Category Archives: sanctification
Leaping Faith
My husband teases me for keeping a red pen near when I read novels. Yes, sometimes that crimson friend is for marking missed errors that will be compiled into an email to the editor. More often, however, that pen is for noting things of significance. Good fiction can cut right to the heart more efficiently and in a more memorable way than most nonfiction. Those are the lines that I mark. Those are the paragraphs I want to remember.
I recently read a novel by Tessa Afshar. A sweet friend recommended it to me. I’m so glad she did.
Pearl in the Sand (Moody Publishers, September 2010), a fictionalized account of Rahab from the Bible, is filled with multi-faceted characters and profound truths about God and faith. There are many parts I found absolutely fascinating, sections that challenged me to look deeper into the Scriptural account. Other chapters urged me to evaluate my faith and commitment to God. It is one such scene that I want to share with you today. Read the rest of this entry
Like this:
How to be Outstanding
“Dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
… to the extent that God has blessed you.
… because a door of great opportunity stands wide open for me, but there are many opponents.
Stay alert, stand firm in the faith show courage, be strong. Everything you do should be done in love.”
Last week I finished reading 1 Corinthians. The quotes above come from 15:58, 16:2, 9, 13-14, all quoted in the NET.
Before I go any further, please understand that I’ve not quoted the verses in their entirety, not even entirely in context. (Click here to read the full chapters.) In order to fully study and understand Scripture, we MUST read it in context, both literary and cultural.
Sometimes, though, God seems to highlight sections of Scripture. He makes them brighter for individuals for specific reasons. The parts I quoted above are the portions that jumped off the page at me last week.
Zach’s care (since his accident) has completely consumed me. I’m not complaining. Please understand that. But I have been overwhelmed, overwhelmed to the point that I sometimes just go through the motions knowing that I have so much to do and I don’t keep moving I won’t get it all done. Believing — or perhaps fearing — that if I take time to process our situation or my feelings about it or the toll it is taking on us, I’ll miss something. The balls I’ve so carefully arranged into moving suspension will tumble to the ground. Read the rest of this entry
Seeking Consistency
A while back Dori shared her testimony about our Read with Me Challenge. One thing that resonated with me, and I know some of you, was her desire for consistency. She didn’t want to just get the job done, but to maintain an even, faithful pace.
Such is the prayer of my life.
Somehow in my rebellion against routine, I’ve acquired an absence of consistency. One day I’m passionate about something and the next week I’m bored with the pursuit. One moment I can get enough and the next I can’t get far enough away.
Perhaps I’m exaggerating. I hope I am. I’d like to believe I’m slightly less eratic, emotional, unstable and a little more … well, the opposite of all those things.
I have lofty plans, but struggle to follow through. I desire to be more studious, more aware, more compassionate, more active. But then I spend another evening pouring over cookbooks, making grocery lists and listening for the delightful tune of a laundry load finished. The necessities of life swallow my ambitions. Or perhaps fear encourages me to hide in the mundane details, convincing me it’s safer there, that I belong there.
The only consistent part of my life is that it’s always the same.
That sounds entirely like a quote from Yogi Berra. Keep watch: it may end up on a Geiko commercial before you know it.
My point is that changes come slowly and in the meantime inconsistency reigns. If I’m growing, I can’t see it. I feel like stretching, but fear the risk. Or what others might say. And what will I do then?
Lord God, help me to look to you and you alone. Help me to remember that your love and redemption of me are independent of my actions. I am not in danger of losing either, no matter what I do, because you have sealed me in your Book of Life. Your grace is greater than all my inconsistent strivings and all my consistent failures. I love you and long to love you more. Help me to yield entirely to the will you have for me. Help me to trust in your strength and power to make me who you want me to be in your perfect timing. Amen and amen.
Horrors and Splendors
Change seems to be the theme of the week.
I’m reading a novel about fresh starts. Are they really possible? Can you leave behind who you were and start over? Or are we doomed to always lug around the mistakes of our past? Do our choices define us? Can we change those definitions, even if they seem etched in stone for all to see? I wrestle with this issue so often.
I’m also reading a book for our small group study that deals with spiritual disciplines. I’ve discovered that the mere word “discipline” makes me feel oppressed. It’s heavy. As if I’m not already feeling overwhelmed by my shortcomings, here are another thousand habits I must form in order to be better.
