Sifted

For those of you who read this yesterday, this post has been re-sifted. Isn't that interesting? Yes, I am a work in progress!

When I think of sifting, I picture my mother at the kitchen sink with a sieve. I watch her pour a bubbly, hot liquid through that sieve. She then presses and squeezes the fruit until the sweet juice flows through; the sieve keeps any seeds, skins or unwanted pieces from going into the Mason jar. The result after hours of hard work: yummy blackberry or grape jelly for her family. Those hours of hard work were unknown to her children; we simply enjoyed the "fruit" of her labor. I know the hard work was rewarding to her as she saw her children enjoying her tasty jelly, her labor of love. That's just the way she is.

I've been pondering a verse for a long time. It's chock full of meaning. I don't pretend to know its full meaning, much less half of it. But this is the verse and what I've been learning by experience: "Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" Luke 22:31-32. Jesus is speaking to all of His disciples here, but notice--God hones in on Peter, one who would be a leader in building the church.

In Bible times, grain had to be purified by sifting. The wheat and barley grains were mixed with all kinds of loose fragments from the threshing floor. Everything was put into large sieves that allowed grain to pass through but left most of the rubbish behind.  When Jesus said that Satan wanted to sift Peter like wheat, he was probably referring to the shaking (my emphasis) of the sieve.*

I've heard Beth Moore teach on this years ago and have not forgotten it. If Jesus gave permission for Satan to sift Peter, something needed sifting. He saw rubbish. He saw impurities. He saw motives. He saw wrong mindsets. Perhaps, He saw past heartaches which still needed healing. It's hard for us to fathom why Jesus would allow Satan to buffet His disciple, His beloved. My pastor explained this so well. Where Satan has had reign in our lives, he has permission to traffic. To buffet. To torture. It does not negate the fact that we are children of God. We just need sifting. 

Is your world being shaken? Do you feel as if the once stable life you knew is now unsure? Is life turning out the way you thought it would, or are you in a season of disillusionment? You may be undergoing a sifting.

As believers, we often have a picture in our minds of how our lives will turn out if we "do this," and if we "do that." So, we do all the things we are taught. From the outside, we are living in right standing with God. But what about the motives of our hearts? Are they selfish? Or are they God-centered? Why do we want the results that the Word of God promises? To boast? To say, "Look at what I've done. I've been good"? As Christians, some examples could be going to church, reading the Bible, praying, giving, being a good parent, friend or relative; perhaps serving in a ministry or working hard for our employer. Now we are commanded by God to do all these things! But it seems after a long season of sowing, we often become weary and our thoughts can become tainted. We have worked hard. We have been faithful. And we are just not seeing the results we have envisioned. We must remember that by grace through faith we are saved, lest any man should boast (Ephes. 2:8). Even our works are to be evidence of God's grace, and we simply cannot boast in them. We cannot earn grace. We cannot boast in our works. In our sacrifices. Our works are indeed a result of our faith, but anything we do in obedience to God is an offering to Him, not something we await a "payment" on. We sow in faith. We keep our eyes on God. We sow into others' lives. This means the other person has choices they must make in life. They have to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). It's their faith walk. Not ours. We sow. God brings the increase (1 Cor. 5-7). Not we sow, we bring the increase. This is hidden self-righteousness. And it is very hard to see. I believe sifting often deals with our motives and mindsets. It's a deeper work. It's a hidden work. It's a refining work. God cannot trust us with the bigger things He's promised us if He can't trust us with our motives and mindsets in the here and now. He loves us too much for that. He knows exactly how we will handle His glory beforehand. He won't let us handle His glory if we won't give it directly to Him. We must do all the right things to get the right results because we know it is only accomplished by His grace. It simply will not get done any other way. Our hearts are deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9), but God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20). Praise God for that! As we surrender to the knowledge of our own frailty and deceitfulness of heart, God comes in and puts more of His heart into us. This brings pure, God-centered motives! This brings new God-centered mindsets and all fear must flee. 

What vision has God given you for your life that has not come to pass? Are you ready for it? Then, you must be ready and willing to be sifted. Ready to be humbled under the mighty hand of God. Ready for your will to be broken and God's will to be done. What will this bring? GOD'S CHARACTER. Sure, our gifts and callings open up doors of opportunity, but character keeps us in those places. Character knows what to do with admiration and praise.  I know what you're thinking. I thank others all the time for the work they do for God by serving me. It's okay to be thanked and appreciated; it is certainly biblical. But it's critical that deep down we know the source of the work: God. Any good result we see is only by God's grace. So hand it all over to God. Point others' fingers upward. God-ward. Let's allow God to forge character within us so we know how to handle His glory. We, on our knees, display humility, love and gratefulness and point to the only One who is high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1).

