he's the only perfect person) but people who are weak. More and more, I see that in my imperfection, I need someone who is strong and dependable.  Perhaps that's why Paul was able to live with this thorn. he decided to seek His face, the only face that will ever be perfect for him.

oh, yeah and one more thing. you know that whole 'power' thing? yeah, it's not weak-sauce. (if you think that, get it out of your head) we cannot understand the magnitude of 'His power' but to give you an idea...
His power raised Christ from the dead.

Crazy? yeah, it is. if you are like me and are struggling with OCD or  have some type of 'thorn,' take confidence in this...  we are more than conquers because of the same power that manifests through us. 

i know that my OCD is a daily struggle.  it will never go away.
BUT
i choose to embrace my weakness, so that His power is displayed in me.
"for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12.10b, ESV)

if you know me at all, then you would know that i'm a coffee junkie and i have OCD.

"Once i heard that, I was glad to let it happen.  I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift.  It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness."- Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12.9b, MSG)

A Selfish God?

I (Aimee) recently had the question put to me whether God is selfish since He created us to bring glory to Himself.  If everything we do is supposed to bring honor and glory to God, and that is the way that God wants it, the way that He designed it, does that make Him selfish?  

 

I hesitated to answer for a moment, and then I said, “no, that doesn’t make Him selfish.”  At the time that I gave the answer, I felt that to be the truth.  However, if my friend had asked me to elaborate on my answer I wouldn’t have been able to.  Since then, I’ve been thinking about it, and I still think that the answer is “no.”  But now I think that I can explain why I believe that.

 

Let me offer an illustration: 

 

Once, a couple of years ago, my friend and I were going out on a very bright, very hot, summer day with her kids (my God-kids). When we stopped to get gas, she asked me if I would put sunblock on the kids while she pumped the gas. My Goddaughter was still very young at this point, so she pretty much just sat there and let me rub the lotion on her. My Godson, however, acted as if I were rubbing acid into his skin. He screamed and cried the entire time as if I were torturing him.

 

I had taken a moment to do the whole, “let me explain to you why I need to do this and how you will be much happier having had it than you will be if you don’t have it.” Usually he’s one of those kids for whom logic can work well. But still, he’s a kid, and there are times that logic just doesn’t fly. This was definitely one of those times. So, I informed him that I was going to put the sunblock on him anyway, and then I proceeded to do it. And he proceeded to scream and cry, as I already said.

 

When my friend was done pumping gas, she got in the car and started apologizing to me for asking me to do what turned out to be the harder job. I told her not to worry about it. I said that I had no problem doing what was best for them, whether they liked it or not. I can be fully sympathetic to their tears when they are hurt in some way. But tears aren’t going to turn me away from doing something that they need.

 

God is like that. Have you ever thought about how many times God does things for our own good, whether we like it or not. It’s a parental thing. When we do it, we reflect Him. It’s part of that whole being-made-in-the-image-of-God-thing.

 

So, the next time things don’t go exactly the way that you planned, take the time to think about the possibility that God may have just done what was best for you, whether you liked it or not. It just might be what happened.

 

Similarly, God draws us to Him and designed everything to bring Him glory because that’s what’s best for us. If our focus is anywhere else but on Him, then we aren’t going to be as healthy and happy as we could be. God is God. He created everything. He is the only One worthy of praise and glory and honor. Placing our trust and hope and love and devotion anywhere else would put us out of whack because anything other than God will always let us down.

 

God isn't selfish. He loves you enough to die for you.

 

 

 

 

Dead. Dead. Dead.

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’”

-- Ezekiel 37:1-3a

Do you know what happens next?

 

God brings life back to the dried out, old bones. While Ezekiel watches, the bones move and reconnect into whole skeletons, muscle, tissue, and skin covers them, and then God breathes the breath of life back into them. 

 

Those bones—and not just any bones, dry bones… Those bones that had been sitting there for who knows how long in order to reach the state that they were in… Bones that hadn’t seen life in decades, perhaps a decade of decades (if you follow me), or even more… Those dry bones, after one Word from the mouth of God, were restored to life.

