Devotions from Judy’s heart
The other day I brought my computer to church to see if I could help a friend who had questions about a different program she was using. When she had asked me about it, I told her what worked on mine. But when we got together our programs were different and what worked on mine did not work on hers. Isn’t that the way life is? We are all so individual and what helps me may not help you at all. It is easy to tell someone else what should work for them, but it doesn’t always. Even medically speaking, what can be the answer for what seems like the same symptoms, may turn out to be different for others. The Lord created each one of us and deals with us individually. As it says in Isaiah 43, “I have called you by name, you are mine….you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.” Wow! There is not another person exactly like us and each of us is loved unconditionally by our Father. Let us remember that in dealing with others and ask for His wisdom before giving them advice.
Month: October 2012 (Page 3 of 4)
Years ago I read and memorized a passage from Proverbs 5 that warned about adultery. I was a young father and husband so I took the words to heart. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well” (v 15). Then verse 18 reads as follows, “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.” I took this to mean that God had provided a fountain for me in my relationship with my wife, Judy. I have the joy of drinking deeply from this well. This means not only emotionally but also physically. I am to find fullfillment for my sexual desires through my relationship with Judy, who is “a loving doe, a graceful deer” (v19). This has been true now for 47 years.
I was reminded of this passage when I read Eric Metaxas recent post on the Breakpoint site for Oct 8th. I got both angry and energized as I read his post. Angry because of our culture’s deeply flawed worldview, which has caused so much harm in sexual relationships and energized to encourage men to drink deeply from their own well, that is, their marriage. Men, we must never neglect to remember that God’s moral laws, similiar to the laws of nature, cannot be broken without consequences. God tell us not to commit adultery. Just as we cannot brake the law of gravity without harm so to with the moral law of God, articulated in the 10 commandments
Metaxas referred to a recent article in the New Yorker that described a new stain of gonorrhea that is resistent to the only class of drugs that can “reliably treat” the disease. For 18 centuries the disease was a constant reminder of the dangers of promiscuity. One 18 century writer called it a “memorandum of vice.” It will soon be spreading to the U.S. In the words of the article, “Whatever freedoms were won during the sexual revolution, bacterial evolution promises soon to constrain.” So there you have it – our human freedom is limited by nature, not by moral choice. This is regretable if you have a faulty world view. The article goes on to says, the “primary hope for stemming the expected epidemic…lies in persuading people to alter their behavior.” The implication of this attitude is not being “chaste” but rather “practicing safe sex.”
Metaxas notes, “The Sexual Revolution may have lost the war against micro-organisms, but its’s still prevailing among public health officals…These are the same people who, rightly, tell us to eat less, exercise more, quit smoking, etc. In other words, in the name of public health they won’t hesitiate to ask for radical changes in behavior to combat obesity or hypertension….But when it comes to sexual behavior, they somehow believe that asking for a measure of self-control is asking a bit too much.”
I assume I am writing to men who are married. While the philosophy expressed in the New Yorker angers me, I am motivated to encourage and stand by Christian men of conviction who want to be “a one-woman man.” We each have a strong sexual drive with a lot of energy. The passage I quoted from Proverbs expresses this energy as “running water” coming from our well. Men, I need all the grace and strength God gives me to keep the flow of this energy channeled in the proper stream. If I let myself go, the stream will disperse into wrong places, thereby dilating my sexual energy. God help us to be “chaste” men. Men who are faithful to the bride in our life, who have made a covenant with their eyes, and a committment to keep the water from well flowing in a godly manner.
Proverbs 5:16 questions us men, “Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?” Sexual freedom for a chaste man is found in heart relationship with Jesus, who gives a man the spiritual strength to keep our sexual energy flowing in the proper stream, not “overflowing in the streets.” To “drink from our own cistern” will not be easy in our permissive culture. I am a man – I know. My greatest help has come in being open and vulnerable to the Lord in my struggle and shame, knowing that in love He is there to give me strength to “drink from my own well.”
