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Revival and Hot Chocolate

2/24/2023

"Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith." 2 Corinthians 13:5 NLT

I don't usually use the NLT. I'm a NASB girl mostly but I do examine other translations from time to time. After studying this verse, I like the way they paraphrased this verse except for the last part where most translations say that "Christ is in you", not among you. But I guess if you fail the test, then He's only in others around you, but not really in you. Hard truth.

With the recent happenings at Asbury University, I thought it fitting to share some writings from Charles Wesley, the major influencer of the Methodist movement and whose beliefs are part of Asbury University's doctrinal statement. Francis Asbury was appointed as a circuit preacher by Wesley and served in England from 1765-1771 until coming to the United States. It doesn't surprise me that a move of God started there as the beliefs of Wesley guide the university's statement of faith.

Examining ourselves means that there has to be some kind of criteria to examine ourselves against. In the science field, that would be called a standard. A standard is something that establishes a baseline or the greatest level of purity to test other like substances against.

Of course, our standard is the Word of God and the life that Christ lived when he was here on earth. That's quite a standard.

When Charles Wesley was a college student he had a small group. Some call it The Holy Club, others the Chocolate Club. I think that combining the two would be optimal in practice, not in name. LOL! There's nothing holy about chocolate (except for some). If that is you, please see the 10 Commandments #1.

For their private devotional time, they used a list of questions for self-examination. I have had those tacked on the front page of my Bible for many years and I use them regularly in my devotional time, especially when I feel that something is not as it should be or could be in my spiritual life. I thought I would share them with you today in hopes that they might help you in your walk with the Lord. And perhaps, by examining these questions and praying through them, we could also experience the personal revival that the students at Asbury are experiencing. It's undeniable that America needs spiritual help.

Here they are. I pray you are blessed as you pray through them.
~Am I creating the impression that I'm better than I am? Am I a hypocrite?
~Am I honest in all of my acts and words?
~Do I break confidence-tell other's secrets? In other words, am I a gossip and a liar?
~Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, habits?
~Can I be trusted? Would I trust myself with my deepest, darkest secrets?
~Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? Do I allow myself to be a victim or justify my sin by what is happening to me at the time?
~Did God's Word live in me today? Did I give it time to speak to me?
~Am I enjoying my prayer time?
~When was the last time I shared my faith?
~Do I pray about the money I spend and the way I use my other resources?
~Do I go to bed on time and get up on time?
~Do I disobey God in anything?
~Do I have an uneasy conscience? On the other hand, do I feel shame for no reason?
~Am I defeated in any part of my life?
~Am I jealous, impure, critical, touchy, irritable or distrustful?
~Am I proud?
~How do I spend my spare time?
~Do I thank God that I am not like others?
~Is there, anyone I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, disregard, or resent?
~Do I grumble and complain
~Is Christ real to me?

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A Pot of Chicken Soup and So Much More!

1/12/2023

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Tonight I fixed a simple meal, bread, and soup. As I stirred the soup, I watched the onions, celery, carrots, and chunks of chicken turn over and over in the pot. My mind took me back to a day when having chunks of chicken in the soup wasn't normal, it was a luxury. Money was tight those days and the closest things to meat in the soup were the bullion cubes I threw in for flavoring and that one-quarter-inch cube of chicken product Campbells threw into the can so that they could legally call it CHICKEN noodle.

January is a time when many are busy looking ahead to dreams, plans, goals, and expectations. The years that lay behind are passed and put away. Yet, as I stirred that soup and reflected back, it struck me how what used to be an impossibility was now my new normal. I was happy in my old normal. I wasn't looking for anything new. However, I love my new normal much more. The process of letting go of the old and embracing the new was not easy. The one constant in it all was the faithfulness of God.

I've talked a lot about the past decade and how literally everything that was normal to me a few years ago is not part of what is normal to me now. The process was hard, difficult and at times agonizing, but as I look back and reflect on those years, the one thing that shines through all the changes and the rearranges (Yes, I know that's not a word), the breaking and the shaking, the crying and the sighing, and the dying, is the faithfulness of God. I'm where I am today simply because of the faithfulness and grace of God.

Our culture has lost the art of reflection on past events. We are told to push forward, full steam ahead, get rid of the old to make room for the new, and look ahead not behind! In many instances that is good advice. It is not good to dwell on things from our past that tried to destroy us, that stole from us, or that hurt us but as I stared at that chicken swirling around and around, I realized that as lean as those years had been there had never been a day when we went without a meal. There had literally been days when I set plates, cups, and silverware on the table, prayed for a meal, and waited because there was no food in the cupboard. On those days, God never failed to send an unexpected dinner invitation, a bag of groceries dropped on our front porch, or friends stopping by to share a pot of something they made that day that "made too much" and they would never eat it all.

As I read scripture I see how meticulously Israel recorded their history so that they could purposely look back. We have the stories of deliverance from Jonah and Moses, the miracles of the prophets, the power of God's protection in Daniel, the providence of God in the story of Joseph, and the revelation of God's heart to the world through Jesus Christ. They are more than just stories to tell our children in Sunday school. They are mile markers of the faithfulness of God as He journeyed with Israel through His wonderful plan. None of those stories seemed good while they were happening but they were necessary to bring Israel into what God had promised them.

