Knit Together in Love

I spent the day yesterday at a baby shower. My best friend’s daughter is expecting her first baby. My friend lives several states away and couldn’t be there, so I felt like I was a bit of a surrogate for her. My friend and I raised our kids together, and there were many times that others mistakenly thought I was her daughter’s mother. I was honored to be there.

There is something special about babies. Someone said that a baby is God’s way of saying the world should go on. We know that babies are special to God. He takes special interest in knitting each of us together in preparation for birth.

You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to pass. Psalm 139:13-16

As my son and daughter-in-law wait for the birth of their first baby, God is at work. He is intimately involved in the formation of my grandson, and in the writing of the story of his life. The work God is doing in preparation for his birth is amazing. I’ve seen the pictures. The tiny heart is pumping, and he is able to command the attention of a whole room of people simply by kicking or rolling over. He is not yet born, and yet the simple fact of his existence has caused joy and excited preparation.

So many of us suffer from low self-esteem. We don’t like our hair, or our skin is pimply or wrinkly, or we think our upper arms are fat. For some of us this causes depression. For others, we hold back being involved with others, feeling like we have little to offer. Walking through a crowded room takes herculean effort and a mustering of courage. We forget that the same God who is knitting my grandson together also knit us together. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You are one of God’s wonderful works.

This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I John 4:9

God loved us first, before he began any re-creation of us, before we had any inkling of loving him. He loved us before we were born, and poured that love into weaving he was doing. We question God’s wisdom every time we look at ourselves and wish we had been made differently. We doubt his wisdom every time we allow self-doubt to keep us from reaching out to others.

I can hear you. “But you don’t know me. You don’t know the mistakes I’ve made, the things I’ve screwed up, or the way I’ve let God down. He may have made me, but I’ve made a mess of things since then.” I know you are thinking this, because I think the same things. I’m a screw up. I always have been. I’m the one who falls up the steps in front of the whole church, earning the nickname, “Grace.” I’m the one who let myself get fat, and who can’t seem to exercise the self-control to take the weight off. I’m the one who gets so nervous in front of crowds I once wet myself. I was six years old, but I still have that impulse every time I have to give a presentation. All that stuff is true, but it doesn’t matter. It’s just part of who I am. God didn’t make any of us perfect. He made us human. He made us exactly as we are supposed to be, perceived flaws and all.

We have been given this amazing gift of the knowledge that God created us exactly as he knew we should be. We can go forward in confidence, knowing that we are deeply and completely loved. When my hair is fuzzy, when my thighs are rubbing and my fat is jiggling, when I feel like everything I do is wrong, I can rest completely in the knowledge that God made me in his image, he knit me together exactly as he knew I should be, and he is working within me now, remaking me in the image of his Son. He is perfecting me, making me holy.

By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.  

Hebrews 10:14

He has already made the sacrifice. We are perfect forever, and we are being made holy. What on earth do we have to feel insecure about?!

The Call to Community

Perhaps my favorite word in the Bible, right after salvation, redemption, love and the like (OK, there’s a lot I like in the Bible), is community. Community means that I am part of something bigger than myself, that I am not alone and that my contribution counts.

There should be no division in the body, but its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. I Corinthians 12:25-27

Jesus lived community, and set examples for how we should live out our expression of community. He knew that our idea of community would consist of power over each other, of selfish desire and of self-promotion. He lived the exact opposite, and expects us to follow his example.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus; who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant… Philippians 2:5-7

Jesus lived community by becoming a servant. He reduced himself to fit into a human body, just so he could save us. He suffered death and rose again, and then he left, sending his Spirit to unite us and make use one body, his body. 

One of my favorite examples of how we are to live in community occurred just before Jesus’ arrest. Jesus knows his time is up. The meal is served, Judas has already left to betray him, and Jesus was getting ready to go home.

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. John 13:1b

What follows is what John considers the full extent of Jesus’ love for his disciples, his earthly community.

He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:4-5

Jesus great power was expressed in servanthood. Whoever had booked the room for their feast that night had neglected to arrange for a servant to look after their needs. The roads were dirt and dust, and they wore sandals. It was the servant’s job to wash their feet. Not one of them lowered themselves to do the job of the servant. Jesus lived servanthood, and admonished them to do the same. He who would be great in Jesus’ kingdom must be servant of all. Jesus was the greatest in all regards.

Peter was aghast. He objected to allowing Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus was no servant! He was Messiah! Peter should have been washing Jesus’ feet. The thing is, if Peter had lowered himself to be a servant, had offered to wash feet, Jesus wouldn’t have been wrapping that towel around his own waist. Jesus doesn’t rebuke him for not serving, but offers him the choice; “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Unless you accept my gift of servanthood, you can’t be part of my community.

