I had a Code Red day this week. A day when I didn't need to just read my Bible I needed it to be from Jesus himself so I looked for the words in red (in most Bibles if Jesus is speaking the words are in red ink)
I'm in a blind faith phase again and I had a particularly challenging day with my parents and then the next day a run in with a very difficult person in my life whose name I will with hold in case something happens to him I'm not a suspect :) To put it in a nut shell I was emotionally fatigued. I kept trying to remind myself what I wrote in an earlier jewel about God carries us and not the other way around but to be honest I felt the weight of my whole world on my shoulders. I as always spilled my guts out to God and told on the people that were ticking me off and felt more than justified that He should annihilate them. Kind of harsh I know but honest. After pleading my case I went to my Bible to look for my red letter words of comfort and validation and this is what I got.
Matthew 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
I gotta tell you if I had a plank I would have slapped someone with it! Later my friend Cathy and I laughed picturing a long plank coming out of my eye and my head swinging taking people out in every direction. I could not believe this was what I got. Did Jesus not hear what I told Him? I was in Code Red I needed help. I had been wronged by every other persons standards and Jesus was supposed to side with me. Why is He picking on me? I'm the good guy in this story.
Have you ever felt that way? Like you brought something before the Lord and He turned on you? Why do I have to be the one who gets slammed I'm the one always trying to do the right thing!
I of course immediately put my Bible away and called my friend who understood my pain. She assured me that based on the actions of these people I had no choice but to react the way I did. Of course those words sent me reeling back to reality. It's true we are not responsible for how someone else behaves or the outcome of their decisions but we are totally responsible for how we react. Looking back over the chain of events I knew I should have just kept quiet left the scene of the crime and let God deal with the situation. The beauty of God is you can confess temporary insanity, repent and get off with a warning. I apologized to the innocent parties that were wounded and prayed for the less innocent parties that again will go nameless.
I continued to pray for the Lord to give me wisdom and help in what I call my “doubt areas” and as always He came through for me in a grand way. He's such a showoff :) After I settled all these matters in my heart I decided to give the Lord another chance at the red letter thing and this is what He gave me.
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
The Golden Rule
12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
God is faithful to give us what we need whether it's Code Red or just everyday life but we have to be prepared to accept whatever message the Lord wants to give us. He may encourage and He may discipline. Take my advice don't look for someone to agree with you just take the lesson and move forward.
The bottom line is it all comes back to decisions. God decided to send Jesus, Jesus decided to die for us, we decide to accept Him or not. We decide how we will react to EVERY situation that comes our way. Someone cut you off while driving, you were lied to, cheated on, passed up for a promotion, not given due respect or accolades, had your feelings hurt, whatever the scenario you have a choice as to how you will respond whether it's just a drill or an all out Code Red.
2Corinthians 9:8 and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Definition of abound; to have or possess in great quantity; to be filled to capacity; be fully supplied.
All code reds can be properly handled by red letters!
Gena's Jewels Keeper of The Testimony available on Amazon
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Happy Passover
We are once again getting ready to celebrate Passover. For those of you who are not sure what that is, here is your Gena Translation. As usual you should read the factual story in your Bible, the book of Exodus.
OK so this nasty King called Pharaoh in Egypt is treating the people called the Israelite's really bad. He forces them to do slave labor with harsh working conditions and they have been crying out to God to be rescued. In comes Moses. Again read your Bible about Moses he was a stuttering murderer and God transformed His life just as He transforms our lives today. The people in the Bible have more in common with you than you think. Not that I'm calling you a stuttering murderer...
So Moses gets the job of leading the people and telling the bad king to “let my people go.” Pharaoh says no and God starts hitting the Egyptians with some plaques to help him change his mind. Pharaoh continues to say no until the last plaque.
God tells the Israelite's to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and take some of the blood and put it on the top and sides of their door frame. God tells Moses that night the Angel of death would pass over Egypt and any home without the lambs blood on the doorpost would lose their first born.
Exodus 11:5 All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all the livestock will die.
Pharaoh finally had enough and when Moses comes back again to say “let my people go” he says yes.
In the end it wasn't Pharaoh's finally saying yes or Moses conviction or the Israelite's crying out to God that rescued them. It was God himself that saved the children of Israel and brought them out of bondage and on the way to the Promise Land.
This was a glimpse of what was to come. Our sweet Jesus would be our Passover lamb. Anyone with Jesus name written on their heart will pass over from this world to Heaven and again it won't be by some great pastor or awesome church or tons of acts of kindness it will once again be God that does the miracle.
Many people celebrate the birth of Christ and I'm not saying that's wrong but the Bible clearly says we are to celebrate Christ Death and resurrection on the cross because it was His blood that overcomes the death angel in our lives.
