Nothing New in 2015

On the eve of the New Year my mind seems to be a little “ecclesiastical.”  I am not referring to church here, but the futile thinking of the author of Ecclesiastes.  As I look forward to exploring all the new God has to offer me in 2015 I am also reminded of the statement “so there is nothing new under the sun.” 

“That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done.  So there is nothing new under the sun.”   Ecclesiastes 1:9

As I reflect on last year I am reminded of all that I did not accomplish and all the things I failed to even begin.  Will 2015 prove to be the same cycle with only new events, people and challenges?  Will life just keep repeating itself until it comes to a final end?  See, I told you I was in a futile frame of mind! 

This posting could really be depressing if I stopped here. But, I have some good news.  Ecclesiastes was written before Jesus! Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing.  Without Jesus life is totally futile.  No purpose, no passion, no hope for newness.  With Jesus there comes hope, help, and totally new thinking, loving and living!  I am clinging to these truths:

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, 

for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; 

and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”  John 14:12

So my futile thinking is diminishing as I renew my mind with the words of Jesus, who has overcome and freed us from a hopeless, powerless and purposeless way of life!  I am making a list of the things I want to do better this coming year, knowing that it is only by abiding in Jesus and walking in His powerful name that they will be accomplished.  Some of these I have tried to do before with my own strength, but this year I am clinging and relying on Christ alone. Here are the things I am seeking to do better and greater while abiding in Him:

• Serve others.
• Steward my resources.
• See things through to completion. 

What new thing are you hoping to accomplish in the new year?  What would you like to do better?  It will only be a futile exercise of your own strength unless you abide completely in Christ and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Praying we will do greater works in 2015.  Have a fruitful New Year!

Abiding in Jesus,

Nancy

All I Want for Christmas is New Skin!

 "That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed on the spirit of your mind and put on the new self which is the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." Ephesians 4:22-24

Christmas is just a week away and then comes the new year!  I begin thinking of the new year early on in the fall.  There is something about seeing the leaves turning brown and the days growing shorter that makes me yearn for New Year's Day.  Who doesn't like a fresh start, a revival of spirit or a recovery of health?  As I was thinking about renewal, refreshment, revival and recovery I chose to see what God's Word had to say about not only the new but also renew. I found that the word renew occurs about 17 times in the Scriptures.  At the beginning of my study I wanted to only focus on what I thought were the "spiritual renewal" verses and disregard the verses that referred to skin or flesh being renewed.  But a cross reference led me to the intriguing story of Naaman who was a captain of the army under the king of Aram.  (2 Kings 5)  He was a valiant soldier and highly respected, but he had leprosy, a disease of the skin.  There was no cure for leprosy, but a woman servant of his wife told him of someone who could heal him, a prophet in Samaria.  To make a long story short, Naaman was led to Elisha who had him dip himself seven times in the Jordan and as it says in 2 Kings 5:14, "his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean."  The Lord, through Elisha, restored Naaman's skin to that of his youth.  Are there any other women out there, besides me,  who wouldn't take a dip in the Jordan to have the skin of a child again?  

God's renewal power is seen daily by just looking at our skin.  What we see when we look at our skin is really dead skin.  The epidermis is the outer layer of skin that we can see.  But below the surface at the bottom of the epidermis new skin cells are forming. As the new skin cells form they begin to move their way to the surface and when they arrive at the surface they are old and tough and eventually die and flake off from the surface. According to Kidshealth.org we lose 30,000 to 40,000 skin cells a day.  But the good news is that new skin cells are always being formed and our old dry skin gives way to new skin on a regular continuous basis. As I was studying all about the renewal of skin I realized that God speaks to us about renewal everyday through how He created our skin.  To renew means to be always in the process of changing and becoming new.  The Lord created our skin to always be in the process of renewal. The renewal begins on the inside and works its way out, not only in our physical bodies, but also in our spirits. When Jesus died to save us and give us eternal life, He came to dwell in us through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is in the process of making us like Jesus.  He is convicting us of things we need to get rid of, teaching us new lessons and equipping us to live with new attitudes.  He is transforming us as he renews our spirits, souls and minds. He is renewing us from the inside out! 

