December 15, 2014 2 Peter 3:18 Grow in Grace....

2 Peter 3:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.

Grow in grace and knowledge. 

Grace and knowledge.....

In today's world, it seems that so much emphasis is placed on knowledge....the highest academic degrees, the most literary books read, the largest words and trivia of all kinds.  Knowledge, it has been said, is power.  To know is to have the power over someone else or many someone elses.  With knowledge, we can use it to change lives and extend God's Kingdom or we can use for evil.  We withhold knowledge to try to keep others to be less powerful.  We dole out knowledge almost as secrets to be traded....to the highest bidder, of course, whether the price be paid in the currency of money or esteem.  We seek it so that we might be known greater than maybe we truly are. 

Peter tells us to grow in grace and knowledge.  Not just knowledge but also grace.  We are familiar with the phrase, "We are saved by the grace of God."  He has been merciful to our sinful and nature.  Through our faith in Him, He extends to us eternal life.  Yet, Paul tells us to grow in grace.  Ourselves.  He encourages us to learn to extend to others a parallel of the grace that we have found in our Heavenly Father.  We are to extend lovingkindness, sweetness, humbleness, goodwill and favor to those whom we daily interact.  We are to love others beyond measure, as He has ourselves.  We are to extend goodwill and be the peacemakers.  We are to be set apart from this world....and this alone will set us far apart.

And this is a choice.  We must choose to forgive those that have wronged us....just as He forgave us.  Only not "just as" but we must remember that the comparison of our forgiveness to others and His forgiveness to ourselves is like comparing a drop of mist to the magnificent ocean.  We grow in grace when we find that we can extend lovingkindness to those that we truly wish not to....and when that extension has no association to their response.   We grow in grace when we choose to encourage and love those that we are "in worldly competition" for positions and titles...for we hold the greatest Title of all... God's.   We grow in grace with we realize that the purpose of all of this is not about ourselves or what we might earn in this world but rather about what we might extend in humbleness to our felllow man.  It is quite possible that the reason why we are "competing" for the position with another person is so that He might be introduced to the One True God.  It is quite possible that the conflict that exists between ourselves and others is so that our spiritual differences can be brought to light and through ourselves they find the Truth.  Every, every interaction, relationship and moment in time is when we must love with grace...so that they might know Him.

There are so many things in this world that will compete for our actions.  To grow in grace might actually fall in the category of "self-improvement" but how many books do we see dedicated to growing in grace.  Every year millions make New Year's resolutions, how many will resolve to grow in grace.  We will spend our time and energy growing the strength of our physical bodies, growing our contacts, growing our position amongst others and the list goes on and on.  But will we spend our time growing in grace?  For to grow in grace, may not offer any worldly accolades...in fact, quite possibly the opposite.  We will be seen to be weak, to be walked upon, to be cowards and naive.  There are those that will advise us to stand up for ourselves...to honor our name, to demand respect of our position, to be a man or woman.  And our flesh will agree with them.  Our flesh will be preparing for battle..preparing to defend ourselves.  But in our spirit, there will be a calmness.  A gentleness that comes from the One Who simply is.....and as we turn towards Him, we will find that the issues skewed in this world will begin to dim and, if we allow ourselves to linger in His Truth, we gather the strength to offer grace...time after time.

We find that to offer grace doesn't mean that we are weak....but rather we are stronger than we ever imagined...and we find peace from the complexities of this world.   The lyrics to a song...."Oh the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross bids me come and die and find that I can truly live."  I have found that so much to be true...as I slowly release the trappings of this world..sometimes literally prying my fingers from their grip...upon release, I find myself no longer hostage to them....I find myself free. And while there may be battles that I have forgone the victories here on this earth let there never be souls that I have dismissed.

December 12, 2014 2 Peter 3:17 Not All That Gitters is Gold......

2 Peter 3:17

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.


Always, always be on guard.

Satan seeks to discredit, disarm and destroy. He stops at nothing to reach his intended purpose. Wrapping hideous sin in beautiful packaging enticing believers to slightly stray, he slowly eases his way into our lives. Oh, if only sin visibly looked, smelled and tasted as the evil and wickedness it is... We would not even glance it's way, shielding ourselves from the decay it contains. Instead, it glimmers and glitters rushing out emotions in a heady sort of fashion. And we find ourselves lingering....one touch won't matter, one more word, one more conversation, one more look.