After the sifting process, we may find that sifting was indeed our friend, masked as an enemy. Let's show Satan that when he sifts us, we humbly submit to our God. We are not submitting to Satan, but to God. We entrust all things to a God who is Sovereign. Then the sifting will do its good work. The devil will flee (James 5:7). God will replace those places once occupied by fear, torment and pride with love, peace and humility.

My mom put a lot of work into those jellies. It took time. But when the process was finished, she would serve her children that sweetness. When our sifting process is finished (for the present time), only you and God will know all that has transpired. Only you and He have seen the blood, sweat and tears it took while working it all out, submitting all things to our God. That's what makes it special. A hidden work. Then God will enthusiastically serve you and me up to this world, and the world will "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8).

*The Manners and Customs of Bible Times, by Ralph Gower

What Can a Word Do?

What can a word do? A whole lot. A whole lot of good. Or a whole lot of bad. Whoever came up with the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,"--well, they were wrong. Words hold great power. They can bring healing. They can bring injury. They can build up. They can tear down. They can encourage. They can discourage. They can bring hope. They can bring despair. They can bring life. They can bring death. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Words.Are.Power. I did not truly understand the power of a spoken word until I got deep into the Word of God.

This morning I was struck once again by the fact that John 1:1-2 says of Jesus, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." In the beginning? Okay, let's go back to the beginning--Genesis 1:1-3, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light, and there was light.'" God said. Spoke creation into being. Awesome, life-giving words--those words created beauty. According to Gen. 1:26, God spoke mankind into being: "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'" Us--Father, Son, Holy Spirit. All present at creation. All eternal. So John 1 refers back to Genesis, the beginning, when the Word was present, with God and was God Himself. Think on that for a moment. . . Then John 1:14 goes on to say, "The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." Jesus came in flesh and blood to show us the Father. His character. His gentle love. His fierce love. His healing power. His heart. To share life-giving words. Yes, the Word came to bring us life-giving words. He is what a word was meant to be. Life-giving, loving, challenging, kind, correctional, healing, affirming, hopeful, peaceful, truthful. I could go on and on. He is simply full of grace and truth (John 1:14) and those previous descriptions seem to fall under grace or truth, or both. His words are life. For our good. Always for our good.

Maybe you have had some words spoken to you that tore at your very core. They brought injury. They belittled you. They brought despair. Can I be so bold to say that all those words spoken were straight from the enemy of your soul, the devil--maybe through a person (and we need to be just as aware that we can speak damaging words to others)! The devil may have surrounded you for some time with negative thoughts you have come to believe about yourself. It doesn't take much for the enemy to get a foothold in our minds; he will use whatever means he can to discourage us and make us miserable. He wants us to keep our heads DOWN, instead of looking UP at God. Revelation 12:10 says that he is an accuser. Jesus called him the father of lies (John 8:44). But Jesus gives you the true Father's words, words of TRUTH. He will tear down all the lies with His truth. Jesus, the Word, will blast them out of your mind and replace them with His life-giving words. I recently read a devotion which said, "You can be loved by many, but deep down you'll feel needy and insecure until you understand how God feels about you."*

 

Does the Word of God intimidate you? The holiness of God's Word is not meant to keep you away. It's meant to draw you close so you see your condition without Him. He extends an invitation for all to come near to Him; as we approach Him with sincere hearts, He forgives our shortcomings and makes us clean. The depth of God's Word is not meant to overwhelm you, but reveal to you little by little God's heart and His great love for you. Jesus speaks to us lovingly, and yes correctionally, through the pages of Scripture. He is found walking through every page, waiting to meet with you. That's where I found Him. More accurately, that's where He found me. His Words will transform you, turn you inside out and upside down (which was a good thing for me), affirm you, bring light in your darkness, and best of all, show you His great love for YOU. And you will be changed. And you will know you are loved. And you will know the difference between a lie and the truth. Hear His words today: "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63).

What can a word do? Maybe the question is: What can THE Word do? Oh, my friends, the Word can do wonders, in YOU! Are you willing to listen? If you've been listening to destructive words for too long, take that microphone away from the devil, or even from yourself--hand it to Jesus. Give Him your ear. You will never be the same.





*Gass, Bob, "Secure in God's Love." Posted October 4, 2012. Today's Word. http://www.bobgass.com/todaysword.php. (Accessed October 4, 2012.)

Inside Out

It was the reason the guy at the ATM kept looking at me. The reason for more looks when I walked into the grocery store to get something to drink. The reason I encountered a teenage couple laughing while jogging and walking at the track. I had no idea that my shorts were inside out!

