Designed By......

For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. Hebrews 3:4 (NLT)

Everywhere you look, you see designer labels. What is a designer label? A prestigious marquee that notes who the designer of the item was. For example, BMW, Versace, Armani. And what is the definition of a designer? A designer is the person who plans the form, look or workings of an item before it was built.

I started thinking about all the designer labels we see. Registering what they represent is almost subconscious. For example, when you a BMW emblem, you don’t have to stop and think “Oh, let me see, that stands for BMW.” You just know. Same with a MK on shoes or clothing. We pretty much know that stands for Michael Kor.

We’ve seen it so much, it is immediately recognizable.

So, why are we, as children of God, not immediately recognizable? When someone sees one of us or talks to us, why don’t they walk away saying “Oh, I recognized their Designer. It was God.” More often than not, people are left wondering who made us and why.

We know that God made us in his image (to look just like him) and we know that he added all these wonderful traits to the mix (love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.) Then, he poured his unconditional love into us so we could be bold and brave. To make it truly amazing, he created each one of us different. Each one of us brings to the table something unique that no one else can offer. A one of a kind designer creation. Finally, to top it off, he marked us priceless.

Makes you wonder……when people encounter us, why don’t they know who our Designer was? Maybe we are wearing the wrong label.

Made Perfectly Wonderful

““I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever stopped and thought about today’s text? I’ve heard it before and when my grandson was born, I thought about it a little.  I liked the fact that before he was born God knew who he was. I liked the fact that God knew what his name would be even before his parents did. And it says that God knew him before he was even formed. That’s way before he was born and even before his parents knew he was coming!

Which means, God knew us before we were formed as well. He knew who we would be. He knew our quirks. He knew that some of us would be creative, and that others would be good with numbers. He knew that some of us would be more logistical. And he knew the number of hairs on our head.

When you stop and think about how God intimately knew you before you were even born, how does it make you feel? Do you feel that he thought “Well, I could have done better.” No way! He loves us and designed us to be just who we are. Each of us has a gift to bring to this world. God has a special place for us and a special role that only we can fill. And it also means that we can do what he has given us to do.

So let me ask you?  What’s keeping you from fulfilling God’s plan for your life? What is it that stops you from giving it your all and living the life God planned for you? God doesn’t make mistakes and he didn’t make one when he created you.  

And oh by the way, even if you have made mistakes along the way, his plan is still perfect. You can always get back on track.

I'm Right Here

Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40 (NLT)

Have you ever watched a child encounter something scary? They quickly locate the person nearest to them that they trust and they go to them. That is their safe place.

What do we do when we encounter something scary or overwhelming? We focus on it, imagine all the worst things that can happen and sometimes, we are unable to get ourselves out of that place.

When the disciples were reacting to the storm, they said to Jesus “Don’t you care that we are going to die?” And in Jesus response it was almost like he was saying “I’m right here. I haven’t gone anywhere. I haven’t forgotten about you.”

Why do we forget that Jesus is right here? He hasn’t forgotten us. He’s not too busy to notice what we are going through and he will never, ever abandon us. No matter what storm we are going through.

What if we acted like little children (Matthew 18:3) instead of scared disciples? What if when we encounter something overwhelming, we locate Jesus and go sit next to him and remember that he is in charge of every storm? This is how we define faith. The ability to trust that Jesus has this no matter what tempest is circling our boat.

A Minute In It - You Are My Refuge

A minute in Gods' word will change your life. No matter what is happening in our world and our lives, God is our shelter. Read through the Bible verses below and remember!

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
    nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
    though ten thousand are dying around you,
    these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
    and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
    you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
    I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”

Show Us The Father

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father.” John 14:8 (NLT)

Jesus came to “show us the Father.” That was his goal as he walked here on earth. He embodied the Father in human form. And we are supposed to imitate him in all we do living our lives so people can see God in us through our words, actions and responses to what life throws at us.

Do we? When I first thought about this I thought about how hard that would be. I mean, I am not Jesus. He can reflect the Father perfectly because he is after all, God. But before I dismissed this as something I couldn’t do, verse twelve caught my eye.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works.” Uh oh.

