I was watching the movie "The preacher's wife" with Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington the other day. Denzel was an angel sent to help out a struggling pastor. When Denzel would shake the hands of different people in the film you could see that he had an immediate effect on those who were "touched". I believe the line in the movie was "It kind of reminds you of warm cookies and home". I tried searching the net but was unable to locate the exact clip to make sure of the quote but no matter. The point is that there was a feeling of warmth and peace that was felt whenever he touched another person.
I was reminded of that line when I attended what I refer to as our "cheatin' church" last night. We first started attending Victory Christian Center on Friday nights in 2002. During that time, we had gone back home to Shreveport Louisiana and attended my in-law's church Glad Tidings Assembly of God. They had been experiencing a revival for an extended period of time. The worship we experienced there was so powerful and the presence of the Lord was unprecedented. We traveled back and forth to Shreveport on the weekends for several months. We were so addicted to the feeling of warmth and satisfaction we received while attending those services. The level of intimacy we achieved with the Lord left us wanting more and more. But the practical aspect of gas prices, physical exhaustion, and the cares of daily living just made this difficult to maintain. We prayed for a solution. It was at this point that we found cheatin' church. VCC offered a Friday night renewal service and they were open to anyone attending without the pressure of trying to steal you away from your commitment to your home church. We found an oasis where we could recharge ourselves in the Lord and be refreshed for the ministry we would do within our own community. We attended faithfully for several years. Currently, we find we go back when we find that we are running low and need to return to our first love.
Well last night was one of those times. My relationship with Christ is okay but I have been missing that close touch. So David and I purposed in our hearts that we would travel the extra miles .... take the extra time .... and overcome every distraction. Can I tell you? It was worth every effort! Since the church leadership in this church is familiar with hosting the presence of the Lord, they had already bathed the house in prayer. You could feel the oil of His presence soaking into every crevice of the house. The minute you walked over the threshold you could feel the peace that only Christ can offer. It is a peace that wipes away every tear and lifts every burden that would weigh you down and keep you from His purposes. As we sat in their coffee shop awaiting the service, you felt like you were welcomed into your grandmother's kitchen. The lady behind the counter chatted about the Lord and shared her own personal journey in Christ. It was like sharing family stories. As we walked into the sanctuary, the greeters at the doors hugged you like you were long-lost cousins who they had not seen for quite awhile. They were so excited that you had come home to visit them. While sitting in our seats awaiting the music to start, we were greeted by another sister in Christ. She not only had a welcoming smile but she also shared an answer to a question that wasn't even asked. God was working without effort. It was as if the body of Christ was working like a well-oiled machine. When the praise and worship team started to play and sing, it felt as if you were invited to listen along to their own personal jam session. They were worshiping and you just got to go along for the ride. Everything seemed to flow without effort or stress.
As I was dwelling on this today. I heard the Lord say that you only get warm cookies from people who are willing to go in to the oven. When cookie dough initially goes into the oven it tastes pretty good but it lacks a certain cohesiveness. The eggs in the cookie dough are what cause the ingredients to bind to one another. Eggs that are not cooked properly can cause you to feel nauseous and ill at ease. Each individual ingredient is independent of the other. Dry flour doesn't really taste all that great but if you mix it together with sugar and butter .... well now we're on to something. Then we need to add some heat. Heat and cooking causes the ingredients to draw closer to one another. To become so intertwined that you cannot tell the difference between one ingredient from the other. That is what trials in this life are all about. That is what becoming transparent before the Lord is all about. We yield ourselves to the will of God so that He and we become one. We wrap ourselves so completely in Him that those looking on cannot tell which is Him and which is us. It is at that point, that when we touch other people's lives, they will be like those people who were touched by the angel, Denzel, and they will get a sense of warm cookies and coming home.
Are we brave enough to say ..... Preheat it to 350 degrees please?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
In His Image
According to Genesis 1:27, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them". What exactly does that mean? What does it mean to be in the image of God? Well just as God is one in three (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we also are one in three (Body, Soul, and Spirit). Our bodies are easy to understand. Not only are they tangible (we hunger, we thirst, we feel both emotionally and physically) but we receive extensive education about our bodies while in school through science and P.E.. For anyone who has attended church or pondered what happens after death, we have a somewhat understanding of the spirit. But what does the soul consist of? Our souls consist of our mind, will, and emotions.