And as we linger, quite possibly, we find ourselves in a moment in time when all seems better in our world. Conflicts are resolved. We feel our needs being met. Us and our "secret" have found a way to get through the day....and night. Yet unknowingly, the darkness begins to surround us, whispering lies. Telling us that no one will understand. So we hide deeper and deeper..... Until we find ourselves in such a deep, deep pit of wrongness, that the lies become not so unbelievable...no one will understand how we fell this far. Our salvation is secure...our position and testimony of how God can use us in this world is not. And we just wasted it all...for what will eventually lead us to our own destruction.

As we start to pull away, satan wrenches the lies reminding us that there will be no grace or mercy for us....we have fallen to far. Lies that once glittered and filled our self esteem now reek of emotional abuse heaping words of disgrace and disappointment on our lives. We are ashamed....and seemingly all so alone.

Yet the moment, we cry "Jesus", we realize that He was there all along. Protecting us when we started on the blinded path towards destruction. We find that as we shed Light on the darkness, satan's lies become transparent. We find that while we stumbled, we have not fallen from Our Father's mercy. We find grace in love in other believers who will prayerfully walked with us...
We've been given the gift of salvation...firm and secure. Thankfully, that is a gift that God has sealed and that we as humans can't mess up once we accept His gift. Yet, the accountability of our witness here on earth, our character, our Christian walk is a free will choice. Do we spend enough time in God's word, surround ourselves with His presence... Shying from sin at the slightest enticement.

Stay on guard...always.

December 11, 2014 2 Peter 3:16 But I Can't Understand?????

2 Peter 3:16

He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destructions.

Consistency. Blessed assurance.

Throughout time, the message had remained the same. Relevant and constant. Real and unchanging. Whether reading Scripture and comparing writings of two very different authors (for example, Peter and Paul) or God's character, everything is very complementary and doesn't contradict.

Yet somehow in our world, we have found God's word to be difficult to understand. We have
begun to believe that ordinary people can't possible understand His teachings must less teach others. So, we don't even try. We allow others to interpret for us His words and messages never sitting to contemplate His messages ourselves. We passively listen thinking we just won't get it.
Some of us even worry about the quality of our prayers....becoming icy steel if someone calls us out to pray. What if we don't do it right? What if it is wrong? We worry about the format, the opening, the closing...the in between.

But you know what is most freeing? Focus on Him....and we find that what is inside of us is good enough. We find that we were created to pray to Him, read His word and put it into practice. Each and every one of us....regardless of our reading level (or even ability to read), regardless of our "lot" in life....this is what we were created to do. Simply created to worship the King.

However, satan has always tried to distract us from our Kingdom calling, from our true destiny. He seeks to destroy...and that starts with the lies that because sometimes there might be areas within Scriptures that are hard to understand (as written by Peter)...this doesn't negate their Holiness nor our ability to grasp His meaning of them. Unless, we choose to be "ignorant" or "unstable" and distort His word which will lead to destruction.


Stay close to Him. Take a deep breath and pray....out loud. I remember my first prayer uttered out loud in front of others....scared to death because others prayed so incredible perfect but I was reminded by Him that it was Him I was talking to....Him and with Him..whom shall I fear?
I have found that God reveals true understanding when I am ready....and only when I am ready. God is truly relevant in all things. We just have to relinquish all sense of false control that we think we might have and really mean it when we say. "You will and not my own..."




One of my favorite "Tae faces"..... I can only imagine her thoughts now.... "Mom, it is more than you can imagine..."

December 9, 2014 2 Peter 3:15 Encourage One Another....Really

 

2 Peter 3:15

Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

Peter and Paul.

I love the relationship that exists between Scriptures of the two. They both were used by God to write Scriptures that focused on different portions of His Word. Paul tends to focus more on salvation and grace where as Peter tends to focus more on a Christian's life and how we should live. They compliment each other. They, to me, represent how we as Christians should be in our world today. Each of us has been given gifts from the Father. Things for each us to contribute and impart into this world. And, like Paul and Peter, they are all unique and different. Yet even in their differences, they are all centered on the firm foundation of Christ. They point, without contraindications, fully to Him.

Why then do we see so much conflict amongst believers serving God's people? Why do we experience gifts being used not to reach the lost but rather being used to elevate oneself....as if the gifts were our own making? Why, instead of encouragement steeped in sisterly and brotherly love, do we see wickedness lightly covered with "sweetness and hospitality"...yet, wickedness at its core?

We don't need the world to persecute us. We, as Christians, if we are not careful do a mighty job ourselves. In our haste to elevate our own deeds, we inadvertently discredit our brother's work. In our desire to be known or to receive credit, we bring a shadow of doubt upon our sister's testimony. In our need to satisfy our fleshly desires, we create adversity where there should only be solidarity. We allow satan to stir amongst our circles. We gossip within, we lie within, we withhold compliments and encouragement.....even when prompted by the Holy Spirit. We disobey. We forget that in God's eyes we can all hold a special place....there isn't just one lead position. Everybody serves a lead position in God's plan. The lead position in what He has given each of us to do....and that position is important whether it be to lead the masses on this earth or to hold a newborn baby in the nursery.

