Happy
Monday!
Here
we are in the last week of October. Another month has come and gone. They seem
to be going by faster now that I am older. Time is just slipping on by. A lot
has happened this month. Some things have been really good; some things have
been just okay, and some, well not so good. I was caught unaware, but God
surely wasn’t. I find comfort in that. The troubles we face in life have
purpose. Knowing that should give us joy. That means they’re not random. That
means there’s something greater that will come from them. (That gives me
goosebumps!)
James 1:2-3> “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles
come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when
your faith is tested, your *endurance has a chance to grow.” (NLT) (*Note:
patience, perseverance, steadfastness)
Endurance.
Patience. Perseverance. Steadfastness. Something we as Christians need,
however, we’re just not very keen on how we get it. At least I’m not. It’s hard
to comprehend how an opportunity for joy can come from trouble. Yet it does. For
years, I pretended to have joy during hard times simply because God’s Word said
to. Therefore, I manufactured my own joy. I said I had it when I really didn’t.
The outside looked joyful. I even spoke joyful words. However, on the inside,
where it really mattered, my joy was fake. I thought if I pretended hard enough
that real joy would come. It did not. Why in the world would I consider that an
opportunity for joy would come from troubles? Furthermore, how was I supposed
to do that? It didn’t make any sense to me at all. I had missed what the reason
was.
Troubles
and trials will come. That’s a given. The interesting thing about them is that
God uses them to help us grow. That’s the opposite reason of why Satan uses
them. He uses them to capture us, enslave us and to destroy us. Not God! Nope,
He does what seems crazy to the world. He uses troubles and trials as a means
to set us free. They grow us to be more like Him. If I don’t learn how to
endure, to be patient, to persevere, or to be steadfast then I won’t make it
during those challenging times. Clinging to the knowledge of knowing that Jesus
is with me, walking with me, and standing beside me in whatever “furnace” I may
face should give me joy. You know what? It does. It even makes me smile. That
was not the result Satan was hoping to get. Way to go God!
In
those difficult times, stop and praise God for loving you enough to help you
grow. “Dear brothers and sisters, when
troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (Why
should I do that?) “For you know that
when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
Daniel 3:18> “But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as
king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you
set up.”
(CSB)
Most
of us are familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the fiery
furnace. It mesmerized us. It seemed unbelievable, yet it happened. Felt boards
have been used in Sunday school classes to retell the story. Sermons have been preached regarding these
three men. Their story has certainly been popular. It’s one of those “only God”
moments that appear all throughout Scripture. When you see them, you definitely
need to focus on them.
As
a child, I read it without a whole lot of thought regarding their situation. The
fire is what caught my attention. I have to be honest with you; I’ve read it as
an adult that way, too! I focused on the furnace and Jesus being in there with
them. Don’t get me wrong; nothing was wrong with that whatsoever. I mean my
goodness, even in our ‘furnace’ moments Jesus is still with us. That is
wonderful! Who doesn’t need to hear that and know it? Nevertheless, knowing
what got the three amigos there is important to remember, too.
King
Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue made that was ninety feet tall and nine feet
wide. You couldn’t have missed it! His intent was for it to be worshiped by
everyone. At the dedication of this statue, a herald loudly proclaimed that the
sound of music would be their que to bow down and worship this statue. If they
did not, they would “immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire”
(verse 7). Not after a court hearing, not after giving it a little thought, and
not after preparation, but immediately! Furthermore, not just any kind of fire
would do. It had to be a blazing fire! A rip-roaring fire! That bad-boy had to
be H-O-T! If anything would deter someone from disobeying such a command surely
that would do it. Only a crazy person would disobey. Right?
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were the disobedient ones. It was not because they were
crazy, either. These three amigos were committed to God. There was no other god
and these three knew it. They’d heard the command; they knew the consequence of
disobedience. There had not been a reason to doubt the king. They knew he was
serious. However, it was a risk they were willing to take. To bow down and
worship something, or someone, other than God was unimaginable. They were
willing to face the furnace of blazing fire.
How
many of us today are willing to do what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did?
How many of us today are willing to stand for our convictions? It is true that
some have. They would not go against God. Their very lives were taken because
of such a conviction. Not just in death either, but also in life. With
reputations ruined and businesses closed, they, too, knew the consequence of
standing firm. Nevertheless, just like the three amigos, they still would not
deter from their conviction. There was/is only ONE GOD and that was that! To
say or act otherwise was unimaginable.
Things
at work are a little challenging right now. I guess the question to myself is am I
going to join in on the bandwagon of uncertainty and fear, or am I going to stand firm
knowing that God is God and He has got it? Am I going to stand firm in knowing
that God is God and this situation is not? Am I going to say one thing, yet act
another? Truth be known, I played a big part in the uncertainty wagon. I
probably led the revolt of fear. If I didn’t lead it, I was still part of it. I
should have stood firm and said no. I should have been an example of not bowing
down and worshiping uncertainty. However, today is a new day! I can stand firm
and say no to the king of uncertainty, and say yes to the King of Kings!
