Beautifully covered
Ephesians 3:12 “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with boldness and confidence.”
Has it ever seemed to confuse you that we are suppose to come to God in prayer humble, broken and asking forgiveness but also to approach Him with bold confidence?? Yea, me too….
Let’s say your at this fancy restraunt and you’ve just finished a delicious dinner. You’re not stuffed though because you intentionally saved room for dessert. Your mouth waters as the waiter describes the different choices of tantalizing desserts to choose from and you place your order.
As you wait eagerly on what you consider to be the best part of dinner and excitedly discuss how you and the person you are with will try a bite of each others, the waiter sits your plate down in front of you. Only, there on the plate in the place of the scrumptious dessert you’ve been waiting on, is a dried out piece of square cake. No frosting, nothing. Just crumbly and pathetic looking.
Now pretend you are looking through God’s eyes. To God we are that piece of cake. Our sin makes us broken creatures; dried out, falling apart and sitting before Him unable to fix ourselves. To a Holy God, we are simply un-presentable.
But wait! There is a glimmer of hope in your disappointment as you see the waiter push a dessert cart up beside your table, take out a big squeezy thing and start to cover your cake with a generous layer of ooie gooie goodness. The warm chocolate covers the top of your cake soaking in as it runs perfectly down the sides. As the waiter takes the delicate care of an artist, drizzling caramel in just the right spots and finishing with a perfectly placed dab of whipped cream and a strawberry, your once ugly piece of dry cake turns into a beautifully delicious masterpiece; perfectly presentable and now a delight to you.
This is what the blood of Jesus Christ does for us in the eyes of God Almighty. It covers us. So that when God looks upon us, the first thing He sees is the blood of His precious Son. It is that blood, that sacrifice on our behalf, that makes us pleasing to Him, presentable and able to be in the presence of a Holy God. Yes, we are to come to God humble. But because of the blood of Jesus our sins are beautifully covered and we become righteous before our Maker. Knowing this, we can come boldly and confidently to Him in prayer. Not as a servant in trouble but as a beloved child. A beautifully covered child. shannon 8-31-10
The Three Persons of our God
Luke 3:21 ‘When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven opened up and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
I am Shannon. That's who I am. No one else will ever be me. Imagine with me if you can that I was able to take off my arm at my shoulder and send it over to the oven to cook dinner for my kids while I went and did laundry. And suppose even still, I was able to detach a couple fingers to go help my daughter play the piano.
Now that sets up a funny scene in your head, doesn't it? Me in the laundry room, my arm in the kitchen cooking away and my fingers beside my daughters at the piano, teaching her.
Just because my arm and my fingers are not physically attached to me for the moment doesn't mean they become any less me. They are....with all of their flesh and bones and cells and muscles... still 100% Shannon. They don't change, becoming someone or something else and they aren't any less me. They are simply me, serving many purposes for my children.
Now if you take the Trinity of our Lord: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit and try to understand it in this way it may help it be a little less confusing. See.... He is God. And He could have divided Himself ten times if He wanted. And each would still be 100% God Almighty. Just as me dividing myself off into pieces served to take care of my children and their needs... God in three persons takes care of His children’s needs. Jesus is not only our Savior but also shows us how to walk obediently with the Father. He teaches us how to pray, how to love one another and how to forgive. The Spirit indwells in us to guide us and teach us. He convicts us of sin when needed and gives us discernment. It is for the needs of His children that our great God functions as three persons. And His choice to do this, for us, doesn't make any of them any less God. The very fact that He used a father-son relationship to explain Himself was for our sake as well. God knew that is how we as humans would best understand how to relate to Almighty God.
We will never fully understand the awesomeness of our Creator while we are on this earth but we can have peace knowing this: He is God, in three persons. That's simply.... who He is.