This day was a busy one. I had been finishing up an important project and was off to take my 15 year old son, Landon, to his baseball lesson. I quickly changed, pulled my hair back and ran out the door. I then remember I needed some cash to pay for his lesson, so I stopped at the bank. I then raced over to the facility to drop him off, and headed to the track to burn off some stress and calories. Not feeling very strong at this point, but needed to kill some time while he's practicing. I am exhausted. I cut it short and run to the store for some refreshment and wait for Landon's practice to finish. Whew, here he comes! Ready to go home for a good bath and some sleep.

I walk in to greet my husband--I hadn't seen him since he'd gotten home. He looked at me and said, "Your shorts are inside out." What? I start cracking up laughing and run to look in the mirror. There was a tag sticking out on the side; seams are showing. I can't stop laughing. For the longest time! I run and show the boys, "Can you believe this?" Of course, they can. They know me. And I can believe that I did this; I'm often quite dingy and miss details. I have bought sunglasses at Wal-Mart, removed the hanging price tag, and put them on as I'm walking out. Upon peeking in the rearview mirror at my cool self, I see the UV ray sticker on the lens. How did I miss that? Got a good laugh out of that one. And that time I went to church with a navy shoe (this was the early nineties people) on one foot and a black shoe on the other. But I did have a newborn. . . Hence, one of our pastors announced it to the congregation--everyone got a good laugh at my expense. I did, too. So this inside out shorts incident is not unlike me. After thinking about it, I wondered, Why didn't Landon tell me? The guy at the ATM? Why didn't someone tell me in the grocery store? At the track? Were they too embarrassed for me to say something? Well, I know Landon didn't notice. He's a typical teenager. But the man at the ATM? The onlookers in the grocery store? The teenage couple at the track? (Well, they were teenagers too. But they did notice and got a good laugh at this awkward, wannabe athlete.) Who noticed and said something? My husband. Now that's a true friend--someone who reveals your blunders.

This random story is a little picture of why we need good friends: to tell us when something's not quite right with us. Or to tell us when something is totally awry. And we need to be that kind of friend. Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Ephesians 4:15 tells us we are to speak the truth in love, which helps others to grow. And we surely need to receive those words of love from others. They sharpen us. We can become dull, weary and depleted from the busyness of life and from the tasks God gives us. We need people, the right kind of people who see us through the eyes of God. They see from the outside what we often can't see. Most of all, we need God to help us during our inside out times. If we stay close to Him, we will hear Him telling us when we are doing things the wrong way. Adjustments are needed. For our good.

I hope this story gave you a little laugh, because it did me! I am grateful for my friends: my husband, family and godly acquaintances who speak the truth to me. It shows me they love me. Even when it hurts.



A little afterthought: Later that night, Leacil and Taylor came in the kitchen and just stood there looking at me. It took me a few moments to see that their shorts were--you guessed it--inside out. And I have to remember to look closely when dressing, because Landon folds clothes while they are inside out. It's all his fault.

Ready or Not, It's Coming!

Okay. We've all been preparing for Hurricane Isaac. Gas? Check. Water? Check. Food? Check. Generator? As of this morning, CHECK! Now, we just wait and hold on for dear life. You just never know what a hurricane will bring with it and leave in its path. Tornadoes, flooding, trees down, loss of electricity. It's the unknown that really bothers us. At least that's the case for me. Will a tree fall on my home? Or worse, will a tornado hit our area? The things we can't control can leave us fearful and in panic. I remember being pregnant with my son, Taylor, in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew hit. He was a mean hurricane with really strong winds. I remember hearing what sounded like a freight train approaching at record speed, which was in fact a huge gust of wind coming our way. I would wonder, is that a tornado coming? I would get tense until it passed. All that was important to me was protecting my baby. That's what storms do. Show us our priorities and what should be important to us. Such storms are: storms of nature, financial storms, storms that threaten our health, and storms that threaten our marriage and families. They remind us we should value most the things money can't buy. People. Our faith. Or they should.

Storms reveal where our treasure lies. They refine us. When a hurricane is making landfall and the winds are buffeting our homes, we tend to look at life a little more seriously. We realize that all we own does not truly give us value. Our material goods are in great danger of blowing away with those gusty winds; and how then will we see our ourselves if those things have brought us status and value? Of course, I am not against having "things." Just don't want them to have me. Surely, God has made us of far greater value than our shiny man-made vices. They do not define us. Or they should not.