Peter and Paul got this. They were so in awe with their Father that they were wholeheartedly sold out to Him. There wasn't room for any petty grappling between them. They understood that they each were serving the same God, the same purpose, the same faith. Instead of using each other as a stepping stone, they used each other to bring solidarity to our faith. They used our faith to encourage each other in times of adversity.

We have been called to be different from this world and yet within our Christian circles there are many that have been hurt....and there are many that have hurt. It is time to choose to be different and not just model Christianity but truly live it....down to the smallest detail in our world. We share a faith that God would ask every soul is important...every soul. We proclaim that any presentation of the gospel is success even if just one responds. We celebrate and cheer when salvations occur....but do we mourn likewise when, because of our actions, someone is driven from their position of faith. Do we mourn when we either verdantly or inadvertently cause another pain so that we might feel better?

Encourage one another. Truly encourage one another. I have been surprised to step into some circles and find selfless encouragement where I thought I would find turfs on faith...true Kingdom building mentality. And likewise, I have been speechless to have stepped into some circles expecting deep Christian fellowship, only to find the greatest insecurities....leading to turf battles within our Christian faith. Battle between believers over "turfs" within our faith! And, we then expect the lost world to listen when we proclaim the Truth....

Be different today. Let's search our hearts and ask God to reveal to us where we have been withholding encouragement and let's encourage. Pray for those that God has brought into your world to serve alongside. Use each other to strength the sweet flavor of His Truth...so that all might believe.


 

December 9, 2014 2 Peter 3:14 It Takes Work....lots of work.

2 Peter 3:14

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.

I remember when I first believed....Really believed.....And then I remember the realization of what this would mean for my life if I decided to follow Him. While we weren't "bad" in a worldly sense, there were certain aspects of my life that would need to change. Would they have to change? No, they wouldn't have to....Nobody has to do anything but live and die, right? Or at least this was the argument that my flesh literally consumed my mind. "But I don't want to. But it really isn't bad. But everyone is doing it. Maybe He doesn't mean literally. I'm not hurting anyone. It is just for fun." And then, I started studying about His second coming....and I knew that there were certain places and things that I had been doing that I didn't want to be found doing upon His return.

Not out of fear but rather out of shame. Not because of a directive but because of my desire to be at peace with Him....at all times. This doesn't come easy....and I fail miserably at it sometimes. As the Holy Spirit reminds me of Whose I am, I am reminded that it takes effort to be different. It takes effort to be spotless and blameless in this world. And while it is true, very true, that we can't please everyone....we can't. So it is imperative that we align our lives to please Him and only Him so that we stand on a foundation that is firm and secure...that doesn't change to suit our will but rather provides a basis to build our will upon.

Effort. Hard Work. Determination and perseverance.

That is what it takes to be spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. It takes work. We just don't happen into it. We just don't coincidentally fall into His will...we must work hard. The key, though, I believe is in the use of great discernment in where we place the sweat of our brow. We can literally work ourselves to the ground in activities, programs and the busyness of this world. Through this, we accomplish great things and, yet, we still sometimes find ourselves at odds with someone. Whether it be our family for being neglected, the people we serve with or the people we serve, somebody, somewhere will be unhappy with what we have done....no matter how we work. No matter how hard to have tried to create the perfect meal, the perfect holiday, the perfect plan.

However, if we seek to be at peace with Him...to be blameless and spotless in His eyes, we will find a stick upon to measure our lives that doesn't change. That doesn't seek to hurt us. That doesn't desire to secretly see us fail....but rather a measure that rejoices in our very creation. Imagine, to be valued solely for Whose we are....and the most incredible thing of all is that we don't have to imagine it...it is real, here for the taking. We just have to accept it. We just have to allow our hearts to be loved...unconditionally. A love that truly sets out to guide us to be the best us that we can be.

My Tae decorating our food package bags last year......

 

December 8, 2014 2 Peter 3:13 The Fountain of Youth?

2 Peter 3: 13

But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

You see, death is just the door....the next step, if you will, into eternity. We cling to a life that we know...we cling to the busyness and craziness of a world that, no matter how hard we try, will never, ever make sense. We can try to force it. We can twist it and spin it to where it is "doable" but there comes a point to where, frankly, it can't be spun anymore. A point to which, we bow our heads, slump our shoulders and say, "I can't carry this anymore." There comes a point to which we realize that the more we work, the harder we try, the more desperate we seek....it doesn't add up. In fact, it appears to become even worse than it was before we started.