Gems it's not about dying eggs and eating chocolate rabbits wearing pretty dresses and doing your twice a year church contribution, it's about being obedient to all God's commands.
Having a party to celebrate Jesus and my promise of Heaven is an easy command to keep.
God tells us to continue to celebrate Passover until Christ returns.
Exodus 12:14“This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.”
I pray you too will join in the Passover celebration and be obedient to the command of God.
Share this special time of year with your friends and family. Tell those who don't know Jesus they too can get out of bondage and Passover into the Promise Land!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
How Heavy Is Your Arc
There are some passages we read in the Bible that seem to go on and on and to be honest are kind of boring. The times that God is so specific on how He wants something done. I have found that even though these scriptures are harder to read they are also the ones that can have the most impact on us. For example in Exodus the Lord is telling the children of Israel how to make the Arc of the Covenant. For those of you who don't know what that is I will give you the Gena translation which is very brief. I would strongly suggest you read the Bible yourself to understand the importance of it.
The Arc of the Covenant was what the Israelites carried in front of them as they traveled in the wilderness . It held the Ten Commandments which were 2 stone tablets with the do's and don'ts God gave Moses for how they should live. It was very sacred as it was where the Spirit of God dwelled so He could be with them on the earth. Again this is a very basic explanation. Below are the verses explaining how it was to be built.
Message Bible Exodus 25 The Chest (Arc of the Covenant)
10-15 "First let them make a Chest using acacia wood: make it three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide and deep. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold inside and out and make a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Make poles from acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold and insert them into the rings on the sides of the Chest for carrying the Chest. The poles are to stay in the rings; they must not be removed.
16 "Place The Testimony that I give you in the Chest.
17 "Now make a lid of pure gold for the Chest, an Atonement-Cover, three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide.
18-22 "Sculpt two winged angels out of hammered gold for either end of the Atonement-Cover, one angel at one end, one angel at the other. Make them of one piece with the Atonement-Cover. Make the angels with their wings spread, hovering over the Atonement-Cover, facing one another but looking down on it. Set the Atonement-Cover as a lid over the Chest and place in the Chest The Testimony that I will give you. I will meet you there at set times and speak with you from above the Atonement-Cover and from between the angel-figures that are on it, speaking the commands that I have for the Israelites.
The Table
23-28 "Next make a Table from acacia wood. Make it three feet long, one and one-half feet wide and two and one-quarter feet high. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold. Make a molding all around it of gold. Make the border a handbreadth wide all around it and a rim of gold for the border. Make four rings of gold and attach the rings to the four legs parallel to the tabletop. They will serve as holders for the poles used to carry the Table. Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold. They will be used to carry the Table.
29 "Make plates, bowls, jars, and jugs for pouring out offerings. Make them of pure gold.
30 "Always keep fresh Bread of the Presence on the Table before me.
The Lampstand
31-36 "Make a Lampstand of pure hammered gold. Make its stem and branches, cups, calyxes, and petals all of one piece. Give it six branches, three from one side and three from the other; put three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on one branch, three on the next, and so on—the same for all six branches. On the main stem of the Lampstand, make four cups shaped like almonds, with calyx and petals, a calyx extending from under each pair of the six branches, the entire Lampstand fashioned from one piece of hammered pure gold.
37-38 "Make seven of these lamps for the Table. Arrange the lamps so they throw their light out in front. Make the candle snuffers and trays out of pure gold.
39-40 "Use a seventy-five-pound brick of pure gold to make the Lampstand and its accessories. Study the design you were given on the mountain and make everything accordingly."
Now you may be thinking that was really boring and what does this have to do with my world? Glad you asked.
As you can see by this description the Arc was pretty ornate and had a lot of Gold. It had loops on it so 2 poles also covered in gold could go through them so it could be carried by 4 men. Again, only men God gave the authority to carry it if anyone else touched it, even to keep it from falling, they would die. God was not messing around. What I found interesting is this thing must have been really heavy right? How heavy was it? I goggled, because that is what I do now, to get some kind of answer and this is what I found.
One of the Google Answers
The Bible says that the Ark was 2 1/2 cubits long, 1 cubit wide and 1 1/2 cubits high, and made from shittim wood, heavily overlaid with gold, with silver adornments. The mercy seat was said to have been 2 1/2 cubits long and 1 1/2 cubits wide, and made of pure gold (Exodus 25:17 "Mercy seat of pure gold" KJV), as were the two cherubim that surrounded it (Exodus 25:18 "two cherubim of gold, of beaten work" KJV). Since gold is roughly twice as heavy as lead, the structure would have weighed several tonnes.