   

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."  2 Corinthians 4:16

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away: behold new things have come."  2 Corinthians 5:17

This Christmas I am asking for some new skin!  I am ready to lay aside some of the old skin and put on the skin that looks a little more like Jesus.  He came as a new baby to make a new way of peace with God and in the process he is making us new on Christmas Day as well as the 364 other days to follow. I am choosing to not lose heart as I look in the mirror and see wrinkled skin and gray roots on my head.  Instead I am determined to look deeper into my spirit, soul and mind for what Christ wants to renew in me so that He can do even more new things through me in 2015. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nancy 

The Cost of New

The Lord has given me my word for 2015! He confirmed this word to me while on a mission trip to Kenya this summer.  After I had stood before his congregation and washed over them by quoting several passages of scripture, the Kenyan pastor came to me and said, “You are doing a new thing!”   For a month or so prior to this I kept seeing the word “new” in scripture, in devotional books, and hearing it in conversations. Once the pastor told me I was doing a new thing, I was assured that this was the word God would use in the coming year to teach me more about Him.

What I have discovered is that the Lord is the only one who can truly give or create a new thing.  As I researched the word new in Greek and Hebrew and searched out its English meaning I came to realize that there are many usages of the word. I have focused in on two Greek words and their meanings.  The first word refers to something being new in relation to time, which means it is temporarily new.  For example, the Bible refers often to new wine.  The new refers here to the beginning of the wines fermentation process.  It is new for only a short period of time.  I bought a new car over a year ago and I feel like it is still new, however it is not as new as it was a year ago!  It has more miles on it, and it has one little scratch on the back driver’s side door, which now makes it an officially used car.  Anything man creates is temporarily new.  But anything God creates is entirely new, completely new, and always new!

The second Greek word refers to something being new as inherently, absolutely, and qualitatively new.  This new refers to something that is unprecedented, never before known to exist.  The Hebrew word means new, recent, or fresh.  God always does something fresh, but His fresh never loses its freshness!

“Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?  I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”  Isaiah 43:19

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.”  Psalm 40:3

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away, behold new things have come.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

Will and Avery
New Parents 

This year, to go along with my word “new,” the Lord has blessed me with two upcoming “new” events!  My son and daughter-in-law are expecting my first grandbaby!  They will be new parents and I will be a new grandmother.  Then to top things off just a few days ago my daughter said, “Yes,” when her boyfriend asked her to marry him.   So we are now in the midst of planning a wedding to celebrate a new marriage.   What I have learned about the word new from these two life-changing events is that with anything new there comes a cost!  I am going to have to save up to buy that precious new grandbaby whatever her little heart desires!  I am overwhelmed not only with the joy of a grandbaby and a new son-in-law, but overwhelmed with the cost associated with both! 

Geoff and Sarah
New Marriage

As I was calculating the costs involved in my “new” adventures of 2015 I wavered on the edge of despair one moment and complete joy the next moment!  Then the scriptures of “new” came to mind and I was reminded of what God was willing to pay for my salvation.   He loved the world so much that He willingly gave up His one and only Son to be born into poverty, mocked and mistreated, crucified on a cross in order to purchase us a new life.  Not just a temporary life, an eternal life spent with Him, forever new, with zero miles, no scratches, and no bank account required.   Now that is worth singing about! 

And they sang a new song saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”  Revelation 5:9

I am looking forward with great expectation to all the “news” of 2015: a baby, a wedding, and fresh lessons from the hand of the One who gives new mercies, new songs, and new hearts!

Doodling: An Advent Adventure

Did you know that playing around with words is now a profession?  I sat down for dinner last night and began to talk with a young woman who I mentor. We got on the subject of “words” and she told me about a workshop she attended called, “Doodling.” She explained that it is brainstorming technique focusing on one word.  While focusing on the word, you look for other words that it may contain or words that are related to it with the goal of expanding your thought processes.  It is suppose to help people move from narrow thinking to more broad and creative thinking.  In fact, she said that people are actually hired by companies to be “doodlers!” They consult with companies training them to “doodle” and thus expand their vision, focus and goals.  As she was explaining doodling to me, I realized that I had doodled that morning, without even knowing I was doodling! I was walking on the treadmill and the word “advent” popped into my mind.  As I thought about the word I realized that advent is part of adventure!  I kept thinking about those two words and wondered if their meanings had anything in common.  And so I began to doodle!

My mind was focused on advent because we are now in the season of Advent, which is the four-week time period leading up to Christmas.  Looking up the meaning of the word I found that it is a noun meaning the arrival of something important or awaited. Another meaning I found was “to come to.”  Advent is the time we anticipate the celebration honoring the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  It is also the time we are looking forward to His second coming. 