The truth is I’ll never be perfect.
The truth is I’ll always feel the sting of not reaching my potential.
The truth is that God’s grace makes transformation possible.
Our speaker on Sunday said “You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks. But I am no dog.”
Praise God, neither am I.
I have to admit that reading through Jeremiah and Ecclesiastes has been exceptionally depressing to me. The pages reek of futility, doom and opportunities for fresh starts missed. Even James is filled with harsh warnings. John seems the perfect balance for these. By reading all four books together, we get a harmony of truth. We get the human perspective (Ecclesiastes), the God perspective (Jeremiah), the Type A, “get doing” perspective (James) and the Grace perspective (John).
Right now you may be thinking “Wow! Tanya caught up with all of her reading?! Wasn’t she six months behind??” Be kind. I was only four months behind. And, yes, I’m still behind, but since October beautifully coordinated the beginning of four new books, I decided to give myself a fresh start there. I’ll go back and catch up as I can. I wrote a little more about this in my recent Q&A post. This is far from my point.
The point is that we have a choice: to become the amazing creatures God intended or to turn away from Him and all the blessings He has planned for us. Without Him, we haven’t a clue what potential lies within us, what awesome adventures He longs for us to experience.
C. S. Lewis wrote this:
“All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations … There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”
I want to become one of those everlasting splendors. May God grant me the wisdom, grace, humility and strength needed to follow Him each day, each moment, toward that end.
Your turn. What are you thinking as you read?
Being Made Holy (Read with Me)
“I am the LORD, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”
– Leviticus 22:32b-33 (NIV)
I read these words last week, but they still reverberate in my mind. A single day hasn’t passed without their insistent echo.
Lately I’ve felt a lot of pressure to make right decisions and present the perfect facade. Sometimes Christianity lends itself more toward pretension than authenticity. It’s not that we don’t want to be real; it’s that when we are, everyone seems to feel they need to “fix” us or show us the “right” path. In an effort to avoid hearing what we already know, too many of us pretend everything is fine.
You don’t have to be a Christian for long to know all the answers. Applying those answers (not just playing the part) is a completely different story.
I know I need to trust God in everything. That doesn’t make it easy.
I know He loves me unconditionally, no matter what I do or say or think. But I don’t always feel loved.
I know He’s in control and all will work according to His plan and in His timing. So why do I doubt?
I know the more time I spend with Him, the better I’ll know Him and the easier it should be to apply these truths. If only this knowledge could clear my schedule or strengthen my desire for solitary devotion.
I am what I am and I feel what I feel. And that’s okay because God knows me better than I know myself and it is HE who is bringing me to completion. It’s not my job to become perfect or holy; it’s His job to make me that way. I am humbled and honored. I would love to be able to do it myself, but I can’t. Just as I could not pull myself out of Egypt — the sin that ensnared me and made me a slave — I cannot make myself holy. PRAISE BE TO GOD who does all this for me! He has saved me from myself. He has saved me from my past. He has given me a new life and — here’s the best part — He’s not done with me yet. He is the LORD. He is my LORD.
I would love to hear what God has been teaching you. What has He revealed to you this week? How has He made Himself known?
If you’ve blogged about our Read with Me journey (today or anytime this month), link up. We’re in this together – right?
I’ll not post specifically where I am in our schedule. Just know I am still behind (quite a lot) in some books, but on schedule in others. Moving forward is more important that how quickly.
Dug Down Deep
Do you remember the first time you saw a 3-D movie?
I think I was eight. Our family went to Orlando for a week. We sat in this giant theater at one of the parks. Somebody gave us the flimsy little red and blue glasses with the big white frames. I refused to put them on. My older brother (he was sixteen) kept telling me “Just do it. Just do it! Put ‘em on!”
I didn’t want to. I insisted I already knew how to watch a movie, and sliding these weird-looking things over my already goofy eyeglasses was not part of the deal.
When the movie started, I could see the screen, but it wasn’t right. Bright colors vibrated around familiar shapes, but instead of being entertaining, it was annoying, blurry and visually too loud.
