Are you ever frustrated with yourself when you fail in your spiritual disciplines? Jessica Roan joins us today, sharing a story from her own life, and pointing us to our faithful God who is at work in us: https://t.co/XY6WqV1RnR pic.twitter.com/BUm4HTHRHV
— PCA Discipleship Min (@PCACDM) August 22, 2022
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I wasn’t too concerned. We had just driven this a year ago. How difficult can it be? I lived in Dallas for two years without google maps. Did we really need to use it every second? Well, despite my husband’s warnings, I missed two exits. In both cases, I didn’t think we had to turn off at all. I thought the other traffic veered away from us. Nope. I was wrong.
Exits are funny things. They take action, a commitment. Once I’ve exited an interstate, I can’t just get right back on. I have to leave that route behind and join a new one.
Recently, my department head at the school I teach at offered me a new teaching option. It’s an excellent option, but I would have to give up a class I have loved teaching. Ugggh. Not a fun decision. I much prefer what happened over COVID when extreme staffing changes didn’t leave me with a decision. I was just told, “This is what we need.” If only I didn’t have to make difficult decisions at all.
Much too often the Christian life is treated like an exitless interstate. Especially in America, we can choose a safe life plan and coast on this interstate comfortably. For the most part, we can do what we want without making any sacrificial exits. While this method may be okay for a time, the Christian life requires us to take exits. As Jesus told the disciples, he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).
My roommate in college, the daughter of Wycliffe missionaries, said her dad taught her that when you feel lead to pray for someone, it is important to drop everything and pray fervently. “True peace cannot come until that is done,” he said. While some may need to exit a comfort zone to reach out to serve in a new way, others may just need to exit a more selfish method of managing time and leave hobbies, screen time or even good duties to devote time to genuine prayer for specific people or situations.
Jesus spent a significant portion of his time seeking out those the Jews despised-the tax collectors who took advantage of them at the Roman’s bidding, the Samaritan woman who was too shameful to draw water with the other women, the prostitute who interrupted the dinner party to wash Jesus’ feet. The call to step out of our comfort zone and reach out to those our friends and family may not be comfortable around requires a costly sacrifice. Jesus was never interested in making the religious people comfortable, only implementing his “upside down” gospel, ending the religious order of prestige and sacrifice and chose “what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” and “what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). This could not be accomplished by going with the flow of the current religious order. He had to continually make exits, big uncomfortable exits to demonstrate what his kingdom was like. Paul says, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23).
Poor Ananias had to make a swift uncomfortable exit. He was just going about his life when the Lord told him in a vision to go visit one of the fiercest enemies of Christians (Act 9:10-19). Philip had to cross cultural lines and approach a complete stranger in order to help the Ethiopian understand the scriptures (Act 8:26-40). Jesus asked the disciples to stay up and pray (Matthew 26:40). Did they do it? No. They failed. But the act of denying themselves sleep to pray is just as much an “exit” as “going” and obeying.
Will there be times of unfettered travel? Times of quiet, mundane duties? Absolutely. But Christ’s ministry was made up of exits, unmistakable acts of going against the flow. 1 Peter tells us, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking . . . “ (4:1). As children of God, we are called to “exit” at some point, to make definite moves to pray, become more like Christ, approach others, etc. . . . Exits are uncomfortable. They require boldness, discomfort and a rocking of the boat at times. If the road we are to take is indeed “narrow”, however, we are all required to make an exits.
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I wasn’t too concerned. We had just driven this a year ago. How difficult can it be? I lived in Dallas for two years without google maps. Did we really need to use it every second? Well, despite my husband’s warnings, I missed two exits. In both cases, I didn’t think we had to turn off at all. I thought the other traffic veered away from us. Nope. I was wrong.
Exits are funny things. They take action, a commitment. Once I’ve exited an interstate, I can’t just get right back on. I have to leave that route behind and join a new one.
Recently, my department head at the school I teach at offered me a new teaching option. It’s an excellent option, but I would have to give up a class I have loved teaching. Ugggh. Not a fun decision. I much prefer what happened over COVID when extreme staffing changes didn’t leave me with a decision. I was just told, “This is what we need.” If only I didn’t have to make difficult decisions at all.
Much too often the Christian life is treated like an exitless interstate. Especially in America, we can choose a safe life plan and coast on this interstate comfortably. For the most part, we can do what we want without making any sacrificial exits. While this method may be okay for a time, the Christian life requires us to take exits. As Jesus told the disciples, he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).
