Give Love Wings 12-19-11

“He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

 Ps. 107:9

Prayer gives love wings, and direction to the perplexed soul.

But a word of caution: when pleading with God, let us not merely ask Him to agree with what we have already decided.

God bless us this week!

Shaun and Betsy

Predicaments 12-12-11

“The LORD will perfect that which concerns me.” 
Ps. 138:8

Feeling overwhelmed or exhausted amidst a confusing circumstance or pickled relationship?

This frenzied season sometimes lends itself to heightened relational misgivings. Different passions, experiences, perspectives, gift sets, expectations, values and longings often collide during this time of year. And although love and understanding go a long way, they don’t necessarily heal the heart or fix the predicament.

God wants to heal and fix in a different realm first.

Ps. 138:8 tells us that God will perfect all things that concern us.

This week, let’s consciously choose to give our life back to the God who created it. Let’s allow Him to do some nurturing, healing and tweaking deep within, as we trust Him to help us navigate life’s tricky arenas.

And one glorious day, everything will come to full completion…every loose end will be tied up, circumstantially and relationally. Until then, God is at work wooing us to Himself, as He aligns our heart, mind, and soul with His own.

Love and hugs,

Shaun and Betsy

Honor Another's Preference 12-5-11

“The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning.” Prv. 16:21

Learning is seldom convenient.

Interpersonal relational learning is rarely convenient …or easy.

Amidst this season of heightened stress, we are wise to know that nothing is so terrible in a relationship that some level of love and understanding cannot be gained in the name of God…Who is LOVE. 

May we learn this week what it means to bless another by abandoning our own natural tendencies in order to honor another’s preference.

And as we do, we will come to know the fullness of what it means to be forgiven ourselves as we forgive those who have hurt us.

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Core Belief Structure: Trust or Distrust

“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” Ex. 34:6

My concept of God completely controls my relationship with Him. If I believe that He is good and that He has only my best in mind for me, I trust Him when things are difficult. But if my core belief is that God is “done with me”, I will not pursue Him, and I will move away from Him when life’s challenges engulf me.

God tells us this in Jer. 29:11: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God is telling us, “ Don’t tell Me what you think I think of you, this is what I think of you!”

Sometimes when confusing or difficult circumstances occur in or around us, we mistakenly interpret them differently (even the opposite) from what God actually thinks of us and from what He is actually doing through and around our life with these events.

Likewise, these same kinds of misinterpretations happen in our interpersonal relationships.

The question comes down to this: What is my core belief structure? If it one of trust, I will move towards God (or that other person). But if it is distrust, I will move away from God (or that other person).

Unlike people, however, God is 100% trustworthy 100% of the time, no matter the circumstance or our limited perspectives.

This is a very stressful time of year for many many folks. In our stresses this week, let’s determine to trust Him according to His word, not ours.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Ps. 139: 23-24

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Victory and Protection this Thanksgiving 11-21-11

“He holds victory in store for the upright; He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless." Prv. 2:7

We look around us today and there is A LOT of hurt and need. And we hear Believing friends saying that they are not sure if God even exists, because He isn’t hearing their prayers.

Just wondering…

Maybe we’re praying and receiving no answers because deep down, we don’t desire God’s wisdom and love to manifest itself in and through us, but merely His power for our own use?

Maybe we’re crying out to God not in humility, but in demand, expecting God to be someone other than He is and to bless our limited perspective desires, not His divine purposed desires for us?

Truth be told, perhaps we’re desiring a god we can manipulate rather than Someone who is simply not exploitable.

God says: “Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the LORD grants wisdom!

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him.” Prv. 2:2-8

God promises: “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…Call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.” Jer. 29:11-14

As we seek Him, may God abundantly bless us this Thanksgiving! 
Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Help! My "Wanter's" Broken 11-14-11

"The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them." Ps. 145:17-18

Ever find yourself desiring more of a perpetually elusive “intangible” like peace, joy or direction? Deep down, have you ever thought: “Intellectually I know “it” exists, (because I’ve witnessed “it” in so-n-so), but honestly, I’ve never truly experienced “it” for myself…at least not with any longer term consistency.”

