Got Questions?

The theme of this past week has been "Questions." When I hear the word question, I automatically get a little anxious and nervous about what the answer may be.  I sometimes fear not having the answer available immediately to whomever has asked some important question.   I know that we learn by asking questions, so questions are good to ask, if you are trying to gain knowledge and facts concerning  a specific subject or a person.  Questions begin it seems at age two or three when all you hear from your toddler is "why?" and this continues through the teenage years with the same question but with a more condescending tone of "Why (do I have to do that)?"  So, how you ask a question is just as important as the question you ask.  You can also learn much about a person from the questions that they ask.  Are they asking for instruction, guidance, or are they asking in an attempt to manipulate or prove a point?

This week we had a group of college students over to our small condo for dinner.  They are summer interns serving in the missions ministry of our church.  My husband asked them to write down any question that they would like to ask on a piece of paper.  Then he had them pass all the questions to me so that I could answer them with Scripture.  With a little fear and trembling I began to read the questions and jot down scriptures that came to my mind that would help answer the question.  There were some questions that dealt with spiritual growth, some concerned doctrinal issues, and some were more practical in nature.  I noticed as I was reading the questions that about three of them had to do with a similar topic:  What does the Bible say about the role of a women within the family?  As I read the three similar questions aloud they all began looking at one another and a few began to nervously giggle quietly.  Then my husband asked, "Have you all had a discussion about this prior to tonight?"  They began to explain that they had quite a heated discussion about the roles of men and women.  The girls were not happy with the guys because they had said that women should be the only ones who do the cooking and cleaning within the family.  So, I took some time and went to a couple of scriptures to explain God's created order within a family.  (1 Peter 3 and Ephesians 5:22-33) I will let the scriptures speak for themselves since that is not the point of this post.  The point is that certain questions are asked with a motivation of proving one's point and others are more genuinely seeking instruction and guidance.  I chose to guide them to the Word and its principles in regard to men and women.  Each question that came after that I simply led them to the Word and then gave them a personal application of that truth.  Knowing the Word relieved my fears and provided me with confidence in knowing that if I didn't know the answer, God did!

Questions also came this week when my daughter brought her boyfriend home with her from California. We had met him before and liked what we knew, however we saw this as an opportunity to get to know him even better.  So questions abounded while we were together.  We asked about his family, his job, his interests and his plans for the future.  I must say, we liked his answers.  One thing I always told my kids as they were growing up was that "assumption is the lowest form of knowledge."  When I went to my dictionary to find a synonym for assumption one was "guess work!"  If we only assume we know about something or someone, yet we never ask questions or seek to find information that would help answer questions, then we may find out that our guess was completely wrong!  So, we wanted to back up our guess work with some real "get to the heart of the matter" questions for her boyfriend.  Never assume you know anyone without first asking them some questions.

Jesus asked many questions.  After searching the web for "Questions Jesus asked," I discovered that according to several sources he asked from 100 - 300 questions in the Gospels.  As I looked over the list I would say the two most important questions He asked were: "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15) and "Do you love me?" (John 21:17)  Looking back on my week of questions, regretfully these were never asked.  Ultimately the most important questions we should ask are about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is the only question where the answer has eternal significance.  Jesus asked Peter the first question, "Who do you say I am?"  and Peter's response tells us volumes about his faith and his future.  Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Peter had no doubt who Jesus was, where He came from and why He came to the world. Then Jesus' response was, "Blessed are you . . . . "   Jesus went further than just blessing Peter, He told Peter his purpose was to be used of God to build His church.  When a person can answer this question like Peter did, then you know that they will be blessed of God and will have a God-given purpose to fulfill.  

