Pay Attention

The Lord has been whispering in my ear, “Pay attention.” Those two words have repeatedly come to mind throughout this week as I have read scripture and as I noticed them printed on a bookmark I recently placed in my journal, which reads, “The beauty of life lives inside the smallest of moments – (Pay attention).”

“Pay attention!” I often reminded my fourth grade students.  No matter how many times I said it there would usually be a handful of students who would fail at a task simply because they hadn’t paid attention to the directions.  Have you ever filled out a form in cursive handwriting using ink and afterward discovered that you were supposed to print the information using a pencil?  Recently I was ordering something online for someone’s birthday and realized I would need to expedite the shipping in order for the gift to get there on time.  I spent a good hour filling out all the information and clicked on the “purchase” button. Then as I checked over the receipt with the completed order, which I should have done prior to clicking  “purchase,” I noticed that I failed to check the express shipping box and the gift would possibly not make it in time for her birthday! I had to go back, cancel the first order, fill out a new order, paying careful attention to check the correct shipping method and finally clicked on the button labeled: “purchase!”  Time wasted simply because I did not pay attention to the crucial shipping method box!  If only I had paid attention the first time I filled it out, I could have gone to bed an hour earlier. 

The Lord reminded the Israelites in Isaiah 48:17-18 “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.  If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”    Paid attention in the text refers to the Hebrew word, Qasab, and means, to listen, give heed, or pay attention.  The truth of this scripture is so relevant for our lives today. When we hear the truth, and obediently pay attention to God’s Word and His Promises we will experience His peace.  That is the peace that goes beyond explanation or understanding. (Philippians 4:7) It is a peace that guards and protects us from living out “If only” moments. Paying attention to God’s promises will bring strong peace of mind and build strong character.

The writer of Hebrews warns, “We must pay more careful attention therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1) If we fail to pay attention to the truth we have heard in the past then we tend to wander away from the path God has for us. We drift aimlessly through life and accomplish very little of all God has planned for us.  When I direct my attention to the truths, warnings, and encouraging words that people have spoken to me in the past it helps me to persevere in whatever it is God has called me to do.  Paying attention produces perseverance, which results in greater faith.  After Jesus was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled something prophetic Jesus had said prior to His death on the cross, which led them to believe Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken to them earlier.  (John 2:22)  Recall leads to reclaimed faith and a refocused life.

Last Sunday, the power went out as our pastor was making an important point in his message.  People, without hesitation, began turning on their cell phones as if attending a candlelight service. The light of the phones enabled us to see in the unexpected darkness.  Within a few minutes the power was restored and the light shone brightly once again, as Pastor Gregg took up where he had left off.   Sudden darkness takes us by surprise and often we panic rather than reach for an accessible light.  Peter encourages believers to pay attention to the Word in the same way you pay attention to a light shining in a dark place.  (2 Peter 1:19)  “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” If you find yourself in an especially difficult or dark place, keep your eyes on the Light.  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)  His Word directs us in the dark times.  Jesus promises that whoever believes in Him, the Light of the world, will never walk in darkness, but will always have the One who illuminates life.  (John 8:12)  So, as one who has been redeemed by the Light of the World we are encouraged to let our light shine before all men in such a way that they may see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father.  (Matthew 5:16) Our good work is simply paying attention to His Word, seeking Him in our dark times and believing that the Light will see us through.  In turn, those who are not just walking through a dark time, but are dark dwellers may see His light reflected in us and be drawn to Him.

This week let’s pay attention to what is true, obey it, and without hesitation use it to light our dark and difficult places.  May others see the Light who illuminates our lives and be drawn to Him who gives peace, perseverance and purpose. 

Until the light dawns . . . 

Pay Attention,

Nancy

What My Children Taught Me About God

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

Full of grace and truth . . . God is fully grace and fully truth.    He is justice and He is mercy; two sides of one coin.  God is beyond that description.  I see Him now as more like a diamond, with an infinite amount of facets and carats. 

I recently read an article about astronomers finding a huge diamond in space.  “It is 2,500 miles across and weighs 5 million, trillion trillion pounds, which translates to approximately 10 billion trillion trillion carats, or a one followed by 34 zeros.”  The article went on to say that “the hunt for the crystal core of this white dwarf has been like the search for the Lost Dutchman’s Mine.  It was thought to exist for decades, but only now has it been located.” (Center for Astrophysics) 

When studying Romans and looking into the election or choosing by God of those who will be saved my Bible study class as well as their teacher, (that would be me) are left puzzled.  It is beyond our understanding, as it should be.  For Paul says in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”  The more I study of God’s Word the more I realize I do not know, and that I will never know all there is to know until I see Jesus face to face. 

As I walk on the treadmill each morning I use that time to pray.  I pray for my children everyday as I walk and meditate on His Word.  Yesterday as I was meditating on the truth found in John 1:14 about Jesus being full of grace and truth my mind flashed to my children.  I have learned much about myself and about my heavenly Father through my children.  Becoming a mom gave me such insight into the Father’s love and His great care He gives His children.  As a mom I have been humbled many times through my inadequacies as a mom and through the words and behaviors of my own children.  As I contemplate the message of the Gospel, that through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross that I now stand declared righteous in my heavenly Father’s eyes, I see also His truth and His grace.