Finally I slunk down in my seat, made sure my bossy brother wasn’t watching me, then slid on the glasses. WOW. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced! Instead of being a bystander, I became part of the movie. It swirled toward and around me, inviting me further and further into the life the filmmakers created for me.
That experience — the moment seeing-but-not-seeing turns into something unbelievably tangible and beautiful and right — that’s what Joshua Harris’s newest book is like. Dug Down Deep takes the seemingly abstract subject of doctrine and reveals it in it’s full form. Instead of blurry images of old men arguing irrelevant details, it becomes clearly seen as the absolute foundation to living a Christian life. Instead of boasting intellectualism void of action, it becomes evident as the catalyst toward compassionate evangelism and social responsibility.
He writes: “It matters not because we want to impress people, but because what we know about God shapes the way we think and live. Theology matters because if we get it wrong then our whole life will be wrong.“
If you’re already a student of theology, much of this book may be review for you. However, the personal narrative, the ease of application, and the simple flow of this book make it a great read for any Christian, regardless of where they are in their spiritual training.
In the over two hundred pages, one part struck me more than the rest. Toward the beginning of the book Harris talks about the wise and foolish builders. I’ve read that story hundreds of times; I’ve even taught about it, but his perspective has haunted me ever since that first reading. The “rock” in the story isn’t Jesus; it’s solid theology. You may already know that Jesus told this parable believers about believers. The story doesn’t contrast Christians with non-Christians; it contrasts those who follow Jesus’ instructions with those who don’t. But the wise man who dug down deep to find the rock, dug to make sure his life was founded on solid, accurate teachings. Both worked to build a life that would honor Christ. Only one made sure he started with the right foundation.
Do we live this Christian life because it’s what we’ve always known? Because it makes us happy? Because we like the culture or the people in it?
That’s why I like this book. It urges believers to (as the subtitle suggests) unearth what we believe. It reminds us why what we believe is so very important to our everyday life.
About the Author:
Joshua Harris is senior pastor of Covenant Life in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which belongs to the Sovereign Grace network of local churches. A passionate speaker with a gift for making theological truth easy to understand, Joshua is perhaps best known for his runaway bestseller, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which he wrote at the age of twenty-one. His later books include Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Church. The founder of the NEXT conferences for young adults, Joshua is committed to seeing the gospel transferred to a new generation of Christians. He and his wife, Shannon, have three children.
Psalm 1
“Are you kidding me?! Are you KIDDING ME!!” As I pound my palms against the steering wheel two tender voices reach from the back seat.
“Mommy, what’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”
How do I tell them that my fingers ache to strangle the handicapped driver in front of me who, for unknown reasons, felt the need to cut me off then immediately slow down when I’m already running late? Do I explain to them that if I don’t drop them at school (where they learn about God’s love and mercy) and leave the parking lot by precisely 8:06, it will take me 40 minutes of bumper-to-bumper, mind-numbing traffic to drive the 4.3 miles home? How can I lovingly make them understand that, while God has bottomless wells of grace, I have none?
Maybe I woke on the wrong side of the bed. I do vaguely remember telling my husband that I don’t think I like him anymore. This after he let me sleep in an extra twenty minutes or so.
Maybe I need to move to a less densely-populated area where I won’t be as tempted by road rage.
Maybe I just need to start my day earlier so that I’ll have time to allow every pin-headed, ignorant driver the freedoms they desire and will claim at will.
We started the Read with Me challenge last week. (By the way, if you’re still on the fence, jump in! The grass is green, and we’re having a party. Oooh, a PARTY!! We should totally plan a party when we finish this. Road trip anyone? Oh, how fun!! Who wants to be in charge of planning that? — Okay, tangent aborted. If you’re still on the fence, you should totally join us. You can start today and still be okay! Don’t go back to Day 1; Save those for your grace days at the end of the month. We have plenty to keep us from getting overwhelmed. Click here for full details.)
Again, we started the challenge last week. It has us begin with Genesis, Psalms, Matthew and Acts.
I’ve been a Christian for almost 18 years. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible. That’s 39 university credits just on Bible and theology. Then, of course, I took Hebrew as my foreign language and spent another 30-40 credits on missions and ministry classes, cultural anthropology and philosophy. I don’t say any of this to brag — In fact, I’m ashamed at how much of what I studied is now forgotten!
