Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling a little bit like Naaman from the Bible. I have poison ivy and I was thinking it would be wonderful to dip myself into a river and come back out spot and itch free! I started to read the story of Naaman in 2 Kings and began to put together a blog about why we don't always receive healing. However, God had another idea for taking my to 2 Kings Wednesday afternoon. It had nothing to do with healing. Isn't it just like God to whop me over the head with something else as I was dreaming up this blog I could write! What He spoke to me, hit me in a very tender spot . . . tender enough that I contemplated whether or not I should put it on my blog.
So here goes. The verse that stood out to me is 2 Kings 5:13:
"Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you 'Wash, and be clean'?"
I often find myself placing more value on certain things then on others. For instance, if you were to tell me that you are a doctor I would say, "wow, that is wonderful!" However, if you were to tell me that you are a trash collector, my response would probably be more like, "ohhh, that's nice." I find I also do the same thing with the work of the church/the work of Christ.
Missionaries, pastors, singers and song writers, healers, prophets, and evangelists are at the top of my list of people who change the world and make an impact. I, for one, do not want to be left out. I want to make an impact too. My greatest desire is, when I stand face to face with my heavenly Daddy, He will say to me, "Well done, Melody!" My greatest fear is He will say, "you did not do well, Melody. You missed the mark." This verse, in 2 Kings, cut deep down to this heart issue for me. The Bible truly is active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and pierced as far as the division of my soul and spirit, of both my joints and marrow, and judged the thoughts and intentions of my heart. (Hebrews 4:12) Ouch! It hurts when this happens! But, oh, how thankful I am that God loves me enough to open my eyes to see the areas of my life that need to be changed!!!!
Naaman was asked the question, if the prophet had asked you to do something great wouldn't you have done it? If he had asked you to build him a kingdom, or supply him with food and drink for the next seven years, feed the homeless, or care for the orphans wouldn't you go do it? But to dip yourself 7 times in the river is somehow asking too much of you!?!?!
Wow, those words came ringing back through my mind and I began to see how I complicate matters so much. The "bigger" and more "difficult" and "great" a task is the more value I place on it. I say "Yeah, bring it on! I can do this and I can do it well!" But to do something "simple" (and I am using that word loosely right now) like prayer, praise, giving thanks, walking daily with Jesus . . . . that is too much to ask of me?!?! Again, OUCH!
This is it. The answer I have been looking for. My Jesus has not asked me to be a superhero. That is His job. He is the Saviour and the Rescuer . . . not me. He has simply asked me to do one thing . . . Love Him. To be willing to join Him in a beautiful, intimate relationship and to say "yes" to His marriage proposal to me.
There is no greater value on one calling over another. Earlier, I mentioned the doctor and the trash collector. The doctor saves lives and there is no greater calling, right? But, so does the trash collector. If it wasn't for all of the faithful trash collectors in this world, who sacrifice their olfactory system on a daily basis, we would all die from filth, disease, and sickness. Both professions are equally needed.
Do me a favor. Look up and read 1 Corinthians 12 and 13. It talks about all of the spiritual gifts and how they are all needed. The last verse of Chapter 12 says:
"But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way."
This verse leads right into the love chapter! Isn't that beautiful!?
In this, I have found more freedom and rest in Christ this week. It has changed my walk with Christ. I got a picture on Wednesday afternoon that sums it up for me. I saw myself walking with Jesus in a garden. But instead of simply enjoying my time with Him and the beauty of all He is and all He has made, I was distracted. I was looking for work to do. I was looking for a shovel to pick up, a weed to pull, a row to hoe . . . then I would come frantically running back to Him. "Did I do good? Did I Jesus? Did I do ok?" Desperately desiring His approval. My picture has changed though. I don't have to look for work to do anymore. I don't have to be distracted from His presence and drawn away from His side. I don't have to do work in order to receive His approval. It has been made simple. All I have to do is join Him, by His side, walking with Him. Enjoying His presence, basking in His grace and love, communing with Him, and following His example. When I see Him take a step, I take a step, when I hear Him speak love, I speak love, when He sings, I sing . . . . It is so simple and restful. Thank you Jesus for continuing to reveal Yourself to me! I love you!
Showing posts with label Rest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rest. Show all posts
Friday, July 8, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Guarding My Sabbath
When I think about Sunday, I think of rest. I think of taking a nap, ceasing from work, and having time with the family. I think of all of the things that I should not do and should not HAVE to do. It often irritates me, if dishes need to be done or a load of laundry needs to be cared for. I don't want to do those things on Sunday! Partly, because of how I was raised but more so because I deserve at least one day of rest! Right?! I try to guard my Sunday's, though I often find something that is threatening my Sabbath - laundry, dishes, picking up the living room, or . . . . .
Last week, I was reading in Nehemiah. In Chapter 13, Nehemiah is dealing with people threatening the Sabbath rest. These people wanted to come to Jerusalem and continue their work and sell their goods. This was upsetting to Nehemiah because the Sabbath was not being set apart. He confronted the nobles of Judah and told them to knock it off! Had they not learned anything from their forefathers who had made this same mistake? God had brought calamity on the city and here they were repeating history and stirring up more wrath against Israel. Nehemiah ordered for the doors of the city to be closed until the Sabbath was over and he stationed guards at the gates so that no loads could be brought into the city. A couple of times, some of the merchants spent the night outside of Jerusalem waiting for the first break of dawn on the first day of the week to commence their work. Nehemiah threatened them. "I will lay hands on you, if you ever do this again!" He guarded the gates furiously.