OK so just go with me on this. If the Arc weighed several tons how in the world did 4 guys carry it? Were they superhuman? Remember they traveled all over the desert carrying the Arc it wasn't just for a few minutes.
What I found next really blew my mind. I came across this on a completely different Jewish study I'm doing on line. Coincidence? I think not.
There is an interesting concept in Judaism that the ark weighed nothing. (It is said that it actually "carried" its bearers along.) Figuring the dimensions and construction materials of the ark, and its contents, the weight of it would have been far too much for the four carriers to bear -- in fact it would have snapped the poles or broken off the golden rings they passed through!
I love this!!!! Only God would make something that in the natural weighed several tons but in the spirit weighs nothing. What it's saying is we were never meant to carry God. His design from the beginning was to carry us.
Sometimes as Christians we think we have to use our strength to handle life and all the crap it gives us and we hope that what we choose to do will honor God. We take on tasks of ministry work and beat ourselves up for how unqualified we feel. Sometimes it's just the day to day life we lead that we are exhausted by the end of the day and don't know if we'll have the strength to do it again the next day. We are trying to carry the Arc (God) instead of letting the Arc (God) carry us.
Sometimes we let the Arc represent Religion instead of God and we think we have to be a certain way before we can carry it and just like the guys who touched it and died we think we will die if we get too close to where God dwells. How many times do you hear people say “If I walked into a church the walls would fall down or lightning would strike”? They are kidding but like most jokes there is an element of truth there.
We are living in a time of so much uncertainty on how we are going to make it financially or emotionally. Well meaning people are telling us about God and we think I can't carry one more thing especially not something that will make me feel bad about myself.
Gems we were never meant to carry God! The verse in the Bible that says God's load is light is a reminder to us that He wants to be your strength. I don't know what your carrying today, I don't know what life has hit you with or what your struggling to get through but I know God does and He wants to carry it for you. Just like those men in the Bible that were chosen to carry the Arc of the Covenant I'm telling you they weren't superhuman, they weren't better than anyone else or holier they were just chosen.
Guess What? So are you. You are chosen to carry the Arc (Jesus) in your life all you have to do is give it to Him. How heavy do you think a relationship with God is? How heavy is your Arc? How long have you been trying to carry it?
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:30
We were never meant to carry God, let Him carry you.
The Arc of the Covenant was what the Israelites carried in front of them as they traveled in the wilderness . It held the Ten Commandments which were 2 stone tablets with the do's and don'ts God gave Moses for how they should live. It was very sacred as it was where the Spirit of God dwelled so He could be with them on the earth. Again this is a very basic explanation. Below are the verses explaining how it was to be built.
Message Bible Exodus 25 The Chest (Arc of the Covenant)
10-15 "First let them make a Chest using acacia wood: make it three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide and deep. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold inside and out and make a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Make poles from acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold and insert them into the rings on the sides of the Chest for carrying the Chest. The poles are to stay in the rings; they must not be removed.
16 "Place The Testimony that I give you in the Chest.
17 "Now make a lid of pure gold for the Chest, an Atonement-Cover, three and three-quarters feet long and two and one-quarter feet wide.
18-22 "Sculpt two winged angels out of hammered gold for either end of the Atonement-Cover, one angel at one end, one angel at the other. Make them of one piece with the Atonement-Cover. Make the angels with their wings spread, hovering over the Atonement-Cover, facing one another but looking down on it. Set the Atonement-Cover as a lid over the Chest and place in the Chest The Testimony that I will give you. I will meet you there at set times and speak with you from above the Atonement-Cover and from between the angel-figures that are on it, speaking the commands that I have for the Israelites.
The Table
23-28 "Next make a Table from acacia wood. Make it three feet long, one and one-half feet wide and two and one-quarter feet high. Cover it with a veneer of pure gold. Make a molding all around it of gold. Make the border a handbreadth wide all around it and a rim of gold for the border. Make four rings of gold and attach the rings to the four legs parallel to the tabletop. They will serve as holders for the poles used to carry the Table. Make the poles of acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold. They will be used to carry the Table.
29 "Make plates, bowls, jars, and jugs for pouring out offerings. Make them of pure gold.
30 "Always keep fresh Bread of the Presence on the Table before me.
The Lampstand
31-36 "Make a Lampstand of pure hammered gold. Make its stem and branches, cups, calyxes, and petals all of one piece. Give it six branches, three from one side and three from the other; put three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on one branch, three on the next, and so on—the same for all six branches. On the main stem of the Lampstand, make four cups shaped like almonds, with calyx and petals, a calyx extending from under each pair of the six branches, the entire Lampstand fashioned from one piece of hammered pure gold.
