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Strength and Power

Posted by - | , | 5/26/2010
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A great post written on guymwilliams.net 
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      My youngest child is a couple months shy of two years old. Even now, as parents know, she is becoming adept at shifting strategies in order to find and apply the most effective way to strengthen her position with me. The other night, I was putting her back to bed around 1:00-ish a.m. At first, she went for the power approach: “Stop it, Daddy!” Personally, I like this one. Not because she’s being defiant, but because of going all the way with “stop it” instead of merely “no.” Creative. I’m impressed. But I’m also aggravated and not about to give in and reinforce this approach. Then, she changes strategies: “Please, Daddy…” Better.

     Now, if we’re honest, we’ll admit that this business of hunting for the best way to strengthen our position is something we’re practicing as well — with our spouse, children, employer, employees, church, community organization, etc. And, truth be told, a fair amount of our praying boils down to vacillating between “Stop it, Daddy!” and “Please, Daddy…” But both are attempts at strengthening our position with God in order to get what we think we want.

     But what is the truly strongest position spiritually?

     Luke 22:39-44 records Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and is helpful to us on this question.

     Jesus leaves the upper room with his disciples and goes to the Mount of Olives. Withdrawing from them a short distance, he wrestles in prayer: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering from me” (Luke 22:42a NLT). Notice here that at this point Jesus does not want to suffering, does not desire to go to the cross. This is remarkable. Among all the reasons he’s come to earth — to life a perfect life, reveal God’s love, preach and teach about God’s kingdom, show God’s power in healings and miracles — one reason that stands out clearly is that he came to die on the cross. But here in Luke’s Gospel, we see him praying for a different end to the night. Still, Jesus continues: “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (v42b). Though in this moment the weight of the task before him has him reluctant to go forward, his greater desire is the will of the Father. And we read next, “Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.”

     Jesus’ strongest position was in surrender to the will of God. Our greatest position of strength is in surrender to the Father’s will.

     Personally, I’m more likely to seek God’s comfort, wisdom, or power in my life rather than his will. What if a taste of his comfort, wisdom, and power are given generally? What if receiving his comfort, wisdom, and power in our lives in the full abundance in which he would like to share them entails seeking and surrendering to his will for us?

     Our greatest position of strength is surrender to the Father’s will for us. For in that surrender, he appears to us and strengthens us.

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Relationship Blessings

Posted by - | , | 5/15/2010
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“So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (Gen. 29.20 TNIV).
            Many times one might hear the groan or cry of a lonely heart.  You might notice when someone writes on Facebook that all they want to find is the right man or woman.  Maybe you are the one who is or has written similar words on their wall as some sort of cry or moan into the world.  Within everyone’s heart is the desire to be accepted, loved, cherished and wanted. This desire for love can lead us to some of the most painful or joyful moments in life. 
In the above Scripture we see a man, Jacob, who loves a woman so deeply that he works for seven years without pay just for the chance to marry her.  One can imagine what Rachel must have thought and how deeply moved she must have been to know that Jacob was willing to make such a sacrifice so that he could spend the rest of his life with her.  I think of how happy my wife is when I simply wash the baby bottles once in a while, let alone if I worked without pay for seven years for her.  This seemingly incredible love story does not lack its share of twist and turns.  As one reads through Genesis 30.25, it becomes apparent that God has more in mind for Jacob and Rachel than it would at first seem.
Once Jacob has worked for seven years he receives a woman’s hand in marriage but this woman is not Rachel it is in fact her older sister Leah.  Jacob is then forced to work another seven years to marry Rachel.  When he finally gets to marry Rachel, they were not at first blessed with children.  The lack of children from Rachel causes Jacob to have 11 boys with three other women.  Finally the last boy that Jacob has was brought to him through Rachel.  When we consider the importance of these children, we begin to understand the dynamics of finding our “soulmate.”
Jacob’s twelve boys bring great blessing to the world.  They have even brought blessings to Christians today.  Through these twelve we have the twelve tribes of Israel.  Through twelve tribes of Israel we have the Bible, Jesus and the Church.  Of the twelve boys there was one that brought blessings to all his other brothers and thus to all of the world.  Joseph, the youngest and the only son brought through Rachel, gave blessings to his brothers and whole family of Israel.  The son that Jacob had with his true love, Rachel, was a blessing for all the other children and for the rest of the world. 
The question these blessings raise is, does God create soulmates?  Is there one true person who is perfect for you in the world?  The answer is emphatically no.  Jacob had other wives and children.  The other eleven boys did bring blessings into the world.  God blessed the conception of these children even though they didn’t come from Jacob’s one true love.  God blesses us when we follow him, meaning God also blesses us in our relationships.  Sure, God can bless certain relationships more than others, as in the case of Joseph the son of Jacob and Rachel, but God still blessed Jacob and Leah even though Jacob did not want to marry her.
The bottom line is that if you are single you should relax.  If you follow God and focus your heart on him, then God will bless you and thus bless your later relationship.  God doesn’t only bless you if you marry this certain individual who for all you know could be on the other side of the world.  God will bring you a man or woman that will be a blessing to you.  Lastly, if you are married and struggling then make it work.  Do what you need to do to keep your marriage together.  Focus your hearts together on God because you never know, your children may just bless the whole world for thousands of years to come.   

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90 Days through the Bible

Posted by - | | 5/05/2010
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After a very long and difficult school semester and even year, I am taking the summer off.  During this time off Ashley and I will be attempting to read through the Bible in 90 days.  We started yesterday and today ended in Genesis 28.  I believe this will be a powerful and meaningful experience for the both of us and I hope that the Word begins to penetrate deep in our souls.  I hope to share observations that we make during this process.  Below are a few of my first observations.

In the first few chapters of Genesis, it isn't until people are banished from something that they decide to conceive children.  Not sure what this means, I only found it interesting.

Gen 28.3 - "The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast."  I found it interesting that they would celebrate such an insignificant event.   This reminds me of Jeremiah 33 when there is great celebration over everyday mundane activities, as if to say that ordinary life is spiritual, meaningful and a significant gift from God.

The above are rather odd observations but they are just a few things that have stuck out to me.  I hope you will join us for more insightful thoughts as we, Ashley and I, move forward into this 90 day challenging journey.



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