I admit all this because, when starting a program like this, my biggest fear is my tendency to just get it done. I like checking off boxes. I like being productive. On top of this, I have a piece of paper in my basement that claims I already know all there is to know about the Bible. I glaze over and take for granted God’s Word and whatever He may want to teach me through it. I am not an advocate of The Message, but I am forcing myself to read through it for this challenge. I need fresh eyes.
Here is how The Message paraphrases Psalm 1:
How well God must like you –
you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.
Instead you thrill to GOD’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.
You’re not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust –
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people …
“Unfit company for innocent people?” You mean, like my children? I’m “not at all like the wicked?” Does anyone else notice a hint of sarcasm while reading this?
This Psalm has haunted me all week, but it shouts at me today.
Lord God, make me new. I want to be the person talked about in this Psalm. I want to be revived. I want to desire You and Your Word more than anything else … more than comfort, more than peace, more than being on time or getting things done. I want You and only You.
Chasing God
“Sin wants the Father’s things but not the Father…”
I don’t know where this quote originates. I saw it on twitter, but we all know twitter can sometimes be a huge echo chamber. A friend says it sounds like “The Prodigal God”, but I’ve not yet read that book. All I know is that it is a true statement, a profound statement.
I’ve done a lot of thinking lately about expectations. More specifically about great expectations unmet.
I think of the lame man who I’m sure wanted to be healed by Jesus. What was he told? “Son, your sins are forgiven.” What did he think at those words? Jesus did, of course, heal him, but not until after He initiated a life-long debate of which is better and which requires more power. Is it easier to forgive sins or to heal the lame? Regardless of the answer, which do we seek? Do we want to be healed physically or healed spiritually?
This is just one small example. A greater example is Jesus Himself. He came as the illegitimate son of a young girl and her poor fiance. He was born in a barn or maybe a rugged cave, surrounded by animals and smelly shepherds. This was definitely not the entrance one would expect for the Savior of the world.
Then He goes on to disappoint by collecting a ragtag gang of followers, annoying the religious leaders and upsetting all of tradition with His revolutionary teaching. Finally, finally, the people get what they want when thirty-three years later He enters Jerusalem with a king’s promenade. Their Redeemer has come! That triumphal entry was supposed to lead to the overthrow of Rome and the healing of the nation of Israel. The people ached for physical, tangible relief. Hadn’t they waited long enough? And what did they get? A crucifixion.
They wanted the Father’s things … His peace, His healing, His salvation, His protection, His order.
But they didn’t want those things on God’s terms. They refused to see God as God, to recognize His plan as right. They wanted the end result of following God, but on their own terms and in their own timing.
So far I’ve looked back at people and events thousands of years past. But what about today? The Jews of the Bible are no different than us today. We still seek all the good of following God, but too often we seek His things and not Him. We dive into Scripture, not to know the Author, but to see how He can help us or what antidote He has for our current situation. We pray, begging for wisdom, but then only look in one direction because we already know the “right” answer.
I want to WANT the Father. I want to seek after Him and not just His things today. The awesome thing is that when we seek Him, He promises all those things will be added. He is a great and awesome god. We miss so much by grasping at the wrong things.
Tenth Avenue North has a song called “Beloved.” It’s an amazing song, but one line always catches in my throat: “You’ve been a mistress, my wife. You’re chasing lovers that won’t satisfy.”
What lovers are you chasing today?
I’m not a huge fan of music videos, but I love music and I want you to hear this song.
As a sidenote, if you don’t have the CD, you gotta get it. (CLICK HERE.) The whole album is tremendous. Beautiful, beautiful worship songs.
Mama Loves: Heartfelt Prayers
A couple weeks ago Ellie told us how she had asked Jesus to live in her heart. She then excitedly proclaimed “And He did it! He really did it. I KNOW He did!”
My heart skipped and caught at the same time.
I’ve known too many people who have placed undue security in childhood conversions and family connections. Don’t get me wrong! We are to have child-like faith (which is another topic), and I firmly believe children CAN understand and accept Jesus as Lord (which is exactly this topic). But I’ve tempered my celebration. My hesitation comes from those who think they understand, but really don’t. Or worse: those who know all the right words and just want to fit in and/or please their parents.