37-38 "Make seven of these lamps for the Table. Arrange the lamps so they throw their light out in front. Make the candle snuffers and trays out of pure gold.
39-40 "Use a seventy-five-pound brick of pure gold to make the Lampstand and its accessories. Study the design you were given on the mountain and make everything accordingly."
Now you may be thinking that was really boring and what does this have to do with my world? Glad you asked.
As you can see by this description the Arc was pretty ornate and had a lot of Gold. It had loops on it so 2 poles also covered in gold could go through them so it could be carried by 4 men. Again, only men God gave the authority to carry it if anyone else touched it, even to keep it from falling, they would die. God was not messing around. What I found interesting is this thing must have been really heavy right? How heavy was it? I goggled, because that is what I do now, to get some kind of answer and this is what I found.
One of the Google Answers
The Bible says that the Ark was 2 1/2 cubits long, 1 cubit wide and 1 1/2 cubits high, and made from shittim wood, heavily overlaid with gold, with silver adornments. The mercy seat was said to have been 2 1/2 cubits long and 1 1/2 cubits wide, and made of pure gold (Exodus 25:17 "Mercy seat of pure gold" KJV), as were the two cherubim that surrounded it (Exodus 25:18 "two cherubim of gold, of beaten work" KJV). Since gold is roughly twice as heavy as lead, the structure would have weighed several tonnes.
OK so just go with me on this. If the Arc weighed several tons how in the world did 4 guys carry it? Were they superhuman? Remember they traveled all over the desert carrying the Arc it wasn't just for a few minutes.
What I found next really blew my mind. I came across this on a completely different Jewish study I'm doing on line. Coincidence? I think not.
There is an interesting concept in Judaism that the ark weighed nothing. (It is said that it actually "carried" its bearers along.) Figuring the dimensions and construction materials of the ark, and its contents, the weight of it would have been far too much for the four carriers to bear -- in fact it would have snapped the poles or broken off the golden rings they passed through!
I love this!!!! Only God would make something that in the natural weighed several tons but in the spirit weighs nothing. What it's saying is we were never meant to carry God. His design from the beginning was to carry us.
Sometimes as Christians we think we have to use our strength to handle life and all the crap it gives us and we hope that what we choose to do will honor God. We take on tasks of ministry work and beat ourselves up for how unqualified we feel. Sometimes it's just the day to day life we lead that we are exhausted by the end of the day and don't know if we'll have the strength to do it again the next day. We are trying to carry the Arc (God) instead of letting the Arc (God) carry us.
Sometimes we let the Arc represent Religion instead of God and we think we have to be a certain way before we can carry it and just like the guys who touched it and died we think we will die if we get too close to where God dwells. How many times do you hear people say “If I walked into a church the walls would fall down or lightning would strike”? They are kidding but like most jokes there is an element of truth there.
We are living in a time of so much uncertainty on how we are going to make it financially or emotionally. Well meaning people are telling us about God and we think I can't carry one more thing especially not something that will make me feel bad about myself.
Gems we were never meant to carry God! The verse in the Bible that says God's load is light is a reminder to us that He wants to be your strength. I don't know what your carrying today, I don't know what life has hit you with or what your struggling to get through but I know God does and He wants to carry it for you. Just like those men in the Bible that were chosen to carry the Arc of the Covenant I'm telling you they weren't superhuman, they weren't better than anyone else or holier they were just chosen.
Guess What? So are you. You are chosen to carry the Arc (Jesus) in your life all you have to do is give it to Him. How heavy do you think a relationship with God is? How heavy is your Arc? How long have you been trying to carry it?
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:30
We were never meant to carry God, let Him carry you.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Not Much Of
You know how you have friends that are so close to you that you call them family even though they aren’t blood related? Well Anthony and Amanda (my older children) lost a brother last week to a drug overdose. It was a very sad time for us and we will miss Eric greatly, our comfort is in knowing he is in Heaven.
Eric had a contagious smile and a heart for not only God but for God’s people. He was a good boy that grew into a good man but he had a demon of addiction that caused him to do bad things. My son will tell you that he and Eric both grew up knowing Jesus but Eric “got it” right away about the love of Jesus.
Eric was probably one of the strongest willed people I have ever met including my own children who are EXTREMELY strong willed. You couldn’t make Eric do anything he didn’t want to do but in spite of that strength he wasn’t able to beat the addiction. How can we say a man loved God and had an addiction? How can we say God loved him and he’s in Heaven knowing he died of a drug overdose? I’ll get back to this.
