Commitment

Commitment is a very important quality of leadership. Jesus is the ultimate picture of commitment. He went all the way to the cross for you and me. He is committed to us in that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And it’s usually in the midst of a trial when we learn just how faithful He is to us. People have a propensity to let us down. That is their nature. But God is faithful. That is His character. And we can trust Him completely. That brings stability to our lives.

In the book of Psalms, chapter one, we see just how having a relationship with the Lord brings stability to our lives which results in prosperity: “They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” It’s the level of one’s commitment that pulls him or her through when adversity hits. A person’s religious commitment will keep him or her going when times get tough. People follow people who are committed because people who are committed are stable. Solid life values bring stability. Ephesians 4 points out that when we are mature in the Lord, we will no longer be immature like children. “We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Obstacles and opposition inevitably confront all of us, but it is our level of commitment that will propel us forward.

Another thing about commitment is that the level of one’s commitment can only be shown by his or her actions. James, chapter 2, discusses how one’s faith is shown by his or her good deeds. “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[a] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?...we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath,[d] so also faith is dead without good works.”

Our actions over time show how committed we are, whether to a cause or to another person. Once we show by our actions that we are committed, trust begins to be established. James 5:12 instructs us to "[l]et your 'Yes' be your yes and your 'No,' no, or you will be condemned." People who keep their word by following up their words with consistent behavior are people of integrity. Trust is built when one follows through on their words with action.

The God Kind of Love

I listened to a sermon by Pastor Judah Smith today called “Wasted Love.” I found it really interesting to look at the way God loves us. Remember that God has foreknowledge, so He knows who is going to serve Him and who is not. He knows who is going to let him down. Yet in all cases, He healed everyone who was afflicted. He did not consider whether it was worth His time to heal them, He just did it. What a picture of true, unconditional, agape love. That is the God kind of love that we are supposed to have for each other. But do we love each other like that in reality? Or do we ask ourselves if the other person “deserves” it?

In the scriptures there is a recurring theme of Jesus including everyone. He challenged a culture that excluded women, sinners, adulterers. As I was listening to this sermon, I thought about just how amazing and unconditional God’s love is for us. It’s not based on our performance, our worthiness, our potential. Regardless of what we do, He…just…loves…us. As Christians, we are called to love others in the same way. God doesn’t inflict our past on us. He simply loves us today. Right now.  

A popular portion of scripture that encapsulates God’s love is 1 Corinthians 13. It is often quoted at weddings when it is so easy to love because the infatuation of a new relationship makes it easy. The real test comes after years of marriage. When we look at 1 Corinthians 13 and compare it to our relationships, it seems almost impossible to love like this: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance…three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”  

We live in a culture that loves those who deserve it. We love those who are good to us. When we are hurt deeply by those we trusted, we find ourselves unable to forgive. We hold onto the hurt and justify our anger. When someone mistreats us, we don’t give them another chance. They don’t deserve our love. Is this the extravagant, limitless love of God?  

I understand the extreme pain and deep hurt of betrayal. But I also understand the tremendous healing power of God’s love. The power of forgiveness is amazing. We cannot forgive on our own, but God gives us the ability to forgive when we have been deeply hurt. This is the only way to truly be healed and release the poison of the circumstance. We don’t know how to love until we understand God’s love. When you see people through the eyes of God, you can’t help but to love them no matter what. This is a deeper love than I have ever known. It never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. There is tremendous power and strength in that.

Life is full of disappointment, betrayal, hurt, severed relationships. But God’s love still works. Once we understand the depth of love that God has for us, we are empowered to love others like that. This kind of love is amazing. It is unconquerable. Once you experience this type of love, you will never be the same. When you love someone with God’s love, it is never wasted. One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Peter 4:8: “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”

Does God Hear My Prayers?

I have heard people say that they pray, but they feel unheard.  They feel like there is a disconnection somewhere.  I understand that feeling.  But I have come to realize that whether God hears is not a matter of our feeling or perception.  It is the truth of God’s Word that there is tremendous power in prayer, whether we feel it or not.  Here are some good Bible verses to take to the Lord in prayer.  When we feel unheard, we need to ask God for the wisdom and the discernment to know how God wants us to pray. 