Good Friday
Isaiah 53:7 “…he was led like a lamb to the slaughter…”
All through the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi the children of God had to kill an animal in order to pay for their sins. That was how it was set up. There had to be some type of innocent sacrifice to cover or “atone” for their mistakes. It wasn’t the poor animals fault. It didn’t sin against God. But yet it still lost its life for their sake. So they would go out to their flocks and get a lamb or a goat or dove, just whatever each one of them raised. It had to be the best one they had. They couldn’t use a diseased or crippled animal because that wasn’t a sacrifice, right? It had to be the most perfect one they owned. Then they had to shed its blood on the altar of the Lord.
Well thank God we do not have to go kill an animal today to receive forgiveness! This is why Jesus is called the “Ultimate Sacrifice” and the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. After Jesus’ death, we as children of God, no longer have to go out into our fields and choose a victim to pay our price but we do have to go to the Cross and claim our Savior as our own. Jesus was the most perfect choice. He didn’t sin against God. We did. Yet he is the one that lost his life for our sake. His sacrifice is big enough that it covers everything we did in the past and all our sins from now on. And it is for everyone who will ask for it. Have you?
I thank God for this day, the day He paid the price for my sin. And I am even more thankful for 3 days from now when He rose again in victory! We will always sin, until the day we die. But our prayer can be for Jesus to constantly help us bring that sin and lay it down at the Cross. And may He always rise us back up again in victory. shannon 2-10-11
WIJI Boards
Luke 16: 26 “…between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot…”
The room was very dark with only a few scattered candles placed in the middle of the floor. The girls sat in a circle with their eyes closed humming soft low tones as one began to speak trying to conjure up the spirit world. The mood was serious, as they had all agreed before starting that anyone who would laugh or giggle couldn’t be involved because they really wanted this to work. The girl speaking began to ask questions and all waited with one finger on the spade shaped prompter to see what the spirits would spell out. But no answer came. The girl asked more questions and pleaded with the spirits to show themselves. The prompter on the board never moved. The girls began to remove their fingers from the board as the curtains lifted behind them from a small gust of wind coming through the window. One of the girls heads snapped up; her eyes crazed looking. The other girls, excited and a little scared, watched and began to ask her questions but the wild eyed girl only growled lowly from the back of her throat and stared past them into the black. She stood up and ran onto the porch, her movements like a crazy caveman. Her friends hurried after her trying to stop her from going anywhere. One of the girls, most familiar with this stuff with her crystals and incense, physically tried to restrain her but the possessed girl easily flipped her off the side of the porch. Then it was over.
Who was that possessed girl? Well…that would be me. Was I really possessed? Um,… No. Oh give me a break, I was 15. Completely lost and looking for some excitement. 20 years later looking back on that silliness I can only shake my head at myself and pray that my friend, who I really did hurt when pushing her off the porch, forgives me for my stupidity.
There are so many false beliefs when it comes to ghosts and spirits, etc… Some, mostly young, go traipsing into the “spirit world” just as we did, for the excitement or out of curiosity. Others, truly grieving over a lost loved one are desperate to communicate with the dead. After I became a Christian and grew older and, lets face it, more mature, I began to wonder what the bible said about all this stuff. I was surprised to learn it does address the issue several times. Do mediums and spiritists exist? Yes. In 2 Kings 23:24 Josiah, a very godly king, had them all removed from the land. And in 1 Samuel 28 King Saul tried to conjure up his deceased counselor, Samuel. There are other examples, too, of people trying to communicate with the dead or spirits. But here is the key thing we need to know as Christians… we are severely warned not to.
See, the ability to talk with the spirit world does exist, but not like you think. Contrary to all the fictional movies, the spirits of dead people don’t hang around in this world. They go to one of two places. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says that for believers in Christ to be “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”. And from the story told in Luke 16:25-31 we see that souls in hell or heaven are not given permission to communicate with the living. There is a “great chasm” that prevents it. So who are all these people, who really believe in this stuff, communicating with? The answer is demons. See God knows that satan and his evil ones are waiting and willing to intentionally deceive us. Satan doesn’t care if we are grieving or just curious. He will take advantage of every opportunity, even mimicking a dead loved one. God warns us against this because it can open our minds up to satanic influence and far more serious and evil things then we ever intended to step into.