A couple of weeks ago my daugher Amanda took our family to see Alice in Wonderland. There was a line in the movie that really hit me. When Alice first falls in the rabbit hole and meets her new friends they decide she must not be the “real Alice.” They take her to the wise caterpillar that after meeting her says “you’re not much of an Alice.” As the story goes on Alice grows into herself and at the end she meets with the wise caterpillar again who now agrees she’s the real Alice. She reminds him that he told her she wasn’t the real Alice the first time they met and he responds with “I said you weren’t much of an Alice but you are much more of an Alice now.”
That wasn’t the exact line but you get the gist of it. As I said this really hit me and I thought of it for the rest of the night.
I think one of the reasons we get defeated by addictions like drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, personality disorders, sexual addictions you name your demon is because we don’t feel like much of ourselves. And as we know Satan came to steal kill and destroy so he will be sure to tell you if that’s what you’re thinking your right. I knew a man years ago that had a personality disorder that was devouring his family. He told me he knew the beast was killing those he loved but it was his beast and he had to feed it. That my friend is some twisted thinking from the pit of hell. Does God still love this man? Yes, and it’s our job to keep reminding him of it so that voice in his head will eventually drown out the devils.
People buy into the lie that until they become like that caterpillar says, much of themselves, they can’t have the life God meant for them. They have to wait until their good enough to have a relationship with God but you and I know, I hope, that isn’t the case.
Back to Eric. He and my older kids and many that attended the funeral were true hell raisers. They did drugs, some still are, they broke the law, and they were out of control. Most of us were single moms trying our best to raise these kids on our own. Looking around the room it was surreal seeing them grown up and as I said some still stuck in the same pit of despair. This would end as just another sad story if I stopped here but I want to share how God honored Eric’s life, the life He gave him and loved.
Another young man named Eric M got up to speak at the funeral. He was with Eric the night he died. This Eric is also an addict and he and Eric were using that night having no idea how it would end. Eric M got up and shared how he and Eric had been friends since elementary school and how they were kindred spirits from the beginning. Funny he used that phrase because the truth is they shared a spirit of addiction. For the first time in his life he admitted to himself and his family in a room filled with a couple hundred people that he was a drug addict. He said he understood Eric’s constant battle of pain and abuse. He realized that it could have been him we were there to mourn and didn’t know why it wasn’t. He cried and said he was sorry to his family and friends and that he couldn’t beat this thing without the help of a program and more importantly without the help of God. He then told us he was going to a meeting the next day and offered to take anyone in the room who wanted to join him. It was such an emotional moment as others stood and said they needed help too.
Then my son got up to speak. People who know my son today know him as a strong young man who loves the Lord however the people in this room knew him as a cunning drug dealer whose only goal was to make money. He shared some stories of his past with Eric and what he did in his own life. He began to weep and apologized to all the kids in that room because he knew he was part of not only Eric’s problem but others that were there. People he called friends he had given drugs to. He apologized to the parents for the harm he had done to their sons and daughters. He publicly thanked Larry Andrews his soccer coach for being the only man who reached out to him and the other boys on the team including Eric that no one else wanted around.
Anthony shared how Eric “got” the love of the Lord and that until about 3 years ago he hadn’t. He told us Eric understood how much God loved people and that was why not matter what Eric was going through he always loved people.
There were many times Eric would call me and sometimes by his voice I knew he was high but he would say “mom, I got this guy here who needs Jesus. He has some questions he needs answers to so I’m gonna put him on the phone.” I never knew who I was talking to but the point I’m making is Eric knew God loved this addict he was with and had no problem letting him know. Eric was an evangelist to the end.
Anthony challenged all of us in that room to not just say we are Christians but to demonstrate our belief by truly loving those around us. He and Eric M both shared there are only three places drugs will lead, a hospital, prison, or a funeral. Anthony also offered to help anyone in that room that was using to give them rides to treatment and more importantly to introduce them to the love of God.
I know when Eric got to Heaven and saw Jesus he finally became “much of an Eric.” He was made whole and in his Savior’s arms and the enemy’s addiction could touch him no more. I pray we will be part of the solution to the rest of the not much ofs here on this earth so they can experience the love of God while they are still with us.
I love you Eric.
Eric had a contagious smile and a heart for not only God but for God’s people. He was a good boy that grew into a good man but he had a demon of addiction that caused him to do bad things. My son will tell you that he and Eric both grew up knowing Jesus but Eric “got it” right away about the love of Jesus.
Eric was probably one of the strongest willed people I have ever met including my own children who are EXTREMELY strong willed. You couldn’t make Eric do anything he didn’t want to do but in spite of that strength he wasn’t able to beat the addiction. How can we say a man loved God and had an addiction? How can we say God loved him and he’s in Heaven knowing he died of a drug overdose? I’ll get back to this.