On the other hand, the word adventure as a noun means an exciting experience or a bold undertaking.  The verb usage of adventure involves risk: to risk saying something, put something at risk or risk danger. The meaning of risk is a chance or possibility of something going wrong, something being lost or a chance of danger.  Within adventure the word “venture” is clearly evident.  The word venture also involves risk: to undertake the risks or dangers of a particular task or project.  With no venture there is no adventure.  “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” is a statement we have all probably heard a time or two! 

Advent leads to adventure – an adventure with no risk on our part! God’s bold adventure in sending Jesus into the world brought about salvation. The Father was the one who took a risk on His creation when He sent His one and only Son to earth as its Messiah, the One who would rescue the world from a life of sin and death.   He risked the world’s rejection of Jesus.  Many rejected Him the first time He came and many are still rejecting His bold move of salvation through crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Waiting on Him is not risky business; it’s smart business! Waiting on God involves the expectation of God doing something bold and exciting, which we know is possible!  God is the God of certainty.  What He says goes!  His promises are guaranteed; His plans and purposes stand for eternity.  As we wait for Christmas and as we wait for Jesus to come a second time there should be excitement, anticipation, and hope of good things to come.

Speaking of good things to come, this year I am not only counting the days until Christmas, but I am also counting the days until my first grandchild will be born!  I am already over the moon in love with sweet Isla Rose.  What an adventure awaits my son and daughter-in-law as they enter the risky venture of parenthood!  There is a chance for failure or of something going wrong, but with no risk comes no reward.  They will be greatly rewarded with the gift of a new life that will bring them great joy and a love beyond comprehension!  While I am waiting on Isla Rose to get here I will not worry over what could go wrong, but will eagerly count the days until we celebrate Christmas – God’s bold adventure to bring about peace in place of fear and life instead of death! Waiting on Jesus is truly the greatest and most profitable adventure of all!

"While we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people who are His very own, eager to do what is good."  Titus 2:13-14

Waiting,

Nancy 

Can You Hear Me Now?

My mind was wandering a bit this morning as I thought about writing this post.  As always, I prayed and asked the Lord for a message or a lesson to communicate through my blog.  Then, my eyes focused on the little clock my husband had given me last year for Christmas. It sits on the table next to my chair that I sit in every morning as I pray and read my Bible.  I must admit that I do not check this clock for the time much, since I have my phone nearby, which automatically displays the time digitally.  But, for some reason today the clock caught my eye.  As I looked I noticed the second hand moving and suddenly it was as if my ears were unplugged and I could now hear the ticking sound as the clock's hand moved from one second to another.  Funny how I had never heard that ticking sound before!  Then I peered down at my recent memory verse: 

"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts.  I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint."  Habakkuk 2:1

The phrase, "I will look to see what he will say to me," has been going over and over in my mind for a few weeks.  How do you look to hear?  Habakkuk said that he was standing at his watch to see what the Lord would say to him.  Looking at the clock made the meaning of this verse clearer to me.  I never heard the ticking sound of the clock until my eyes focused on it.  The clock has been ticking beside my chair everyday for almost a year, but I just now heard it!  Why? I never heard it because I never took the time to just sit and look at the actual hands of the clock. I noticed the beauty of its frame and how it was a great accessory to the other things I have displayed on the table. But, I never looked at its mechanics and listened to hear if it was working.  So, what was God's message and lesson for me today?

First, I must be looking and watching for God to speak before I will hear him.  God can speak audibly, but He has never spoken to me in that way. He has spoken to me through reading His Word, observing life around me, and through other people.  The key to hearing His voice is to be intentionally looking for Him.  We hear what we focus our attention on.  "The heavens declare the glory of God."  (Psalm 19:1) The Lord will even speak through the sky, the stars, the sun and the moon if we take the time to notice.  Have you ever been with someone who is speaking to you, but you didn't hear a word they said?  It wasn't because they were not speaking loudly enough; it was because you were not focused on them, but on other things, like what you wanted to say next.  So, I must learn to listen more intently and intentionally. 