The bible teaches that we are eternal (live forever) just as God is forever. However, we will choose where we will spend that eternity once we leave this life. For those who choose the plan of salvation provided by Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, we will live forever with God in paradise (heaven). For those who reject Jesus Christ, well there is a place of destruction assigned (hell). Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). However, it is an act of our souls (mind, will, and emotion). We make the decision as to whether we choose Christ through faith (believing what is unseen) or choose the opposite and reject this truth of salvation. God's love for us allows us to choose even if that means we will not be with Him for all of eternity. God's love is not manipulative. He respects our choices. Once this life is over and our choice has been made .... our spirit man is assigned to the place of our choice.
God desires that we spend eternity with Him. He does not wish that anyone should go to hell (2 Peter 3:8). Our spirit man is predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).When we encounter truth, our spirit man recognizes that truth. This is because God's laws are written upon our heart . Romans 2:14-15 states, "When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience.They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong". We may make excuses when we make wrong choices and follow a temptation that pulls us away from God's perfect will but we know right from wrong. Our spirit man hums when we feel and see truth. That's why you can go in to certain church services, and although the method of worship is different, you still recognize God's spirit in the place and the people. The spirit man who lives within you will not be satisfied until it is one with God and we are often driven by a spiritual need for more.Our spirit man is moved and influenced by God. The opposite is true as well. Our spirit man recognizes falsehood. We sense when someone is not moving in the spirit of God. Why because we recognize what truth is.
At the point of salvation, our spirit man ... that eternal part of us is sealed for salvation. Ephesians 1:13 states, "It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit". What a relief. Once we receive Christ with gladness, we are safe. Salvation is ours for eternity and this has nothing to do with our actions but has everything to do with our belief in Christ. Does this mean that we can act any way we want. Of course not. Not because we will not go to heaven but because our love and gratitude drives us toward the image of Christ.
Now our physical bodies will not last forever. Anyone who has looked around can see this. We age and eventually our bodies wear out. Luckily we are promised a new body for the business of living in eternity. A body that will house our eternal spirit. We find this promise in Philippians 3:20-21 which states, "But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him".Whew .... we will not just float around without substance. We will be recognizable and unique from others. Does this mean that we can just use and abuse our present body. Absolutely not. We do not know when our time on this earth will be done. Therefore, we should be good stewards of what God has provided and make it last in health for as long as possible. However, we should make sure that our time developing ourselves is well-balanced. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever". It's pretty clear that God's expectation that we will develop more than just our physical bodies.
So now we have a fairly good understanding of our spirit man (the eternal part of who we are) and our body (the physical part of who we are) but what about our soul. Remember that is our mind, will, and emotion. I find that this is the part of me that has the hardest time conforming itself to the image of Christ. You see our mind, will, and emotions have been trained. They are trained through our experiences in this life. These attributes of me are constantly at war with my spirit man who desires to be conformed to the God who made me. My mind asks me questions like ... "is God real" .... "What does it matter? Everyone does it" ...."I think that's just fake". My will resists God with attitudes such as .... "I won't and you can't make me" .... "I don't care about them. I don't want to". My emotions drag me away from God by saying things like .... "I don't feel like it" .... "They don't really care".
God is not surprised by our struggle. He knew there would be a trade off when he created a thinking and feeling child. He knew that He would have to constantly wrestle with our stubborn will. That's why the bible says in Roman's 12:2 ... "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". So how do you renew (retrain) and transform your mind? You do it by taking the time to prioritize and study God's written word to us. You do it by constantly seeking the truth of God through prayer. You do it by spending time with other people who have earned your respect by their success in living a holy, godly life. It is through these endeavors that we create a disciplined life in God. It is through salvation that we secure our spirit man's position for eternity. It is through time spent with God and His word that we develop a well-disciplined soul.
Aren't we glad that God's goal for us is that we would reflect who He is. We are called children in the bible not slaves.Therefore, we can be assured that God's goal is to train us up in His ways. He is our life coach. All we have to do is be willing to submit our mind, will, and emotions to Him. Michael Jackson sang a song about the man in the mirror. He proposed that we could change the world if we would just start with making improvements in the man we saw in that mirror. I believe that is a true statement. Our world will be a better place when the image in the mirror is a perfect reflection of Christ. But the choice is ours.
The bible teaches that we are eternal (live forever) just as God is forever. However, we will choose where we will spend that eternity once we leave this life. For those who choose the plan of salvation provided by Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, we will live forever with God in paradise (heaven). For those who reject Jesus Christ, well there is a place of destruction assigned (hell). Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). However, it is an act of our souls (mind, will, and emotion). We make the decision as to whether we choose Christ through faith (believing what is unseen) or choose the opposite and reject this truth of salvation. God's love for us allows us to choose even if that means we will not be with Him for all of eternity. God's love is not manipulative. He respects our choices. Once this life is over and our choice has been made .... our spirit man is assigned to the place of our choice.