Straight talk: These intangibles are a gift; a gift of love that God imparts to those who choose to seek Him wholeheartedly.
 ~Blessings resulting from intimacy with Creator Almighty.

Personal pride, rebellion, and the hurry of life keep us from this Divine intimacy.

Question: Do I really want “it”? Or do I merely want the results of “it”?

Awareness is the first step of change; the second is taking personal responsibility.

In this trek together,

Shaun and Betsy

Stand UP, in Love 11-7-11

“Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand up together.”

Is. 4:13

“Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.” Dan. 12:3

By name, God calls the stars in the heavens to stand up. “To stand up” (‘amad) means to take a stand, hold one’s ground, rise up or stand against, endure, persist, be steadfast.  As Believers, we too are referred to as stars, and we too are called by God to stand up.

In love, STAND UP.

Stand up and buy the homeless man (hand-washing his clothes in the launder mat like Big Mike in the movie Blind Side), a few loads worth of laundry…treating him/her as one would a friend.

Stand up and let God’s peace shine out to all who come in contact with you … amidst the uncertainty of investigative tests at the hospital.

Stand up and according to Truth, call the Senator’s office and in love briefly share why his/her policies are in the wrong.

Stand up and offer a kind word or act (along with kind body language and facial expressions) to that unkind or rebellious person.

Stand up and share the love of Jesus (not religion) with the person at the car wash, at the office, in line, at the gym, in the class, at practice, on the plane, in the parking lot….

Stand up in the privacy of our own home and worship our KING with arms open wide or prostrate on the ground in humble submission.

Stand up in heart and mind (rather than succumbing to a pity party), and chose to embrace God’s sovereignty amidst a difficult personal challenge.

Stand up and choose to intercede for a significant someone who has wronged or hurt us…and be set free in the process.

Stand up and text/call ones spouse, apologizing for our behavior … despite feeling personally wronged. (No perfect people, only a perfect God)

Stand up and bring a warm dish of food or a listening ear to a hurting friend, just to say, “I care”.

Sadly, most USA Christians today chose to believe a brand of Christianity that makes no demands and doesn’t call for wholehearted devotion; a religion, instead of an intimate relationship with the living God. But this is not what God designed us for. Each one of our lives counts, has worth, is significant and can make a difference in our world.

Stand up and make a difference … one life at a time … until the whole world knows.

To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than ALL we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work with in us, to Him be the glory this week and always!    xo ~Shaun and Betsy

In the Struggle, Step Out and Stand UP! 10-24-11

“Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes a vessel from the silversmith.” Prv. 25:4

Amidst God’s refining furnace, it’s the suffering that gets rid of the dross in our lives.

Haralan Popov was a prominent minister in Sofia, Bulgaria when he was arrested in 1948 on false charges of treason and espionage against the state. He was among 15 Christian ministers charged with these crimes, and after being tortured and brainwashed for 8 months, pleaded guilty under duress and were sentenced to 15 yrs. in prison. Released in 1962, Popov moved to the USA in 1970 and started a worldwide campaign for human rights and religious freedom. In his book, “Tortured For His Faith”, Popov writes this:

“As the fires of persecution grew, they burned away the chaff and stubble and left only the golden wheat. The suffering purified the church and united the believers in a wonderful spirit of brotherly love such as must have existed in the early church. Petty differences were put aside. Brethren loved and cared for one another and carried one another’s burdens. There were no nominal or ‘lukewarm’ believers. It made no sense to be a halfhearted Christian when the price for faith was so great. There came a great spiritual depth and richness in Christ I had never seen in the times before when we were free.

Every man, woman and youth was forced to ‘count the cost’ and decide if serving Christ was worth the suffering. And to the Communist’s great regret, this was the healthiest thing they could have done for the church, for the insincere gave up but the true Christians became aware of what Christ meant to them and became more dedicated than ever before.”

Question: Whether “suffering” comes as some kind of illness, marital/relational strife, or outside persecution, as a Christian in the United States today, are we so isolated and insulated in our “holy huddle Believer bubble” that we are simply too comfortable to “step out and stand up” for Him?