Gods warning against this kind of thing is only to protect us. He knows that when we seek answers or guidance from anyone or anything other than Himself, His holy Word or His wise ones we truly do... dance with the devil. shannon 8-16-10
Separated
“I miss you” was all the text message said that made tears sting in my eyes. And I knew she did. Several months before this God had called me to legally adopt Jennifer. Though she was an adult, we were obedient in this and went forth with all the legal stuff making Jen my oldest child. Subsequently, God worked inside both of us to perfectly shape and form our hearts into a mother-daughter relationship. It is the most love Jennifer had ever felt and the most free she had ever felt in any relationship. She didn’t function out of fear for first time in her life. She glowed with happiness.
Just as quickly as it came, it was taken from us. Satan was allowed to separate us. Testing the ties that bound us and I’m sure hoping to discourage Jennifer to the point that she would give up, stop telling her testimony …and stop leading others to Christ.
I thought of the emotional impact it must have had on the disciples when they were separated from their lord and leader; the one that loved them for who they were. I thought about when sin separated Eve and Adam away from God in the beginning. I thought about how Ruth refused to be separated from Naomi and how the close knit relationship of David and Jonathon was separated first, by a jealous king and then by death.
God never called anyone to walk through this life alone. He created us first to have a relationship with Him and second to have a relationship with others. There are those times that we are separated from the ones we love whether by death, war in another country or war in our own homes; by physical distance or just by the feeling of being alone. But God has made it perfectly known that we never have to be separated from Him once we enter into a right relationship with Him through Jesus.
His word speaks caringly to each one of us as He whispers “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) In Romans Paul poses this question for all believers “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” And answers with this truth… “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Are you a believer separated from your loved ones? Cling to the bosom of our Father, He will wrap His arms around you and comfort you. Are you separated from the God that loves you because of your sin? Accept Jesus as Savior and never be separated from the Ultimate of love again. shannon 8-1-10
Sweet Sleep
Proverbs 3:24 “when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
I worked in an office job for years and often times I would hear my Christian co-workers down themselves for falling asleep while praying or reading their bible. I remember doing this same thing in my early walk with the Lord. Thinking when I woke up that I needed to pick up where I left off or that I needed to pray twice that day to make up for not getting yesterday’s prayer in. Of course, this tickles me now, as I think back, knowing God doesn’t require a quota from us when it comes to prayer. He just wants to hear from us regularly because He loves us and is interested in what goes on in our everyday lives.
I had someone say to me one time… “Yes but didn’t Jesus rebuke His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane for falling asleep instead of praying?” He did. And scripture does teach that in times of temptation, peril or need we need to be praying fervently. Not be lazy in our prayers or substitute them for sleep. We need to make our time with God a priority, purposely setting aside a time and place to meet with Him. Not trying to cram ten minutes in with Him at the end of our day.
If, however, you happen to fall asleep while praying or reading your bible, don’t beat yourself up. People have all kinds of night time rituals that they do to get ready for bed. Some watch TV, read a magazine, listen to music, etc… But YOU….have chosen to spend time with your Savior! And that is always a good thing. Who better to be in communication with than the God of the universe as you slip into sweet slumber? What better words could you put into your mind than the Word of God that drives away darkness and gives guidance to your every day decisions? Often times what you go to bed thinking about is what you dream about or is the first thing on your mind in the morning. So yes….go to sleep with our Savior! Rest with the peace and protection of God. Wake up with our Creator and walk throughout your day knowing He carries you and greatly looks forward to the next time that He will hear from you.
