Keeping my Eyes on Jesus

Since being on chemo and wearing my scarves after losing my hair, almost everyone has commented on how pretty my eyes are. When one of the ladies at the lab commented on them, I realized that they have always been my best feature, but so often in the past, my hair distracted from them. Of course my blue scarf also helps to highlight the blue of my eyes as well. 

Thinking of eyes makes me think of a very special hymn. 

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 

Look full in His wonderful face, 

And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

That song has been running through my head this last week as I have been reading about the ministry and miracles of Jesus. In being fully God, Jesus was not limited in His own power to perform miracles. However, when in his hometown, he was limited by the faith of the people around him to do much. The degree of miracles seems to be more related to the faith of those involved, most often the loved ones of the person needing healing but also at times the person needing healing. One may have needed Jesus to come to the house to heal the person, where as the other asked Jesus to simply speak the word. One felt the need to have Jesus lay His hands on him, whereas another simply desired to touch the hem of his garment. The disciples saw Jesus do so many miracles and yet they would so quickly forget Who He was and what He was capable of doing. 

One day they saw Jesus feed 5000 men plus women and children with only five loaves and two fish leaving twelve baskets of scraps once everyone was satisfied. Jesus sent the disciples away in a boat and then sent the people home. Jesus went to pray. Then as the disciples were in the middle of the sea, Jesus began walking toward them. They were scared and feared He was a ghost. Upon recognizing Him, Peter asked to be called out to talk on the water. Jesus called him out. As long as Peter kept His eyes on the Lord, he was able to walk on water as well. However, when he took his eyes off of the Lord and put them on his circumstances, he began to sink. None the less, Jesus rescued Peter by lifting him up out of the water. 

How often I am like Peter. I see Jesus and know I can do anything that He calls me to do. I hurriedly obey, but then I look around at my surroundings and let reality distract me. Oh, how I want to go deeper in my faith. I don't want to sink. I want to keep my eyes on Him and trust Him in every circumstance, even when it is not rational. The song "Oceans" has been a favorite of mine for years, specifically for the part, "wherever You would call me," for our time of being overseas. Now I find myself drawn to the whole of it, to see my faith made stronger. "I will keep my eyes above the waves." 

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, 

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior." 

God is Good!

I wrote this blog Sunday, but I am just now posting it.

Last weekend, I took my wonderful hubby out for his birthday. As we pulled into the parking lot for the movie, there was a lady giving testimony on the radio. She apparently had been concerned about a lump that was found, but it turned out to not be cancer. She was telling of the goodness of God. While I can understand giving praise to God for good results, I was disturbed to hear that as a basis for His goodness. 

God is good because He is good, not because I get the result I want. God is sovereign and in charge, whether it is the way I want things or not. 

Because my tests were positive for cancer, does that mean God ceases to be good? Absolutely not!

When Jesus did not go right away to Lazarus, upon hearing of his friend's illness, did He stop being good? No! Instead He received greater glory upon raising Lazarus to life again. 

As I read my study this morning, it asked how I might talk to Jesus differently if He were sitting right beside me. Initially, I thought I would ask for Jesus to take away the pain I have in my knees and other joints as a result of this week's treatment. I know my sweet faith healing friends would say He would touch my knees and remove the pain. However, I would then jump up to serve Him, in my very Martha fashion. Instead, He might choose to leave the pain to keep me still before Him, sitting like Mary at His feet, remembering that He is God. 

So whether I get the result I want or not, I will praise the Lord! 

"He gives and takes away, he gives and takes away,

my heart will choose to say, Blessed be the name of the Lord." 

Joy in the Journey

Last week, I was supposed to be at a conference by the name of this post. I was looking forward to this women's retreat.  A group of women all serving together across the same continent gathered together in South Africa, which I had looked forward to exploring a little. I had been told early in the week that the ladies would be praying for me throughout the retreat. How humbling to have such an amazing group of women lifting me up in prayer. However, all in all, I had not really gotten sad about missing out on that week until Thursday came. 

At our church here, they had a women's ministry dinner. I saw many women who I love dearly and who have shown love for me. It was a beautiful dinner, but it was not South Africa. Oddly enough the topic of the dinner was grief. One of the speakers is a counselor, and she shared on the stages of grief. Not just grief over a loved one's death, but also grief over a job, loss of a friendship, a move, a diagnosis of cancer. As I listened, I gauged where I was on the phases and how I had gone through each one. I got teary eyed as I grieved over the loss of not getting to go that retreat. The second woman to speak talked about her own journey through grief and a program they offer to anyone to help them through their grief as well. Griefshare: Your Journey from Mourning to Joy. Of course, the two words "Joy" and "Journey" were bolder than the rest of the words. I laughed. God was not going to let that one slip by me. 

The afternoon before the dinner, I had sent a message via a friend on Voxer to share with the women at the retreat. They played it for all of the women at the retreat to hear. Several of the women went to her later to send a voxer back to me. Once again, I was humbled by their love for me. 

Don't get we wrong.  I have lots of questions. Why are their miscarriages when God is carefully knitting that baby in its mother's womb? Why are their still births? Why does a child die after only a few days? Why are their birth defects when God is able to create without defect? Why do children get cancer? I believe God has a plan for each and every creation of His because His word says so. He gives us our first breath and our last and every breath in between. 

