It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so the song says, the happiest season of all. Norman Rockwell images dance in our heads, or across the TV anyway. And a ball in the pit of our stomach starts to grow like a snowball careening down a mountain.
Today over at Circles of Faith, check out my Top Ten list of stress-busting choices to help us “keep the main thing, the main thing” during the upcoming Advent season.
photo credit: murilocardoso via photopin cc
I’ve heard and read the story countless times. Therefore, I assumed that there’d be no new information for me here. I knew God could make anything meaningful of course, but I didn’t count on learning any new factual information about Jericho. Well, never assume….
Maybe you already knew this, but I didn’t.
In our Sunday service, Pastor Mike shared that Jericho had not one but two walls surrounding it – an inner wall and an outer wall. I never knew that. [More about the walls: http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/walls-of-jericho.html]
And it turns out that when the Israelites famously blew their trumpets and shouted their cries to tumble the wall, the inner wall crumbled onto the outer wall creating a ramp for the Israelites to enter. Their greatest obstacle became their stepping stone to victory. The greatest obstacle you face will become your stepping stone to victory.
Up until that point God provided for the Israelites. The day that they camped before Jericho was the last day that God provided manna for them (Joshua 5:12) Now God was requiring them to step out in faith. Faith requires us to do the unusual to bring about what God wants.
Before He gave them their marching instructions, He told them that He GAVE them “Jericho, its king, and all its mighty warriors.” The enemy was already defeated! (Joshua 6:2) We also fight a defeated foe. They had to go through the battle, and we do too. But we fight from victory that is assured.
Why did God have such an unusual plan for the conquest of Jericho? Perhaps it was to prove to them that HE was their deliverer, not their weapons or military expertise, not their skills or talents. Or maybe it was a test to see if they would follow His strange instructions completely. Not that He needed to see if they would pass the test – they needed to know that they could be obedient.
Jericho was considered invincible and that was the first thing on God’s agenda for Israel to conquer. Its defeat showed them (and us!) that it is God who is invincible.
Do you have an impossible obstacle? Take comfort from the words of Rahab – the prostitute and the only one (and her family) saved from Jericho because she was faithful to our Lord and sheltered the spies. “For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” (Joshua 2:11)
Please let me know how I can pray for you.
“The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” 1 Thess. 5:24
You know people like this. As you start to share your story, their minds are only half-listening, just waiting for the moment to share their own better-than-yours story. They can be sad/sadder stories OR good/better stories OR funny/funnier stories. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that that person’s story tops yours in some way.
I imagine the people who lived in Corinth were like this. One-third of all the references of the word “boast” in Scripture can be found in Paul’s two letters to the Corinthians. His many comments on boasting can be summed up like this:
Can you top that? 😉
*Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31
*Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4
*But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
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And neither are we if we receive the gifts that God has given us and keep them to ourselves. The Bible says that the gifts we are given are for the “common good1,” that is – they are given to us to share with others. If I am given a gift for teaching, what good is it if I keep it to myself? What about gifts of hospitality, mercy, leadership, giving, wisdom, faith, healing? We are told to “eagerly desire the gifts2” but what is the benefit of hoarding such gifts?
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There is no doubt that in this fast-paced, hyperactive society we live in that there is real danger of overcommittment. But the answer is not to withdraw completely. It is to achieve balance. If we’re stopped up, we can become stagnant, like the Dead Sea. Better to allow the Living Water from above flow freely to us and through us.
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A well-known phrase in chiropractic circles is ADIO – meaning that healing comes from “Above Down Inside Out.” It’s a perfect metaphor for how we should live our lives. We can’t be truly successful on the outside unless we are filled and flowing on the inside having received from above.
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Throughout Scripture, drink offerings were “poured out” to the Lord, and it is well-known that in his final letter, Paul referred to himself as being “poured out like a drink offering.3” But before that, in his letter to the Philippians, he made the same reference “even if I am being poured out like a drink offering …, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.4” This time, it was part of his message that God is at work in us5, and we ought to do everything without grumbling and complaining that we might be blameless and pure, shining like stars in the sky6. Wow, I wanna shine like the stars. How about you?