Last week, I (Betsy) was put to this test when my internist became alarmed with a mass growing in my abdomen. A full line up of doc visits and tests followed, and yet, despite the unknown, I had the most amazing upbeat/calm spirit that overcame me. (The same calm Spirit that overcame me during my brain tumor announcement this May.) ~~ I even got to share God’s love and Good News with the sweet distraught woman who drew my blood (testing me for ovarian cancer) for 15 some odd minutes as well as with my internist, gyn, AND the whole bible study group of ladies that were over at our home just prior to it all!

And to God be the glory, the “mass” turns out to be an abdominal hernia over an ovarian cyst…together accounting for all the odd symptoms which pointed to something much more serious. PRAISE HIM.

~~So what do you say we each challenge ourselves to “step out and stand up for Him” in our area of suffering this week?

We love you,  ~Shaun and Betsy

Dare Not 10-17-11

“For freedom Christ has set us free.” Gal. 5:1

Does “freedom” mean we can do anything we want, any time we want, to any extent we want, with whomever or whatever we want, for as long as we want, and suffer no consequences with any of it at any level?

In today’s world, does freedom mean abolishing common decency?

We have 2 kids currently in college and in most US colleges today, new students are encouraged by staff and peers to experience “freedoms” they may have never had the opportunity to try until now. In the sex arena, kids are told to “fly, be free” and many do just this…only to discover latent consequences one never considered as an 18-21 year old. ~~Like being a happily married 32 yr. old, but unable to conceive because of a silent STD … Or being ‘not so happily married’ because one’s been with so many partners that being united with ‘just one for life’ is too confining. … Or dealing with post abortion remorse and shame one never fathomed one would feel ‘back in the day’…

Can we truly be free when we are slaves to our own passions and desires?

“Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, ‘You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. … Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.’”  Jn. 8:31-36

Freedom in these verses mean ceasing to be a slave, to be set at liberty. ~~Liberty to live as free men, as servants of God, without using freedom as a pretext for evil. 1 Pet. 2:16

Satan dared Eve and succeeded. She believed she was gaining something but was actually losing it all. And his dares haven’t changed; at the root, they’re designed to appeal to our pride, our insecurity and our wanting to prove or validate ourselves. Tragically, in a moment of weakness, Adam and Eve lost their freedom, and entered into a lifelong self-induced prison with consequences rippling to us 1000’s of years later.

Question: What in our life this week is enticing us away from true freedom? ~~Like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, it is not too late to reverse direction.

May God bless us,

Shaun and Betsy

Kiss the Bit and Bridle Goodbye 10-10-11

“The LORD says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you and watch over you.

Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.’” Ps. 32:8-9

Any of us acting like a senseless horse or stubborn mule in a particular circumstance or relationship right now?

Why?

Learning to trust HIM in the trenches, xo  ~Shaun and Betsy

He is Good 10-3-11

“He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His way.” Ps. 25:9

Humbleness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore, without disputing or resisting, we trust in God’s goodness and His control over the situation or relationship.

Also referred to as meekness or gentleness, to be humble sits opposite of self-interest, yet it is not complacent or milquetoast. This is how one can be angry yet not sin, like Jesus Himself exemplified. (Anger rooted in God and His cares, not me and my cares.)

So in Ps. 25:9 above, when God says that He leads and teaches His kids His way, He’s saying that He leads and teaches those of us who are wholeheartedly trusting Him with our lives “as they transpire”.

Faith says that although I do NOT understand, I am choosing to trust You and NOT slander You in word or deed because Your way(s) don’t fit my limited perspectives.

What’s testing your faith today (whether small or immense)?

Whatever the circumstance or relationship, God is completely aware and He’s in complete control.

The question is: Do we wholeheartedly believe this?

May God bless us!

Shaun and Betsy

Freedom Found in Shifting Control 9-26-11

“the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Cor. 4:18

Are any of us experiencing “less than happiness” with a relationship, our employment, a health issue, etc.? (Sooner or later ALL of us do.)

Do you truly believe that God is sovereign over all the details in the lives of His kids? How about your personal life? With all of life’s setbacks, adversities, and relationships that cause you personal heartache, do you really believe He is sovereign and in complete control?