The second important question Jesus asked was, "Do you love me?"  and it too was directed to Peter.  He did not just ask this question once, but three times.  We as humans are fickle and often times our love is driven by emotions rather than commitment.  Jesus wanted to know Peter's commitment level and Peter assured Him of his love by saying, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you."  The awesome thing about Jesus is that He is the all knowing God.  He knows our hearts and doesn't need to ask the question for Himself, but He asks us this question so that we will have hearts that are humble and broken before him.  You see, we struggle with commitment and loving for the long haul.  Ask your heart often, do I truly know Jesus and do I love Him with a completely committed heart?  Ask others often as well if they know who Jesus is and if they know Him do they love him?  Then you will no longer be doing guess work, but you will know for certain who they are and who they are committed to.  

Let's keep asking the most important questions of ourselves and of others.  My prayer for you today is that you know Jesus and that your love for Him is growing deeper each day.  

"And this is my prayer:  that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."  Philippians 1:9-11

Praising God for the answers!
Nancy 

In My Mind I’m Going to . . . ?

Last Saturday I went to a James Taylor concert.  When I was in college I would spend hours alone in my room listening to James Taylor albums.  At that time his music was my comfort.  I was living a pretty self-focused, sin-driven life.  I knew Christ, but didn’t understand what it meant to walk with Him in a daily, life-giving, and  victorious way.  Jesus was the one I would constantly go to and confess my sin only to go back and remain in the vicious cycle of sin.  I had not filled my mind and heart with His Word.  So it was with a little fear in my heart that I accepted the free concert tickets, knowing that my mind could be drawn back into my old way of thinking. 

As I sat in the large outdoor pavilion full of people, I realized I must live a sheltered life because I couldn’t remember the last time I was in such a large crowd of people outside of a Christian gathering.  However, I was not fearful or uneasy, instead I felt confident and assured of God’s presence in that moment and of His Word in my heart and mind.  Jesus, when faced with a crowd, always felt compassion on people, seeing them as helpless and harassed, like sheep without a shepherd.  Jesus’ compassion washed over me as I no longer saw a large crowd of people, but saw individuals with personal stories of hurts, wounds, struggles, as well as joys.  What were their stories and had Christ entered into their journey like He had entered into mine many years ago?

James Taylor

James Taylor walked inconspicuously on to the stage, sat down and began to play his guitar. The memories began to flood my mind. I could still see myself in that dorm room, listening for hours to his music searching for significance and acceptance in the lyrics, “You’ve got a friend.”  Then, he began to tell the story of being homesick while in London which inspired him to pen the words “I’m going to Carolina in my mind.”  It was at that moment that I realized the memories of the past were not affecting me like I thought they would. Instead I began to hear a different message as he sang that old familiar song.   My mind wasn’t going back to my old way of thinking.  My mind was going to the Lord and His truth.  I was reminded of God’s grace, mercy and of how perfectly He loves me. The Lord confirmed that my mind had been renewed and in the process His Word had transformed my life!

“Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.  Behold, I will do something new, will you not be aware of it?  I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the dessert. “  Isaiah 43:18-19

Do you need God to do something new in your life?  Are you trapped in the shame and regrets of your past?  Quit going back to those old thoughts!  Instead, offer yourself completely to Him, filling up with His truth and you will see Him make roadways in your wilderness and bring refreshing rivers into the barrenness of your past.  He did it for me.  He will do it for you! 

With Jesus in my mind,

Nancy

Unmotivated?

“I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction.”   Proverbs 24:30-32 (NAS)

I have been in a state of unmotivation for quite some time now.  I have lost some of my “want to” and have been in search of it, but it remains hidden somewhere in my mind and heart.  I confess I have been a slacker!  But, I also have to confess, that it hasn’t bothered me enough to motivate any change on my part.  I don’t know about you, but I can have some really good “pity parties” where I beat myself up over my inability to reach a goal or maintain a good habit.  So, I slide into this unconsciousness where I move through my day as if someone else were pushing me in all the wrong directions.  Then I come to at about nine o’clock in the evening and wonder why on earth I still haven’t accomplished what I said I would accomplish in my morning “to do” list.  After being thoroughly disgusted with myself I proceed to beat myself up with some good ole stinkin’ thinkin’ and go to bed in anticipation of getting another chance at a new beginning in the morning.  When morning comes, I start out with great intentions, but a fog comes over me about midday and the cycle begins again. 