Does that mean that since I believe in Jesus and look to him for my example (as the disciples did), that I can reflect the Father? Can people see me, watch my life and say “She reflected God”?

Apparently, Jesus thought so.

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16

And elsewhere in the Bible we are given the same mandate.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11

Please note, the Bible never said living all out for Jesus would be easy. It’s not. But it does tell us that when we stay focused on him and live our life the way he lived his, we will glorify God. We will make a difference. The highest compliment you can ever get is if someone says “I can see Jesus in you.” And that should always be our goal.

A Servant's Role Model

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist,  and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. John 13:3-5 (NLT)

I’ve been listening to a book recently and one of the chapters was on Serving. This topic also came up recently in a Bible Study. We were talking about coming to church with an attitude of giving instead of receiving. Some people said they came to church to serve and didn’t expect to receive and that was OK because they received from God in other ways. Some thought coming to serve and receive wasn’t a bad thing….and it is not.

Maybe it boils down to our hearts? Are we serving to check the box? You know, because it is the thing we have to do to be Christians? Are we serving because we see others as an object to check that box? Are we serving because we can see in the hierarchy of things we are low man on the totem pole and we need to be the one serving?

So what should serving look like? As I pondered this, I thought about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. In John 13 it says he knew that God had given all authority to him. He was at the top of the “universe chain” and he knew it. And as he realized that, what did he do? He got up from the table, took a towel and basin of water and proceeded to be a servant. He kneeled on the floor, took off the sandals of every single disciple (including Judas) and washed the dirt and grime from their feet. He tenderly dried each foot. I can imagine praying over their feet as he did it.

Jesus didn’t just do the job of a servant because there is no servant who would perform this job with so much love. It was much more than that. That’s who he was. He didn’t serve because it was a job he had to do, he served because at his core he was a servant. We have to imitate that.

When we stop serving because it’s the right thing to do and serve because it’s who we are, then our lives and our world will change. Then, we will be serving like Jesus did.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Philippians 2:6 (NLT)

What's Your Label?

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16 (NLT)

The other day I was sitting in traffic; something I try to avoid but in a city it’s expected at times. I noticed on the back of the car in front of me a sticker that said “Proud to be a __________.” There was a denomination listed. Fill in the blank with your denomination if you want.

Then, I started looking at the backs of other cars. Some had those little stickers that show you how many people are in the family, including pets. Some had stickers that showed what political affiliation with which the occupants align. One had a sticker for a Christian radio station in our area, WGTS. I see this one a lot. And sometimes you see it on cars whose drivers are not acting “Christian” when they drive.

Made me think about how we label ourselves and then in turn, label each other. While it seems like this is especially prevalent now, it’s been happening since the beginning of time. It was happening in Christ’s day as well. To the Jews, if you were a Samaritan you were less than. To the Gentiles, if you were a Jew you didn’t measure up. Then, there were the financial classes and slaves and owners of slaves. And, if you were a man or a woman, that determined a lot about your abilities.

What does Jesus say about all this labeling? All he cared (and still cares) about is that you love God. He said that if you were truly in love with God, it would show in your behavior. It would show in your obedience to him and it would show in how you treat each other.

Maybe we should have stickers that say “God Lover” or “Mad about Jesus” so we could put them on our cars? Oh wait, that won’t work. Just because you have something stuck on your car doesn’t mean it’s stuck in your heart.

A Minute In It - Coming Clean With God

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
    Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
    it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
    I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
    and your judgment against me is just.
5 For I was born a sinner—
    yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 But you desire honesty from the womb,
    teaching me wisdom even there.

7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
    you have broken me—
    now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
    Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you.
13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
    and they will return to you.
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
    then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord,
    that my mouth may praise you.

16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
    You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
    with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
    Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

Have you ever done something and then felt remorse?
Has Satan ever beat you up for a mistake that you made?
Where did you go for comfort? Where did you go for reassurance?
Have you ever begged God to restore your relationship?