I must also be standing as I watch to hear.  Standing still, not fidgeting like a child standing in a line while waiting to go to recess!  Now this is hard and it costs me precious time.  But, the Lord commands us to be still, "Be still and know that I am God."   Time does seem to slow down a bit, when we are still and focused.  My mom used to say, "a watched pot never boils."  Focusing on the water waiting anxiously for it to boil seems to slow down the process!  It really doesn't, but when we are intent on looking and watching we notice every little detail. We see a little steam come from the pot, then one bubble appears, and finally that one bubble multiplies and the entire pot of water is bubbling in a roaring boil.  When I take the time to sit still and quietly focus on the truths of God in relation to the answers I am seeking from the Lord, the answer comes - not always immediately, but it will be heard eventually! God speaks slowly, intently, and in our stillness.   

After I look to see, stand still to hear, I must station myself with readiness to respond to what I have heard. After Habakkuk had watched and waited patiently then the Lord replied, "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets, so that a herald may run with it." (Habakkuk 2:2) Often times God will speak to me, but I get distracted from what He has said and my response is delayed or even worse at times forgotten. When I do not respond to His voice I no longer hear it, but it fades like the sound of the clock’s ticking which has been swallowed up by the sounds of the cars moving along the freeway and by my husbands good morning greeting.   Yesterday, I was reminded of my tendency to be distracted from God's voice.  I received a call from a person who represents the company through whom I purchased my domain name, Provetheword.com, for a website that I have yet to create.  He informed me that I had two more years before I would have to renew my domain name. He said I had purchased a 10-year contract.  I had owned this domain now for eight years! What?  Had I delayed creating my website for 8 years?  That was a lot of ticking that had sounded since I first got a nudging from the Lord to offer a website to encourage people in the discipline of scripture memory.  I had looked, I had heard, but I had not run with the message!  God had already been speaking this message of completing what you start as I had memorized another verse just a week ago that says, "But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability." (2 Corinthians 8:11)  Now my prayer is that I will get up from this devotional chair and run with the message God has spoken to me!  

How about you, have you been looking to hear God speak?  Slow down a bit today; focus on hearing God's voice either through looking up at the sky, in His Word, or simply in your circumstance.  If you hear His voice today respond and do not delay then God's voice will get louder and louder! Oh how sweet the sound of God's ticking - if only we would take the time to look to hear what He will say!  

Running with the Message!

Nancy 

Letting My Words be Few

“For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2b

I began writing my post yesterday only to delete all that I had written a few hours later.  I was struggling with what to say and then it occurred to me that my words usually fail to clearly explain what it is that God is doing in my life.  This morning I awoke with a little anxiety knowing that I was already a day late in submitting my weekly post.  What was I to write?  Then the Lord reminded me of something that Isaiah, Moses and Peter knew.  It is something I know as well: 

•  “The Word of the Lord stands forever.”  (Isaiah 40:6-8; 1 Peter 1:25)
•  “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.  They are not just idle words for you-they are your life.  By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”  (Deuteronomy 32:47) 

Last night I had the joy and honor to listen to women tell the stories God had written in their lives, stories of His grace, love, protection, presence and peace.  Now, I am compelled to tell my story for His glory.  But, I am not going to use my idle words to tell the story of God working in my life.  I am going to simply let my words be few and share my story using His Words.  May these life-giving, life-transforming words connect you to God, His truth, and His hope.

“Come and hear all who fear God and I will tell of what He has done for my soul.”  (Psalm 66:16)  “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees.”  (Psalm 119:71)  “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord, be strong and take courage.  Yes, wait for the Lord.”  (Psalm 27:13-14)  “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”  (Jeremiah 15:16)  “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”  (Psalm 119:11)  “But as for me it is good to be near God.  I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge.  I will tell of all Your deeds.”  (Psalm 73:28) “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”  (Psalm 1:2-3)  “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statues, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.  I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”  (Psalm 119:30-32)  “Test me O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” (Psalm 26:2-3) “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”  (Acts 20:24)  “Therefore, I glory in Christ Jesus, in my service to God.  I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done.”  (Romans 15:17-18)  “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations forever and ever. Amen”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)   “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”  (3 John 4)

May God remind you of His forever truth.  May His words nourish your soul and bring great joy and delight as you trust in the One who has the very words of life.  Let Him use His Word to write His story on your heart and in every moment of your life.  These words will prolong your life – into eternity!

His Word is the Last Word!