I’ve shared before how Rick and I both said “The Prayer” when we were kids, but neither of us truly accepted Christ as Lord until much later. While some believe just saying the words is enough, I don’t. God sees our hearts; He knows our intents. Hell insurance, as many of my high school friends called it, simply doesn’t cut it. God doesn’t sell insurance. He provides hope, grace and salvation through sincere repentance. He wants a relationship, not an oral contract.
One last theological clarification: I don’t believe we can lose our salvation. Once saved, always saved. But I do believe that some who claim to be followers of Christ are actually missing the boat. I believe people can walk the walk and talk the talk without having a clue who God really is or why He is relevant to our lives. Unfortunately, Christianity has become a culture and an industry almost more than it is a religion. (Anybody read The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher?)
Wow. That was a huge tangent, not at all what I had planned to post this morning. 
Mama loves heartfelt prayers.
While I may be skeptical and hesitant to declare my daughter once and for all “saved,” I am absolutely thrilled to witness her changed prayers. They’re a great sign that what she claims is true and sincere.
We’ve never taught our kids rote prayers. Call it Catholic recovery or whatever you want. It’s just one way we’ve distinguished our family from liturgical cousins and neighbors. But kids love repetition! Both Zach and Ellie have found their own rhythms and ruts when talking to God. Ellie’s prayers used to be some version of this:
“Thank you, God, for this pray. (I’m not sure where that come from, but Zach says it too. It’s a mix between ‘prayer’ and ‘day,’ I think.) Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Zach and Ellie and Mommy and Zach and Ellie. And thank you for this food we’re about to eat. Amen.”
Now her prayers are so much more authentic. They’re much more her, much more reflective of a relationship rather than a ritual. Here’s an example:
“God, I don’t really like it when we have to leave Cape Cod. I want to stay here always. But I guess it will be nice to go home, too, so thanks for our vacation and thanks for being with us when we go home. Amen.”
And her nighttime prayers are just as cool! She recounts her day. “We did this and then we did that and wasn’t that fun and thanks, God, for everything.” She honestly opens up her heart to Him, inviting Him into all her feelings, but with perfect trust in who He is, in all His sovereignty and glory, grace and truth. I love it!
It challenges me. How often do we, as adults, open our hearts to God? Do we share our disappointments? Our joys? Our hopes? Or do we give a rote list of wishes and thanks?
I want to invite God into my life on a daily basis. I want to walk with Him, not just send Him a prayerful email at the end of each day.
The Goal of Parenting
What should be the goal of parenting? To raise well-behaved kids? Talented, intelligent, well-rounded kids? Perfect kids? What is the standard for parental success? Sometimes I feel victorious simply for surviving the day. Parents seek to raise children who become functioning members of society who thrive as adults. Is that enough?
A friend and I have had several conversations about how training children ought to be heart-focused rather than behavior-focused. We want to mold their hearts and minds, not just their actions. This can be difficult to remember while enduring screaming tantrums and mortal humiliation in the grocery store.
Creative Correction has collected dust in my basement for about two years now. I’ve tried to read it several times, but each effort sought a quick fix. The author, Lisa Whelchel, wisely doesn’t provide quick fixes. Instead, she spends the first one hundred pages redirecting parents’ focus. This week I opened the book again, this time ready to read what was actually written. This is what I found in chapter two:
“It’s vital that we step away from the pandemonium of parenting from time to time and remind ourselves of the true goal — to have kids who are drawing an accurate picture of God in their hearts and learning how to relate to Him as their Creator each day … Though we should strive to be godly, we can never perfectly reflect God. Instead our goal should be to ensure that our reflection of God draws our children closer to Him — and that it makes them long to touch the real thing.”
For some reason, God has to keep reminding me that all of life has the same goal. I repeatedly try to compartmentalize my life. These are my writing goals; these are my ministry goals; these are my marriage goals; these are my parenting goals … But all areas of life fit neatly into one sphere of purpose: to honor God by becoming more like Him.
Do I want to strengthen my relationships? I should seek after and become more like God. Do I want to raise great kids? I should seek after and become more like God. Do I want to write something that’s relevant and points people to God? I should seek after and become more like God. Do I want to win my neighbors to Christ? Guess what I need to do.
I want my kids, my neighbors, my friends, my family, everyone I meet to long to touch God.
