"Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation." Rom. 12:16
I have procrastinated and procrastinated studying this scripture. The reason escaped me. Maybe I wasn't ready for it's message until now. With the rejuvenation of my last blog, I was eager to delve into it today though. And I didn't have to go any further than this verse to receive the toe stomping message God delivered. I'm going to go ahead and tell you that my toes are purple and yours might be too after you read it. I do not apologize for truth. If it stings, be assured I felt it too. But there is beauty in repentance and the work the Spirit does through it.
Paul instructs believers here to be unified in our thoughts toward each other, not to be proud but to associate with the lowly (tapeinos), and to not think too much of ourselves.
AGAIN with the self-absorption?? Really??
Didn't I just study this subject in verse 3?
Apparently, we are a self-absorbed people and need it over and over again...
I don't consider myself a snob. Do you? But, of course, snobs never see themselves that way, do they?
The question God posed to me is "How do you associate with the lowly, Beth?"
OUCH
Truth is...I don't. I sit in my pretty house, go to my pretty church, hang out with my pretty friends, and ignore all the lowly around me. I justify this behavior with lines like: "I'm too busy to volunteer." or "I don't know where to help." or my favorite, "I am the prayer warrior behind the scenes."
I wanted a definition for lowly. The Greek word is tapeinos meaning of low degree, depressed by grief, humble.
The lowly among us are:
-The homeless who desperately need hope.
-The young women who are pregnant and battling the choice to have the baby or not.
-The addicts who need to know freedom.
-The prisoners who's choices have taken them from their lives to live away from family.
-The widow and the grieving parent.
-They are our neighbors, people in our cities, in line with us in the store. They are EVERYWHERE.
But instead of seeing these people as Jesus does, we avert our eyes, judge them in our minds, laugh at them behind their backs, thank God it's not us. We are pious and high minded and UN-CHRISTLIKE.
Shame on us...shame on me!!
I believe, church, that the time has come for us to rise up. To quit treating our salvation as entry into the country club, but instead to live lives so led by the Spirit within us that if He asked you to give everything to help a lowly person, we would do so without flinching. Please know that I feel the sting of reproof and I don't intend to preach with out practicing. I am taking the next 7 days to fast and pray over where specifically God wants me to reach out. There are so many places in this city that could be: The Homeless Shelter, The Women's Resource Center, Flowery Branch Children's home, The Bartow County Jail, etc.
I encourage you to pray too and let the Lord lead you to love the lowly YOU are to touch. I believe Jesus was the greatest example of this for us, don't you?? He gave everything to touch me...and you. Oh such grace!
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Heaven...and a Baby
"Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." Col. 3:2 NLT
I know it's been awhile since my last posting. Life has been busy. But what else is new, right?? I have to admit, after being on a roll with the Scriptures, I came to a point of...weariness. I don't know how else to explain it. Living out this journey sometimes brings that. But God is faithful to feed us in our weariness.
We are revisiting this scripture today from a different perspective...one I hadn't focused on until a couple of Sundays ago. In our Adult Bible Study on Sunday mornings we are studying the book of Colossians. I help teach the 4th grade boys class every other month, so I am only am able to attend on my off months. I didn't know we were studying this book until 2 weeks ago. And this was the verse we focused on my first week back. Coincidence...I don't think so!!
Our teacher, Shep, brought out an entirely different viewpoint for me. That's one thing I absolutely love about God's word and the Holy Spirit. He imprints each of us with different truths about the same passage and it all works together!
HEAVEN
There's the view.
How often do we think about our real home?
How often do we listen to songs about it?
How often do yearn for heaven and home?
How often???
That was Shep's challenge. To find time during the week to really meditate on it. And so I did. And driving to work the next Tues, this post began to form in my mind....with a twist.
As many of you know, my brother, Stephen, and sister in love, Amanda, have just experienced the thrill of new life. Phoebe Grace Pacholski entered the world this past Sunday night! The journey towards her birth and thoughts of my coming home collaborated on that drive. There are so many emotions, anticipations, expectations, and preparations that envelope the arrival of a baby. I think they coincide easily with our journey toward heaven as well.
Emotions:
We all know the crazy realm of emotions we go through during a pregnancy...even when you aren't the one carrying the baby. There is excitement, anxiousness, joy, nervousness, impatience.
On our journey to heaven we experience the same. An excitement to be in the place where we are fully loved and accepted...no fear...no mourning...no rejection...nothing but peace and love. An anxiousness to get there when times are really tough down here on earth. Absolutely joy when we remember who is waiting to greet us. Nervousness because we don't exactly know what it's going to be like...there is that great white throne to appear in front of (eek!) And if you're like me, impatience to JUST GET THERE already! Come, Lord Jesus!!
Anticipations:
Anticipating the arrival of a baby is excruciating at times!! It's seems like FOREVER til they arrive. You anticipate what they will look like. How much they will weigh. Is it a boy or girl. How it will feel to hold them in your arms and love something beyond yourself.
The same is true of our wait for heaven. I can't wait to see Jesus' face!!! To be held by the One who gave everything for me. To see the home He has prepared for me. To see the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before me. To view beauty beyond imagination.
Expectations:
While awaiting to meet the little person inside the womb, expectations arise. You expect to have sleepless nights, tired days, overwhelming joy and love, gifts to help you and the baby, friends and family to help you raise this sweet little one. You expect they'll be healthy and grow mightily.
We also have expectations for our forever home. Yours will differ from others. I expect that I will get to have conversations with heroes of the faith like Corrie Ten Boome, Paul, Peter, David, Billy Graham, and my Grandfather. There will be hours of those...or so I expect. I expect that I'll sing like I've never sung...a song I've never had until then. I expect that the music of heaven is so beautiful that earthly ears couldn't even stand it! I expect that Jesus will have ample time to sit with me and every other person there.