Once we truly grasp the truth that everything we experience is 1) permitted, 2) used by God, and that 3) He is sovereign over all details in our life and relationships, we can stop focusing on the score (our cherished goals and expectations) and start LIVING in the game.

We can start living life to His glory (abiding, obeying, and trusting), where we’ll no longer feel like we have to control outcomes, but can REST in knowing that He is in complete control (even when life “feels” out of control).

~Our vision is temporal yet God is eternal. God sees our entire earthly existence through the lenses of eternity. He views ALL of what is going on (personally and globally), and then weaves this seeming gagnormous conflicted mess together in His perfect eternal tapestry.  

What we need are spiritual glasses and trust. The apostle Paul tells us, “We don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever…My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” 2 Cor. 4:18; Is. 55:9

Regarding the things we do not understand and that cause us pain, what do you say we choose to live with spiritual glasses this week? 

 

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.” Eph. 4:6  

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Room for God 9-19-11

“In all his thoughts there is no room for God.” Ps. 10:4

• We all serve something or someone.
• We are all bondservants to whatever we worship.
• When we make friendship with the “world” we break the heart of God.

  “The LORD was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and 

His heart was filled with pain. Gen. 6:6

  “…how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away 
from Me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols.”Ezek. 6:9

 “In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them. 

In His love and mercy He redeemed them; 
He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 

Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit.”Is 63:9-10

• We fall into deception when we don’t seek to understand the true heart of God, but choose instead to embrace our ideas about the heart of God and our own feelings.

This week would you pray with us, “Lord, please break our hearts with what breaks Your heart, and give us great joy with the things that give You joy. May these things that break Your heart become so distasteful to us that their repulsion drives us to Your feet …where we are met by Your grace and love. Amen.”

“do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Eph. 4:30 

As we truly come to grips with our personal depravity, then we repent and come fully surrendered to God, we will be transformed from within where we cannot help but to LOVE and LIVE more like Him. 

Much love and living this week!

Shaun and Betsy

Living Farsighted 9-12-11

“If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my household,

We will serve the Lord.” Josh. 24:15

Question: If God withdrew His active presence from your life, what difference would it make?

• ·         
  Would we barely notice because although we think we’re a Believer, the reality of our life tells a different story
• • OR
• ·          Would we notice His absence in such a way that it would cause us to fall on our knees and beg Him for forgiveness, realizing the gravity of our own self-sufficient rebellious depravity?

The fact is, living with our hearts aligned with the world’s value system is generally easier in the short run. ~~We can embrace areas like low ethical standards, immediate self-gratification, and seemingly be rewarded for doing so.

Bottom line: 

“It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.’

  So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Rom. 14:11-12

Let’s not be shortsighted of what truly matters.

This shortsightedness issue reminds us of a relative who broke his nose 6 days ago. (FYI: This analogy has nothing to do with this man’s faith, just his shortsightedness.) This guy’s nose looks like a slippy slide on a home swimming pool, curving left, then gently right. Tomorrow he is supposed to get it “straightened” by the doc, but because of the potential pain and inconvenience, he’s seriously entertaining the thought of leaving it crooked for life! ~~How shortsighted would this be? He’s put little thought into how a crooked nose would affect things in the future … like his breathing, his sleep patterns (plus his future wife’s sleep patterns with his potential snoring), his employment options and the like!

He, (like us with our particular issue), is fixated on the immediate here and now. ~Oh Lord help us!

More questions: What area in our life this week is screaming out like a 2 year old, “I do it myself!” or “Give it, ME want it now!”?  Do we REALLY want to continue in this immaturity? Really?

Hopefully the answer is “no” and we are moved to do some serious business with God.

May God bless us!

Shaun and Betsy     

Reality According to Who? 8-29-11

He taught with real authority—

quite unlike their teachers of religious law. Matt. 7:29

When our reality doesn’t line up with actual reality (reality according to Father God) deception is a soul gripping slippery slide.

