Years ago I heard a renowned communicator say, "...We had best learn and teach others how to process our pain." Knowing how to work through the hard things that life will inevitably bring is of paramount importance if we are to successfully navigate and come out on the other side improved! Perspective and ongoing nurturing of a healthy view of our lives from God's eyes is what we need to carry us to His desired destination. I leave with you words from C. H. Spurgeon:
We would never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched. We would never enjoy the juice of the grape if it were never trodden in the wine press. We would never discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten. And we would never know the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The excellence of the Christian is brought out by the fire of trouble...
I believe the hardest-hearted, most cross grained and unlovely Christians...are those who never have had much trouble...The ones who are most sympathizing, loving, and Christlike are generally those that have the most affliction. The worst thing that could happen to any of us is to have our path made too smooth, and one of the greatest blessings that ever the Lord gave us was a cross....
We would never have essential fellowship with Jesus as we should if we did not have trouble. Don't imagine that any amount of prayer will have the effect of staving it off, for noone ever prayed like our Savior did. His agony in Gethsemane was a time of the mightiest prayer that was ever heard in heaven, yet was followed closely by His death on the cross.
We are to share in His suferings that we might also share in His Glory. And Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4 that "...we should not lose heart...for we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power [in us] may be of God and not from ourselves. We are afflicted, in every way, but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed (sounds like a song we sing around here...); always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the LIFE of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. We are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.... SO we don't lose heart, though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed (and how sweet it is) every day...because momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond comparison...for we are not looking [perspective] at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal...we walk by faith, not by sight."
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
I'm So Glad...
...That all of God is available to all...who will simply wait for Him to supply..... For those who do, He gives them their meat in due season.
I'm so glad that God's Life-Giving bounty is not limited to an elite few. For few will ever be numbered with an "elite" nor part of a perceived gifted or favored fraternity / pedigree in this world. Yet all are highly favored...uniquely privileged, those who are in Him.
I'm so glad that "virtues" of the downcast and disregarded capture His heart and compels Him to look toward them and extend His hand. What an honor, though overlooked by life, to be seen by El Roi and valued by Omnipotence. He is the God of Jacob (Selah...) and the Father to those who have none.
I'm so glad and blessed to know that, happy are the "uncool", for theirs is the gift of authenticity in a world of show. Popularity will elude most of us, but the salve of His indwelling Spirit will escort all from loneliess to solitude, from the disappointments of a treacherous and broken world to the "secret place of His dwelling", from incessant uncertainties to incorrigible Hope. The secret of the Lord is with them who fear and wait. Those who endure, who are renewed, those who overcome, they are found there...the Vestibule of Heaven...with the God of the lowly...my exceeding Joy. ...One day with Him, better than a thosand anywhere else in the universe...the best vacation you'll ever have.
Amazed at the wonder of it all....
Selah
I'm so glad that God's Life-Giving bounty is not limited to an elite few. For few will ever be numbered with an "elite" nor part of a perceived gifted or favored fraternity / pedigree in this world. Yet all are highly favored...uniquely privileged, those who are in Him.
I'm so glad that "virtues" of the downcast and disregarded capture His heart and compels Him to look toward them and extend His hand. What an honor, though overlooked by life, to be seen by El Roi and valued by Omnipotence. He is the God of Jacob (Selah...) and the Father to those who have none.
I'm so glad and blessed to know that, happy are the "uncool", for theirs is the gift of authenticity in a world of show. Popularity will elude most of us, but the salve of His indwelling Spirit will escort all from loneliess to solitude, from the disappointments of a treacherous and broken world to the "secret place of His dwelling", from incessant uncertainties to incorrigible Hope. The secret of the Lord is with them who fear and wait. Those who endure, who are renewed, those who overcome, they are found there...the Vestibule of Heaven...with the God of the lowly...my exceeding Joy. ...One day with Him, better than a thosand anywhere else in the universe...the best vacation you'll ever have.
Amazed at the wonder of it all....
Selah
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Conflict Resolution
The pain of conflict isn't always a bad thing. It can be a springboard for all involved to grow and learn more about ourselves and those we may struggle with. With our Pastor informing us that conflict is in the air, I've thought much, prayed much and am trusting for a resolution that will give God glory. I'm reminded of the words of Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address with regards to the conflict that he was entrusted by God to oversee..."...The Almighty has his own purposes. Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of "war" may speedily pass...that we strive to finish the work...bind up the nations wounds...care for those who have bourne the battle and do all that may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves....
"I'm not a Quaker, but greatly respect those dear people. I leave with you some gleanings from them that could serve to be a guide to all....
