Leaning, Learning...Living

Happy Word-Filled Wednesday!!!!!

If you will, read the following verse, study the picture...

What part of it speaks to you?

"He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears..." 

Do you need to cry out to God?

"To the One who could save Him from death..." 

Do you need the Lord to save you from something?

Or maybe it's the picture of Jesus, face down, 

clawing His fingers into the rock.  

Knowing He was about to suffer, 

He cried out to His Father in a loud voice, 

and then pressed into Him, 

begging for strength and help in His pain.

"Reverent submission." 

Wowzer. There's a phrase you don't hear everyday. 

Jesus cried out for help and was 

reverently submissive at the same time. 

Does that strike a chord of wondering within you?

For me, the ending words are what grab me and don't let go. 

"He learned obedience from what He suffered." 

It's the act that flows from "reverent submission."

I have no problems crying out, trusting, leaning, grabbing onto Him for dear life. It is a habit, a dependence for many years.

And I learn--in my head, in my heart, even telling others what I've learned. But to take all that learning and somehow change my habits and priorities as a result? Well, lemme confess, He's still working on me there. It's about my need for comfort. My obsession with peace. My love for calm and personal space.

My earnest prayer is that He would minister to you through His Word today...reveal something hidden, great or small, that needs to come out in order to grow up in Him, in order to deepen your relationship with your Papa. I'm taking this opportunity that Word-Filled Wednesday has given me to crawl up on my Daddy's lap and ask Him to teach me while I sit and listen to Him talk. Will you do the same?

For more Word-Filled Wednesday leaning, learning and living, hike on over to:

In the Key of HE,

Burn It, Baby!

Hey all, some of the readers of my blog may not know that a huge part of my Lifesong--where my love for ministry writing was really born was from a totally separate devotional ministry where I send out devotionals and fiction stories from my Lovinthearts.com ministry website . I thought I would post one from last year, and I hope it ministers to you today.

If you would like to sign up to receive my edevos straight to your inbox, as well as some short fiction devo stories, click here:
Lovinthearts.com Edevo subscribe form There is no junk mail or advertising whatsoever sent from my site.

Burn It, Baby!

As a little girl growing up in the Midwest, I have memories of the smell of burning leaves. In the fall, people would rake their massive volume of leaves, sometimes multiple times a week, but instead of bagging them, they would put them into piles for burning. It was a unique odor that I will never forget…not a bad one, just distinct.

One day, I was going with my Mom to my aunt’s house in “the country,” and I smelled the most horrible odor. This was AFTER making it past all the OTHER odors that one survives as she drives through the rural areas of southern Illinois (maybe to do with cows). Anyway, it was something burning, but it wasn’t leaves, and it stunk to high heaven! I pinched my nose and asked my mom what that hetrocious smell was as I gagged through the little air I allowed to come in through my mouth. She said, “Someone’s burning trash!” I had no idea that people could burn trash, but she went on to let me know that this was a regular act for country folk.

This memory came to my mind as I was reading this morning, and you know what, the smell even came back with it! YUCK! I’m glad it did, though, because it gave me a tangible grasp on this passage of Scripture from The Message:

Matthew 3:11-12
"I'm (John the Baptist) baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The Main Character in this drama—compared to Him I'm a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false He'll put out with the trash to be burned."

Imagine that! When we were saved, He lit a fire within our souls …the Holy Spirit. His role was to change us from the inside out…so the flame lit inside of us shines brightly on “Christ in us” while burning the “trash” at the same time. He took up that stink, so that we would be clean before Him…Do we get that? Our souls are spotless before the Lord because He did some sweeping, raking and burning.

Our goal as Christians is to keep living in Him, in a deeper and brighter way each day. The salvation part is covered, but there is still sanctification to be done. The cool thing is that we have the perfect Source of life within us, and we have access to that Source as we keep ourselves plugged into it.

When the Lord is our starting place for energy, for purity, for holiness, for light, for joy, for peace, for fullness, for pleasure—when HE is the supply of all those things—THEN and ONLY then, will we have success at living the Kingdom life here on earth. There is absolutely no way to do it on our own.

John 14:19 says, “Because I live, you will also live.” Because He did not give way to sin or to death, HE LIVES! When we draw on His life, He gives us the ability to say “no” to sin and death for today. As we repent and submit, He takes out the trash in our hearts and minds and burns it, baby! And I’m sure it stinks to high heaven. After those ashes comes His beauty as He reorganizes our priorities with His own.

What a wonderful opportunity for us to recognize His work in us today, friends, and to praise Him…to fall down and worship Him…to submit to Him. I’m ready for the Main Character in my drama (and there’s always lots of it) to do some igniting in me, how about you?