God desires that we spend eternity with Him. He does not wish that anyone should go to hell (2 Peter 3:8). Our spirit man is predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).When we encounter truth, our spirit man recognizes that truth. This is because God's laws are written upon our heart . Romans 2:14-15 states, "When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience.They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong". We may make excuses when we make wrong choices and follow a temptation that pulls us away from God's perfect will but we know right from wrong. Our spirit man hums when we feel and see truth. That's why you can go in to certain church services, and although the method of worship is different, you still recognize God's spirit in the place and the people. The spirit man who lives within you will not be satisfied until it is one with God and we are often driven by a spiritual need for more.Our spirit man is moved and influenced by God. The opposite is true as well. Our spirit man recognizes falsehood. We sense when someone is not moving in the spirit of God. Why because we recognize what truth is.
At the point of salvation, our spirit man ... that eternal part of us is sealed for salvation. Ephesians 1:13 states, "It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit". What a relief. Once we receive Christ with gladness, we are safe. Salvation is ours for eternity and this has nothing to do with our actions but has everything to do with our belief in Christ. Does this mean that we can act any way we want. Of course not. Not because we will not go to heaven but because our love and gratitude drives us toward the image of Christ.
Now our physical bodies will not last forever. Anyone who has looked around can see this. We age and eventually our bodies wear out. Luckily we are promised a new body for the business of living in eternity. A body that will house our eternal spirit. We find this promise in Philippians 3:20-21 which states, "But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him".Whew .... we will not just float around without substance. We will be recognizable and unique from others. Does this mean that we can just use and abuse our present body. Absolutely not. We do not know when our time on this earth will be done. Therefore, we should be good stewards of what God has provided and make it last in health for as long as possible. However, we should make sure that our time developing ourselves is well-balanced. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, "Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever". It's pretty clear that God's expectation that we will develop more than just our physical bodies.
So now we have a fairly good understanding of our spirit man (the eternal part of who we are) and our body (the physical part of who we are) but what about our soul. Remember that is our mind, will, and emotion. I find that this is the part of me that has the hardest time conforming itself to the image of Christ. You see our mind, will, and emotions have been trained. They are trained through our experiences in this life. These attributes of me are constantly at war with my spirit man who desires to be conformed to the God who made me. My mind asks me questions like ... "is God real" .... "What does it matter? Everyone does it" ...."I think that's just fake". My will resists God with attitudes such as .... "I won't and you can't make me" .... "I don't care about them. I don't want to". My emotions drag me away from God by saying things like .... "I don't feel like it" .... "They don't really care".
God is not surprised by our struggle. He knew there would be a trade off when he created a thinking and feeling child. He knew that He would have to constantly wrestle with our stubborn will. That's why the bible says in Roman's 12:2 ... "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". So how do you renew (retrain) and transform your mind? You do it by taking the time to prioritize and study God's written word to us. You do it by constantly seeking the truth of God through prayer. You do it by spending time with other people who have earned your respect by their success in living a holy, godly life. It is through these endeavors that we create a disciplined life in God. It is through salvation that we secure our spirit man's position for eternity. It is through time spent with God and His word that we develop a well-disciplined soul.
Aren't we glad that God's goal for us is that we would reflect who He is. We are called children in the bible not slaves.Therefore, we can be assured that God's goal is to train us up in His ways. He is our life coach. All we have to do is be willing to submit our mind, will, and emotions to Him. Michael Jackson sang a song about the man in the mirror. He proposed that we could change the world if we would just start with making improvements in the man we saw in that mirror. I believe that is a true statement. Our world will be a better place when the image in the mirror is a perfect reflection of Christ. But the choice is ours.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Welcome to my journal of thoughts.....
Several of my friends have been after me to write. So this is where the journey will begin. I'm not sure that anyone will ever read these thoughts but God will and He's the one who matters most. If you choose to follow along ... you will find transparency ... the hidden treasures that God speaks to me in quiet moments of reflection .... and my unfolding wisdom as I struggle to apply what God says. For wisdom is just that .... applied truth. Well time dictates that I conclude these introductory ramblings but hopefully I will learn discipline so that I post frequently. At least that is my goal. As I leave .... I leave God's peace with you and pray that His light shine's upon you with the warmth of His embrace.
Yours in Christ,
Babs
Yours in Christ,
Babs
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