Nancy

Confession is Good for the Soul

"Repent therefore and return that your sins may be wiped away in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."   Acts 3:19

I messed up, big time!  I gave in to my comfort, control and my anger.  Last Wednesday I was feeling so accomplished after I had finished writing my blog, preparing for a class I was to teach that night and responding to some urgent emails.  I had a full morning and now it was time to take my shower and get dressed for the rest of my day.  Then it happened!  No water!  This was the second time in just five short days that my water had been shut off without prior notice.  The source of the problem was one of the condos below mine.  The condo’s owner is in the process of remodeling and repairing a water pipe problem that has plagued her place for more than a year.  The first time the water was shut off was the day before I was to host a brunch for about twelve women from my Sunday Bible study class.  The management said that since the water was shut off because of an emergency prior notice was impossible.  Fortunately the water was finally turned back on late that evening prior to the brunch.  This time the water shut-off happened just as I was getting ready for a class I was to teach.  After investigating the cause of the water shut-off this time I discovered that they had prior notice and that the manager was to put notices on our doors.  But, unfortunately no one in our building received a notice. Unfortunately, I was blindsided by this interruption in my day and I chose to be perturbed rather than patient. 

My first plan of action was to call the manager’s office.  No answer, so I left a firm, but cordial message informing the manager of my situation.  I let her know that I had no prior notice of the water shut-off and that it had totally interrupted my schedule and plans for my day.  Then I called the gatehouse to speak with the security guard on duty to see if they had any clue as to why the water had been turned off and when it would be coming back on.  They had no answers for me and informed me that the manager was not in the office for the day.  What?  Did she not know that I had a problem and that she needed to fix it?  So, I proceeded to call her again and leave another firm, but not so nice message. You would think I would have just left it at that, right?  Oh, no!  Each hour on the hour I called to inform her through voicemail that my water was still not on and that it had totally ruined my day!  I was all out of options and then an hour prior to when I had to be at my class, the water came on! 

Instead of praising the Lord, I felt the Holy Spirit’s piercing of my heart.  It was as if I woke up from a really bad dream. What in the world came over me?  How could I go now and teach people how to tell their stories for God’s glory, when I was caught in the trap of my own story of seeking my glory, my comfort and my control? Wow, I had really blown it!  I fell to my knees in shame and agreed with the Lord that what I had done was wrong.  In fact, I had just taught a lesson on the contentious woman and the three observations of such a woman were being played out in my own life! 

• She is difficult to live with.
• She is a constant annoyance to others.
• She is difficult to change, console or to love. 

I had been difficult, an annoyance, hard to console and I am sure very hard to love as the manager listened to her voicemail of me rambling on about how I had been inconvenienced at her incompetence!  (Yes, I really did say that!)  At that moment I experienced brokenness that I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.  I bowed my knees and my heart before the Lord confessing, like Paul, that I must be chief among sinners.  I was baffled by my behavior, but realized that we are all just one-step away from a very bad choice! 

 I went to my class and was compelled to share the story of my afternoon confession and what my plans were for making it right. I could barely sleep that night as I rehearsed in my mind how I would confess my wrong to the manager and beg her forgiveness.  I awoke at 5:00 am and prayed once again for words and wisdom as I waited for the hour to come when I could act on the truth that I had heard and read in God’s Word:  To confess and pray, so that I could be healed and that my praying would be effective once more.  (James 5:16) As soon as I knew the manager was in, I walked, at a very fast pace I might add, to her office to beg her forgiveness.  As she came out of her office to meet me I noticed that her arm was wrapped in gauze, which prompted me to ask her what had happened.  She told me that she had been out of the office for surgery on her arm on the day she had received all my voicemails.  Wow, I felt even more shame and felt like the biggest jerk ever!  I told her that there was no excuse for my behavior and that I was wrong to have spoken to her in such a hurtful and angry way.  I asked if she would forgive me - she said yes.  Her yes was as if someone had put a healing balm on an open wound.  I walked out with such freedom, such joy, and with an even greater desire to obey God and His Word. 

The next day, I flew to California to visit my children. On the flight I devoured a book that was full of scripture.  I wept all the way through the book as my heart was still tender and sensitive from the heart surgery God had performed through my time of confession and repentance.  God’s Word has spoken to me in a deeper way and my love for Him has multiplied.  The truths of Acts 3:19 continues to come to my mind:  “Repent therefore and return that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” God has so refreshed my soul that I can honestly say with the psalmist, “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn His decrees.”  (Psalm 119:71)  When the Holy Spirit convicts us it is the worst affliction one can experience, yet it has the most wonderful life-changing results! Go ahead, return to the Lord with confession, weeping, and obediently follow His lead. I promise nothing, absolutely nothing, feels as good as forgiveness! 

Forgiven and Refreshed,

Nancy