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Right now, I’m feeling a bit like the “little teapot” of song; Lord – tip me over and pour me out – that I might be filled again and again, and poured out again and again.
1- 1 Cor. 12:7
2- 1 Cor. 12:31
3- 2 Tim. 4:6
4- Phil. 2:17
5- Phil 2:13
6- Phil 2:14-15
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I think with this weekend’s warmer weather, we may be able to finally put away our nativity set. We’ll put away the plastic Jesus, but not His presence.
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Last year as part of the 40 Day Focus, my friend Laurie Hock, shared a post called, “Where You Gonna Get Your Fill?” In it, she explored Psalm 81:10. “I am the Lord your God…Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” (NIV).
Laurie said:
“It’s that simple. God asks us to ask Him. He responds with the promise He will fill what we set before Him. He is our satisfier. God exists to be our Father, our Provider, our Wisdom, our Grace and Guide. He holds all the answers, all the peace, and all of time. What better place to fill up?
“Can you think of anything else that can offer you such satisfaction? Will you let God be your fill today? He will fill you up when you make time for Him. God fills us up when we start our day with prayer and praise. God fills us up when we show His love to His people.
“God fills us up as we read, meditate on, and proclaim His Word and truth each day. God fills us up as we listen to songs offering Him worship and adoration. God will fill each of us the way He knows we uniquely need. To activate His loving power, we must tell Him that He’s where we want to get our fill. We must offer Him our heart, our time, our lives.”
As the worship leader in our church, when my husband plugs the power cord into his guitar, he imagines himself plugging into the Spirit like a branch of the Vine. It’s the connection that provides the power.
So if you’re feeling deflated, open wide your heart and say “Lord, fill ‘er up!”
Our 40 Day Focus leading up to Christmas Day is now complete. I pray that you experienced His presence daily, and will continue to do so. I’ll be taking a few days off, but will be back soon!
Blessings to you and yours,
Susan
ps – I just have to add:
Dec. 26th, the most anti-climactic day of the year, happens to be my birthday!
But my wonderful family has always made it special for me, so personally – I’m not feeling deflated at all!
Butterflies populate our church. Not real ones, but images of butterflies adorn the walls representing the vision of our church – transformation. What else represents transformation better than a butterfly? What a picture of what God does in the life of the believer. He lifts us out of our miry existence and enables us to soar like eagles.
There’s a story about a little boy who spotted a cocoon squirming on the sidewalk. To be a good helper, the boy opened up a hole in the end. But when the butterfly emerged from the chrysalis, it was crippled, unable to fly. It needed the struggle to break out of the chrysalis to develop strength in its wings.
And it is the struggles we face that strengthen us and provide freedom. When we are in a dark place like a cocoon, we can trust that God is still working. He is transforming us into new creations, no longer to be trudging along, but giving us wings. As in exercise, no pain – no gain.
Sometimes, we see others in the struggle. We want to rush in to save the day for our children, but they’ll never develop their wings if we do. Maybe we have a friend or family member that needs to be accountable, not just assisted. Though we want to be a helper like the little boy, we may need to step back and allow our fellow butterfly to experience their struggle so they can be strengthened for their journey. That can be harder than going through the struggle ourself, can’t it?
I just saw an amazing movie called “The Butterfly Circus.”
Nick Vujicic – Greg Laurie Interview (21 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Cwx2UbTJA
No arms, No legs, No worries (9 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LFBqvvW-M
Shows Nick swimming, cooking, grooming, daily activities
I Love Living Life. I Am Happy. (7 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZuKF3dxCY
Motivational clip of Nick speaking to youth
Nick Vujicic’ s Official Website
http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/
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What impact did this have on you?
Have you ever felt like a caterpillar? How about a butterfly?
