Sanctuary of Tranquility: Leaving Earthly Thinking Behind
As I grow as a Christian I am discovering that there are a great many things I need to unlearn . I spent the first fifty some odd years of m...
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Leaving Earthly Thinking Behind
As I grow as a Christian I am discovering that there are a great many things I need to unlearn. I spent the first fifty some odd years of my life developing habits and attitudes that were not of God. The two ways of thinking collide with a tremendous force. A Christian walk is a way of life one must decide on, be determined to stick to, study and follow with a no turning back attitude. One of the things I hear people complaining about the most is tithing. It is questioned and criticized by many, but if one is really reading the word they realize that it is a blessing to both the donor and the recipient.
The Old Testament requires that man gives the first 10 percent of anything that brings benefits to his home or dwelling. If a person did not want to give what he produced he could give 120 percent of its value ( Lev 27:31 ). For livestock, however, there could be no substitute. Animals passed single file under a rod dipped in coloring and every tenth one was marked. Selecting inferior animals was prohibited by law. That part made me giggle, people have been trying to be sneaky and underhanded and find excuses to be an exception to the rule forever! I guess it is one of the human traits that provides lawyers with bigger houses, right?
The New Testament says nothing about tithing ten percent, but it does reiterate many things associated with tithing: those who minister are entitled to receive support ( 1 Cor 9:14 ); the poor and needy should be cared for ( 1 Cor 16:1; Gal 2:10 ); those who give can trust God, as the source of all that is given ( 2 Cor 9:10 ), to supply their needs ( 2 Cor 9:8; Phip 4:19 ); and giving should be done joyously ( 2 Cor 9:7
The New Testament directs that taxes be paid to the state ( Rom 13:6-7 ), which replaced Israel's theocracy. Paul's vocabulary and teaching suggest that giving is voluntary and that there is no set percentage. Following the example of Christ, who gave even his life ( 2 Cor 8:9 ), we should cheerfully give as much as we have decided ( 2 Cor 9:7 ) based on how much the Lord has prospered us ( 1 Cor 16:2 ), knowing that we reap in proportion to what we sow ( 2 Cor 9:6 ) and that we will ultimately give account for our deeds ( Rom 14:12 ).
Giving just feels good, pay it back, pay it forward, pay for the person's coffee or burgers behind you and then drive away fast and don't look back! It's a blast! I have done this and it has been done for me as well. It blesses us with a tremendous feeling in either situation!
My daughter called me the other day just laughing her head off because she had paid nearly twenty dollars for the person behind hers coffee order and only spent three dollars on herself.
Now that is a cheerful giver!
A verse my pastor uses frequently is the following...
Luke 6:38 (ESV)38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
As important as it is to be a cheerful giver, we must also remember that having the ability to receive or accept gifts with grace is just as important. You never know where that desire to give to you came from. For example, I recently had an acquaintance call me out of the blue. After a bit of small talk, she came right out and said to me, "God told me to give you some money." I had heard of this happening to others, but I had never experienced it myself. As it turned out, her gift of money was precisely what I needed a few days later to cover an unexpected emergency expense.
As important as it is to be a cheerful giver, we must also remember that having the ability to receive or accept gifts with grace is just as important. You never know where that desire to give to you came from. For example, I recently had an acquaintance call me out of the blue. After a bit of small talk, she came right out and said to me, "God told me to give you some money." I had heard of this happening to others, but I had never experienced it myself. As it turned out, her gift of money was precisely what I needed a few days later to cover an unexpected emergency expense.
Having faith and believing will never be the wrong thing to do. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and never, l mean never, ever lean on your own understanding and keep that covenant with God next to your heart, for it is between you and Him only.
James 3:17 (ESV)17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Further, how do we accept a gift from someone? We reach out and take it because we trust (that’s faith) them to give (that’s grace) it to us. What do we do then? We thank them simply because we are grateful, and then as the possessor of the gift, we use it (that’s works). When the Holy Spirit convicts us that we need to be born again through Jesus Christ, God is offering us His gift. We reach out and take it because we trust (that’s faith) Him to give (that’s grace) it to us. We thank Him simply because we are grateful, and then as the possessor of the gift, we use it (that’s works).**
All of this and life experience has taught me that God wants us to be cheerful givers as well as people who receive with Grace. I used to be that person who thought I wouldn't make it through the pay period if I wrote a check for ten percent each time I got paid, but after I started doing it I discovered that I made it just fine. Life has taught me to place less value on money and stuff and more value on human kindness and people who are true friends of God and honor His laws.
James 1:12 ESV
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
All scripture references come from
** Exert From No Strings Attached By Grant Phillips
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Finding Peace & Jesus
For me, a part of being a Christian means having empathy for other people's situations all of the time, not just when it is convenient. Often times we the people find ourselves in some pretty precarious positions because of our decisions in life. Some of those positions are no fun at all. I know because I have been there and won the award! Some of the tough trials in my life have come because of poor decision making. I thought I was doing the right thing only to discover I was way off the mark. I was then forced to go through my own personal storm to learn. I am so blessed that these trials have never hardened my heart.
Thank you, Jesus, for always showing me mercy and helping me through my storms.
Thank you, Jesus, for always showing me mercy and helping me through my storms.
God wants us to Love people through their bad days as well as their good. He calls on us to be nice even when doing so is a stretch. Be helpful, even when you want to walk away, and be forgiving even when the other person may or may not be sorry and never shows you any empathy. He wants us to care about each other, not just when it affects us, he wants us to care about each other because He asks us to.
Instead, we ignore Him and tell ourselves we are too busy or that someone's personal stuff is really none of our business or their past is too messy. Making excuses is the easiest thing in the whole wide world to do and we all do it over and over and over each and every day.
I pray for wisdom and the words to speak to people, the eyes to see and the ears to hear and still I miss more than I want to. I miss the person waiting to cross the street or waiting for a chance to get out of a busy parking lot. We all have missed opportunities from God...some small and others very large.
2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV) 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth...
If you are faith-minded, you believe that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. (Psalm 37:23).
However, not every good man listens and obeys those orders. It doesn't make them bad, it makes us human. Sometimes we are frustrated or in a hurry or our strong will to do what we want gets in the way of our listening and obeying God. I pray Gos keeps forgiving and that the repercussions for disobedience are not too harsh.
I had a great job opportunity a while back but I already had a job, so I basically blew the opportunity off. The Holy Spirit kept whispering, "Take it, take it." But silly me, I didn't want to let the people down that I was working for at the time, so I stayed. It wasn't long before I realized I had made a mistake, but by that time, the door was closed, the position was filled. You see, God knew there was a storm in front of me and He was trying to get me out of its path but I didn't listen to Him. Instead, I ignored his nudges and completely forgot that His way is always best! I have had to apologized to God for my know it all attitude more than once, and I believe He has forgiven me, as He does for some reason or another each and every day. What a great friend Our Amazing God is! He forgives, because that is who He is, always a gentleman.
“I can do nothing on my own... As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me."
When we ask God daily, "What do you have for me today?" He listens and provides for us. He may call on us to do things we "don't wanna do" like take a different job, speak to someone about something that we don't understand, or even move to a different city. He encourages us to be and do things for other people and some days He is very specific about the who, what, and where. There have been many times when I have cried out "Oh please Lord, give that task to someone else." But He rarely changes his mind. In the end, you may as well just make it easy on yourself and do what He is asking. It typically turns out pretty amazing anyway. For this reason, and so much more, when I wake up in the morning, He is the very first to hear me say Good Morning and offer my praise and thanks.
I praise you Father God for all of my blessings,
each breath and step that I take.
And I ask you Lord…what have you for me today?
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