And then we enter into despair. Despair within a world that will encourage our defeat. Despair into a world that will agree that all is lost and hope is gone. Despair into a world that will stand beside us as long as we believe that there is no hope and that this life is, in fact quite possibly meaningless...because no matter how we spin it...it ends up that we all die, anyway. So....what does it really matter? What does it really matter if we try hard, if we seek improvement, if we work harder, if weshoulder the responsibilities? We all die anyway, yes? And the slippery slope continues...the spiral picks up speed and we loose whatever control we thought we had.

Yet, within each of us, there is the connection to our Creator. A spark within....sometimes deep within...but ever present. The desire to know hope, the desire to live forever. Isn't that what the great quest is all about? How to fight death. How to stay young forever. How to never grow old. How to live forever. However instead of reaching out to the One who offers this freely, we brush aside His promptings, push back down our innate desires and we strive on trying to make it on our own. Just as satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden...... "You don't need God. He just says that you do so you will enslaved to Him forever", satan whispers in our ears. He encourages us to find our own way so that we serve no one but ourselves....but, in our absence of choosing to serve the One true God, we have chosen to serve another.

This world will never make sense. It just won't. Hunger and poverty, abuse and neglect, sickness and betrayal will always be apart of this world. We can try and try to change it on our own...and we might find some success....but we will find that this success will be much like the "win" in a casino... It isn't lasting and only feeds our desire to "win" more...on our own. But the moment when we realize that this is not a game that is just about us, this is not a game that ends in death for everyone but rather quite a lively battle in which our lives are an intricate part of them every moment of every day, our eyes will be opened to the realization of who He is....and each of His promises will become relevant to our lives.

A new heaven....a new earth. His promises are true whether we believe or not.

December 4, 2014 But, God, This Is Good

2 Peter 3:12-13

That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

I will never forget the day when I realized that my true love and I would not be together forever....that there would be a day when our lives, as we know it, would part. Throughout our dating and engagement, I had spent all of my time and energy on anticipating the next date, the next time I would see him....that next moment. Then the wedding...then the house...then the birth of our children....also looking at the next milestone. Then one night as I was reading my Bible, I started really reading God's words. I started realizing the implications of the message as being more than just words on a page but rather as Truth. And as tears fell onto the page, I looked around and knew that all of this.....all of it was just the window dressings of a life on this earth.

Even though I had been a believer for several years, I was just beginning to delve into His word and apply it to my life. A life that I loved. A husband that I adored. A husband that I loved waking up to every day....and going to bed with every night. But that night, I realized that what I thought was the final prize in my world was actually just the beginning....the beginning scenes prefacing an eternal life that will be so different than the one that we were creating for ourselves on this earth. "But, God, I have exactly what I want right now. This is good." And I remember in almost a whisper a reply...... "But this is not it."

So, I found myself shying away from the verses and chapters of the Bible that revealed destruction of life as we know it. I focused on Christ's life and His mission to His people...and I kept coming to the rest of the story. No matter where I looked, no matter how far I would delve away from the Truth...I found that I couldn't study part of His Word and reject the rest......for all of It is intertwined as part of our faith. Finally taking a deep breath, I literally plunged into His Word this time drinking it all in....not just parts but all....destruction and all.

And in His Truth, I found Him. All of Him. I was not meant to worship my husband, my children or my career. They have been given to me as blessings but not to be placed above God. Sunday mornings became a day to publicly worship my Savior but these days paled in comparison to the the worship that became part of my every day life....just me and His Throne. My confidence turned from earthly beings to that of the King and through this, I found freedom.

I found that this life, as precious as it can be sometimes and as tragic it can appear, is fleeting in its purpose. This is not it. It isn't. Tomorrow will come as God allows it to come. My job is to prepare for it but He ordains it to be. Not me. By "carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders", I am just humoring myself as to just how much "power" and "control" I have in this world. I really carry nothing on my shoulders.....He carries it all. While I am my husband's wife and true love, I am most importantly His helpmate in this world. Together, we face a spiritual battle every day...I can either be a help or a hindrance. I can either be a solution or a problem. Am I worthy of this calling to be a wife? For my children, I am the first reflection of Christ that they will see on this earth. I am the only reflection of Christ that they will see lived out behind closed doors. Am I worthy of this calling to be a mother? In the beginning, I was far from it. Focused only on things that would have burned quickly in the fire. Today, I am learning to focus on those things eternal......

We've been granted another morning on this earth.....may we use it wisely and purposefully.