Are
you facing a furnace? What are you, am I, going to do? Fall prey or stand firm?
In
awe of Him,
~Vonda
Psalm
141:3>
“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (NIV)
There has also been a time when I could not
retaliate. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I wanted to! However, there was
a deep stirring inside me. The Holy Spirit was at work. I wanted to open my
mouth and dish it back but it wouldn’t come. Instead, reminders of Jesus
mocked, beaten, and spat upon came. He had done nothing wrong. He had said
nothing wrong. He could have whipped every one of them with His tongue without
ever laying a hand on them. Instead, He was silent. Oh, the strength it took to
be silent. I desire that strength. Am I the only one? Thank You, Holy Spirit, for continuing to work in me...
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
Another
month is under our belts as we begin a new one. They seem to be going by
quicker than I can keep up with. If only time would slow down just a tad so
that I can catch up. Then again, more time would not make a difference. No
matter how much time I do have, it will probably never feel like enough.
Genesis
1:3-5> Then God said,
“Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
Then He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and
the darkness “night”. And evening passed and morning came, marking the first
day. (NLT)
Time
has always felt like an issue for me. I either don’t have enough, have too
much, or it is just right. I have to be honest; rarely do I feel like it is
just right. It is not often that I feel like I have too much, either. Well,
according to the verses above, it is
just right. After all, God did create it. It is certainly not His fault if I
try to cram too much in a day. I cannot blame time for that.
When
our gracious God created day, He knew it was enough. He knew what we would need,
no matter the season. Night would end and day would come just like planned. It
is hard to keep in mind that all of those years ago He knew today would come.
He knew that we would overfill our days or perhaps not put enough in them. He
knew all of that from the beginning.
Trusting
God’s creation of time in a day had never crossed my mind. At least, not the
way explained in the first few verses of the book of Genesis. He knew exactly
how much day light I was going to need. I do tend to forget that even when it
comes to time, God is still all knowing. His ways are perfect. His creation is
perfect.
Darkness
had always been there, the light had not. So, He created just what we would
need.
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
There
is a story in the Bible that has new meaning for me, one I have overlooked many
times. It is a very familiar story. It is the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 men. (More were there
counting women and children.) I love that story. I love how even though the
disciples did not know how it was going to work out, it did not deter Jesus! I
even love how it affected the last group of fifty.
Luke
9:14b-15> “Jesus
replied, ‘Tell them to sit down in groups of about
50 each.’ So the people all sat down. (NLT)
Imagine
being with Jesus all day. You have listened to Him speak about the kingdom of
God. You have seen people cured that were in need of healing. You have heard
things and seen things that blew you away! It has been a great day, certainly
one you will never forget. One thing is for sure, you are not leaving. You have
seen too much and heard too much to leave now. (I wonder if they were
experiencing our modern day Fear-Of-Missing-Out.) This Man is different. This
Man has touched your heart. You certainly want more. Who could blame you? No
one else is leaving either.
After
speaking with Jesus, the twelve men who are normally with Him, He calls disciples,
have a strange look on their face. Something said seems to be a little confusing
to them. Except for Jesus, He has a look of peace on His face. The twelve begin
to move through the crowd. You have heard there is not enough food. You have
heard someone had five loaves of bread and only two fish. You have even seen
for yourself how large the crowd is. Yet, you have been included in a group of
about fifty and told to sit down. All eyes are forward on Jesus. He took the
five loaves of bread along with the two fish, and He looked toward heaven and
blessed them.
Imagine
being in the last group of about fifty. Curiosity would be all over me! Curious
as to what was about to happen. The anticipation of another miracle would
certainly be in my thoughts: “What is He going to do? How is He going to feed
us? I am so excited to be a part!” At least, that is how I would feel … at
first. What would I feel after a few hours have passed? What would my thoughts
be then? Whenever I read this story in the past, I never considered how long it
must have taken the disciples to pass out food. After all, there is not much
space between verses 14 and 17. It was a quick read so it had to have been a
quick food delivery, right? My goodness, even I know feeding a large group of
people at family reunions, or Homecoming, takes a lot of time, why would I
think this would be any different? And we never had 5,000 or more people
attend!
Time
seems to be passing very slowly. Most especially if you are in the last group.
Have you lost hope that you will receive a blessing? Does it appear as if you
are going to miss out? I am sad to say, that I would probably be that one who
is afraid of missing a blessing. I have seen others receive one; surely, by the
time the basket gets to me it will be empty. It was just five loaves of bread
and two fish after all. Even I can do the math. Discouragement would settle on
me. There is not going to be enough. Why am I in the last group of about fifty?
I cannot look at the others in my group. I cannot see their despair. If they
are still hopeful while I am not, I certainly do not want to see that either!