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

Matthew 7:7  Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Mark 9:29  And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Mark 11:24  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

I went through the worst trial of my life in 2010.  My husband of 20 years left me to be with another woman.  I had previously never experienced such extreme feelings.  I was on an emotional roller coaster.  I don’t know if you have ever been betrayed by someone you completely trusted, but it is an extremely painful experience.  And I felt that there was nothing I could do about it.  Jay wanted to be with this woman.  She wanted to be with him.  I felt powerless.  All I could do is sit by and watch evil appear to prevail.  The thought of him being giddy with infatuation and spending all his time with her while I deal with the stress of raising the kids and paying the bills killed me inside.  Deep inside of every one of us is a desire to see people get what they deserve.  I am reminded of all the movies we watch and how good it makes us feel when someone who has been wronged gets justice.  But you know what I learned during that period of my life?  I learned to be still and know that I serve a just God, and that He makes everything right in due time.  Even though I had no tangible evidence that God was hearing my prayers (things remained the same), I realized that my job is to simply believe Him with childlike faith.  Every time I was attacked with thoughts of betrayal and I felt that intense emotional pain, I would cast my cares upon Him for I know He cares for me.  I didn’t always feel His presence, and I would sometimes wonder if He even heard me, but I was comforted by the words of Psalm 66: 19-20: “But God did listen!   He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.”

Faith, Hope, and Love

I am learning not to dwell on mistakes and faults of the past. That is a difficult thing to do. The pain of betrayal creeps up every now and then with painful memories of the past. And it is tempting to dwell there and feel the pain. But it does me no good.

We run this race called life, and in this race, we stumble...we fall. But if we stop to examine the spot where we fell for too long, we will lose the race. We must get up, dust ourselves off, and continue to move forward, pressing on to the goal. Paul says it best in Phil 3:13 "No, dearbrothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing:Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead." No looking back. We can learn from the past, but we must give ourselves a fresh start. If we dwell on the sins and failures of ourselves and others, it brings a current of disappointment, like a current that would hinder a swimmer.

In order to move forward, we must throw out all the hindrances, the past imperfections of others, the sense of failure. Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Let's travel light...with a light heart filled with the pure love that only comes from abiding in Christ. It's a love that keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It rejoices whenever the truth wins out. It never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Faith, Hope, and Love—and the greatest of these is Love.

Prescription for Worry

I was reading Hebrews chapter 4.  It's a good reminder that we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. And we are encouraged to cling to Him and to always trust Him. It's easy for us to say that we trust Jesus,but do we really? He understands our weaknesses, and thankfully, we can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. And then we receive His mercy and grace to help us when we need it.

So are we clinging to him in the day-to-day situations that we face? When we are tempted to worry about the future, do we cling to Him? He knows the doubts and fears that plague all of us, and when we go to Him, He provides everything that we need at just the right time. Why do we take on more than we were created to take on? The natural tendency when faced with a problem is to carry that heavy burden alone, buckle down, and try to solve the situation ourselves. This is not clinging to Jesus. We are not called to be the saviors of ourselves. We are believers. Our job is... to...believe.

Jesus encourages us to come to him when we are weary and carry heavy burdens. He promises to give us rest for our minds, rest for our wills, rest for our emotions. We need to be yoked up to Him and allow Him to pull the weight with us.

A great thing to do when we find ourselves worrying about how we are going to pay the bills or what to do about our marriage, our children, etc. is to stop and think about all the things that are going right. There are always things for which to be thankful.  It is so empowering to pray and thank God for all the wonderful things He has done for us in the past. We can also bring to him all of those things that worry us and completely cast them onto Him. He can handle it, and He cares about what we care about. It is really amazing how tangible the sense of peace is that we get when we do that. It is a peace that only Jesus can provide. It doesn't make sense to the human mind, but it is solid. It's a peace that guards our hearts and our minds as we cling to Him, trusting Him with a sense of expectation that something good is going to happen. He gives us a sense of security deep down inside that whatever we are going through at this time in our lives will not end in total devastation. He lets us know without a doubt that we will make it!

God will provide all of our needs. We don't have to worry about anything. What good comes out of worrying anyway? Extensive worry destroys health and doesn't accomplish anything. God has our best interest at heart, and if we put our lives in His hands, what is there to worry about?

Worry is in indicator of a deficiency in faith. When we find ourselves worrying, the best thing to do is to strengthen our faith in the God we serve. It's important that we remind ourselves that anything is possible if a person believes. Everything is possible with God. When we dwell on those thoughts, make a conscious decision to believe and not doubt and to forgive anyone that we are holding a grudge against, we can pray for what we need, and God always comes through. He alone is always faithful.

A Fresh Start

One thing I have discovered by going through life’s trials and troubles
Is that I cannot be destroyed

A new life is opening out before me…
A new beginning…
A fresh start

I can trust God and move forward
Without fear

God’s presence shines like the sun upon my paths
And His Grace is all that I need