Salt and Light

Mountaintop Experiences

Every now and then, God takes us to the mountaintop to experience his presence in an amazing way, reality check: this is not the norm. In the Bible we read about the lives of those who spent years in obscurity in preparation for huge God-sized tasks; Moses spent 40 years in preparation, Joseph spent 14 years in a dungeon before receiving one of the highest positions in Egypt. The Apostle Paul tirelessly persecuted Christians till he saw the Light. God then set him apart from people and refined him in times of extreme solitude.  How do you think Paul felt as neither his old Jewish friends, nor his new Christian friends could trust him after so radical a conversion? Paul had to learn to put his trust in Christ alone.  He would have ridden a lifelong emotional roller coaster otherwise. It is the same with us today; God doesn’t change how he works. Mountaintop moments with God are awesome, but the ongoing refinement of our character, and the erosion of our selfish ways, that hard work is done in the valley.

Perhaps there has been a time when God made his presence known to you in some real and extra-ordinary way. 
Have you ever caught a glimpse of His glory, ever known His healing touch or seen His face in a cloud? I have had a few mountaintop experiences.

Do you long for signs and wonders that will continually confirm your faith in Him? Again, that’s not God’s way; most days he calls us to we walk in an everyday valley, learning to trust what we cannot see. Let’s learn to be faithful, even when we don’t see, even when we don’t feel like it.

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Heb 11:1

In our small everyday trials we develop “trustworthiness” with God. If we up and run, whenever we feel like it, we’ll miss out on something amazing that he had in mind for us to learn. Ask God to use you wherever you are in small everyday ways that please him greatly.

The seemingly fruitless grind of everyday life may be the very thing He uses to mold us and change us and grow us up.  Let’s not miss any opportunities while we are here. The promise of heaven is just ahead.

“In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands,
he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly… And, so he prospered.” 2 Chron 31:21

-M

Living by God’s Promises

-Not my emotional highs & lows.

Last time around, we talked about our desire to be used by God, to expand His Kingdom in some big way. We spoke of wanting to be bright lights in dark places. And, we concluded that He has us, where He has us, for His reasons, and for our highest good. We can shine for Him no matter where we are or how we feel. Bloom wherever He plants you, don’t worry about your life, just trust Him …Right?

So, how can we wholeheartedly agree to that, and then, an hour from now, our resolve slips and we start doubting? Later today, we may run into a friend who’s “living her dream,” “going places” and, “leaving us behind“. Suddenly, we’re feeling sad, jealous, discontent, and forgotten. Did God forget us or did we forget to seek Him? Perhaps, we nudged Him out of view, as we moved “poor me” back to front row, center, yikes!

Let me ask you this: How much stock do you place in your feelings? Can feelings deceive you?

Do you ever get into bed feeling great, then, wake up in the morning all moody and not even know why? Me too.
So, how do we get a grip? How can we grip onto God’s unwavering promises and not our fleeting feelings?
How do we foster a “deep down knowingness” that our lives are purposeful even when we don’t feel that way?

Let’s start by understanding that we can’t change our own internal wiring, we need God’s help: 

If we choose to be ruled by feelings and not God’s Promises, then we are sunk, game over, darkness wins out. The book of Romans assures us we’re more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37), not in our flesh, no, this power comes through faith in God. We are over-comers in Christ and we are slaves to our volatile feelings apart from Him.  Romans also says that when we give our lives to Jesus “the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us” (Rom 8:11). Wow, let that thought fill you up! Feelings can’t change that fact, although we must constantly choose to remember it. Go to the Word when you feel those old hurt feelings stirring. Grab onto a promises of God like a lifeline. You may feel forgotten, but he promised that he will never leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5). We can trust Jesus every single day of our ever lovin’ lives for everything!  He is reliable; His Word restores our joy.

-M

Joy in Everyday Living

There is joy here on earth in the daily lessons. Through minor trials and small opportunities we have the chance to live as Jesus would have us live, and we can begin to see what is truly in our hearts push comes to shove. For young American women, everyday is a smorgasbord of choices, so many ways to go.  We can exercise our free will to live selfishly, put ourselves first constantly, or we can make Christ-centered choices. We can ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to live more like Jesus and that’s huge! 

Be encouraged, Ecclesiastes 3 tells us “there is a season and a time for every purpose under Heaven.” All this “uneventful living” may be the arena where we learn to live rightly before the face of God, how exciting is that, OK let’s do it.

Jesus, help us honor you with every little choice we make today.

“Rejoice in daily sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his Love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”  Rom 5:3-5

-M

I am Everyday People

Lord, I believe you arrange all circumstances... so... “Can you please get me out of here, soon!”

