gift

What is God’s will for your life?

Melissa Presser Melissa , , , , , , , , , , ,

Amos 2:3, “I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and all the princes I will slay with him, says the Lord.”

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Thank you my friend, see it had its purpose

Are you listening to too many motivational speakers? Faith seminars? Are you busy running around listening to everyone else but God? For weeks God gave me this verse in Amos. I sat with it, hurriedly prayed over it, but alas I left it behind; I had moved onto the next thing.

To hear God we must have a total hollowness, a place that only He can fill, a place where He can reside and live. For so long I would pray, “God, let my will be your will.” I always struggled with that prayer because it never seemed to sit just right in my spirit. I could never be on the same page as God.

So I sat with this verse again and again looking at it from a purely fleshly, worldly point of view.  I didn’t want to hear what God had to say because I thought I knew anyway. So I pushed it aside again and again until I became consumed and miserable. God, why won’t you move me? You placed this gift within me, why are you making me suffer?

We all have a gift that God has given us, and I believe to some degree we are all using it, whether we are aware of it or not. But when God resurrected my gift it almost became a curse to me. Well God, you reignited this desire, why then why is it not going anywhere? I would hear these messages that I dreamed too small or my faith was just not big enough and I’d torture myself with them. Over and over again I would say, “God, why? God move me! I just can’t take it anymore.” It became borderline obsessive to the point I concentrated only on that thing He had placed so deeply in my heart.

“I will cut off the ruler from its midst” (NAB Revised)

“I will destroy her ruler” (NIV)

And finally, finally, the word broke free. I had let the gift rule me! I had focused and concentrated all of my attention on it, hoping praying that my pleas to God would be heard. But by shifting my attention, I made it my ruler. Our gifts should never rule us, only He is allotted that special place.

So I sat with that as I listened to Him. I thought of all the mornings where I would blindly just open the readings for the day, the devotion for the day and they were just words. I didn’t ask Him first what I should be reading, which reading was for me. I focused on what I wanted to hear and couldn’t and wouldn’t accept His will. I don’t for one minute think I did it on purpose. For most of us, it is through this refinement process where we find truth.

I don’t believe now that my will will ever be his will completely. I am after all still made of flesh and bone. And if He really felt that way, He would have included that verbiage in the Lord’s prayer; but that’s not what it says. It simply says, “Your will be done.”

And I have to believe He knows better than me. And I have to believe that He wouldn’t have given me a gift just to sit stagnant. And I have to know time is eternal and that the Holy Spirit is real, and that if I really wanted to I could completely immerse myself in Him and accept His will. But not in the way that I was thinking about it before. 

I know now that His will is greater than mine will ever be, that He must be the ruler. There is something so sacred and sweet about knowing I can completely surrender to that, wake up tomorrow and say, Lord, what do you want me to read, what do you want me to do? We all can have that freedom, if we empty our prayer closets in that way, there is so much more room to fill them.

Father,

I crave your will and want none of my own. Empty me of my own desires so that yours may shine through. Let me surrender gently, knowing that you will catch me. This is the jump, this is the risk, which I know is really not a risk at all.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Would we dare?

Little Monk Little Monk, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , ,

The Omega

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” [Hebrews 12:1-2]

The Alpha

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Never, before today, have I thought of Christmas in terms of “shame”. Of Mary’s shame of conceiving out of wedlock, Joseph’s shame to wed a pregnant bride, their family shame to bear their son in a cast off stable, to bed Him in a feed trough…

And what of Jesus Himself? Who can even begin to conceive of the contrast between His glorious throne, and swaddling clothes, nappies, and nipples?

And yet… and yet… He EMBRACED that! ALL of them did! Who can imagine such a thing? Mary dared deadly shame to say “yes” to the Angel Gabriel. Joseph dared to trust Mary when she told him of Jesus’ conception.

And Jesus? Jesus willingly embraced His humanity, placing Himself in the care of this incredible couple. He embraced the shame. He accepted His own weakness, helplessness, dependency.

Doing so… as a puny little infant… His very presence terrified a king, prompting the slaughter of countless boys. His presence inspired other kings, who paid Him homage and presented Him gifts. His danger, and the warning of an angel, uprooted His family to an alien country to preserve His life. Did they travel in secret? Like people ashamed? Traveling by little known routes, not to be seen, moving by night, resting and hiding by day?