Jesus came full of truth and grace.  Will, my first born, was full of truth, the law follower. He saw things black or white, no gray!  Structure was his middle name!  Having things clean and perfect was always his goal.  This goal is unattainable and so he would experience insecurity and fear of failure in his attempts at perfection. However, when he discovered music he began to worship and lead others in worship.  His worship of the Perfect One full of truth broke through his own self-righteousness and he became a humble author who called himself, the adoring mess. 

Sarah, my second and final child, was full of terror at first and then full of grace.  She would run up to adults and kick them in the shins just because she wanted to!  Then when the first day of kindergarten came her grace and mercy literally “kicked” in.  Her teacher met me at the door after that first day with, “The other teachers and I were appalled at Sarah’s behavior at recess today! She kicked a boy while he was on the ground.”  Once in the car I asked Sarah what had happened at recess.  She explained, “That boy was picking on the kids all day and when recess came I saw my chance to let him have it!”  She was taking up for the weak and defenseless, something she often does now as a lawyer. 

As a mom of two, very uniquely different children, I have learned that when we are given to pride and self-righteousness that worshipping our Holy Creator God brings us to our knees in humility and when we are a terror in the eyes of some that God’s grace rises up causing us to reach out to others in mercy.  Encouraging Will to use his gifts of writing and music turned his messy perfectionism into adoring the Perfect One through worship.   Taking Sarah to Kenya to minister to orphans strengthened the gift of God in her, allowing her to use her gift of mercy.

God is all truth and all mercy for a reason.  We need both in full measure!  Rather than accusing God of not being all good when bad things happen or of not giving the punishment you feel others deserve, remember that God is all truth and all grace.  He is beyond our understanding, beyond our explanations, beyond our terrors and our messes!  Jesus came full of truth and mercy. Trust Him, even when you don’t understand it all! 

Truth and Grace,

Nancy 

Our Days Are Numbered

 About five years ago I began to literally number my days.  A couple of years before I started this counting of my days, our pastor taught through the book of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah had been given the task of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.  He prayed and fasted and prayed some more.  He then set out to accomplish this task, with the help of God.  The Bible tells us that Nehemiah and the men of Jerusalem worked night and day and completed the wall in fifty-two days.  When our pastor reached this part in Nehemiah he issued a challenge: “What could God do in your life if you gave him the next 52 days?”  That was an awesome challenge and I am sorry to say I did not do anything with the challenge until about two years later when I came across Psalm 90:12 in my devotions one morning, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  I needed some wisdom and I needed to complete some unfinished things in my life.  So, my mind went back to my pastor’s fifty-two day challenge and I determined that day to give the Lord every fifty-two days to see what He would do in and through my life.  I began dividing my year up into seven “fifty-two day cycles,” which leaves me with one free day.  That free day is my Sabbath day – a day of rest from counting!  This might all seem a little meticulous to you, but it has brought accountability into my life.  Counting my days keeps me focused on what God calls me to do in smaller chunks of time.  Counting my days helps my days to count!

Last Friday, March 7, was my fourteenth day of my current “fifty-two day cycle.”  It was also the day my husband and I attended a former mentor’s surprise seventieth birthday celebration. His wife had invited family, friends from all over the world and the men he had mentored in the past, along with their wives.  It was an amazing celebration of a life lived with the purpose of multiplication.  He began a discipleship ministry some forty years ago training young men and women to walk with Christ with the purpose that they too would train other young men and women to walk with Christ, who would then go and train more men and women to walk with Christ.  The cycle has gone on now for forty years!  At the celebration I looked at the men and women seated around my table, who had been mentored by this man thirty-five years earlier. This was the first time I had seen some of them in as many years.  They were all mentored as they worked for his ministry where they were given such jobs as packing materials in the stock room, running errands, editing materials, traveling with their mentor and helping with whatever was needed.  All five of these men and their wives were still walking with Christ. One started and has led a student discipleship ministry for over 30 years, one still ministers to college students and their leaders, one is a successful Christian businessman, one a seminary professor, and one is a mission’s pastor for one of the largest churches in the country, sending out lay people on missions throughout the world. These people were the fruit of this one man’s ministry; they were fruit that lasted!  

Five interns thirty-five years later.

Scripture tells us “The length of our days is seventy years – or eighty, if we have strength.”  (Psalm 90:10)  Our dear mentor celebrated seventy years last Friday and was able to see the fruit of the years he had poured into those men.  He has lived all the years the Bible has promised and now due to strength he presses on.  I only have about thirteen more years to seventy.  I am praying that I will make each day count and one day be able to see the fruit of my labor. As I now count down these forty days of Lent I am not only looking to live an abandoned life for Christ, but also an influential life for Christ.  I don’t want to make a name for myself, but I want to make His name known by pouring what I know of Him into the young women in my life.  Won’t you join me in counting your days?  I will pray for you today the words of Psalm 90:17, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.” 