The first skill of conflict resolution is naming: being clear and honest about the problem as I see it, stating what I see and how I feel about it. What is important about these statements is that I own them: "I see," "I feel."
...The second skill is the skill of listening: Listening not just to the words, but to the feelings and needs behind the words...; being truly open to what we're hearing (even if it hurts); being open to the possibility that we might ourselves be changed by what we hear.
The third skill is the skill of letting go: I don't mean that in the sense of giving up, lying down and inviting people to walk all over us, but acknowledging the possibility that there may be other solutions to this conflict than the ones we've thought of yet; letting the imagination in - making room for the Spirit. We need to let go of our own will - not so as to surrender to another's, but so as to look together for God's Solution. If we are to do any of these well - naming, listening, letting go - we need to have learned to trust that God will do that in us personally and that He will do this in all of those trapped on all sides of the conflict with us.
When we seek truth, right, or communion rather than victory, my adversary is precisely the teacher I need...so that my truth deficiency can be corrected with the truth to be found in my adversary's position....
And finally, James 1:19 says, “…Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger…” Amazing advice for every moment of our lives.
I thought this would be good for all to hear and consider.
I love you all.
Mitch
"I'm not a Quaker, but greatly respect those dear people. I leave with you some gleanings from them that could serve to be a guide to all....
The first skill of conflict resolution is naming: being clear and honest about the problem as I see it, stating what I see and how I feel about it. What is important about these statements is that I own them: "I see," "I feel."
...The second skill is the skill of listening: Listening not just to the words, but to the feelings and needs behind the words...; being truly open to what we're hearing (even if it hurts); being open to the possibility that we might ourselves be changed by what we hear.
The third skill is the skill of letting go: I don't mean that in the sense of giving up, lying down and inviting people to walk all over us, but acknowledging the possibility that there may be other solutions to this conflict than the ones we've thought of yet; letting the imagination in - making room for the Spirit. We need to let go of our own will - not so as to surrender to another's, but so as to look together for God's Solution. If we are to do any of these well - naming, listening, letting go - we need to have learned to trust that God will do that in us personally and that He will do this in all of those trapped on all sides of the conflict with us.
When we seek truth, right, or communion rather than victory, my adversary is precisely the teacher I need...so that my truth deficiency can be corrected with the truth to be found in my adversary's position....
And finally, James 1:19 says, “…Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger…” Amazing advice for every moment of our lives.
I thought this would be good for all to hear and consider.
I love you all.
Mitch
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Faith
"All things are possible to them that believe." Mark 9:23
"All things" do not come easily for the asking because God is always teaching us the way of faith, and in our training, the patience of faith...its courage.
Moral fiber is built through the discipline of faith. You may have made your request to God but the answer may not come so soon. What should be our response?
Continue to believe God's Word. Never be moved from this strategic posture regardless of what you may see or feel. Looking long at the apparent contradiction between what you see and God's Word to you from this position of faith, makes you stronger as time goes on.
God worked this way in the lives of all the great Bible characters. They were not great in the beginning but were made great through the things they suffered in faith. This equipped them for the positions God had called them to.
So remember, when Heaven seems quiet, the answer lingers and the process seems long, that God is busy. "Be confident...that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
Adapted from "Streams In The Desert" by Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman
"All things" do not come easily for the asking because God is always teaching us the way of faith, and in our training, the patience of faith...its courage.
Moral fiber is built through the discipline of faith. You may have made your request to God but the answer may not come so soon. What should be our response?
Continue to believe God's Word. Never be moved from this strategic posture regardless of what you may see or feel. Looking long at the apparent contradiction between what you see and God's Word to you from this position of faith, makes you stronger as time goes on.
God worked this way in the lives of all the great Bible characters. They were not great in the beginning but were made great through the things they suffered in faith. This equipped them for the positions God had called them to.
So remember, when Heaven seems quiet, the answer lingers and the process seems long, that God is busy. "Be confident...that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
Adapted from "Streams In The Desert" by Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Stand and Consider the Wonders of God - Job 37:14
In Psalm 8 the psalmist says, "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained...I think...what is man that Thou dost take thought of Him...?"
In reading John Piper's "A Godward Life", I was taken by these paragraphs. Contemplating the greatness of our God is the remedy for much that ails us. I share these thoughts with you...take time to read, acknowledge and be amazed.
The moon rises about 240,000 miles above the earth, soaring about 500,000 times higher than the highest fireworks. The moon travels at 2,300 miles per hour in its outward serenity around the earth, which is probably five times faster than fireworks. The moon is 2,160 miles in diameter (from San Francisco to Cleveland). It weighs 81 quintillion tons (three more zeros than a trillion). It has mountain ranges with peaks almost as high as Mount Everest. It has empty seas 750 miles across and craters 146 miles wide and 20,000 feet deep.