A couple of weeks ago my daugher Amanda took our family to see Alice in Wonderland. There was a line in the movie that really hit me. When Alice first falls in the rabbit hole and meets her new friends they decide she must not be the “real Alice.” They take her to the wise caterpillar that after meeting her says “you’re not much of an Alice.” As the story goes on Alice grows into herself and at the end she meets with the wise caterpillar again who now agrees she’s the real Alice. She reminds him that he told her she wasn’t the real Alice the first time they met and he responds with “I said you weren’t much of an Alice but you are much more of an Alice now.”
That wasn’t the exact line but you get the gist of it. As I said this really hit me and I thought of it for the rest of the night.
I think one of the reasons we get defeated by addictions like drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, personality disorders, sexual addictions you name your demon is because we don’t feel like much of ourselves. And as we know Satan came to steal kill and destroy so he will be sure to tell you if that’s what you’re thinking your right. I knew a man years ago that had a personality disorder that was devouring his family. He told me he knew the beast was killing those he loved but it was his beast and he had to feed it. That my friend is some twisted thinking from the pit of hell. Does God still love this man? Yes, and it’s our job to keep reminding him of it so that voice in his head will eventually drown out the devils.
People buy into the lie that until they become like that caterpillar says, much of themselves, they can’t have the life God meant for them. They have to wait until their good enough to have a relationship with God but you and I know, I hope, that isn’t the case.
Back to Eric. He and my older kids and many that attended the funeral were true hell raisers. They did drugs, some still are, they broke the law, and they were out of control. Most of us were single moms trying our best to raise these kids on our own. Looking around the room it was surreal seeing them grown up and as I said some still stuck in the same pit of despair. This would end as just another sad story if I stopped here but I want to share how God honored Eric’s life, the life He gave him and loved.
Another young man named Eric M got up to speak at the funeral. He was with Eric the night he died. This Eric is also an addict and he and Eric were using that night having no idea how it would end. Eric M got up and shared how he and Eric had been friends since elementary school and how they were kindred spirits from the beginning. Funny he used that phrase because the truth is they shared a spirit of addiction. For the first time in his life he admitted to himself and his family in a room filled with a couple hundred people that he was a drug addict. He said he understood Eric’s constant battle of pain and abuse. He realized that it could have been him we were there to mourn and didn’t know why it wasn’t. He cried and said he was sorry to his family and friends and that he couldn’t beat this thing without the help of a program and more importantly without the help of God. He then told us he was going to a meeting the next day and offered to take anyone in the room who wanted to join him. It was such an emotional moment as others stood and said they needed help too.
Then my son got up to speak. People who know my son today know him as a strong young man who loves the Lord however the people in this room knew him as a cunning drug dealer whose only goal was to make money. He shared some stories of his past with Eric and what he did in his own life. He began to weep and apologized to all the kids in that room because he knew he was part of not only Eric’s problem but others that were there. People he called friends he had given drugs to. He apologized to the parents for the harm he had done to their sons and daughters. He publicly thanked Larry Andrews his soccer coach for being the only man who reached out to him and the other boys on the team including Eric that no one else wanted around.
Anthony shared how Eric “got” the love of the Lord and that until about 3 years ago he hadn’t. He told us Eric understood how much God loved people and that was why not matter what Eric was going through he always loved people.
There were many times Eric would call me and sometimes by his voice I knew he was high but he would say “mom, I got this guy here who needs Jesus. He has some questions he needs answers to so I’m gonna put him on the phone.” I never knew who I was talking to but the point I’m making is Eric knew God loved this addict he was with and had no problem letting him know. Eric was an evangelist to the end.
Anthony challenged all of us in that room to not just say we are Christians but to demonstrate our belief by truly loving those around us. He and Eric M both shared there are only three places drugs will lead, a hospital, prison, or a funeral. Anthony also offered to help anyone in that room that was using to give them rides to treatment and more importantly to introduce them to the love of God.
I know when Eric got to Heaven and saw Jesus he finally became “much of an Eric.” He was made whole and in his Savior’s arms and the enemy’s addiction could touch him no more. I pray we will be part of the solution to the rest of the not much ofs here on this earth so they can experience the love of God while they are still with us.
I love you Eric.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
How Hot Are You?
In the world to be hot means to be cool. On a scale of 1 to 10 to be hot would mean your a 10. Some requirements to attain this could mean that you weigh the right amount and have the right look. To be hot you have to be flawless or close to it. If your a woman you need the right face, lips, boobs, butt, legs, name, car, boyfriend or husband.
If your a man you might need a six pack stomach, good hair, teeth, nice arms, a cool car or motorcycle maybe even a truck. You have to be mysterious, open, friendly, stand offish, tough, tender, available and aloof.