Counting my days!

Nancy

A Cross Fit Challenge

This year the Lord led me to three words: Listen, learn and lead.  Then He showed me how each word should lead to the gospel.  I am intentionally listening to hear His voice above all others, to learn the deeper meaning of the gospel message and to lead others by sharing what He teaches me.  The Lord called His disciples to listen in the darkness and in the quiet in order to proclaim in the light whatever they had heard whispered in their ear.  (Matthew 10:27)  The result of the disciples listening and learning from Jesus is found in the Bible in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.    

I committed to the Lord to share each week in my Sunday morning Life Bible study, what I was learning about the gospel.  We have been going through the book of Romans, focusing on the gospel of Christ.  I have often heard that out of obedience comes blessing. Over the past 10 weeks of obediently sharing the gospel story in my class I have had the joy of hearing from different women how they have been challenged or encouraged through the Word.  This past Sunday, when class was over, one of the ladies in my class approached me.  I recently had heard her story of how she was pregnant and living in Cambodia in 1975 when the Communists came in and forced all the residents of her town to the countryside to labor camps. She did not know about Jesus at that time, but knew there must be a God.  The Lord rescued her out of Cambodia five years later and was offered passage to the United States.  As we talked in the hallway last week she was full of joy and excitement. Speaking in broken English she kept telling me, “I understand, I understand!”  I am sure I looked puzzled, and then she said, “I knew God and believed Jesus, but I never understood what it all meant until now.  The Word you taught today opened my ears and my eyes and I understand!”  Tears welled up in both of our eyes and we had a little worship service of our own right there in the midst of a busy hallway of a mega church.  She understood for the first time what Jesus had done and that she no longer had fear or anxiety.  She knew that nothing would separate her from God’s love!

Her words have been on my mind this week as I began preparing myself for Easter.  I am reading a book, “Bread and Wine,” which is a collection of readings for Lent and Easter by many different authors. I have lingered long over this one sentence from the introduction of this book, “Lent (literally “springtime”) is a time of preparation, a time to return to the desert where Jesus spent forty trying days readying for his ministry.  He allowed himself to be tested, and if we are serious about following him, we will do the same.”  I desire for my eyes and ears to be open to the deeper things of God just like my sweet Cambodian sister’s eyes were opened this week.  Psalm 51:12 says, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”  My prayer, as I go into this season of Lent, is that God would test me, examine my heart and restore to me a greater joy.   And that through this desert experience He would draw me into a deeper understanding of and connection with Jesus.

The Lord has already been at work refining my mind and heart.  Last night I was writing an email expressing my frustration over someone’s actions and how I had done everything I could to help and was ready to throw in the towel.  I kept rewriting and editing the email and when I was ready to hit the send button something stopped me in my tracks!  It wasn’t a something, it was the Holy Spirit, that still small voice inside me, saying “This isn’t about what you don’t or do deserve, it is about giving up what you think you deserve and instead giving grace, My grace."  

Then words that I had hidden in my heart came flooding into my mind, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but make himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”  Jesus was God and was with God from the beginning (John 1:1), but chose to come to earth in the form of a baby inside of a young virgin’s womb in order to fulfill His calling as Savior.  The Bible says He grew in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52)  First He had to grow up and then it was time to go out to save a dark and dying world.  But before He could fulfill the call of God He had to go through forty days in a desert with no food, no water, and endure extreme temptation from the Devil himself!  I believe the first thing God is calling me to do in this season of Lent is the same thing He called Jesus to do – to give up living an entitled life and start living an abandoned life. 

Avery and Will

My son and daughter-in-law have become Cross-fit enthusiasts.  They have both disciplined themselves physically by enduring intense workouts that have involved lifting heavy weight, jumping on top of boxes and doing hundreds of chin-ups.  They look phenomenal.  Their bodies have been transformed!  Jesus’ desert experience was the beginning of his cross fit experience.  The Lord was conditioning Him for the path that ultimately would lead Him to the cross.  We have grown up in a world that tells us daily that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that as a result we are an entitled people.  Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45) My first day of observing lent, He has tested me and I have seen my failure.  I have sought entitlement instead of abandonment.  Will you join me on a cross fit challenge?  The cross fit challenge is this: To set aside being praised, honored or served by others and instead take up Christ’s call to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Him and serve others.  I am looking forward to forty days of transformation. At the end of the forty days the goal is that He will have become greater and we will have become less.  We will be transformed in heart and yes we will look phenomenal, because we will look a little more like Jesus.  I want to say with my sweet Cambodian friend, “My eyes have been opened and I now understand more fully what I already believed!”   

I would love to hear from you and how you are planning to take the cross fit challenge.  I am praying for you as you seek to live an abandoned life and asking that your eyes will be opened to know more fully the gospel story of Jesus.

Looking forward to Easter!

Nancy