Perhaps you imagined that your life would be more exciting or more fulfilling than it has been lately?

Perhaps your daily tasks are boring, or not “in your gifting”. Do you struggle to stay upbeat, and on track?

Perhaps God has a calling on your life; yet, there you sit, in His waiting room, trying to be a good patient.

Perhaps times of frustration overtake you as the clock ticks on, ever advancing, as another day slips by. Or, maybe that’s just me?! Please tell me I’m not alone with these feelings of discontentment.

So often I have prayed: 
“Lord, I know you have a wonderful plan for my life” and I secretly hope this isn’t it. “Please, use me for something big soon. I’m not getting any younger you know, which I know that you know. My life just isn’t turning out like I thought it would, I’m trying to press on Lord, but I just don’t understand.”

Who’s out there?  Can anyone relate?  Waiting and hoping… hoping and waiting for God to use us somehow. Why does God do this? Why is he like this? With so much darkness out there why would he have us in here; in this accounting job, or with these screaming kids, or in this hospital bed, or alone at the computer, forgotten? 

Honestly, some days all I can do is cling to the hope that He really does have a plan for me. Hey, maybe some seasons are simply about learning to cling, maybe that’s the whole idea! And, here’s a hope-filled possibility: Maybe God has us “in training” for something.

Perhaps He is refining a certain skill that will be necessary for the ultimate task he has in mind.
Jesus was a carpenter.  The God who strung the stars together elected to hammer nails in a small town for 30 quiet years as a manual laborer. He came with a huge mission to save us; but, he sought first to understand us, and to get his holy hands dirty and ultimately to allow those hands be pierced for us. Our Lord was willing to do everyday life without complaint.  He worked wholeheartedly at everyday tasks.

Here’s another thought: When Jesus began his teaching ministry. How did he instruct people? In the Gospels we see Jesus using parables, telling stories from everyday life. When he taught about the unimaginable Kingdom of God, he brought things “down to earth.” He spoke of tangible things and everyday people: fishermen and farmers, IRS agents and debtors, rebellious sons and forgiving fathers. 

Our God understood the everyday person because he became one. King Jesus chose to be “regular,” “ordinary,” “common” “just like the rest of us.”  Don’t you just love Jesus! When we study his perfect life, we see him connected upward toward God and outward toward others.  So, why are we so self-focused? Why do we crave fame, fortune, and ‘fabulous’ stuff? These things only put our feet onto a treadmill of wanting M-O-R-E, need to do more, get more, have more, and the more cycle makes us crazy. Our possessions start to possess us. More stuff does not bring peace to our hearts only Jesus can do that. 

Everyday life may be our classroom for something bigger.  Everyday life prepares us for HIM and heaven. Every day we can take that thought to heart and get really excited!

-M

Mary, Mary quite... um...

I am a firm believer in stealing your mom's friends. Especially my mom's because she has good taste in people.  Which is where I met Mary, who will endear herself to all of you as  our new blogger, "M".  M is a wonderful writer with oodles of personality that oozes from her e-mails, and so I thought to myself, "Babs it would be so brills if you shared M with the rest of your sisters". I'm a genius I know, even if I am the only one saying it. M has a deep hunger for the word of God, a desire to grow and an ability to express her spiritual walk through words in a way that I know will be a blessing to all of you.

I had M send me over some of her journal's this week so you could get to know her better as she begins to blog for Refresh Life:

"11 years ago, I was actually at a women's networking gathering and the ladies at my table were talking about the Easter Service  they had attended and how beautiful it was, the pastor was funny, the worship was amazing, the candle lighting, communion, and how the cross was decorated with a white swath; I was mesmerized. I didn't even know that I had this hole inside of me and I was aching for what they were talking about.  So that next Sunday I headed off to the grocery store and somehow my car found itself driving to that church, the service was already underway so I stood in the back alone. A woman came out on stage, the lights went low and she sang a hymn and then shared about how God had reached down and taken her out of a pit of depression, despair and drugs.  I started to cry from a place that was so deep, I didn't think I would every be able to stop.  I remember thinking, 'God, I want to come back to you but I don't even know how, I am so far away.' "

What exciting things are ahead for Refresh Life as we enter the second half of 2008.  We have M as a new blogger and a whole slew of new articles in the works -ready to be posted before the month's end. I pray blessings over M, this blog, and her words; that they may be pure, true and filled with encouragement, and that by them your hearts would be richly blessed.  Enjoy reading the thoughts of my friend M.

Luv ya,
Babbles