I struggle with community. I don’t want to be your servant, but even more, I don’t want to allow you to serve me. I have just as difficult a time accepting your gifts as I do wanting to give you mine. Maybe harder. But that’s the nature of community. I use my gift to teach you and build you up. You use your gift to encourage me and make me stronger. We are better together than we are alone. Community means mutuality. Serve and be served. Wash and be washed.

Pick up the basin. Wrap that towel around your waist. Sit down and take off your sandals. Engage in community. Jesus is here. There is no better place to be.

My Bucket List

Do you have a bucket list? I have never made one, and my daughter thinks that’s terrible! I think that I view every day as an adventure of sorts, and that while I might have things I want to do in this life, God might have different ideas, and his imagination is way bigger than mine!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen! Ephesians 3:20-21

Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t want to do stuff, or see stuff, or enjoy planning our lives. I’m just saying that we should remain flexible, and obedient. That being said, I also believe that sometimes what we want most is exactly what God wants for us.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this. Psalm 37:4-5

When we delight in the Lord, he gives us right desires, desires that are appropriate for us and for the person he knows we are, and then he meets those desires. With this in mind I have created a mini bucket list. These are my desires. Some are wants that benefit only me. Some are deep yearnings that I know only he could have put there. I’ve listed my top ten, backwards, David Letterman style. They are in no particular order.

         10. I want to travel. There is so much beauty and history and diversity in this world, created by God, and I want to experience as much of it as I can. Ireland. Israel. Poland. Washington DC. Denmark. That’s my top five.

         9. I want to always see the good in people and situations. I know that bad is there, and I am a realist, but I want to be that annoying Pollyanna who looks for things to be glad about. I want to see with God’s eyes. He knows all my sin, and yours, and loves us and works with our potential. I want to be like that.

         8. I want to live without fear, and do things that reflect that. I want to go zip lining. Parachute. Kill spiders. I want to love fearlessly.

         7. I want to be a lifelong learner. There is so much I don’t know, or don’t understand, and I want to know and understand. I want to study Hebrew. I want to know how to fix stuff.

         6. I want to be a writer. I want to write a book and feel the satisfaction of holding it in my hands.

         5. I want to be a woman after God’s heart. I want to reflect his nature to people around me, to respond to every situation in a way that makes God smile, and to never grow weary of doing good.

         4. I want my family to know how much I love them, to never doubt that they are amazing people and that they make my life rich. I want them all to have a relationship with God that ensures that we will be together for eternity, but to also know that they are free to choose, and I will love them regardless of the choice. I want them to see their beauty.

         3. I want to be an encourager. I want my words to be sweet and my actions to be uplifting.

         2. I want to be thin. I admit I don’t have much hope that this will ever be marked off my bucket list, but I will continue to work to be healthy, to make good food and exercise choices, and to try to ensure that diabetes makes a minor impact on my life and future.

         1. I want to love well. I want God and others to know that they are important in my life. I know I am often not successful here, but I will keep trying.

I’m not sure this is the bucket list my daughter was looking for, but I am glad I put my desires in writing. I am clearer about what I want from life, and can make choices that reflect those desires and values.

What does your heart desire? I want to know!

Am I Repeating Myself?

Often times, usually when I am sitting in a Bible study or trying to figure out what to write in tomorrow’s blog, I feel like a broken record. I find myself repeating the same things over and over again. I begin to wonder if I have anything of worth to say.

And then I remember; I don’t. There is nothing that comes from me that would do anyone any good. Fortunately, I don’t have to come up with new stuff. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3, my life verse, remember?)

I find myself repeating myself, saying the same thing over and over, because the Bible repeats itself. Jesus summed up the Old Testament law, as well as what would be written as a guideline for the New Testament church, when he told us what the most important commandment is:

The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:29-31

If we love God, we won’t break any of the commandments. We will reflect his nature. If we love each other, we will live the gospel every day to a watching world. Perhaps the reason I feel like I repeat myself is because I need to remember. Maybe I feel like I don’t have anything to say because Jesus already said it, and lived it, and lives it still.

Love. Love well. Encourage each other to love. Never grow tired of loving. It’s the least we can do. It’s also the most.

Leadership Equals Servanthood

         When a business or secular organization is looking for a new Director or President, they often have a very specific list of qualifications they want in the man or woman they choose.  He must have attained a certain level of education, preferably from the right school.  He must have a certain reputation in business circles.  Perhaps it’s leadership development skills that are being sought, or a certain style or philosophy of leadership.  Often a qualifying factor is the success record a leader brings with him, either in profits earned or products sold.  We judge a man by the way he presents himself and the record he brings with him.  We may also factor in how impressive he looks and the charisma with which he speaks.