The power of the moon is unimaginable. Nothing on earth that man has ever made can compare. Every day the moon takes the oceans of the earth and lifts them quietly; millions upon millions upon millions of tons of water quietly and irresistibly lifted into the air. In Boston the tide recedes ten feet. In Eastport, Maine, it recedes nineteen feet. In Nova Scotia, in the Bay of Fundy, the tides vary up to fourty-three feet.
The moon is an awesome thing. If you stood in the sunlight on the moon, the fluids in your body would boil, but if you walked into the shadow of a large rock, you would quickly freeze solid.
But who sees the moon? Who stands in awe of the moon? Who looks at the moon on any night and especially Independance Night when there are manmade fireworks to watch? Who notices the really great things in life? No wonder we are oblivious to the glory of God when there are such clear parables of our blindness built into everyday experience.
Then call this to mind, that the moon is but a reflection of the sun, which quietly keeps its ninety-three-million-mile distance lest we be consumed. Then think that the sun is but a medium-size star. Then think that God created them all and leads them out by number and calls them by name. "Because of the greatness of His might and strength of His power, not one of them is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).
Read your emotional barometer. Do the amazements and delights of your life correspond to God's reality? Or do they rise and fall on the passing waves of human glitz.
Selah...
Mitch
In reading John Piper's "A Godward Life", I was taken by these paragraphs. Contemplating the greatness of our God is the remedy for much that ails us. I share these thoughts with you...take time to read, acknowledge and be amazed.
The moon rises about 240,000 miles above the earth, soaring about 500,000 times higher than the highest fireworks. The moon travels at 2,300 miles per hour in its outward serenity around the earth, which is probably five times faster than fireworks. The moon is 2,160 miles in diameter (from San Francisco to Cleveland). It weighs 81 quintillion tons (three more zeros than a trillion). It has mountain ranges with peaks almost as high as Mount Everest. It has empty seas 750 miles across and craters 146 miles wide and 20,000 feet deep.
The power of the moon is unimaginable. Nothing on earth that man has ever made can compare. Every day the moon takes the oceans of the earth and lifts them quietly; millions upon millions upon millions of tons of water quietly and irresistibly lifted into the air. In Boston the tide recedes ten feet. In Eastport, Maine, it recedes nineteen feet. In Nova Scotia, in the Bay of Fundy, the tides vary up to fourty-three feet.
The moon is an awesome thing. If you stood in the sunlight on the moon, the fluids in your body would boil, but if you walked into the shadow of a large rock, you would quickly freeze solid.
But who sees the moon? Who stands in awe of the moon? Who looks at the moon on any night and especially Independance Night when there are manmade fireworks to watch? Who notices the really great things in life? No wonder we are oblivious to the glory of God when there are such clear parables of our blindness built into everyday experience.
Then call this to mind, that the moon is but a reflection of the sun, which quietly keeps its ninety-three-million-mile distance lest we be consumed. Then think that the sun is but a medium-size star. Then think that God created them all and leads them out by number and calls them by name. "Because of the greatness of His might and strength of His power, not one of them is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).
Read your emotional barometer. Do the amazements and delights of your life correspond to God's reality? Or do they rise and fall on the passing waves of human glitz.
Selah...
Mitch
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It's Enough...
"By faith, Abraham, when called to go out to a place which he should receive for an inheritance, obeyed." Hebrews 11:8
He didn't know where he was going but it was enough for him to know that he was going with God. He didn't lean so much upon the promises as he did on the One who promises. He did not look so much at the difficulties that he was facing but toward his King, the One who is eternal, immortal, invisible and wise, who had assigned him his course and would ultimately bring glory to Himself in it. What faith! The willingness to launch out with "sealed orders" because of an unwavering confidence in God, his Heavenly Father...willing to leave all and follow Christ because of joyous assurance that the best earth offers cannot compare to what Heaven guarantees.
It is enough to set out with God on any venture. But make sure and tear up any itinerary you may have set, for things usually will not go as "planned". Your Guide will not necessarily keep to a beaten path but will lead in ways you never dreamed and you'll see things you've never seen before. He has no fears and therefore we should not, for He is with us.
Adapted from "Streams In The Desert"
Give Him Praise!
Mitch
He didn't know where he was going but it was enough for him to know that he was going with God. He didn't lean so much upon the promises as he did on the One who promises. He did not look so much at the difficulties that he was facing but toward his King, the One who is eternal, immortal, invisible and wise, who had assigned him his course and would ultimately bring glory to Himself in it. What faith! The willingness to launch out with "sealed orders" because of an unwavering confidence in God, his Heavenly Father...willing to leave all and follow Christ because of joyous assurance that the best earth offers cannot compare to what Heaven guarantees.