What should define us? Well, only God can do that. He is in fact, our Creator. When we allow Him to dictate our value, we are building our lives on the Rock. This Rock is Jesus Christ. He is eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful. Glad He's on my side! No matter what storms come my way, He will never be removed from my life. He is my Constant. And when I see the value He's placed upon me, I can see the value of my family, my marriage, my friends, of every human life. My faith grows and grows to be loved with such a love. How is it that He values us so? How do we know that? God, our Creator, sent His only Son to suffer and die on a cross--to take our place of death--so that we could live. He has valued you with His very life, His very blood. Can anyone put a greater value on you than his own life? No. That's the ultimate. And His was an innocent life--one that deserved no wrong.

Psalm 40:1-2 says, "I waited patiently for the LORD, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure." What does this tell me? My true security is in Jesus. He makes my steps secure as I walk with Him. Everything else we cling to can lead us to a pit filled with miry clay--there is simply no stability in them. When we truly realize this, we'll choose to obey Jesus at all costs, for we know in Him is our life and health.

There's a story in the Bible about two homes. You can find it in Matthew 7:24-27. One man built his house on the sand. Sand is quite unpredictable. When storms hit sand, the sand succumbs to the pounding rain, with the rain carrying it where it will. Whatever is sitting on this so-called foundation is swept away and destroyed.

One man built his house on the rock. Now this is an entirely different foundation! Rocks are solid and immoveable. When the rain falls on such a foundation, it stands firm. Therefore, whatever this foundation is supporting stands firm. Note both houses went through the storm.We need to observe which withstood the storm--the one built on the rock. That rock of stability is Jesus Christ. Remember Psalm 40:2, "He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure"? We are put on this rock by Jesus when we believe that He is Lord. We stay on that rock by obeying Him. Our lives will become stronger and stronger the more consistently we obey Him. So when the storms come, He'll be the one we hold onto for dear life. That's a good thing.

We are not certain what the storms of life will leave in their path. But we can know the One who will never leave us before, during and after the storm. He has promised eternal life to those who invite Him in, and that eternal life can begin while living on this earth. Storms will come our way. I have determined to build the house of my life on the rock, Jesus Christ.

Whatever storms are threatening your life and home, take a fresh look at your life, as I am doing. Put priorities in place. If you are in a place of instability, take Jesus' hand and let Him pull you out. Let Him deem you valuable. He will set your feet on a rock. In doing so, you deem Him valuable. And the house of your life will be stable. Everything else we cling to is shifting sand.

Launching Out

I didn't know quite how to begin this blog.  I've been thinking about it for over 2 months.  I have felt God leading me to do it, but have been waiting for an epiphany with a spoken message like, "Thus saith the Lord...."  It didn't happen.  And I've been sitting and waiting.  Sometimes, I think we just need to move in faith and DO SOMETHING.

In Luke 5, Peter, a professional fisherman by trade (and probably quite good at it), was found early one morning cleaning his nets.  Jesus had His eye on him.  Peter was probably frustrated because he and his cohorts had toiled all night and caught nothing.  Before you know it, Jesus got into Peter's boat.  Peter's boat represented his life.  It's what he did, what he knew and what he had just recently failed at.  And Jesus asks him to put out a little from the land.  I've wondered if the last thing Peter wanted to do was get back in that boat?  But back in the boat he went with Jesus, pushing it away from the shore.  This enabled the multitude to see and hear Jesus right there from Peter's boat.  Peter's life. And most recently, Peter's failure.  (Oh--I know--Peter has much bigger failures later in his story.)   After speaking to the crowd, Jesus hones in on Peter and says, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  Apprehensively, Peter does it.  Everyone's watching.  It's pretty risky.  But at Jesus' word, he launched out and let down his freshly cleaned nets into the Sea of Galilee (aka Lake of Gennesaret).  Nets broke. The boat began sinking from the weight of a multitude of fish.  A great catch!  Peter is face to face with an acute awareness and awe that the Messiah stands before him--humbled and conscious of his own human frailty and sin.  Jesus then said, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."  Amazed and awed, Peter and his party forsook all and followed Him.  Launched out into the deep and wide unknown.  And the multitude were near, witnesses to this miracle.  Again, where did this take place?  All from Peter's boat.  Is it safe to say his boat had been his identity?  Now his identity was no longer merely "fisherman," but "Fisher of Men," because Jesus had called Him, invited him to launch out and follow Him.  Despite his failures.  Others learned from it, while Peter was changed by it.

Priscilla Shirer spoke on this series of Scripture once and I was so touched by the message.  So I ask anyone who is reading, what is God asking you to "launch out" and do, in faith?  This is my "launching out" for now.  It may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me it's kinda risky opening up my life to the world.  It is what's kept me quiet.  But keeping quiet is not exercising faith if God is asking me to share my life with others.  And I want to please God.  I want to honor Him with my failures, successes, joys and disappointments, from the boat of my life.  And I believe you do, too.