         When Christian ministry is looking for a leader, it often tries to use the same approach.  We look first at education level and denominational background.  Perhaps we then look at the church or ministry that is being left and how much success was achieved, how many people were converted or the numbers involved.

“…Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

Mark 10:43-45

         Jesus points us to a different measuring stick.  When we are looking for leadership we are to look directly at the heart.  “He who shall be great among you shall be your servant.”  A leader in the body of Christ is to be the one who is willing to set himself aside and wash feet.  He is the one you might mistake for the gardener or janitor when you come upon him unexpectedly, and indeed he might be the gardener or janitor.  He is the one who is willing to do whatever is needed for the good of the Church.

         “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant…” (Phil. 2:5-7).

         We don’t often look for a servant’s heart as the primary qualification of our leadership.  We like talented people, people with a little flash and charm.  We forget that God values humility, a willingness to be obedient regardless of what is asked.  He wants us to be like Him. God lists very specific qualities that are to be present in the people we choose to teach and lead us. 

Leadership, done God’s way, is very different from worldly leadership.  Ministry is not a business.  Perhaps one of the most important qualifications of a church or ministry leader is that he knows the difference.

Do you want to be great in God’s kingdom and do big things for Him?  Get out the basin and the towel.  Practice a servant’s heart. 

Respecting our Pastor

         “Never trust anyone over thirty.”  This, the motto of a generation, seems to express a characteristic of modern society.  We don’t like people in authority over us.  In the “good old days” we would straighten up when our mothers would warn us to wait until our Father came home.  The President was respected simply because he held the office, and the Pastor was a symbol of stability and morality in the community.

         Things have changed.  Certain Presidents have dishonored the office by their actions, fathers are often absent, and even our clergy have participated in abuses that sadden the heart of God.  As a result, we no longer respect someone simply because of the office he holds.  We demand that each person earn our respect and we withhold it until he has proven himself worthy. 

         While this shift holds people somewhat accountable, it also adds additional burden to the shoulders of our already over burdened clergy.  Most are good men and women who work long hours for pay that is hardly commensurate with their education and experience.  They give up family time and evening hours to attend meetings and events many of us would and do opt out of.  In addition, they now must prove themselves before they are afforded respect.  Focus on the Family stated, “More than 500,000 serve as pastors in the United States, according to a Barna survey. Other national surveys indicate that ministers are possibly the most frustrated and neglected professional group in the country. Forty percent of surveyed pastors express a desire to leave the pastorate. Out of 1,400 ministers questioned, fewer than 20 percent report receiving any kind of annual recognition. H.B. London Jr. says, ‘We have found that most members of the clergy feel isolated, insecure and only rarely affirmed.’”  

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. I Thess. 5:12-13

        

Paul tells us to esteem those who labor among us highly because of their work.  He doesn’t tell us to agree with every word that comes out of their mouths, or to look for perfection in the way they conduct business.  He tells us to appreciate them and to treat them with respect.  He also gives us a clue into how to do that.  “Live at peace with one another.”  How much easier could a pastor’s job be if each of his congregants lived by this one rule!

         Give your pastor a lift today.  Be an encouragement in his life.  Write him a note telling him how much you appreciate his hard work.  Call him and mention that you were thinking about a point in Sunday’s sermon.  Even if you don’t agree with him, he will be pleased and amazed that someone listened and thought about what he said beyond Sunday morning.  Appreciate your pastor.  Remember how hard he works tending God’s flock.  Pray for him.  He, like the rest of us, needs encouragement and recognition of a job well done.

A Good Night's Sleep

We have become a generation of people who are obsessed with safety.  From the time our children are born, we work to keep them safe.  We measure the distance between the slats in their crib.  We buy the right car seat and have someone teach us how to install it properly.  We teach them about “stranger danger”.  Never are they allowed to get on a bicycle without the admonition to “put your helmet on!”

While there is nothing wrong with this, it does create the illusion that if we do all of these things, we will be safe.  The problem with this is that there will always be something we miss, something just outside of our control, something that never occurred to us.  When we depend on our own actions and devices, safety is an illusion.  Just when we begin to feel secure, we forget that it may well be that a drunk driver has gotten behind the wheel of a car, the tornado season hits, or a fanatic gets on an airplane.

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”  Psalm 4:8

The key to actually being safe rests with trust in God alone.  Only He knows the future.  Only He controls the wind. In His hand alone do we rest.  Understanding this creates a great deal of freedom and peace for the believer.  Because we understand that God in His very nature is good and trustworthy, and because we know that He causes all things to work together for our good, we can relax and enjoy this adventure called life.  Whatever we go through, we can rest in peace because we know that we are secure in Him.  Whatever life brings, we will not face it alone, and when it ends, eternity is secured for us.

