Quotes

I Believe: Testimonies

The faith of three amazing women really blessed me – humbled me, really – this past week as our paths crossed and they spent time with me.

Their lives couldn’t be more different – but in each one I saw a living example from our scripture today, mirroring David’s heart in Psalm 62. 

My friend’s body has been attacked by cancer for years now, each new diagnosis bringing another physical challenge to tackle. She has absolute confidence in God’s ability to heal her completely, and balances that with putting her trust in his perfect will for her life. As she stands in the waiting of the latest round of test results, plans her own funeral, and all the while lugging around her oxygen – her soul and eternity rests in the Lord.

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

A second friend, abused over decades, found strength in the Lord to speak out and seek protection. Protection for herself, and protection for others. This has come at a great cost to her and her family, both emotionally and physically. Every day she fights to bring darkness into light, despite the repercussions it brings.

3 How long will you assault me?
    Would all of you throw me down—
    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
    from my lofty place;
    they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
    but in their hearts they curse.

Lastly, a friend that was once weighed down by addictions of this world is overcoming! She has spent the last few years rebuilding and restoring relationships, at the same time she faces the earthly consequences of her past choices. Hard consequences – that most people would be bitter about and question why they still have to face them even though they are repentant and forgiven. But not her. She has the best attitude and she even said to me, “people may judge me but I can’t worry about that – I just have to focus on what God knows about me”. I think this is exactly what David is saying in verse 7:

5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

As I read through this passage again this week, each of their testimonies came alive through this passage. These women all put their trust in the Lord, and each day they get up and fight another day. Their strength and perseverance can only be explained by an in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. They each testify that it’s God working in them, and not anything they can boast about. And they also each admit their own moments of fear, things they’re working on, etc. Their roads aren’t always perfect – but they are met with a perfect God who walks with them, even at their lowest. At a time when they could hole up and let the enemy weigh them down, they’re choosing to follow Jesus. To stand. To speak. To share.

Thank you Lord, for giving us Psalm 62, and you perfect timing for these testimonies this week. I pray you will continue to strengthen and be a shelter for each of these daughters of yours, and they will know how loved and chosen they are. I pray for healing, protection, and peace for each of them. Thank you for these  overcomers – because of Jesus’ blood and their testimony of your work in their life, just as Revelation 12:11 says! Amen. 

Why I Believe: Psalms 14

fool  /fo͞ol/  noun

a person who acts unwisely or imprudently

David’s seven verses in Psalms 14,  give us a glimpse of a fool.  The fool.

The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
    any who seek God.
All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.

Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the Lord restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

I love how David directs us to the heart. God knows what we are saying and feeling on the inside. For me, that thought can be comforting. And sometimes it can be convicting. He KNOWS it all!

He knows the heart that is denouncing his existence, and he knows the heart that is questioning and seeking – and he knows the difference.

When I look back at my faith journey, while there were seasons of rebellion, I can honestly say that I never had thoughts or feelings in my heart that there wasn’t a God.

Did I have seasons of questions? Absolutely. Do I still wonder the whys and the hows? For sure. But the existence of God was something I learned at a young age, that I then independently confirmed as I got older. I confirmed this through prayer, scripture studying, and so many God-instances that the world might call coincidences. But he has continued to show up – on my darkest days, during my low points, and has shown me he is true. He is real. He is love. The God on the mountain is the God in the valley!

Unfortunately, during those rebellious seasons, my actions may have looked like I didn’t believe in a God – but sinning isn’t a sign of denouncing God. He is so merciful to forgive and restore. Don’t get discouraged and confuse sin with unbelief, but stand on the promises of that if you confess your sin he will forgive. He will continue his work in us – sanctifying us for his purposes.

Verse four says that the foolish devour God’s people like eating bread. Like a normal, routine everyday thing – eating bread and devouring the faithful. And here’s the key, the last part of that verse says – these foolish unbelieving hearts  NEVER call on the Lord. They’re not seeking God. They’re not praying. They’re not asking for help. They’re denying God’s existence, continuing in sin and corruption like its routine, and they’re definitely not calling on him.