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Recently I read Max Lacado’s new book, Grace, and it is a good to remember how much we need to trust God’s grace. We mess up every day and so every day we are in need of His unlimited grace. Satan loves to accuse not only of what we may have done today but brings up things from our past. But like Max says, “Jesus trumps the devil’s guilt with words of grace”! Yes! There are times I may be working around the house and a memory comes to my mind of something I flubbed and wished I would never have said or done. Instead of letting those thoughts bring me down, I can choose to ask forgiveness and receive God’s grace. As Max said, “Grace isn’t blind. It sees the heart but chooses to see Gods’ forgiveness more.” But if our hands are full we can’t receive His gift. I will share one more quote today, and you may get more tomorrow fro Max. “He has enough grace to pardon every sin, solve every dilemma, wipe every tear, and answer every question. It’s more than we deserve and greater than we imagine.” Let us walk in grace!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Today I read the book of Esther and for a while it looked like wicked Haman will win and Mordecai and all Jews will die. A very tight situation! For us also, doesn’t it seem often that we are losing and the enemy is winning as we go through difficult situations? A friend sent these verses to me this morning from Psalm 13, How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?.. How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
I think we can all identify with the Psalmist when things are out of our control. But like Sarah Young said in Jesus Calling, “The awareness of your inadequacy is not something you should try to evade. It is precisely where I want you- the best place to encounter Me in My Glory and Power. When you see armies of problems marching toward you, cry out to ME! Allow Me to fight for you. Watch Me working on your behalf, as you rest in the shadow of My Almighty Presence.” The Lord did fight for Esther and Mordecai and the situation was totally reversed and Haman was hung on the gallows he intended for Mordecai and the Jews saved.
Let us trust even before we see the out come and remember Psalm 33:18,22 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love… May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Let us trust even before we see the out come and remember Psalm 33:18,22 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love… May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
The other day I was going in the car and had to leave my cell phone home as it needed to be charged. I didn’t feel as comfortable driving as I couldn’t call if I needed help along the way. It made me think of how the Lord is never like that but always available for we can call on Him any time. He is our constant 911 number, and always answers! As the familiar song goes, we have a friend in Jesus, who will bear all our sins and griefs. There is nothing we can’t bring to him in prayer! We forfeit peace and go through needless pain when we don’t carry everything to Him in prayer! We have so many promises of the Lord’s constant care over us and that He will never leave us. Why do we so often live under so much stress as if we have to do it all on our own? May we live in the comfort of His promises and the awareness that He is always there and will go with us through whatever happens throughout our day. “In His arms He will take and shield you; you will find a solace there”.
Devotions from Judy’s heart,
Each day we are enjoying left-overs from Bo’s fantastic gourmet cooking. Although he went home, we are still partaking of what he left behind. Hopefully as we depart from this world we leave much behind spiritually for others to feed on for the remainder of their lives. Just think of how rich we are because of all we have received by those who have touched our lives! As we go through our day, instructive words spoken by our parents may come to mind. Or maybe thoughts by respected authors may influence us as we make decisions. The Holy Spirit may also bring to remembrance scriptures others have spoken to us in difficult times. God has called us all to be an influence and bear lasting fruit. As He said in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last.” May our lives be reflective of the Lord and bear fruit for all eternity.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
The other day we unexpectedly received a gift certificate to eat at The Chase in Walker. What a wonderful gift! We are looking forward to going there and using it in the near future. But what if we said thank you and then just left the gift card on the shelf, never to cash in on it? But isn’t that what we do with so many gifts God gives us? Of course the most important gift is salvation but there are numerous other gifts as well….peace, rest, joy, wisdom, mercy, grace, hope, love etc. We could have a very long list for the Giver never runs out. But the problem is with our receiving and sometimes we don’t recognize that we even “need” the gift at the time. Or maybe we just put off taking the gift until another time, and that time never comes. Like the gift of wisdom…we may think we know best and don’t need His wisdom. Or the gift of mercy…we may think we are fine the way we are and don’t need forgiveness and mercy. How rich we would be if we were better receivers and were open to the many gifts He giving to us without measure..