 

The great thing about this passage is that God not only acts, He interprets it for us, Himself. He tells us what the meaning of it all is. He explains that this was a message for Israel, who was currently in exile in Babylon. Although Israel was dead in many respects—the city had been destroyed, their leaders had been killed, the people had been taken away—God intended to bring them back to life. And if He could do it with those old, dry bones, why wouldn’t He be able to do it with Israel?!

 

Have you ever felt beyond repair? Have you ever been so beaten down by life that you just felt like nothing could bring you back up out of that valley of despair? Can you relate to those dry bones?

 

Do you believe that God could ever abandon you? Because He won’t!

 

Do you believe that God can give you life again? Because He can!

 

Do you believe that God can redeem you from your past? Because He will!

 

Whatever it is that brought you to the dry-bones-state, God can help you. Israel’s own sins led to their own destruction. Have you been a victim of your own poor choices? Of course, there were many in Israel who were abused, neglected, cheated, and generally mistreated. Have you been a victim of the poor choices of others? Perhaps some combination of the two? The poor choices of yourself and of others. That’s the case, more often than not.

 

Either way, it doesn’t matter. God is stronger than your struggles. God is more loving and forgiving than your stubbornness. God redeemed Israel. He brought life back to those dry bones. And He can do the same for you.

 

Jesus said:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden in light.”

-- Matthew 11:28-30

Turn to Jesus. He’ll give you life again.

 

 

 

Contradiction

Don’t ever say, “I’m sorry,” to someone and then immediately follow that with the word: “but.” Don’t do it. Just don’t. It’s wrong. If you say, “but,” after “I’m sorry,” it means that you’re taking back the “I’m sorry.” You cancel it out. Because the truth is that if you’re really sorry about something, then there is no “but.”

 

“But” is used to signal a departure, an opposite, a contradiction, an instead … it places two ideas in contradiction to each other. If you’re sorry, then there shouldn’t be any contradiction to that.  That doesn’t mean that there may not be an explanation (Notice that I didn’t say an excuse. Explanation and excuse are not the same thing. The first can often be very helpful. The second almost never is.). If you want to offer an explanation after your apology, just choose your words wisely.

 

Consider the following, and how you would feel if someone said this to you:

“I’m really sorry that I hurt your feelings, but I didn’t mean to.”
 

Translation:

“It stinks that my words/actions hurt your feelings but it was obviously your own fault because that wasn’t my intention.”
 

How about this instead, and notice that it’s only a tiny difference in wording, but makes a huge difference in meaning:

“I’m really  sorry that I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to.”
 

Did you see the difference? 

 

If you did something wrong—if you didn’t take someone’s feelings into consideration, if you were just flat out out of line about something, whatever the case may be—apologize. If they’re willing to listen, go ahead and offer an explanation. Just skip that one tiny word that would cancel it all out.

 

As far as I’m concerned, I (Aimee) think that we should all do a little more apologizing now and then. Take ownership of your words and actions. If you make a mistake, do right by those you’ve wronged. Admit your mistake and seek reconciliation. It’s what Jesus would do (except, of course, that He’s perfect and wouldn’t mess up in the first place, but you know what I mean). Reconciliation is very biblical.

 

“… if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother has something against you,

leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to your brother;

then come and offer your gift.”

Matthew 5:23-24

 

Time Flies

July came and went in the blink of an eye. Well, it did for me (Aimee) anyway. What about you? Is this summer flying by faster than you ever imagined time could fly?

What have you done with your time? Have you spent it with God?

Have you spent time in prayer?

Have you spent time in worship more than just on Sunday morning?

Have you spent time sharing God's love with others?

Have you spent time telling people about the good news of Jesus Christ?

Or have you just spent your summer playing and hanging out with friends?

Or so busy with summer school and/or with work that you haven't thought about anything except getting through one day at a time?

Or sitting around at home feeling bored?

How many times do you think that God has thought about you this summer?

When you think of that, how do you think you will move forward and spend your time now?