I love how this scripture comes together and points to the way they could get out of their foolery – Seek God – CALL ON HIM – pray for revelation of his existence.

If you are questioning the existence of God, take a step in faith and ask him. Simply spend time each day and ask him to show you if he is real. Day by day, I believe he will reveal himself to you – as he has to me, and so many others.

Over the next few weeks as we read the Psalms and draw out our own stories of belief, I hope you’re encouraged. Whether it’s these journal entries, or articles and books from scientists that confirm a world created by God or an amazing sermon you hear… there are statements of faith and personal creeds all around us.

Ultimately, your own personal testimony of the Lord is what captures your heart. Your unique experiences with him. Your ah ha moments. The overwhelming peace he brings. The sweetness in your soul. I have no doubt he will show himself to you, as he has millions of others.

This chapter wraps up with a promise from the Lord. He is the refuge for those  that believe in him and made righteous through their faith! If you are experiencing corruption and sin at the hands of fools, God is your comfort. He will restore his people. This chapter ends with rejoicing in his salvation! Hallelujah!

The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus comes that we may have life, more abundantly! John 10:10

I Believe: Begotten

In the best known scripture in the world – have you ever wondered about…

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

…have you ever wondered about begotten? I’ve always accepted it as had, or a word for possession. Simply, God gave His Son. Which is true.

I was intrigued and enlightened to learn more about this word.

C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity explains that this word represents Jesus as the same being as God, from before all worlds was even created. He contrasts begotten from created… Begotten being the same as the begotter, and creation being different than the creator. People beget people. Squirrels beget squirrels. God created earth. A bird creates a nest. I create a painting. But God beget Jesus, His Son, who is also fully God in his image.

So what’s the big deal? Does this begotten matter?

Back in 325 AD, apparently it did matter – there was a large discussion (debate?) within in the early church, which resulted in the Nicene Creed (the first half is below). Nicene, because it happened in city of Nicaea (present day Iznik, Turkey), and Creed, which is a fancy word for statement of beliefs, usually in the realm of faith.

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the begotten of God the Father, the Only-begotten, that is of the essence of the Father.
God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten and not made; of the very same nature of the Father, by Whom all things came into being, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.
Who for us humanity and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate, was made human, was born perfectly of the holy virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.
By whom He took body, soul, and mind, and everything that is in man, truly and not in semblance.

So, the question I ask myself, do I truly believe in Jesus as fully God, begotten, not made. Born from a virgin birth. Or have I accepted this as a sweet traditional story during Christmas, folklore almost? And does this differentiation matter?

Here’s what I’ve come to, and I am curious about where you land.

I believe it does matter. This is the basis of Christ, who He is, why He came, and the sufficiency we have through Him. Without the virgin birth – without the begotten – He wouldn’t be fully God, and able to be the perfect and full sacrifice for our sins. Without this, we aren’t able to live in eternity with the Father.

What proof or why do I believe this? Sure, I can go with “it says so in the Bible”, but without the belief in the inerrancy of scripture, or taking God’s word as truth, it might be difficult to stand firm in this belief in the begotten Jesus. Like other questions of faith, it requires prayer. Persistently asking the Holy Spirit to guide you to truth. In this you might land where I did – begotten Jesus is in sync with other truths God has shown us. Collectively and personally. The consistency of the begotten Jesus reaffirms salvation available through a perfect sacrifice. Personally, this sacrifice has been life changing. This side of eternity, I experience salvation and life as a new creature. This personal testimony can only be attributed to the begotten Jesus.

This belief is also woven all through scripture. In the first chapter of John, it’s noted that In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus is the Word, and He was both with God and fully God. Mind blowing. Perfect. Complete.

In Psalms 2, which is our reading for today, you can read through the passage and see these themes:

        • Verses 1-3 Our sin and rebellion
        • Verses 4-6 God’s response
        • Verses 7-9 Begotten Jesus’ authority over all
        • Verses 10-12 Our response

I love how Psalms 2 ends in a charge for us to respond. Be wise, serve the Lord, humble ourselves.