As we continue to remind our kids to put a helmet on, we can also remind them to take chances, to risk rejection, to love others, to share the love of God with those around them.  We can lead by example, well rested, and at peace.

         Note: Last week we talked about life verses. I would love it if you would share yours with me and my readers. We can encourage each other!

My Life Verse

On Monday, I mentioned that as a class assignment I was asked to choose a life verse. I listed some of the verses that others had chosen, and some of you responded by asking what verse I had chosen.

I will confess that I had difficulty with this assignment. The Bible is full of guidance and comfort, and I have a hard time choosing one verse and fashioning my life around it. There have been instances in Christian culture where someone wrote a book about one verse or concept that swept through the community like wildfire (think, Prayer of Jabez or The Shack). People jump on a bandwagon, there is a lot of press and buzz, and then its over and gone. While I am not saying there is anything wrong with these books or movements, we do better to build our lives on the whole of scripture, rather than on one verse or passage that is often taken out of context.

That being said, I love the Word of God. I love studying it, praying it, and holding it close. While it was difficult to narrow it down to just one, the verse that I seem to come back to over and over again in my life is 2 Peter 1:3-4:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that you may participate in the divine nature, and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

He has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Not, he will give, but he HAS given. Rather than exist in death and defeat, we have been given everything we need for life. We have this through knowledge of him.

Not only that, but because of his glory and excellence we also have his promises. Simply because of who he is, we can trust his words and have confidence in the future he promised. We can believe the rest of scripture because of the nature of Jesus. We can have complete confidence in the written Word because of the Word that spoke.

As if that isn’t enough, by believing in these promises, we participate in the divine nature. God lives within us, remakes us into the likeness of his Son, letting us become like him. Rather than live in slavery to sin, we can escape by being like Jesus.

These two verses overwhelm me. I have been given everything I will ever need to be a participant in the nature of the God who is holy, who is Creator, who is Savior. I am also left without excuse. God has given me everything I need. It is up to me to get to know him, to know his nature. I can only do that in relationship with him, through prayer and study of the Bible. He has granted me the promises, and it is up to me to know what they are.

 This was not one of the more popular life verses chosen by my class. Its not one of the more well-loved passages that are quoted so often by long time believers. For me, it is the heart of the gospel. Because of Jesus, I have everything.

Acknowledging Him

I went through a discipleship class where we were asked to choose our “life verse”. This was a passage of scripture that meant something significant to us, something that we could draw on in times of stress or uncertainty for guidance. Students chose a variety of verses. Jeremiah 29:11 was a popular choice:

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The 23^rd Psalm was a favorite:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…

The passage of scripture that was chosen most often was Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

I understand why this is a favorite. Who doesn’t want straight paths? To be able to walk unimpeded, down a long straight path where you can see forever sounds like the kind of directed life I want! I have to wonder if those who chose this verse counted the cost.

Trust in the Lord – Look to him. Where do we find his words? In the Bible. So trusting in him means trusting what he says enough to act on it. Obedience. Boy, do we dislike that “O” word. But trusting is an action. And not just some of his word, but all of it. Even the hard parts.

Trust…with all your heart – Wholehearted trust, not now-and-then, when-I-feel-like-it trust. Not occasional trust. Trust when it’s hard, when what he asks requires sacrifice.

Do not lean on your own understanding – Trust, even when it seems wrong. Trust him, even when I don’t get it. When I don’t get the job. When I don’t get the man, or the money, or whatever it is that I want and think would be good for me. Trust when things are hard, when my daughter is in the hospital, or my husband wrecked the car. Trust that God is bigger than whatever I am going through, and can take care of me.

In all your ways acknowledge him – In everything. At the soccer game, even when the officials are obviously blind. At the job, even when the boss is grumpy. Acknowledge him in all those places and in the “way” you do everything. The word “acknowledge” means more than a head nod. It has connotations of fellowship. He indwells us, so wherever we go, he goes. Whatever we participate in, he has some fellowship with. We drag him into every tantrum we throw, every snarky word we mutter, and every unloving action we take. Can love participate in unloving attitudes? No! We must reflect him in every “way” we go, acknowledging the truth of his life in us.

After we trust and acknowledge, then he makes our paths straight. He removes the obstacles that hinder us from living a life that honors him. You can’t get much straighter than that.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a favorite verse of mine, too. I didn’t choose it as my life verse, but I would have done well to do so. There is no one more trust worthy than the Lord. There is no greater way to live a life than in acknowledgement of him.