Costly

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:23 (ESV)

Imagine with me a situation where a close friend or family member is really sick. It looks like from their illness, they may not make it and may die. Your heart is aching because you love them so very much and you can’t be with them. They live in a different part of the country. To be with them would be very costly because traveling there will be expensive. You will have to leave your job to spend time with them to help them through. If you make this decision, everything as you know it will change - and not necessarily for the better.

As you ponder this decision, your heart is breaking. Being with them is the only thing you want and yet, it seems so huge to make this decision. It’s crazy. People don’t do this kind of thing. Finally, you can stand it no longer. You go all in and make the move. You quit your job, charge the very expensive ticket and sacrifice to love.

Saying I love you over the phone has meaning. But saying it in person is tangible. A phone call is not the same as an in person touch. When you show up in person, the impact on the receiver is profound.

God knew this. That’s why he came to be “With us.”

God saw our predicament. He realized the pain we were in and the uncertainty that surrounded us. His heart ached for us because he loves us so very much. Jesus lived in a different place (a much better place than here) but he left that to move near so we could see tangibly, personally, how much we are loved.

The cost to him was great. There would be no going back to the way things were. The sacrifice was immense.

All this, so God could shout out loud, with tangible evidence, “I love you.” I love you more than anything I have. There is no price too great or a circumstance so insurmountable that I cannot get to you.

Lean into this. Lean in and remember what this season really means. It’s about a God who gives all of his heart for what his heart loves. And then go and do the same.

The Real Potter

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. 4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NLT)

Imagine it. The potter is sitting at the potter’s wheel. He is working with a hunk of clay. As the clay is forming, the potter realizes that it’s not going to look like it should so he says “You worthless piece of clay. How could you turn out like that? What is wrong with you? You are good for nothing.” Then, he beats it senseless so he can start over.

This is how I sometimes feel we think of God. We see him as watching us from above waiting to pounce on us the moment we make a mistake or don’t do something we should. We feel that he is criticizing us and hurting us. But that is not what happens at the potter’s wheel.

Instead, the potter says “Oh my. It looks like your edges could be a little better-rounded. You could definitely be more beautiful with just a touch here and there. That inside glory is not yet seen. Just a little more molding, a little more shaping and you will be as stunning as ever. I can help you with that.”

God, as the potter of our lives, wants nothing more than the best for us. He wants us to shine from within. He wants us to reflect Jesus in all His glory. And so he shapes and molds us. He grows us through the good, the bad and the ugly so we can be all he designed us to be. He does this with the same love the potter feels when he creates a thing of beauty….only more intensely. He has given his all for us. He sacrificed everything so we can be transformed by his love.

God is our potter. We are the clay. And I praise him each day that in his hands we can be transformed into a unique, one-of-a-kind work of art.

What Have I Done?

The Lord looks down from heaven
    on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
    if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
    all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
    not a single one! Psalm 14:2-3 (NLT)

Lauren Daigle has released a new song called “Love Like This.” She talks about how God is everything and we are nothing. The chorus says:

What have I done to deserve love like this?
What have I done to deserve love like this?
I cannot earn what You so freely give

Have you ever asked yourself that? What have I done to be deserve God’s love? If we spent just a few moments reflecting on that, we would be humbled. Because we have done nothing and will never do anything to deserve it.

That alone, should make us fall on our faces and worship.

He takes our nothing and grows our lives into something beautiful. All because he loves us so very much.

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:26 (NLT)

Time to PRAISE!!!! Spend some time today PRAISING God!

What's The Word?

If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be? Take a minute…..

OK. Now, if you were to use one word to describe yourself as God sees you, what would it be? Often, how we see ourselves is so different than how God sees us. Let’s take a look at some of the ways God describes us.

His Child: But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

Friend: I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. John 15:15

Free: So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:36

New Creation: This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Forgiven: But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9

Faultless: Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4

Chosen: Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12

Safe: No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39

His: But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

Loved: For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Our description of ourselves is often different than who God says we are and who God says we can be. Today, put aside who the world says you are and remember how God sees you.