How do you answer this question in your own faith journey? Do you recite John 3:16 or the Nicene Creed in a routine manner, without having explored your true and full belief in the begotten Jesus?

I’d love to hear your reflections and thoughts. I’m praying for each reader to feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit – to identify your belief or areas of doubt as we journey through the Psalms. Don’t be afraid to recognize those corners of your heart that have questions. I’m praying that each of us has a renewed conviction to search through the doubts we carry. A desire to ponder our uncertainties. Through this we can develop our own personal creeds.

Revelation 12:11 says that we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb (thank you Jesus) and the word of our testimony. Our personal testimony of who Jesus is and what he has done in our life.  I can’t wait to testify together in 2021. Creed on, friends!

Begotten References

        • John 1:18 begotten Jesus is declared by God
        • John 3:18 condemnation through  disbelief in the begotten Jesus
        • Hebrews 1:5, 5:5 and Acts 13:33 reference to Psalms 2
        • 1 John 4:9 begotten Jesus is a manifestation of God’s love

 

The Poor Widow

Mark 12:41-44

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.  And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

A couple of months ago, my son Samuel got a $5 bill from his grandma. Actually, all of the kids received a cash gift from her that day. While they were all chatting about what they were going to buy with their money, Samuel looked at me and said, “Mom, I want to take this to church for the kids in Haiti. They don’t even have clean water to drink.”

This is the passage that I thought of when he told me that. $5 will not make a dent in repairing Haiti’s water problems. But that is not what mattered about the gift. He gave all that he had, with a happy heart.

Pray today that when faced with an opportunity to be generous, we are able to do so with joy and humility.

 

Obedience

For me, when things are going really well it’s easy to talk about how good God is, to be thankful, to be joyful, and to acknowledge that God is in control.  When things don’t go the way I had hoped (and prayed) they would, it is way to easy for me to feel discouraged and feel like God has forgotten me, or that He doesn’t have a good plan for my life. Feeling discouraged can make me hard-hearted and sometimes angry. I doubt I’m alone in that. For the past week I’ve been struggling with a big disappointment over not getting something that I had really, really wanted and prayed for. My heart has been heavy, my spirits low, and, while I know that God’s promises still stand, I don’t feel like they do. This is a difficult thing to admit, but it’s where I was today. So,while reading through Joshua 8 and Proverbs 8 for this post, I was searching for something that would provide comfort to me about my feelings of disappointment. I read, re-read, prayed, and meditated on these passages, looking for something that would soothe the wounded part of my spirit.

What eventually spoke to me was not what I went looking for. In the last paragraph of the Joshua 8, after the City of Ai has been conquered and the spoils plundered, Joshua builds an altar to the Lord, writes on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, and then reads all the words of the law to all the people. I kept thinking about how tired these people must have been. How excited to have plundered the riches and been able to keep them this time, etc. But we don’t read about a fantastic celebration with feasts and music, we read that Joshua immediately carves into stone every word that Moses had commanded (which sounds like a lot of work), then reads every bit of it to ALL of the people, even the little ones. My thought is that Joshua probably did not “feel” like doing all of that right then. I was then reminded of Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Joshua’s actions at the end of chapter 8 seem to me to be obedience to God’s command, not a reaction born of feeling. My feelings of disappointment, despair, etc., do not make me feel like rejoicing, praying or reading scripture. But that cannot get in the way of obedience. The Proverbs reading only reiterated this to me. “Blessed are those who keep my ways.” Prov 8:32

God, forgive me for doubting your promises and your perfect plan. Help me to be obedient even when I don’t feel like it. Thank you for the comfort that your word brings to my heart, and thank you for the Holy Spirit revealing truths through that word.

Joshua 8:30-35 30Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, 31as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses-an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. 32There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. 33All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. 34Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law-the blessings and the curses-just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

Joshua 8

Proverbs 8