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I read from “Jesus Calling” that we need to enjoy life more, relax, walk through the day with childlike delight in Him, savor every blessing, etc. I thought of last night and how we received hospitality in our own home as Kurt, Bo and Jeff prepared a gourmet dinner for us. They came with arms full of food and spread everything out on our counters and set to work to give us a fabulous meal. We started out with Emeril’s Tortilla soup with browned tortilla strips on top that could have been the meal in itself. Then we had Pork Roulades ( pork loin stuffed with walnuts etc) that was just out of this world, a corn casserole smothered with cheddar, and Dirty Risotto ( rice dish with Italian sausage, pancetta, wine, mushrooms etc.), and Spelt bread from Linnea’s outdoor brick oven. Doesn’t your mouth just water? We are still savoring the evening of feasting and have left- overs for several meals. In scripture we see Jesus enjoying meals with his friends and disciples and engaging those around the table. I’m sure the talk was more nourishing than the food! The table can be a place that we can experience fellowship and belonging. Just like the guys shared experiences from their past and present, we can share how we see the Lord working around and in us. Let us use our homes to be a meeting place of the heart and bring glory to Him.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
When I was swimming in the pool of our hotel in the mountains, I was glad to be all alone as I like to pray while I swim. But in the pool were several floating noodles that would keep drifting into my path and impeding my progress. Finally I removed them all and could swim freely. In our lives there can be even good things that inhibit our freedom and progress if they distract us from the best. Just like the noodles that are good since they can help keep children afloat, but they can also become distractions if we have to keep changing our course of action. Each of us may be distracted by different things but whatever gets our focus rather than the Lord, is a hindrance in our walk with Him. We are told many times in scripture to pay attention, listen, hear, etc, and it is important that we are not distracted by many things and other voices that want our attention. As it says in I Peter 1:19, “You will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
I have been thinking about a insightful comment by Richard Rohr, when he describes the spiritual journey as “God coming to us disguised as our life.” What does he mean? It simply means that we have an openness of mind and heart to see God in our daily life. David Benner points it this way, “It is responding to life with a ‘YES’ of acceptance and gratitude and then living with the inner stillness and presence that is part of being a good host to the Spirit of God who dwells within.” For us men, faith can very easily become a mental activity of belief, rather than that of trust, which entails an open heart. Control rather then surrender is our preference. While belief in solid doctrine is vital for a proper framework for our journey, belief can easily keep us in our heads.
On the other hand, trust demands much more from us then cognitive assent to propositions. Trust is evidenced in a whole hearted openness to God in our everyday life. Benner describes this openness as “leaning into God with trust”. This leaning into God will prompt us to leave the safe, familiar surroundings that we have constructed for ourselves. These are our attempts to carve out a secure place to stand. The trouble is that the foundations are sinking sand. Trust calls us to move beyond the safety of the familiar. Trust means a willingness to let go and follow. Hebrews 11:8 tells us of Abraham, “By and act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents” (The Message).
A trust that leans into God, no matter what the circumstances are, is not for faint of heart or the man who tends to compromise. Real transformation, the making of a man from the inside out, simply will not happen unless a man lets go. Like Abraham you will not know where you are going. Jesus tells us that we must lose our life before we can truly find it. We would rather have our leading foot be on something solid before we risk stepping forward with the other. We would rather not risk the leap, as it were, and feel the fear of a free fall. But it is only in the falling that our heart comes to know that we are held in love. Only then will we begin to see that all that comes to us on our journey is from God. He comes to us disguised as our life.
Again, I believe I am writing to men who are in the second half of life. You have built your own secure, safe place. But it is cramped, closed and lacking in freedom. You are getting tired of trying to keep up the same old projects of “self management.” My greatest concern is that there are men reading this blog that have gone into “a coasting mode” in their spiritual life, having tried all the “religious” stuff. Men, there is a better way. Transformation is not for the faint-hearted. When a man begins to listen to the inner prompting of his soul, he is being awakened. If that is happening to you, don’t put on the cap of control and reason. Trust that God is bringing change that you have no control in implamenting. As you continue on the journey you will experience a joy and freedom that only comes from the Spirit of God, who is creating a deeper and wider inner space to experience his presence. You will have eyes to see that God comes to you in all the events of your life. Nothing is wasted – everything belongs. You might not like falling. But in your falling, you are falling “upward” into the life that God has planned for you.
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