To be “hot” in our society is a lot of work because it depends on the person your asking as to what the requirements of being hot are.
For God being hot takes on a whole different meaning. For instance He says if you want to be first (hot) you must be the very last not just last but very last. You have to be a servant of all not just the ones you like. Jesus tells us a requirement of being hot is to be ready to cut off your hand if it causes you to sin. It's better to be maimed with one hand than have 2 hands and go into hell. Of course He's not saying to literally cut off a limb but if you need to cut something out of your life that doesn't honor God you need to do it.
To be hot you may have to change your friends or the places you go. You may have to stop dating because you can't do it without having sex outside of marriage. You may have to listen to different music if the music you hear now makes you angry. If you have trouble with drinking you should cut off going to bars. The worlds standards are very different than God's.
I had to go to court the other day and the Lord truly did the “he who wants to be first shall be last” thing. The courtroom wasn't full but it had enough people in it to last most of the day and when was my case called? You got it, dead last.
Now before the judge heard me and my opposing party he heard all these other cases first and they were all pretty guilty people that didn't have a leg to stand on in their defense. So when my case was brought up my opposing party didn't seem so bad compared to all the cases before him so the judge went easy on him. In this case the defendant sounded like a hero because of what he was being compared to. The problem is he should not have been compared to people who were doing worse things than he was, he should have been compared to people who do the right thing. The standard bar was set low instead of raising it up to where it belonged.
So in our world if we gauge ourselves with people who do “worse” things than us we can look better or hotter in this case. The problem is God does not use the gauge of the world. He tells us in James 3:17 Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.”
God is not interested in us being hot in the world standard but being hot in His. I want to make sure you understand me, I'm not talking about works to get saved I'm talking about the lifestyle we are called to move forward to after we are saved. Our guidelines have to change from being compared to the world to being compared to the WORD!
I did not get what I thought was fair in my court hearing because as I said the person was being compared to the defendants before him.
What's on your list of hot and how does it compare to the Bible? Where are you on the list? Are you a one, a two , a nine? God wants you to be a TEN and you can do it with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Did you know what David said to God in Psalm 17? He said that God could probe his heart and examine it and He would find nothing that would convict him. Those are pretty bold words! He's telling the real Judge to cross examine him and see that's he's innocent. You know why? David said he resolved that his mouth would not sin. He decided to cut off anything that caused him to sin. He decided he would be a 10.
How would you fare in a court room with God as your judge? Could you say there will be no guilt in my case? These are the tough questions the Holy Spirit is asking all of us.
The good news is when we mess up we have the attorney named the Holy Spirit to speak on our behalf and because of the Love of God we have Jesus to allow forgiveness when we mess up. Peter said something to Jesus one day and Jesus responded with "get behind me Satan" that had to be a pretty tough thing for Peter to hear. Jesus didn't fire Peter and he went on to do great things BUT he went on corrected.
If your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. If you know there are things you shouldn't watch don't watch them. If you can't date and stay pure, stay home. If you can't drive without rage, don't drive, If you can't tell the truth when sharing a story, don't share. Decide not to sin before you do it.
Remember that game you played as a kid where you hide something and the other kids have to look for it and when they get close you say warm, warmer, and when they get real close you say HOT.
If they are moving away from what you hid you say cool, cooler, cold and when they are far away you say freezing! To win you had to get real hot. Same theory just use the Bible as the prize your searching for.
One thing to remember, God does not do lukewarm.
Revelation 3:15 "I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit.”
People will tell you God's talking to the church and their right, we are the church. Just being lukewarm makes Him sick. Have you ever seen someone do something really bad and you say “you make me sick”? Sometimes our actions can make us feel sick to our stomach. I know in my live when I really mess up intentionally or not I feel sick about it, especially if it hurts another person.
You can decide to cut off anything in your life that will make you cold. It comes down to this question, what do I value or want more than to obey God? We can candy coat it anyway we want but every selfish decision we make that does not line up with what God says is saying to God, I want this more than you God.
There's a guy in Mark 10 looking for a loop hole to follow Jesus. He boldly tells Jesus he has followed all the commandments but he happens to be rich so Jesus says (Gena translation) If you wanna be really hot and hang with me give away all your money. Actually the Bible says Jesus looked at him and loved him. I love that, Jesus was letting him know what was required but He also let him know He loved him. There are no loop holes we are either deciding to be hot or cold.
To be hot in God's eyes you would follow Romans 12:11(New International Version)
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Now that would be someone I think is hot. Jesus said He would know His children by their fruit or how hot they are. How hot are you?