Life though is a journey. It is full of trials. We don't escape them because we are "good" people. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. James admonishes us to, "Consider it all joy,..when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  We, as followers of Christ, are constantly being shaped and molded into His image if we will allow Him to mold us. Unfortunately, it is those trials that mold us the most. Consider it all joy? Yes, joy that He does not leave me as I am but makes me more of what He intended me to be. 

I like the idea of endurance. So I will consider it all joy in the journey! 

Stones to Children of Abraham

I was going to entitle this blog, "Observations regarding the ministry of John the Baptist," but there was just too much to share. However, in the light of today's holiday, I was struck by one phrase that appears in two translations.  Great multitudes were going to hear John, confessing their sin, and being baptized in the Jordan River. John though had strong words for the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to be baptized. 

Matthew 3:8-9

"Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham."

Luke 3:8 echoes these verses, though it directs them at all of the multitudes. 

The thing I find interesting is that the great majority of the people dwelling around the Israelites would also have claimed Abraham as their father. Those the Pharisees and Sadducees would have considered unclean were actually their cousins, if you will.  So to boast of being a descendant of Abraham was not going to be enough to bring them redemption.  Just about anyone, just shy of the stones, would have claimed Abraham. Some such as the Midianites were from a line born of Keturah, a concubine after Sarah's death. Many also were descendants of Ishmael, born of Hagar. 

Ishmael. God promised to make a nation out of his descendants as well, because he too was Abraham's son. A nation indeed. Muslims trace their spiritual genealogy to Ishmael, just as we as Christians trace our lineage through Isaac, through whom Jesus was born. 

Earlier I mentioned a holiday, and some of you are wondering what I could be meaning.  Today is the Muslim celebration of remembrance of the sacrifice made by Abraham. While Genesis 21 is clear that the sacrifice was regarding Isaac, the child of the promise, Muslims understand the sacrifice to have been of Ishmael, the first born unto Abraham by Hagar. In fact, many traveled this week to the place they believed the sacrifice occurred to experience a closeness with the site and their ancestor. More precisely, a journey at this holiday is one of the five pillars of their faith, in hopes that they will be guaranteed entrance to paradise. Many these days are scared of Muslims because of the actions of a "few." While the "few" are large in number, they are small compared to the greater group that are just trying to do the best they can from what they know. Can we show them mercy as God showed mercy to Ishmael when he was sent away by Abraham? 

For us, it is not enough to point to Abraham, or any other hero of the faith, for our position with God. It's not even enough to know who Jesus is, for even Satan knew and still tried to tempt Jesus. John said that we must "bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance," because he went on to warn, "every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Am I bringing forth fruit in accordance with repentance, according to the grace which I have received? Am I rooted and grounded in Jesus to be able to bring about that good fruit? 

Dream, Believe, Treasure!

Interesting observations surrounding the birth of Jesus

1) The women listed or referred to in His genealogy were a cast aside woman who posed as a prostitute, a rescued prostitute who was an "unclean" foreigner, a redeemed widow who was an "unclean" foreigner, a woman obtained through adultery and murder, and an unwed mother. (So glad abortion was not an option then!) No woman is unable to be used by Him! If you feel "unclean", let Him rewrite your story. 

2) Men considered to be wise went to the current ruler to look for the new ruler. Wise?

(This is not original to me, so I cannot take credit. None the less, it is funny to me every time.)

3) Zacharias, the priest, doubted God when told his wife would give birth in her old age. Mary, a teenage girl, believed she would become pregnant, though she did not know how. Joseph, a simple carpenter, was instructed in a dream to care for Mary and the baby within her and obeyed without doubt, so far as we know. The shepherds went immediately to find the baby about which the angels told them. Sometimes those we consider pillars of faith have more trouble believing and obeying than the common man.

4) Dreams are important! Joseph got three dreams regarding the care and safety of his family. We lose that understanding in our culture often, but the Word is saturated with the Father speaking through dreams. Is the reason He does not speak to us this way because we don't seek it or give credence to it?  (Side note: Men, it is your job to protect and lead your families, so do it! Grateful for my husband who leads and cares for us.)

5) Events of His birth happened as the prophets had foretold. What the Father says He will do, He will do. Simeon, who had been promised he would not die before seeing The Christ, and Anna, who had been praying and fasting daily for the redemption of Israel for about 60 years, saw the consolation of Israel when Jesus was brought in to be circumcised. He keeps His promises! If you have not seen what you feel He promised, keep waiting. Keep believing. He will come through!

6) Mothers, let us not forget to take time to treasure up all these things in our hearts. Mary took time when the shepherds came to honor her baby to ponder and treasure the events and words that they shared. She also took time to treasure the events after Jesus separated Himself from the family remaining at the temple and then went home with her and Joseph continuing in subjection under them. Sometimes we get lost in the busyness of life that we miss the moments we need to treasure. Let us take time to treasure what is said about our children and how we see them growing in the Lord. (Even now, I am treasuring up the words one lady shared with me last night about loving to watch my son worship. I hear it a lot about my daughter but not as much about my son, so I must remember to treasure it.)