My roommate in college, the daughter of Wycliffe missionaries, said her dad taught her that when you feel lead to pray for someone, it is important to drop everything and pray fervently. “True peace cannot come until that is done,” he said. While some may need to exit a comfort zone to reach out to serve in a new way, others may just need to exit a more selfish method of managing time and leave hobbies, screen time or even good duties to devote time to genuine prayer for specific people or situations.
Jesus spent a significant portion of his time seeking out those the Jews despised-the tax collectors who took advantage of them at the Roman’s bidding, the Samaritan woman who was too shameful to draw water with the other women, the prostitute who interrupted the dinner party to wash Jesus’ feet. The call to step out of our comfort zone and reach out to those our friends and family may not be comfortable around requires a costly sacrifice. Jesus was never interested in making the religious people comfortable, only implementing his “upside down” gospel, ending the religious order of prestige and sacrifice and chose “what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” and “what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). This could not be accomplished by going with the flow of the current religious order. He had to continually make exits, big uncomfortable exits to demonstrate what his kingdom was like. Paul says, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23).
Poor Ananias had to make a swift uncomfortable exit. He was just going about his life when the Lord told him in a vision to go visit one of the fiercest enemies of Christians (Act 9:10-19). Philip had to cross cultural lines and approach a complete stranger in order to help the Ethiopian understand the scriptures (Act 8:26-40). Jesus asked the disciples to stay up and pray (Matthew 26:40). Did they do it? No. They failed. But the act of denying themselves sleep to pray is just as much an “exit” as “going” and obeying.
Will there be times of unfettered travel? Times of quiet, mundane duties? Absolutely. But Christ’s ministry was made up of exits, unmistakable acts of going against the flow. 1 Peter tells us, “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking . . . “ (4:1). As children of God, we are called to “exit” at some point, to make definite moves to pray, become more like Christ, approach others, etc. . . . Exits are uncomfortable. They require boldness, discomfort and a rocking of the boat at times. If the road we are to take is indeed “narrow”, however, we are all required to make an exits.
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I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In a lifetime of living within an hour of this small resort town, I hadn’t seen anything like it. A rare flood engulfing the main street receded, leaving the street filled with river rock-not small river rock, but large rocks to be removed only with heavy equipment. We thought we were past it, disasters like the one last year that made camping, hiking, and tourist activities difficult. Last summer’s dry conditions left my home state-and this particular town- engulfed in flames and smoke for the majority of the summer and fall. This year, however, we had snow and then rain, and lots of it. Phew! We weren’t going to burn up like that again! We had just been there hiking the day before, trying to beat the storm, and now the campgrounds and some hiking trails are closed all summer due to damaged campgrounds, trails, roads, bridges and more. The mountain pass that brings so much tourism to that small community is still not open due to the massive snow fall, and here we are again, waiting to get back to normal for another year.
Of course, the residents of this small town want to get back to normal, their livelihoods depend on it, but I can’t help but be reminded of my own discontentment when I think of this situation. Just as our community was sure that everything would be better when the fires ended, I am always waiting for something to change: then, I can really get started.
When I get married.
When I get a better job.
When I have a child.
When my kids start school.
When my kids are older.
When summer starts.
When I finish this project.
When I get my master’s degree.
When we reach financial stability.
When I can retire.
And pretty soon, I have “when”ed my life away.
Most of these things have happened, but I am still waiting: waiting to be more consistent in my quiet time and prayer life, more involved in mentoring and volunteering, more concerned with what God really wants me to be doing with my life. Mostly just waiting.
Psalm 90 says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength of eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. . . Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. . . Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90: 10-17).
Just like four years of high school seem like a lifetime to my students, while I am in the midst of a period of waiting for any of the above scenarios, it seems forever. Time is different for God. 2 Peter 3 says, “. . . with the Lord one days is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day”. As the passage above states, our lives are short. Instead of waiting for, well, anything, I should consider the twelve step concept of “one day at a time”. Since my days are “numbered”, I need to get up each day asking God what he has for that day, not when the next season of my life “finally” comes.
Paul even warns us not to put too much stock in our own plans, even if they are good plans. He says, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).
Lord, please make me “glad for as many days” as you give me. Help me to seek you daily instead of making big plans when things finally change. Give me your wisdom one day at a time to say the prayer of faith, to do the task at hand, to invest the relationship that is right in front of me before the opportunity is gone.