How strange does this all seem for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

Did they despise the shame? Yet did they all embrace it, for the love of God and those He came to save? Did they love us? Somehow know that somewhere, sometime, you and I would be sitting here praising God for all this?

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All this… all this shame… they took on and embraced, that WE might come to be freed of OUR shame! That our own shames, guilts, sins, be remembered no more. That we stand clean and clear, robed in the righteousness of Christ before the Holy Throne of the Father!

What about us? That’s the question that came to me this morning. That’s the question the Lord confronted me with this morning.

Does “shame”, a concern about what other people will think of me, ever prevent me from doing the right thing, a righteous thing, an action of grace?

It has, Gentle Reader. I must be honest. There are times I have refrained from doing “the right thing”, because it would embarrass me. You too?   * head nods here *   Well, our human frailty gets us all sometimes.

But just let me encourage you, Gentle Reader. Let me ask you to encourage me as well, from time to time. Acts of grace, of compassion, of gentleness… should never be constrained by “how it looks” to others, or whether we will “lose status” by embracing the shame. Do the right, the gentle, the loving… and let onlookers sort themselves out before the Throne.

Jesus’ earthly life began embracing shame. His earthly life ended the same way. But throughout… He is, was, and ever shall be… King of Kings, Lord of Lords…

“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Philippians 2:8-11]

You Are Loved – You Are a Gift

Cate B Cate B , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good Morning Dear Readers.  Here we are, the 14th of December 2015.  This time of year can be so “busy” and “hectic”…….

Take the time to remember Jesus.  He is always with us.  He wants your love and your time……

May this season be full of peace and joy and truth for you all.  You are Loved…… You are a gift…….

Enjoy!

Cate B

Church is where the mangoes come…

Little Monk Little Monk , , , , , , , ,

Mango Osteen Asit ftgI remember the mangoes. Mangoes by the bag, by the box, by the sack… small, medium, large containers… some cherries, some tomatoes… but mostly mangoes.

I was the “new kid on the block”, just in my first weeks serving on my first church staff as “Outreach Minister” (now usually called “Community Ministries Director”).  Day by day as winter gave way to spring, produce made its way onto the church secretary’s desk, and thence betimes to the pastor’s desk.

Late-ish one afternoon, he called me into his office saying, “I have a job for you, if you can handle it reverently. You now work among homeless and you know a number of poor families and workers.

“These,” as he indicated some mangoes and avocados, with other produce on his desk, “these need to be given to people and families in need. They cannot just be given to friends, or eaten on your own, or allowed to spoil and go to waste. Do you know people who need these?”

I assured him I did, but he could see the confused look on my face. I mean… what’s up with these fruits and vegetables? Why were they here? Why was he so concerned about them?

He smiled as he realized my confusion, and had me pick up some of the containers to tote to the car as he explained.

“These, Little Monk, are ‘first fruits’. People in this community often select the very finest of the first of their crops and produce, and bring them here as a gift… as an offering to God. Some of these families themselves have little money, grow their own food, and give their fruit as gifts. But every year they bring the Best of their First here, just to honor God. I treat these very carefully. These… are His… not ours. And every year I make sure none goes to waste, but they are given away to those who can use them.

“This year, because of what you do, I think you can do that better than I. And some we will set aside for our Sunday Schools to give to neighbors and friends with needs. These are precious and special because of the gift they are, and the gifting hearts that gave them. Treat them accordingly, all right?”

I readily agreed, and took time and care to distribute everything among people who were delighted at the boon to their larders. It was a simple task I’ve always enjoyed, but seldom gotten to repeat. “First Fruits” is not a common custom, though I’ve often thought of this when I’ve handled other “gifts that honor God” in the years since.

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I have no idea why, earlier this evening, this remembrance came to me so very strongly. But it came with a realization that here was a wondrous part of what it is, was, can be… to take part in “Church”.

When we ask, “What is Church?” I know that a part of that is this kind of sharing. Bringing the best of our first to the altar, as a grateful gift to honor God, for sharing with those in need.