And today, as I look to an uncertain and uncharted future, I have hope, not in the desire for things to be better, or fuller, or easier but because of the evidence of God's faithfulness that lies behind. I remember that God has never once failed to come through and I can look ahead with great peace and anticipation even to the things in my future that will replace my new "normal" because the faithfulness of God is my one constant, no matter what else is going on or how things might change. I need not fear the changes or the rearranges because "He who has promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

I pray that your new year is full of reflection on the One who has brought you safe thus far and abounding in the grace that will lead you home.

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My Verse for the Year 2023

1/2/2023

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2 Corinthians 1:12b
""...that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you."

There can be nothing more important in life than walking in, through, and by the Spirit of Christ. This is evidenced by the words we speak, the things we do, and how we treat others, especially in the body of Christ.

I don't look for "A WORD" or "A VERSE" for the year. It's not some kind of spiritual new year's resolution that I feel I have to come up with. This verse just happens to be, by the providence of God, one that the Lord illuminated to me as I traveled through the New Testament. It has stuck with me over the last couple of weeks leading up to 2023 and is one I will continue to ponder, meditate on, study, and pray about in the coming weeks.

This verse speaks several things to me:
1. About the nature of man
2. About motives
3. About power
4. About conduct

1. The Nature of Man
The natural nature of man is total depravity before Christ. There is NOTHING good in man. But when we receive Christ, we are then called to become HOLY. Holiness comes to reside inside of us as God puts His HOLY Spirit in us. When we are saved, we are changed by the power of God. We become holy simply because Christ is in us. Holiness is not a movement, an outward expression such as dressing weird or wearing a Christian t-shirt, it's not even something WE can work at and accomplish for ourselves. It's something we allow HIM to do and be in us. As we step more and more out of the world, we step more and more into His holiness. Paul desired for Christ to be formed in the Galatians. Christ doesn't need forming or reforming, we do! What Christ forms in us is holiness.

2. Motive
Because Paul was holy, his motives were pure for ALL that he did. They were Christ-centered, God-honoring, and Kingdom-forming. There was no selfishness or self-centeredness in what he wrote or said. He was not trying to gain anything for himself. He was completely sincere and that sincerity was rooted in and grew out of the holiness in his heart and his total trust in God. He had no ulterior motives. He simply gave himself completely over to God in trust and love.

3. The Power
The power for his life and ministry was the grace of God. He did nothing, said nothing from His flesh-not his intelligence, not his position, not his education, not his assets or wealth, not even his past experiences and lessons he had learned. He lived in the here and now and everything he did was out of the grace that God provided him at that moment. He was totally reliant on the Holy Spirit's leading at every moment.

4. Conduct
All of this is what formed his conduct toward those in the world and in the church. His conduct wasn't always pleasant or approved by others, but it was never fueled by hatefulness, selfishness, or insincerity. Paul was free to be who God had made him to be without reservation or fear of rejection.

So as I surrender to God to form holiness in me, then I can walk in godly sincerity toward others, not by the flesh, but through grace!

I am often challenged by people I meet who are exceptionally kind or caring. I envy their ability to put people at ease and communicate genuine concern and care with a sense of sweet abandon. Scripture tells us that the true mark of a Christian is the love they have for one another. Love loves. What else can it do? It has no other recourse, nor does it want to.

I feel that I love people but I have a hard time trusting them. My experiences in life make it difficult for me to truly trust anyone. For me, trusting people is like stepping off a cliff and hoping that I don't fall. It defies the laws of nature. I know this way of thinking is neither good nor right but I have enough knife holes in me to be mistaken for a piece of swiss cheese. But you know what? So did Paul. So did Christ! And yet, they continued to love with holiness and godly sincerity. Christ didn't entrust Himself to people because He understood what is in man (Jn. 2:24), and yet He still gave His life for them. He even washed the feet of Judas, knowing full well that he would betray Him. He still put Himself out there every day knowing full well that He would be betrayed, maligned, lied about, used, and hated. In his humanness, that must have been hard, but in His holiness, it was the only way to truly share His love, and the love of the Father, with the world. That really speaks to me.

My desire is to not only have godly sincerity as I deal with others but to be able to trust that they have godly sincerity too. I try to make room for people to be "peopley", to fail, to be different than I am, and to make mistakes because heaven knows I do all those things, but I catch myself isolating my emotions as a means of self-protection if someone tries to get a little too close. I don't think that serves me or the body of Christ well.

Now I think God is saying 2023 is my time to be free from the bondage of distrust and to step out and know that He will always hold me up, even when others fail me. It's gonna happen, you know. People will fail me. I will fail others. It's the human condition. But as I surrender my distrust of others to Him, as I choose to trust Him, He will develop holiness in me and free me to walk in godly sincerity, by His grace. I guess this is part of the dying-to-self process. And I'm so ready to be free of distrusting people needlessly.

One thing I have learned is that God can be trusted, ALWAYS! And when my security is totally in Him, I can be fearless, vulnerable, and sincere (while using wisdom) in my relationships with others AND I can afford to believe that they are that way too. Who knows? Some of them might surprise me and that would be really, really good.

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Thankful November Conclusion-The Scope of Things

12/2/2022

Noise From The Barnyard

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