If your a man you might need a six pack stomach, good hair, teeth, nice arms, a cool car or motorcycle maybe even a truck. You have to be mysterious, open, friendly, stand offish, tough, tender, available and aloof.
To be “hot” in our society is a lot of work because it depends on the person your asking as to what the requirements of being hot are.
For God being hot takes on a whole different meaning. For instance He says if you want to be first (hot) you must be the very last not just last but very last. You have to be a servant of all not just the ones you like. Jesus tells us a requirement of being hot is to be ready to cut off your hand if it causes you to sin. It's better to be maimed with one hand than have 2 hands and go into hell. Of course He's not saying to literally cut off a limb but if you need to cut something out of your life that doesn't honor God you need to do it.
To be hot you may have to change your friends or the places you go. You may have to stop dating because you can't do it without having sex outside of marriage. You may have to listen to different music if the music you hear now makes you angry. If you have trouble with drinking you should cut off going to bars. The worlds standards are very different than God's.
I had to go to court the other day and the Lord truly did the “he who wants to be first shall be last” thing. The courtroom wasn't full but it had enough people in it to last most of the day and when was my case called? You got it, dead last.
Now before the judge heard me and my opposing party he heard all these other cases first and they were all pretty guilty people that didn't have a leg to stand on in their defense. So when my case was brought up my opposing party didn't seem so bad compared to all the cases before him so the judge went easy on him. In this case the defendant sounded like a hero because of what he was being compared to. The problem is he should not have been compared to people who were doing worse things than he was, he should have been compared to people who do the right thing. The standard bar was set low instead of raising it up to where it belonged.
So in our world if we gauge ourselves with people who do “worse” things than us we can look better or hotter in this case. The problem is God does not use the gauge of the world. He tells us in James 3:17 Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.”
God is not interested in us being hot in the world standard but being hot in His. I want to make sure you understand me, I'm not talking about works to get saved I'm talking about the lifestyle we are called to move forward to after we are saved. Our guidelines have to change from being compared to the world to being compared to the WORD!
I did not get what I thought was fair in my court hearing because as I said the person was being compared to the defendants before him.
What's on your list of hot and how does it compare to the Bible? Where are you on the list? Are you a one, a two , a nine? God wants you to be a TEN and you can do it with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Did you know what David said to God in Psalm 17? He said that God could probe his heart and examine it and He would find nothing that would convict him. Those are pretty bold words! He's telling the real Judge to cross examine him and see that's he's innocent. You know why? David said he resolved that his mouth would not sin. He decided to cut off anything that caused him to sin. He decided he would be a 10.
How would you fare in a court room with God as your judge? Could you say there will be no guilt in my case? These are the tough questions the Holy Spirit is asking all of us.
The good news is when we mess up we have the attorney named the Holy Spirit to speak on our behalf and because of the Love of God we have Jesus to allow forgiveness when we mess up. Peter said something to Jesus one day and Jesus responded with "get behind me Satan" that had to be a pretty tough thing for Peter to hear. Jesus didn't fire Peter and he went on to do great things BUT he went on corrected.
If your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. If you know there are things you shouldn't watch don't watch them. If you can't date and stay pure, stay home. If you can't drive without rage, don't drive, If you can't tell the truth when sharing a story, don't share. Decide not to sin before you do it.
Remember that game you played as a kid where you hide something and the other kids have to look for it and when they get close you say warm, warmer, and when they get real close you say HOT.
If they are moving away from what you hid you say cool, cooler, cold and when they are far away you say freezing! To win you had to get real hot. Same theory just use the Bible as the prize your searching for.
One thing to remember, God does not do lukewarm.
Revelation 3:15 "I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit.”
People will tell you God's talking to the church and their right, we are the church. Just being lukewarm makes Him sick. Have you ever seen someone do something really bad and you say “you make me sick”? Sometimes our actions can make us feel sick to our stomach. I know in my live when I really mess up intentionally or not I feel sick about it, especially if it hurts another person.
You can decide to cut off anything in your life that will make you cold. It comes down to this question, what do I value or want more than to obey God? We can candy coat it anyway we want but every selfish decision we make that does not line up with what God says is saying to God, I want this more than you God.
There's a guy in Mark 10 looking for a loop hole to follow Jesus. He boldly tells Jesus he has followed all the commandments but he happens to be rich so Jesus says (Gena translation) If you wanna be really hot and hang with me give away all your money. Actually the Bible says Jesus looked at him and loved him. I love that, Jesus was letting him know what was required but He also let him know He loved him. There are no loop holes we are either deciding to be hot or cold.
To be hot in God's eyes you would follow Romans 12:11(New International Version)
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Now that would be someone I think is hot. Jesus said He would know His children by their fruit or how hot they are. How hot are you?