Have you ever felt like an oddity, suitable only for a circus sideshow?
How has God transformed you? Used you in someone else’s life?
Susan
I know that majority of you reading this post are subscribers who read Eternity Cafe in your email inbox. You’ve never seen a blog other than the time you went to mine to subscribe and haven’t been back to one since. I know – I was exactly the same before I started writing it.
So my blogger friends, please be patient with me for a moment while I provide definitions for two words you and I have come to know.
Lurker –
Webster’s defines a lurker as:
1 : to lie in wait in a place of concealment …
2 : to be concealed but capable of being discovered; to lie hidden
Bloggers define a lurker as someone who reads your blogpost, visits your blog, maybe smiles or sheds a tear, and then moves on without ever leaving a comment or reply. On rare occasion, a lurker may tell you in person how much your blogpost meant to them. But never leaves a written comment.
Do bloggers like lurkers? Of course! We love ALL our readers, and to be honest, I’m a reformed lurker myself. Would I like more comments? Vell, of course, dahling, who vouldn’t?
But that’s not really what this post is about as you’ll see.
Influencer –
Webster’s defines an influencer as
1 : One who, or that which, influences.
Influence: Verb
1 : Have and exert influence or effect;
2 : Shape or influence; give direction to;
3 : Induce into action
Most bloggers are writers (duh!), and in publishing, an influencer simply is one who tells others about a book. An author will often provide tips to be an influencer for his/her book, like writing a post or newspaper article, twitter or facebook, contacting local bookstore, etc. In fact, I’ll be posting a review next week for one author who asked me (and hundreds of others) to be an influencer for her book. Her book is something I believe will be valuable to many so why wouldn’t I want to use my little corner of the internet to share it with others? And someday, maybe you will be an influencer for my book (if it ever gets finished!)
But again that’s not what this post is about.
So get to the point already! You may be lurking but I can hear you!
Okay, here’s what I’m getting to.
In God’s kingdom, there are lurkers and influencers, too.
Lurkers may go to church, listen to Christian radio, participate in fellowship, but rarely share the gospel with someone. They drink in, but seldom give out. They receive a word from God, but don’t encourage anyone else. They may even keep their faith completely concealed from the outside world.
Influencers are like Andrew who upon meeting Jesus immediately fetched his brother, Peter, to meet Jesus too. Or like the woman at the well who after speaking with Jesus ran to the town to tell everyone about the Man who knew all about her. They’re like the band members I met in a bar 30 years ago who had met Jesus the month before and were so excited to communicate their great news. Christ’s influencers know they have something valuable that will be more valuable the more it’s shared. And they look for opportunities to influence others to join God’s family or to grow in His family.
It’s true that some people are natural born influencers, and some natural born lurkers. But with the desire to become an influencer for Christ, comes the ability.
If you knew that a bomb was on an airplane, would you warn the passengers lining up to board the plane? That’s the attitude to have to be an influencer.
But being an influencer doesn’t always require speaking. An old adage says “Preach the gospel at all times, and sometimes use words.” It is our daily lives, decisions, behavior that is the biggest influence to those around us.
But if you’re anything like me, there are times that you wanted to speak, to encourage, to share, to influence, and you kept silent. Would you allow me to influence you now 🙂
Here’s what I did:
Step out with baby steps.
A comment here.
An “I’ll pray for you” there.
Seize a moment.
Then build from there.
They share freely and give generously to those in need.Their good deeds will be remembered forever.They will have influence and honor. Psalm 112:9
Susan
ps – and just in case you thought I was kidding with the blogger lurker definition, when I went to the dictionary I found it it’s for real. Here it is, from Websters, lurker definition #3:
3 :to read messages on an Internet discussion forum (as a newsgroup or chat room) without contributing
pps – and if you’ve been lurking around Eternity Cafe, I’d much prefer this blog to be a dialog than a monologue. I’d love to hear/read your comments – and respond to them. So please pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s chat! And feel free to influence your friends to join in!