Preparation:
Preparing for a new baby takes endless work and planning. You don't bring a child into your home with out necessities! Diapers, wipes, a bed, food, etc. Who wouldn't prepare??
How do we prepare for heaven??
The question of the day...
YOU READ THE WORD and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE!!!
I think that one pretty much speaks for itself. You don't walk this journey to home with out preparation. To do so would leave you vulnerable to the enemy who seeks to steal your joy, attack your mind, cause you to act as other than who you truly are...a child of the King. Preparing myself each day to tough out the journey is what this year is all about for me. Praying each day for strength and conviction when necessary. Chewing on the food of the Word to give me nourishment. Listening to the Spirit's lead. Telling others what God is doing in and around me. Giving myself to the kingdom.
That's preparation.
And listening to a few old songs about the home I so long for...That'll do it everytime.
This song was one of my Grandma's favorites and I know she's seeing with her eyes what I can only long for right now...
I know it's been awhile since my last posting. Life has been busy. But what else is new, right?? I have to admit, after being on a roll with the Scriptures, I came to a point of...weariness. I don't know how else to explain it. Living out this journey sometimes brings that. But God is faithful to feed us in our weariness.
We are revisiting this scripture today from a different perspective...one I hadn't focused on until a couple of Sundays ago. In our Adult Bible Study on Sunday mornings we are studying the book of Colossians. I help teach the 4th grade boys class every other month, so I am only am able to attend on my off months. I didn't know we were studying this book until 2 weeks ago. And this was the verse we focused on my first week back. Coincidence...I don't think so!!
Our teacher, Shep, brought out an entirely different viewpoint for me. That's one thing I absolutely love about God's word and the Holy Spirit. He imprints each of us with different truths about the same passage and it all works together!
HEAVEN
There's the view.
How often do we think about our real home?
How often do we listen to songs about it?
How often do yearn for heaven and home?
How often???
That was Shep's challenge. To find time during the week to really meditate on it. And so I did. And driving to work the next Tues, this post began to form in my mind....with a twist.
As many of you know, my brother, Stephen, and sister in love, Amanda, have just experienced the thrill of new life. Phoebe Grace Pacholski entered the world this past Sunday night! The journey towards her birth and thoughts of my coming home collaborated on that drive. There are so many emotions, anticipations, expectations, and preparations that envelope the arrival of a baby. I think they coincide easily with our journey toward heaven as well.
Emotions:
We all know the crazy realm of emotions we go through during a pregnancy...even when you aren't the one carrying the baby. There is excitement, anxiousness, joy, nervousness, impatience.
On our journey to heaven we experience the same. An excitement to be in the place where we are fully loved and accepted...no fear...no mourning...no rejection...nothing but peace and love. An anxiousness to get there when times are really tough down here on earth. Absolutely joy when we remember who is waiting to greet us. Nervousness because we don't exactly know what it's going to be like...there is that great white throne to appear in front of (eek!) And if you're like me, impatience to JUST GET THERE already! Come, Lord Jesus!!
Anticipations:
Anticipating the arrival of a baby is excruciating at times!! It's seems like FOREVER til they arrive. You anticipate what they will look like. How much they will weigh. Is it a boy or girl. How it will feel to hold them in your arms and love something beyond yourself.
The same is true of our wait for heaven. I can't wait to see Jesus' face!!! To be held by the One who gave everything for me. To see the home He has prepared for me. To see the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before me. To view beauty beyond imagination.
Expectations:
While awaiting to meet the little person inside the womb, expectations arise. You expect to have sleepless nights, tired days, overwhelming joy and love, gifts to help you and the baby, friends and family to help you raise this sweet little one. You expect they'll be healthy and grow mightily.
We also have expectations for our forever home. Yours will differ from others. I expect that I will get to have conversations with heroes of the faith like Corrie Ten Boome, Paul, Peter, David, Billy Graham, and my Grandfather. There will be hours of those...or so I expect. I expect that I'll sing like I've never sung...a song I've never had until then. I expect that the music of heaven is so beautiful that earthly ears couldn't even stand it! I expect that Jesus will have ample time to sit with me and every other person there.
Preparation:
Preparing for a new baby takes endless work and planning. You don't bring a child into your home with out necessities! Diapers, wipes, a bed, food, etc. Who wouldn't prepare??
How do we prepare for heaven??
The question of the day...
YOU READ THE WORD and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE!!!
I think that one pretty much speaks for itself. You don't walk this journey to home with out preparation. To do so would leave you vulnerable to the enemy who seeks to steal your joy, attack your mind, cause you to act as other than who you truly are...a child of the King. Preparing myself each day to tough out the journey is what this year is all about for me. Praying each day for strength and conviction when necessary. Chewing on the food of the Word to give me nourishment. Listening to the Spirit's lead. Telling others what God is doing in and around me. Giving myself to the kingdom.
That's preparation.
And listening to a few old songs about the home I so long for...That'll do it everytime.
This song was one of my Grandma's favorites and I know she's seeing with her eyes what I can only long for right now...
I'm kind of homesick for a country
to which I've never been before.
No sad goodbyes will there be spoken,
And time won't matter anymore
Beulah Land I'm longing for you,
and someday on thee I'll stand.
There my home shall be eternal.
Beulah Land... sweet Beulah Land
I'm looking now across that river
to where my faith is gonna end in sight.
Theres just a few more days to labor,
Then I'll take, my heavenly flight
Beulah Land I'm longing for you,
and someday on thee I'll stand.
There my home shall be eternal.
Beulah Land, Sweet Beulah land
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