It can come in loads of different forms/natures:

·       An athletic sport endeavor where the sport becomes the thing to be worshiped and God, our puppet for success.
·       A business venture where the venture becomes our god, and God is blamed when the venture veers south.
·       A relationship where it seems, “I’m just helping him/her”, but in reality, are enabling poor behavior and playing “Jesus Christ Jr.”.
·       An attraction to someone other than our spouse. One that we convince ourselves is a “healthy relationship”, yet in reality, is anything but.
·       A legalistic mindset on a neutral biblical tenet, causing one to errantly deduce, “if it is right for me, it therefore MUST be right for you.”
·       Etc. etc

God’s Word is love and God’s Word is power. ~~When it is spoken over our lives and we choose to ingest it into our inmost parts (not merely 1-2 inches), then choose to be trained by it, …His LOVE and POWER go to work in us, transforming us from glory to glory until the day when we are with Him, reigning alongside Him in heaven forever! AMEN!

The Power of Truth:

·       “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Heb. 4:12

·       “To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Eph. 3:20

·       “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” Eph. 1:17-20

Ingesting and Training in the Power of Truth:

·       “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” Heb. 5:13-14

·       “…Exercise yourself toward godliness.” 1Tim. 4:7

·       “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Cor. 9:25-27

Oh Lord, please touch us afresh this week. Where we are in error, correct our thinking, cause us to want to repent and follow Your lead. Amen.  

Much love, Shaun and Betsy

Hiding in Life 8-22-11

“Where are you?” Gen. 3:9

The first recorded question from God to man asks man is, “Where are you hiding?” And ever since the Fall, man’s tendency (each one of us) is to conceal ourselves.

We hide behind bad things like the misuse of drugs & alcohol, or an abusive upbringing. We hide behind neutral things like power, reputation and titles. And we even hide behind good things like our personalities (I’m just shy), our good family name, and even Scripture itself.

As believers:

• ·             A mom can hide behind her kids, her husband, or a myriad of “to-dos”…never truly learning what it means to rely on the Lord in her daily living.
• ·            A dad can hide behind wifely (and child-ly) submit, respect and honor verses, never truly learning what it means to submit himself to the Spirit and lead his family moment by moment in the Spirit’s power.
• ·          An employee can hide behind busyness and deadlines and never really learn what it means to rely on the Spirit in the workplace.
• ·          An athlete can hide behind his/her workouts and competitions; an artist behind his/her craft; and a musician behind his/her music (and miss worshiping and serving the King altogether with his/her talent).
• ·          Leaders can hide behind titles (VP, CEO, CFO, etc.) ~~(Church leadership can hide behind titles too: pastor, elder, deacon, etc.)
• ·          Bible lovers can hide behind pet scripture verses choosing not to rely on the living Spirit to reveal Truth. (Jn.1:1 speaks to the Word as much more than merely written Scripture. “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”)

If we truly desire ALL that God has for us, then we must stand in the LIGHT of His love and judgment, transparently honest and naked before Him.

“Lord, please show me the depravity of myself. Show me where I am hiding from You, regardless of how righteous it may appear. Cause me to want to become nakedly transparent before You. Please rewire my brain according to Your truths and not my perceptions of Your truths. Help these areas of hiding to become utterly distasteful to me. Amen.”

Let’s remember, the Redemption Story is all about God’s pursuit of man, not man’s pursuit of God. 

Question this week:

 

 Where in our life is God asking, " Your name , where are you hiding?"

We’re in this together!

Much love, ~Shaun and Betsy

Purposed Steps 8-15-11

“I run with a purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.” 

1Cor. 9:26

As we distinguish then embrace our unique call we’ll find that we’re not as apt to rush into the plethora of opportunities that are not part of God’s individual assignment for us, no matter how righteous or urgent they appear. ~The “need” isn’t necessarily the “call”, as the saying goes.

“We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph. 2:10

Personal example this week:

1) Yesterday morning, our eldest called from afar asking for help. He told us that his car had developed a major fluid leak, he’d just lost his power steering, the temperature outside was near 100 and climbing, and that he was going to start walking to the hospital for his first day on the job (~10 blocks away dressed in a suit)… And would figure out what to do as the day unfolded.