Let’s go to our Starting Place:

LORD JESUS, YOU ARE OUR SOURCE, OUR PROVIDER, OUR HELP. WHEN WE’RE TIRED, YOU’RE OUR ENERGY. WHEN WE’RE WORRIED, YOU’RE OUR PEACE. WHEN WE’RE CONFUSED, YOU’RE OUR COUNSELOR. WHEN WE’RE ATTACKED, YOU’RE OUR DEFENDER. WHEN WE’RE WEAK, YOU’RE OUR STRENGTH. WHEN WE’RE ANGRY, YOU’RE OUR CALM. YOU AND YOU ALONE DO ALL THESE THINGS IN US, AND YOU DO THEM WELL.
HELP US, FATHER, TO TRUST IN YOU TODAY, TO MAKE YOU OUR SUFFICIENCY.
IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY, AMEN.

In the Key of HE,

He is "There"...and Here.

Several years ago, I had the privilege of being one of the team leaders for a women's retreat our church was sponsoring. It was during an extremely difficult season of my life, but it was a commitment I began before that time hit. As the person directing and leading the dramas and tech, it was a hectic weekend, though I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Everything went beyond well. The Lord showed His favor on the event. The speaker was amazing, and on the Sunday morning of the retreat, revival broke out. The retreat committee leaders served communion to the women attending. So while worship was happening, we stood in a line across the front, a bowl of bread and a cup of juice to dip the bread in. Women were on their knees, some were weeping, many raising both of their hands in complete surrender to the Lord. This is not a normal worship service at my church, so it was like nothing I'd ever experienced. As they would walk up to one of us to take the communion, we would say to them "His body was broken for you. His blood was shed for you. Eat and drink, Sister." So many were crying, a few would even ask for prayer or hold onto our shoulders.

About halfway through, I could not hold the tears back, I started to get really cold and tremble. I was overwhelmed with the brokenness in the room, enveloped in my own neediness as well. Lord, not now, please calm me down. I need to be strong for these women, I thought. I was begging Him to hold the tears back and "keep me together," at least until I wasn't holding a basket of bread in one hand and a juice cup in the other. My limbs began to get very weak, the tears streamed like an overflowing river down my face, and I was about ready to excuse myself.

Then a precious sister in Christ, one I do not know or even remember to this day, walked up to me, I thought to take communion. Instead, she slid in behind me and held up my arms. It freaked me out a little bit. It was awkward. Felt weird and embarrassing. Then she said, "Don't fight it. Just lean on me and let me hold you up until you're stronger." I did, and the streams of tears began to flow even heavier. As I stood there trembling, feeling more vulnerable than I'd ever felt in my life, I was humbled by the awesomeness of the Lord. Of course I wondered where my Kleenex angel was too, but then I got serious again. He did not answer my prayer in a way that I expected, but He was there, and in the form of a sister who listened to His prompting.

That's the power of God, my friends. He's "there" for us. "There" is anywhere we think He's absent. "There" is anywhere we need Him to be. If we will accept His ways, His methods for being there, then He will be. "There" is here. Right now. He's not "way up there." He is here.

Psalm 61:1-4:

"Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to You,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.

For You have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe.

i long to dwell in Your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.

Selah"

As I reflect on the verse "dwell in Your tent forever," I can't help but look back.

When I was a little girl, scared in my bed of what might walk through my door and hurt me any moment, I cried out, and He was there to comfort me. Remind me of His perfect love for me.

When I was a teenager, struggling to figure out life and love with no parents to guide me, He was there. He led others to teach me, and He also guided me through the Holy Spirit in me.

When I was in a season of giving care for others, struggling with loss and depression and grief, He was there. He fed me through His Word, He sent people to take care of our tangible needs. He literally reached into the deepest parts of me and gave me incomprehensible peace.

And those are the big things, the really hard things. He has also been there through the ordinary, the regular and the "smaller" burdens and needs of my life as well.

To and from one end of the earth and back, He will be there.

But sometimes I realize I've called on something else. I have to lay it down, repent. Then lean on HIm, press into HIm. Face the vulnerability, the unlovely. Let Him be there for me. Let Him LEAD ME to the Rock that is higher than I, and higher than anything I could replace Him with or escape from.

"There" is here, my friends. Right now. He's not "way up there." He is here.

"God IS our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

The LORD Almighty IS WITH US;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

The LORD Almighty IS with us;

the God of Jacob IS our fortress.

Selah"

(verses from Psalm 46, NIV)

In the Key of HE,