This morning while having my time alone with the Lord I was reviewing some memory verses and was led to look them up in my Bible so that I could read the verses before and after them.  One particular verse stood out:  Proverbs 24:32.  This is a verse I often quote and I had forgotten its context.  Boy, did the Lord open my eyes to my unmotivation problem.  He convinced me that it isn’t a motivation problem it is a s-i-n problem!  The words “sluggard” and “lacking sense” leaped off the page and like a sword cut straight into my heart.   By allowing some bad habits to creep into my life like the thistles and nettles that had covered the sluggard’s field, the walls of self-discipline in my life are crumbling around me.  I have become rusty on some of my scripture memory verses, have gained about five pounds, and have allowed one of the bedrooms in my house to become so cluttered that I can’t even open the door!  It is a risky thing to share so openly about my struggles, but I do so, in order to let you know that everyone struggles and we all stumble on occasion. But the good news is, that if we reflect on our situation long enough we will learn a lesson from our struggles and as we seek God and His Word we will receive instructions on how to get up from our stumbles! 

A picture of me leaping over a wall!

Micah says it best, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.  My God will hear me.  Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.  Though I fall, I will rise, Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.”  (Micah 7:7-8)   Today I am admitting my sin of laziness rather than using the excuse of not being motivated.  I am choosing to call out to the Lord, asking Him to be my light in this dark place and to lead me out of here!  I am claiming 1 Corinthians 10:13 once again, “No temptation has seized you but such as is common to man . . . He will provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it,” and Jesus’ words to Peter after he was found sleeping instead of keeping watch, “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)  I am so thankful that the Lord Jesus forgives us when we confess and that He washes us and makes us clean again.  He is my motivation today, to take up once again God’s calling and gifts and to press on toward the goal, that is Christ Himself.  "For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness.  For by You, I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall." (Psalm 18:28-29) 

Pressing on!

Nancy Taylor

Philippians 3:14

A Beach Blog

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls, all your waves and breakers have swept over me.  By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.”  

Psalm 42:7-8

I am writing this post on a Thursday, which is a day later than usual.  The reason for my delay is that I spent the day at the beach yesterday.  Lessons abound at the beach!  I spent some quality time just being still, listening and looking around at the beauty of God’s creation.  The sun was bright in the blue sky with puffy white clouds marching overhead.  The constant humming of the waves rolling in to shore was accompanied by the sea gulls swaying above singing their song.  Then there was the seaweed, yes seaweed, lots and lots of seaweed! The seaweed hindered my view of the beach, but was the main attraction for the birds.  At first I was disgusted by the amount of seaweed that covered half of the sandy shore.  Then, I realized what I considered disgusting was the sea gull’s delight!

Many things come into our lives that we consider obstacles, hindrances, and even disgusting.  We get rejected after a job interview, we wreck our car, or we find ourselves having to daily deal with a difficult person in our life.  Whatever “seaweed” you may find in your life today it has come to you through God’s hand.  He may not have caused it, but He has allowed it for a purpose.  His purpose may be for someone else’s good or to show you His love.  Just as those waves wash in to shore over and over again throughout the day, so does God’s love wash over you again and again throughout your life.  Don’t let the “seaweed” block your view of His love and His work.  He directs His love in the bright sunny beach days and also sings His love song over you in the dark “seaweed” nights. 

I am headed back to the beach today with an anticipation of seeing God’s love once again played out in the hum of the waves and the songs of the seagulls.  Won’t you make it a beach day, too?  Being still, knowing God is God, and that He is directing His love to you through a song in the “seaweed” of your day. 

See you at the beach!

Nancy