Refreshing Faith of a Child 4-18-11

“Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”

Matt. 11:25

Devotion to God isn’t merely following a set of spiritual disciplines. It’s a commitment of LOVE that permeates every facet of our lives. Perhaps this is just one reason children are so endearing to God?

Kids come to Him in open armed wide-eyed expectancy, believing His truths and promises at face value. Why? Because Jesus’ words ring true to what God has already placed in their little hearts, the same truths He’s placed in each human heart. It’s no wonder Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt. 19:13-14)

“O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of Your strength.” Ps. 8:2 “You have taught children and infants to give You praise.” Matt. 21:16

So what happens to the wide-eyed trusting small child in all of us? Life. Life happens. And some of us tragically have had to endure more heartache than average Joe. ~When we meet one of these individuals, one of the first things we recognize is, their joy seems to have been completely sucked out. It’s heartbreaking.

Do you know what Shaun and I do our best to do when we meet someone like this? ~When we find ourselves interacting with a nasty acting person, we’ve consciously trained ourselves to picture this person as an innocent young child full of wonder. (Sometimes this is rather difficult, but we try ;-)) …Then we ask ourselves, what’s his/her story? What must have happened to him/her to cause such distrust and bitterness? …Then we pray something short like this: “Lord, please give me Your eyes into this person. Help me to understand the pain he/she must feel (ugliness has pain at the root). Give me insight into this person’s soul, insights into what is really going on with him/her versus what he/she is “presenting”. Then, please help me to interact with this person how You would.”

Scripture tells us: “You show that you are a letter from Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Cor. 3:3

Little kids get it. Aside from their built in sin nature (no one has to teach a 2 yr old to say, “MINE”.), youngsters have this uncanny ability to assess and render a trustworthy response, with virtually no political positioning. (That is unless the cookie jar is within eyeshot.) Currently, most every Tuesday Betsy watches 2 little girls, sisters ages 1 and 3. What joy they bring to the Cleary household! Aside from being irresistibly cute, they’re so refreshingly straightforward in their honest assessment of life!

Need a straightforward opinion? Ask a 3 yr old. ~~God bless us this week as we lean on Him to reveal what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of people we’re in relationship with!

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy 

Divine Empowerment 4-11-11

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Jn.13:35

Jesus promises Divine empowerment:

·       “…Don’t worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. For it won't be you doing the talking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matt. 10:19-20

·       “All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you.” Jn. 16:15

Stephen experiences Divine empowerment:

·       “None of them was able to stand against the wisdom and Spirit by which Stephen spoke.” Acts 6:10

We each can experience Divine empowerment:

Personal example:

Last week while viewing an amazing mountain top sunset (with 4 teenagers in tow), God graced Betsy with a divine appointment with an Iranian Muslim man who was there watching this same spectacular celestial display. After some small talk, this man squared his shoulders, looked intently at Betsy, and with tender eyes and demeanor exclaimed, “You have the Spirit of God in you.” Betsy compassionately replied, “Yes I do. Jesus Christ put His Spirit in me nearly 28 years ago and changed my life forever.”

Longer story short, through God’s empowerment, spiritual conversation ensued and Jesus’ grace and love was communicated in a way this man embraced. ~~The 4 teenagers now stood quiet, watching with their mouth’s opened in amazement as this Muslim man warmly hugged this Christian woman and waved exuberantly on tippy toe as we boarded our vehicle and drove away.

~The ensuing conversation was rich, with this particular truth becoming quite clear: There is something built into the human heart that either desires the grace and love of God or because of pride, despises the grace and love of God. Only God knows who are destined to be His and who are destined to choose their own way. Our job is to prayerfully share/radiate His truths in love as He leads. God’s job is to do the rest.

·       “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 2Jn. 3:1

·       “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Cor. 13:14

God bless you this week as you reach out and touch someone with His love and grace!

Much love,                            

Shaun and Betsy

Open and Closed Doors 4-4-11

“I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show You My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Ex. 9:16

Have you ever felt like the Jewish believers in this passage: “O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble! Why are You like a stranger to us? Why are You like someone passing through the land, stopping only for the night? Are You also confused? Are You helpless to save us? Jer. 14:8

Likened to these folks, undoubtedly, some of us are also feeling estranged, prostituted, misdirected or abandoned by God right now. (And no doubt, some of us who are feeling this way deserve it, because we have done some serious “straying” from God’s best for us.)… But what about those of us who are not being chastened by God’s loving hand of discipline? What about those of us who are seeking God wholeheartedly (Mk. 12:30) yet find ourselves struggling with “Divine abandonment issues”?

Despite what we’re sensing or how things appear, we are prudent to keep Divine focus and acknowledge what the Israelites acknowledged in the very next Jeremiah verse, “You are right here among us, LORD. We are known as your people." Jer. 14:9

Recently we Cleary’s had a proverbial door slam shut on us. In this particular instance, the situation was not one of personal perseverance and overcoming, but a life lesson produced by God for us to recognize that He was not in this thing and He was shutting this particular door. What was our response? Well, because we’d been seeking God during this entire process, when the door that we wanted closed, oddly, we got excited. Excited? Yep. ~Sure we could have stayed in the game and forged on in our own talents and strength, and perhaps we may have even experienced limited success, …but the tried and true principle that we Cleary’s have learned in our almost 30 years together is this, “If God ain’t in it, get out ASAP!”

And although God hasn’t given us clarity as to His reasons, nor has He opened another door, we truly have joyous inner peace as we lean on Him and wait in eager anticipation for what He will reveal in His perfect timing.

So how about you? When you get a figurative door slammed in your face or when things just don’t make sense in your life, what’s your response? Where do you go to gain perspective/understanding?  ~~ Do you first go to God and pour out your concerns, fears, anxieties, confusion, heartache or pain to Him like the psalmist in Ps. 57:2?  “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.”

Or is your and our first choice to pour out our thoughts to a friend? Go to work on our self at the gym, spa or hairdresser? Escape in a novel or a movie? Visit Internet sites? Perhaps ingest a substance to dull the senses or act out an “alter ego”? Etc., etc., etc. (10 to 1 our answer is directly related to the vibrancy of our relationship with God at the time of the crisis.)

This week let’s make it a point to remember:

·       “God has saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” 2Tim. 1:9

·       “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Eph. 2:10

May God bless you and you live for Him!

Shaun and Betsy