I
heard something. Was it a sigh of sadness? Was it gratitude and thankfulness? I
look up to see the same twelve men still passing out food! Their baskets are
not empty! Their faces have changed from confusion to elation! I even notice a
little-pep-in-their-step! What just
happened? As for Jesus’ face, He is still at peace. He knew what He was going
to do. He knew that even the last group of fifty, the group I was in, would
need food, too. He knew He was going to provide it. It is hard to imagine all
the blessings received that day! Not only was it bread and fish provided, the
nourishment received was so much more. Hope had been restored.
Luke 9:17> They all ate as much as they wanted, and
afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers! (NLT)
What
is my take away from this new story written in my heart? It is simple. No
matter which groups you feel like you are in, the first fifty to receive or the
last fifty losing hope, Jesus cares. He still sees you and graciously cares for
you. He will see to it that with Him you will find nourishment.
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
Genesis
28:16> Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this
place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
I
am not one who physically walks in my sleep. I know that some do but I just never
have. (At least, no one has ever told me I do!) However, numerous times I have …
spiritually. No one told me I did; I discovered it on my own. That was
hard to swallow and yet very freeing. You know what I mean? Hard to swallow
because it was true yet freeing because I could confess and repent.
I
had fallen asleep to the needs around me. I had fallen asleep to the fact that
God is all-seeing and He is all-knowing. Somehow, I had forgotten that fact. I
had become too comfortable with my own life that I had grown complacent in it.
I could go down the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store, not think
about Him being there, and miss an opportunity to share Him. I could be in line
waiting to check out, someone break in front of me and forget He was also there
and reading my thoughts, too. I can be with friends and/or families having a
great time enjoying the moment and yet still forget He is there. I was sleep
walking, so to speak, right through my days. Obviously, I did not want to wake
up because I kept hitting the snooze button countless times. Waking up would involve doing something.
Waking up would involve living aware in His presence. Waking up would involve
simply not being asleep.
Finally
an alarm clock, as Jonathan Cahn (a Jewish Messianic Rabbi) put it, went off
that awakened me, a sound that hitting the snooze button would not have
stopped. I was stunned at how long I must have been asleep. I was stunned at
the missed opportunities to share Him. I was stunned at how long I had not been
awake in His presence. Nevertheless, I was so grateful for the sounding alarm. I
felt like Jacob waking up from sleep and saying, “Surely the LORD is in this
place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
*** Heavenly Father, I am so
ashamed that it has taken several snoozes to wake me up. But Lord, I am so
grateful that it did! When I fall asleep again, Father, I pray that the sound
be so invasive that it intrudes my dreams and awakens me from slumber. Forgive
me for the countless times that I was spiritually sleep walking. I do not want
to miss being awake in Your presence. I do not want to miss dwelling in You. I
do not want to miss opportunities to share You. Thank You, Father, for the
alarm clock that wakes me up spiritually. ~ Amen
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
Proverbs
4:23> “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” (HCSB)
One
morning, while getting ready for work, a fly was in the bathroom with me. It
had laid dormant waiting for the right time to attack. Once time was found, the
fly came out of hiding dodging my head and swooping down knowing I was unable
to end its life! It kept flying close to my face taunting me. (I even think I
heard it laugh!) Dr. David Jeremiah was on the radio delivering a message I
knew I would need. I could not hear a thing he said because of that pesky fly.
I was sidetracked on the irritation in the room with me. I even opened the
bathroom door hoping it would fly out. No matter how wide the door was open, the
fly did not intend to leave. It had found its victim and seemed to be winning
the battle. Why should it leave?
That’s
just like Satan. If the door of your heart is left open the tiniest bit, he
will find a way in. He will lay dormant at first, so he does not bring
attention to himself. He will find the perfect opportunity to catch you
unaware. He will sidetrack you by attacking you with his dodging, swooping, and
taunting. He will make sure your day is a mess with him, or his ugly deeds, on
your mind. Beginning a day with an irritation is hard to shake off. At least,
it is for me. It can pour into my day and onto those, I work with. (Sad, isn’t
it?) The best solution for dealing with Satan is to keep THE spiritual fly swatter (God's Word) readily available.
Later,
my husband told me that I should have kept the bathroom door closed and simply
killed the fly. Instead, I opened the door in hopes that it would fly away and
leave me alone. I wanted it to bother someone else. Yikes! I could not see how
bad my choice really was. If I had killed it, no one else in the house would
have had to deal with it. If only I had gotten a fly swatter or “snapped” a washrag
and ended its pesky life! If only I had done, whatever it would have taken.
So
what did I learn? #1) Pay attention to doors left open, even if it is a tiny bit!
A pesky fly (or flies) can always find a way in. #2) Keep a fly swatter (God’s
Word) handy. You never know when you will need it! 😊
In
awe of Him,
Vonda