God's Heart and Hands

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. Ruth 1:20 (NLT)

As Naomi entered her hometown, her old friends and family ran to greet her.  They called out her name to which she responded "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara (which means bitter). God has made my life miserable."

As you read through the book of Ruth, you notice something though. While God isn't in the forefront, he is definitely involved. There are too many things that happen as coincidences. One of my favorite sayings is "A coincidence happens when God wants to remain anonymous." 

You know the other thing that happens? God's people do things according to God's will. They behave as they are supposed to.  They take care of each other.

Ruth takes care of Naomi.
Boaz takes care of foreigners by letting them glean in his fields.
Boaz takes care of Ruth because Ruth has been so good to Naomi.
Naomi takes care of Ruth by suggesting she marry.
Boaz fulfills his role as family redeemer. 

These are just a few of the examples of the reasons that things turn around for Naomi. God's people doing God's will so God can bring about restoration. At the end of the book, Ruth has Obed and this is what Naomi's friends say to her.

Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” Ruth 4:14-15 (NLT)

What looked like a dreadful situation turned into a true blessing. God is always working. When we work with him, lives are changed.

Asking Amiss

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss...James 4:3 (NKJV)

Have you ever pondered on this verse? What is the definition of amiss? According to the dictionary, it means "not quite right, inappropriate or out of place." 

So is this verse saying "You are not receiving what you ask for because your request is inappropriate? Out of place or not quite right?" What does that mean?

When James wrote this, it is clear in the first few verses that there were problems. People's motives were wrong. They wanted things that weren't theirs and they also wanted things they should not have. 

He first says "You don't have because you don't ask." Is it possible the reason they don't ask is because they know they shouldn't be asking for it in the first place? Do you ever do that?  You want something but you aren't asking God because you know he probably, in his tremendous love, say no? Or how about when you are doing something and you know God wouldn't like it so you don't talk to him about it? Same thing really. 

Later in verse three it says "that you may spend it on your pleasures." And there is why they were asking amiss.  There is nothing wrong with pleasure, God gives it to us all the time. The problem is when the pleasures we want are unhealthy and harmful to ourselves and others. 

As I continued to ponder this verse, I thought about whether I ask amiss. The answer is probably yes. While I don't outright ask for things that are unhealthy or harmful, my requests might be "not quite right." Maybe I am asking for the wrong reasons. Maybe my focus is on the wrong thing - like something temporal and not eternal. In my humanness, I am sure I do this. 

What am I going to do about it? I am going to pray and ask God to get my heart aligned with his so my requests are based on his kingdom and not my own.  That prayer will be spot on; there is not a chance of asking amiss if I am asking for God's heart.

How Many Hearts Do You Have?

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.  Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

Friday was a bad day. I was rushing. I was making mistakes. I was missing things I should have caught. When I left work I was discouraged.  As I drove home, I thought about a conversation I had with a co-worker earlier in the day.

She was telling me about something she had to do that was hard. And she said "I had to put on my second heart to do it." When I asked her about the saying she explained that it was a Creole expression that her mom used as she was growing up. 

Made me wonder....after a day like Friday...what second heart would I put on?

A Heart of Trust:  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:6

A Heart of Strength: My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Proverbs 73:26

A Heart of Courage: Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24

A Heart of Praise: I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. Psalm 9:1

A Heart of Love and Patience: May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Yes. Next time I have a bad day, I am going to take my friend's Mom's advice. I am going to put on my second heart.

A Heart Where It Should Be

Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” John 2:16 (NLT)

Jesus was angry. As he walked into the temple he heard the sound of animals, bargaining, bantering, and money exchanging hands. Where was he?  He was in the outer courts of the temple. This was the place that was supposed to attract folks to God who were not Jewish. It was the place that was intended to help them. Instead, it was being used to make a profit.

Jesus was offended that God's house, this place where God was to reside, was turned into a place where the only focus was financial gain. He said "Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!"

Makes you wonder.....these days we don't so much have temples with outer courts The house where God resides is supposed to be our hearts. If Jesus were looking into our hearts, would he see a place that had been turned into a marketplace or would he see a place that invited in those who needed him? Which priority would he find?