It is enough to set out with God on any venture. But make sure and tear up any itinerary you may have set, for things usually will not go as "planned". Your Guide will not necessarily keep to a beaten path but will lead in ways you never dreamed and you'll see things you've never seen before. He has no fears and therefore we should not, for He is with us.
Adapted from "Streams In The Desert"
Give Him Praise!
Mitch
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
It's Inevitable!
As you browse the posts of my blog through the years you may notice a number of thoughts on issues regarding suffering and difficulties. I'm convinced that it is one of God's primary ways of forming us spiritually. The last two weeks I've discussed humbling ourselves and being strong in this life that has been sovereignly put before us...not to desire an easy life. An easy life does not give the results we hope for. I wish it were different. I'm sure that if there were any other way, God would pursue it. It's inevitable.
One of the painful things we suffer through is temptation. Jesus was tempted and I would say severely. This often comes upon a man or woman with its strongest power when he /she is closest to God. Someone once said. "The devil aims high." He even got Peter to say he never knew Christ!
One of the benefits of reading the biographies of great Christian men and women is that it gives us a glimpse into the challenges, obstacles and suffering they passed through to achieve God's intended purposes for them. It encourages us to know that we are not alone and that enduring all things builds great men and women.
God permits it because it does for us what storms do for big oaks - it roots us; and what fire does for paintings on porcelain - it makes it permanent.
You never really know that you have Him and that He has you until you face the onslaught of the world, the flesh and our enemy, unleashed to pull you away; it is then that you feel the pull of His right hand. What a glorious experience, knowing in your "knower" that you "know" and are known.
Bad things are not always the punishment for bad sins, but rather the trial of Amazing Graces. I was thinking of John the Beloved on the isle of Patmos...exiled there because of his faith (Revelation 1:9). I feel he had to wonder, "Lord, why am I here? Am I here because I handled things all wrong, failed in some way, because I didn't do enough, because I didn't love you more, because I disobeyed or missed You somehow in the process?" Whatever the case, he had finally settled the issue by the time He wrote the words in Revelation 1:9...he was there because he did exactly what God wanted him to do...many times this is difficult to fully receive...Selah....
Amazing Graces must be revealed in and through ignoble places...allowed by God. Yes, God has many sharp cutting instruments, and rough files for shaping and polishing His jewels, those He means to make most extraordinary. His tools are often on those who are His.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon stated: I owe more to the fire, the hammer and the file, than to anything else in my Lord's workshop. I question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my "schoolroom" is darkened, I see the best.
It's inevitable, but endure! For the harvest will far outweigh the pain incurred.
Some material adapted from "Streams In The Desert"
Give Him Praise!
Mitch
One of the painful things we suffer through is temptation. Jesus was tempted and I would say severely. This often comes upon a man or woman with its strongest power when he /she is closest to God. Someone once said. "The devil aims high." He even got Peter to say he never knew Christ!
One of the benefits of reading the biographies of great Christian men and women is that it gives us a glimpse into the challenges, obstacles and suffering they passed through to achieve God's intended purposes for them. It encourages us to know that we are not alone and that enduring all things builds great men and women.
God permits it because it does for us what storms do for big oaks - it roots us; and what fire does for paintings on porcelain - it makes it permanent.
You never really know that you have Him and that He has you until you face the onslaught of the world, the flesh and our enemy, unleashed to pull you away; it is then that you feel the pull of His right hand. What a glorious experience, knowing in your "knower" that you "know" and are known.
Bad things are not always the punishment for bad sins, but rather the trial of Amazing Graces. I was thinking of John the Beloved on the isle of Patmos...exiled there because of his faith (Revelation 1:9). I feel he had to wonder, "Lord, why am I here? Am I here because I handled things all wrong, failed in some way, because I didn't do enough, because I didn't love you more, because I disobeyed or missed You somehow in the process?" Whatever the case, he had finally settled the issue by the time He wrote the words in Revelation 1:9...he was there because he did exactly what God wanted him to do...many times this is difficult to fully receive...Selah....
Amazing Graces must be revealed in and through ignoble places...allowed by God. Yes, God has many sharp cutting instruments, and rough files for shaping and polishing His jewels, those He means to make most extraordinary. His tools are often on those who are His.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon stated: I owe more to the fire, the hammer and the file, than to anything else in my Lord's workshop. I question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my "schoolroom" is darkened, I see the best.
It's inevitable, but endure! For the harvest will far outweigh the pain incurred.
Some material adapted from "Streams In The Desert"
Give Him Praise!
Mitch
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