As I read this, I thought, "what if we were just like Nehemiah and worked hard to follow all the Sabbath regulations as well as all of the regulations of the Bible? How would our lives be different? If we did it right, what a difference there would be in our lives! We would be blessed and at rest!" I quickly realized this was a works mentality. These kinds of thoughts will only take me back to trying to be obedient enough to gain the blessing of God. And that's not right. That's not what I have been learning. Plus, it wouldn't take me long to fail one of the regulations. Where would that leave me? Unblessed? This line of thinking jumbles up the point of the Sabbath. It turns the Sabbath into more work, to try not to work, in order to somehow obtain rest. It is missing the point all together.
Through Jesus' death on the cross and through His Resurrection , I have been offered a Sabbath rest which I have obtained through belief and faith in Jesus Christ. This rest has been given to me so that I may rest from my work. (Hebrews 4:9-11) Which is, my striving to be perfect enough, good enough, and do enough to gain favor with God. This Sabbath is not just about a day of the week in which I try to do my best to do nothing. It is a daily Sabbath and a daily rest found only in Christ. And just as Nehemiah guarded the gates of Jerusalem from merchants desiring to come in and desecrate the Sabbath rest, so I must also guard the gates of my Sabbath . . . . daily.
Since I have read this, God has continued to bring this thought back to me. How am I guarding my Sabbath? A thought, a wrong attitude, circumstances can so easily rob me of my Sabbath. They barge into my heart and my mind causing restlessness, frustration, anger, annoyance all very much disturbing my rest. How quick am I to confront these "merchants" that desire to march through the gates of my heart? Their wagons loaded down with a burden that I do not wish to purchase . . . desecrating the rest, the Sabbath that has been given to me by Jesus. How quickly do I say to them, "get out of here and if you come back again, I will lay hands on you!"
1 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ."
and
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
I desire to guard the gates of my heart. To not allow anything in that will distract from my Sabbath rest in Christ. It is the question I ask myself, "does this threaten my Sabbath?" If the answer is yes, then I will lay hands on it, take it captive, and make it obedient to Christ.
Last week, I was reading in Nehemiah. In Chapter 13, Nehemiah is dealing with people threatening the Sabbath rest. These people wanted to come to Jerusalem and continue their work and sell their goods. This was upsetting to Nehemiah because the Sabbath was not being set apart. He confronted the nobles of Judah and told them to knock it off! Had they not learned anything from their forefathers who had made this same mistake? God had brought calamity on the city and here they were repeating history and stirring up more wrath against Israel. Nehemiah ordered for the doors of the city to be closed until the Sabbath was over and he stationed guards at the gates so that no loads could be brought into the city. A couple of times, some of the merchants spent the night outside of Jerusalem waiting for the first break of dawn on the first day of the week to commence their work. Nehemiah threatened them. "I will lay hands on you, if you ever do this again!" He guarded the gates furiously.
As I read this, I thought, "what if we were just like Nehemiah and worked hard to follow all the Sabbath regulations as well as all of the regulations of the Bible? How would our lives be different? If we did it right, what a difference there would be in our lives! We would be blessed and at rest!" I quickly realized this was a works mentality. These kinds of thoughts will only take me back to trying to be obedient enough to gain the blessing of God. And that's not right. That's not what I have been learning. Plus, it wouldn't take me long to fail one of the regulations. Where would that leave me? Unblessed? This line of thinking jumbles up the point of the Sabbath. It turns the Sabbath into more work, to try not to work, in order to somehow obtain rest. It is missing the point all together.
Through Jesus' death on the cross and through His Resurrection , I have been offered a Sabbath rest which I have obtained through belief and faith in Jesus Christ. This rest has been given to me so that I may rest from my work. (Hebrews 4:9-11) Which is, my striving to be perfect enough, good enough, and do enough to gain favor with God. This Sabbath is not just about a day of the week in which I try to do my best to do nothing. It is a daily Sabbath and a daily rest found only in Christ. And just as Nehemiah guarded the gates of Jerusalem from merchants desiring to come in and desecrate the Sabbath rest, so I must also guard the gates of my Sabbath . . . . daily.
Since I have read this, God has continued to bring this thought back to me. How am I guarding my Sabbath? A thought, a wrong attitude, circumstances can so easily rob me of my Sabbath. They barge into my heart and my mind causing restlessness, frustration, anger, annoyance all very much disturbing my rest. How quick am I to confront these "merchants" that desire to march through the gates of my heart? Their wagons loaded down with a burden that I do not wish to purchase . . . desecrating the rest, the Sabbath that has been given to me by Jesus. How quickly do I say to them, "get out of here and if you come back again, I will lay hands on you!"
1 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ."
and
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
I desire to guard the gates of my heart. To not allow anything in that will distract from my Sabbath rest in Christ. It is the question I ask myself, "does this threaten my Sabbath?" If the answer is yes, then I will lay hands on it, take it captive, and make it obedient to Christ.
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