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I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In a lifetime of living within an hour of this small resort town, I hadn’t seen anything like it. A rare flood engulfing the main street receded, leaving the street filled with river rock-not small river rock, but large rocks requiring heavy equipment to remove them. We thought we were past it, disasters like the one last year that made camping, hiking, and tourist activities difficult. Last summer’s dry conditions left my home state-and this particular town- engulfed in flames and smoke for the majority of the summer and fall. This year, however, we had snow and then rain, and lots of it. Phew! We weren’t going to burn up like that again! We had just been there hiking the day before the flood, trying to beat the storm, and now the campgrounds and some hiking trails are closed all summer due to damaged campgrounds, trails, roads, bridges and more. The mountain pass that brings so much tourism to that small community is still not open due to the massive snow fall, and here we are again, waiting to get back to normal for another year.
Of course, the residents of this small town want to get back to normal, their livelihoods depend on it, but I can’t help but be reminded of my own discontentment when I think of this situation. Just as our community was sure that everything would be better when the fires ended, I am always waiting for something to change: then, I can really get started.
When I get married.
When I get a better job.
When I have a child.
When my kids start school.
When my kids are older.
When summer starts.
When I finish this project.
When I get my master’s degree.
When we reach financial stability.
When I can retire.
When the world is less crazy.
And pretty soon, I have “when”ed my life away.
It’s funny how most of these things have happened, but I am still waiting: waiting to be more consistent in my quiet time and prayer life, more involved in mentoring and volunteering, more concerned with what God really wants me to be doing with my life. Mostly just waiting.
I should know better. As Psalm 90 says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength of eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. . . Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. . . Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90: 10-17).
Just like four years of high school seem like a lifetime to my students, while I am in the midst of a period of waiting for any of the above scenarios, it seems forever. Time is different for God. 2 Peter 3 says, “. . . with the Lord one days is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day”. As Psalm 90 states, our lives are short. Instead of waiting for, well, anything, I should consider the twelve step concept of “one day at a time”. Since my days are “numbered”, I need to get up each day asking God what he has for that day, not when the next season of my life “finally” comes.
Paul even warns us not to put too much stock in our own plans, even if they are good plans. He says, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).
Lord, please make me “glad for as many days” as you give me. Help me to seek you daily instead of making big plans for when things finally change. Give me your wisdom one day at a time to say the prayer of faith, to do the task at hand, to invest the relationship that is right in front of me before the opportunity is gone.
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This Puzzle Called Life
http://box5297.temp.domains/~carrifk7/?p=754
— Read on box5297.temp.domains/~carrifk7/ -
Nobody likes discomfort, but life in a fallen world guarantees uncertainty. This puzzle we call life requires it. As James tells us, that God is not only with us “when (we) meet trails of various kinds” but will produce “steadfastness” eventually making us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”, not one missing piece (James 1:2-4). May we be steadfast as we trust the promises of a God who carried our forefathers through perplexing times when that piece didn’t quite fit until the puzzle maker completes the scene for us in eternity.
www.facebook.com/groups/connect.pca.women/permalink/504313166577008
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It was 1996, and while the Olympic Games were being held in Atlanta, GA, I was teaching 40+ Chinese teenagers in a Soviet-style concrete building with live electric wires running down the halls. It was a hot, June day, and my eager students, usually so quiet I could hear a pin drop, did something that shocked me; they all burst out laughing, uncontrollably. They weren’t trying to be rude like American teens might, I have seen that in my years of teaching. They revered teachers, feared them, really. They were actually in a state of disbelief that caused them to disrupt, lose themselves. Why? What brought this about? That day we were having a lesson on Easter.
Now, our summer English curriculum for this level of student included culture in order to increase the students’ background knowledge as many language programs do. I had been covering one or two holidays every day, and to me, Easter was just another holiday. After all, it wasn’t the only religious holiday. We also covered Christmas, so what was the big deal? To them, it was different. They were truly amazed, flabbergasted that America, a country they idolized in many ways, celebrated a holiday that involved someone rising from the dead. This, to them, was absurd, asinine really. How could such an educated culture believe in something like this? So in their disbelief, they laughed.
I have reflected on this incident many times since then. That day, I began to understand the shocking truth of Easter. Easter is about resurrection, an occurrence only brought about by a miracle of God. It means not only have our sins been covered, but we, in Christ, have conquered death. We are truly free of the fear of guilt AND of the afterlife. Without Easter, our faith is meaningless, we might as well claim nothing. Everything we know as Christians hinges on this miracle, foolishness to those who don’t believe. So, this weekend may we truly meditate on these words, “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:6-7). For this, this truth of the resurrection, is not just another holiday, a day for eggs, bunnies and family. It is our lifeline, our ONLY hope.
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A Time to Mourn
http://box5297.temp.domains/~carrifk7/?p=746
— Read on box5297.temp.domains/~carrifk7/