Together
Proverbs 18:24b “But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Recently I took my youngest son to see a movie. We had seen the previous movies in this sequel and were looking forward to popcorn and laughs. Close to the end of the movie, when the characters involved had, unsuccessfully, done everything they could do to save themselves from certain doom, they did something rare for the animated world; they all took each other’s hands and faced their fate together, arm in arm.
There I sat, in a child’s humorous, G-rated film with children laughing all around me as the movie progressed, with tears streaming down my face. I thought about how I wished this world was like that scene. But so often when times get tough for someone instead of standing by them we pull away because it makes us uncomfortable. Or we turn against one another bickering and fighting, blaming one another or taking sides.
With all the dramatics of a last minute rescue, the characters were saved and ended up all together and happy again. Often, we forget that we too, as brothers and sisters in Christ, will also end up together and happy.
It’s so hard to get through this life in those times that we face a bully or an unexpected fate, and we shouldn’t have to do it alone.
Do you know someone who is facing daily criticism or gossip from other students? A co-worker who is being treated unfairly? A family or church member who is experiencing an event that will change their life forever? I’m not saying intervene and try to solve the problems others face. Chances are you couldn’t anyway. But it means more than you know when you quietly step up beside the person in need, take their hand and let them know they are not alone. Whatever it is they face, you will face it together.
Name calling
Genesis 35:10 “God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.”
No really,… I tried very hard not to roll my eyes when someone would call her J.Brown. This is the name Jennifer had been known as all through high school and college. But I recognized it as a cover of what was really inside her… an attempt at toughness. I knew that this is who she had to be to get through years of every kind of abuse. But I was also glad to see it go. See, after Jennifer accepted Jesus as her Savior and God began healing and changing her, He also changed her name.
Names are obviously significant to our Lord. Throughout the whole bible there are examples of God changing the names of His children. Abram became Abraham (Genesis17:5), Jacob became Israel (Genesis 35:10) and Saul was also known as Paul (Acts 13:9)
God gives Himself many names throughout scripture as well, so that we may know Him for who He is: Almighty God, Father, our Comforter, Counselor, Great Physician, Provider, Protector, Savior, Teacher and more. There is a certain respect or intimacy that can come with a name. Those we do not know well or choose to show respect to we address as Mr. or Mrs. Those in the world of sports and athletics call each other by their initials or last name. The way we address a person is usually a good identifier of what our relationship is with them. And as we get closer to someone what we call them can change, such as a couple falling in love.
Often, what we call someone depends on our mood. We address our children or spouse with tender terms such as ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie’ to communicate caring and love. But when one hears their first, middle and last name stated sharply…uh oh, you know your in trouble.
Satan also has his way with names. When Daniel and his people were taken into captivity his God-given name was no longer used and he was given the ‘slave name’, if you will, of Belteshazzar. (Daniel 1:7) And I am convinced that it has been a slowly derived plan of the enemy to take the name of some of the godliest men in history, John the Baptist (Luke 7:28) and the disciple John, whom Jesus’ loved (John 13:23) and turn it into what society today calls a toilet, a man paying for prostitution, or an unidentified dead man. How it must make satan grin each time the name John is used this way.
When our sin leads us to the point of breaking the law and we are put behind bars for our actions, one’s name seems to be lost completely-replaced only with a roll number. And this is where satan would prefer we all stay, in situations where we feel nameless and forgotten.
Today, Jennifer is known to me and her new family as Jen. She is our Jen. We know her intimately and she is now dearly loved and cared for. Her name has been changed as a symbol of leaving a harsh cruel world of abuse and entering the healing rest of Jesus’ arms.
Our God, the Creator of our bodies, minds and emotions knows your name. He is so completely aware of you and your circumstances at this exact moment and He is constantly calling you into a closer walk with Him. He wants you to become familiar with His name. He promises through His word that those who seek Him intimately will find Him (2 Chronicles 15:2), and that those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).
shannon 11-11-10