2) Minutes later we got another call that we were needed at an urgent prayer meeting….the caller was intent not to take “no” for an answer.

3) At the same time, the pot boiled over on the stove and the UPS guy rang the doorbell with a delivery.

What to do?

·      Choose to attend to all in an attempt to please all?

·      Choose to attend to one/some based on the perceived need/urgency factor?

·      Choose to attend to none and allow the other involved parties to “deal”?

·      …Etc., etc.

Well, because we’ve learned to discern and embrace our call in this season of life, the choice was relatively easy. ~As we prayed words from this simple prayer, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.” Ps. 25: 4-5, God clearly directed our steps.  

Yes, we disappointed at least one person, but we’re confident that we put a smile on God’s face as we walked in His directed path. “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” 1 Sam. 15:22. ~~For even though it may have made us feel better to have surrendered our time and resources to meet all of the needs at hand, the Lord impressed upon our hearts that obedience is what He pleases Him, and we had choices to make.

Oh, may we walk in a manner that pleases Him!

God bless you! ~Shaun and Betsy

Confronting Our Inner Jerk 8-8-11

    “Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger” Jms. 1:19

We don’t know how you are doing in this arena, but as we Clearys learn to daily navigate life’s circumstances and relationships in the Spirit vs. our flesh, we have been amazed at how depraved we are at our core. (“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” Rom.7: 18)

Sure, if we set the bar low and compare ourselves to the obnoxious person we just witnessed at the gas station, we can fool ourselves into thinking that we are doing ok. But in reality, we are simply too chicken or too prideful to confront our “inner jerk”.

God doesn’t grade on a curve.

So, even though we may “feel” like telling the person who just _____ed us, “You sick moron, what kind of slimy fissure did you just emerge from?” … DON’T.

Jesus sets the standard, and the standard is HIGH…perfection in fact. That’s why He gives us His Spirit within us to help transform us from the inside out.

But He also gave us free will. And in the heat of the moment, it’s our choice whether we heed His voice or our emotion.

Challenge: This week when someone frustrates the heck out of us, how will we respond? ~According to the His Spirit or according to our flesh? It’s our choice.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Pet. 1:3-4

God bless us as we struggle together arm in arm! ~Shaun and Betsy

Faithfulness and Rewards 8-1-11

“His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness.’”

Matt. 25:23

Remember the parable about the talents in Matt. 25:14-28? God gives His different servants different numbers of talents, expects them to invest the talents wisely, and later, upon His return, rewards them accordingly. As we’ve pondered this parable, we sense that what is acknowledged and rewarded in heaven may be quite different than our perceptions of what we think God will acknowledge and reward.  ~~For example, most of us regretfully esteem certain believers higher than other believers based on our personal perceptions of their “ministries” (inside and outside the church proper).

Think on this equation a minute:

·       Person A grew up in an amazing believing family, lived a fruitful life honoring God, was given 50 talents, but only used 32 of the talents God entrusted to him.

·       Person B grew up in a hellhole, was abused and unloved, yet found Jesus, was given only 5 talents, and used 4 of them very effectively.

·       Who do you think gets larger eternal acknowledgement and reward?

We speculate that it may go down something like this at the judgment seat:

·       “Esteemed Person A” did much with what he was given (but missed a lot too) and is rewarded accordingly.

·       “Unesteemed Person B”, despite all odds

o   found Jesus,

o   overcame his past

o   did what he was created for with what he was given…

o   his faithfulness is noted and his eternal reward is abundant…(perhaps more abundant than “Esteemed Person A”! ~Matt. 25:23)

As we Clearys seek to understand God’s heart better, we find that we are falling in love with the difficult people in our lives more and more, and we are not as quick to judge. (~~Perhaps this difficult person is an “Unesteemed Person B” and that we are evaluating them on an “Esteemed Person A” scale!)

~~God trusts us with His divine wisdom to the degree that we know His heart. The key is to draw near to Him so that we understand His heart more and more. Deception happens when we don’t seek to understand the true heart of God, but choose instead to embrace our ideas about the heart of God and our own feelings.

It’s not easy, but it’s so worth it. Will you join us in the challenge this week?

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy