This past weekend I found myself in a much bigger city, in a much bigger mall than little ol’ Beaumont, Tx. Talk about a fish out of water.
As we shopped for new shoes for Maggie, I was saddened by the clothes all around me. I was saddened by the music blaring through the stores and the words people were flippantly speaking. I was saddened by the signage that adorned the walls. And I was really sad that my daughter had to see and hear it all as well.
I wanted to jump ship. I felt out of place, and I felt defeated as a Christian.
Then God got me. He said, “Snap yourself out of it, girl. Don’t forget who wins.”
God wins. Even though I felt defeated, He will not be defeated.
Sin surrounds us. My goodness, even Jesus was surrounded by sin. But God is bigger than sin.
I can’t fix the whole world. But (with God) I can work on my piece of the world. I can remember who wins this world – the one who created it.
Don’t look at the now. Fix your eyes on the prize and get to work.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
BREAKING NEWS Y’ALL! Emerging research shows that people with a sense of meaning in life can be predicted to have better physical health outcomes! WHAT?! Greater meaning has apparently been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease,1 reduced risk of heart attack among individuals with coronary heart disease, reduced risk of stroke,2 and increased longevity.3 Those that call me friend have undoubtedly given me a hard time once or twice for my finatical health habits–CrossFit at 5am, food prepping my raw bell peppers over the weekend for daily lunches, and, of course, my gluten free diet. Good heavens…my brother-in-law LOVES to raz me about that one! It’s true. I like to live a healthy lifestyle to take care of the body in which my soul is housed. And, I’ve always loved sharing my passion for health and fitness with others because I want people to experience how good it feels to be healthy! But this latest research–the news that people with a sense of meaning in life could live longer, healthier lives–is something that calls for preaching! Woohoo! I can feel the Holy Spirit comin’ on y’all! Can I get an amen?! (Throws hands up in the air…)
Okay, I’m not really going to preach, but I am going to tell you why knowing my purpose in this world has brought me more joy than anything else in my life–yes, even more joy than coffee! (Yes, my friends, I just typed that out loud.) And, talking about why we’re all here doing this thing called life is something I want people to know even MORE than how to train for a marathon or how to food prep for a healthy week! You see, it’s the SOUL INSIDE the house that matters more than the house itself. Eventually, my body will get old (I’m already snap-crackle-and-popping!), and at some point it will even turn to dust. But my soul…it’s forever. But why? Why do I have a soul that will live forever? Why do I have a temporary body in this world to house this human soul? The answer is actually simpler than you think.
We have a God who created this world with His perfect plan in mind. He created the first human body and soul, and He will create the last one too. The Bible tells us that He WAS, He IS, and He IS TO COME. Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;” and, then John tells us in the first few words of his written gospel that Jesus was there with His Father…from the beginning. (Oh! How I love tying Old Testament to New and looking at God’s story as one big love letter to us!) After the creation of the world, the Bible lays out details of how God created the first human beings by breathing His very own breath into that first body housing man’s soul; and, he then describes His love for them and His sheer enjoyment of spending time with them! He treasured them as His most precious creation! All He asked was that they love Him back and enjoy His presence with them.
Well dang. Most of you know how THAT turned out. Stupid satan. I hate him. I really do, y’all. He’s such a butt. He tried to ruin Adam and Eve’s lives back then as much as he tries to ruin OUR lives now! Grrrr. God tells us through His prophet Isaiah “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Ummm. Nothing about my soul being separated from God forever seems HEALTHY to me! So what’s the prescription, doc?! Vitamin B-12? More brussel sprouts?! Well, you’ll be happy to hear that brussel sprouts have absolutely zero bearing on your salvation from eternal death. You. Are. Welcome. It’s actually SO much easier than eating stinky green vegetables! You see, God loved those first humans, our current mankind, and our future generations so much that He ALREADY had a plan in place for when we messed up! (Did you catch that…He knew we were going to mess up. He’s crafty like that.) From the beginning, God set his perfect plan in motion to save us from our own sin so that we could love Him back and enjoy his presence forever! Romans 5:8 gloriously states, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (NIV Life Application Study Bible). When WE couldn’t save ourselves from the sin…and the muck…and the filth…that we were living in, God sent His one and only Son Jesus to die in our place. And all He asks of us–to believe that He did it and love Him back with the lives that we live here in this world. THAT. That is the meaning of life–to be loved by God, and to love God back with our lives.
When someone realizes this and accepts the gift of salvation, scripture tells us that God and the angels throw a party! No, I’m serious! Look it up! It’s in the book of Luke! There’s a total rager every time ONE soul repents and accepts God’s amazing gift! Friends, living a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and daily exercise is important. (I’m not going to lie–I feel like I need to preach that too…another time, maybe? Smiles awkwardly…) But, the REAL meaning of life is so much more than taking care of the aging physical body that will eventually turn to dust…it’s nourishing the eternal soul within and coming to the realization that every gift (yes, even the gift of salvation) has been given to you for the PURPOSE of glorifying HIM, enjoying HIS presence, and loving HIM back. When we do this, the Bible tells us that WE are blessed beyond measure as WE are filled with the fruits of HIS Spirit–“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galations 5:22) Okay, go back and read that list of fruits one more time. Y’ALL! I mean, let’s be real. In today’s straight up looney-tune crazy world, that is some fruit we could all agree sounds delectable! Today, my prayer is that every reader who stumbles upon this message will hear God’s voice in ways they can understand as He calls them to fill their Spiritual diet with the fruit that leads their souls to a life in pursuit of the greatest meaning for which one could hope–to love their Creator and to be loved by Him.
Works Cited:
1 Boyle PA, Buchman AS, Barnes LL, Bennett DA. Effect of a purpose in life on risk of incident Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older persons. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2010;67:304–310.
2 Kim E, Sun J, Park N, Kubzansky L, Peterson C. Purpose in life and reduced risk of myocardial infarction among older US adults with coronary heart disease: A two-year follow-up. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. (2):124–133.
3 Boyle PA, Barnes LL, Buchman AS, Bennett DA. Purpose in life is associated with mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2009;71:574–579.
Today I challenge you as you read this to stop and ask yourself, “who do I want to be?”
I believe us as humans begin curiously wondering about who we will be one day from a young age. We have dreams and inspire to be like the person we have dreamt of being. But how do we become that person? I believe a big part of developing into who we want to be has to begin in realizing who we need to be.
As I’m rushing making the last few preparations needed before I walk down the aisle tomorrow to the man the Lord has prepared for me, I sit back and have the reminder that God’s word has served as a mirror in my life, constantly reflecting the truth. What a blessing! In this season, it has served as a reminder of the truth involving who I want to be, and need to be. I want to be a good wife. I want to be a good mom to our children one day. I desire to be that sunshine. I need to be a wife my husband can trust. A wife that brings him good and not harm. I need to get up early to prepare my family for the day. I need to be energetic, strong, and a hard worker. I may even have to stay up late some nights, but that’s okay. I need to extend a helping hand to the poor, and open my arms to the needy. Because I want to be clothed with strength and dignity, and I want to truly laugh without fear of the future.
As you ask yourself this morning who you want to be, my prayer is that you are reminded of his reflecting truth in who you need to be. Find your identity within his foundation of love, trust, and perseverance. We need to become all he needs us to be.
I don’t know all of the answers – that bothers me the most.
I mean it’s Hebrew poetry, y’all. I seriously told God that I didn’t like this study and that I wanted to quit.
Read that again.
Yup. Basically I told God that I didn’t like part of His written word. The instructions that He left me to get through this thing called life. His history. The Bible.
After moping around and feeling this way for a few weeks, I literally needed a come to Jesus meeting. I’m an educator. I know that not every lesson will be fun. In fact, life isn’t always fun. Just ask Moses or Abraham or Mary or Jesus.
God didn’t write the Bible so that Daisy Marino would be fully engaged and excited every second that I’m reading it – He wrote the Bible to teach me.
Little ol’ me.
He loves me that much. And He loves you that much.
So, I’m not giving up. I’m going to finish this study. I’m going to dig deep. And I’m going to thank God for His written word – even the parts that are hard. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m going to learn something new that will help me grow as a Christian.
My prayer is that the next time you or I have to do something for God that’s hard, not enjoyable, or that we just don’t understand, we would remember what and why God has done – and has so beautifully captured in His word – for us.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
It’s a phrase I’ve heard many times: suck it up, buttercup. When the going gets tough, the tough suck it up and do what needs to be done. Right?
When we are whining because we don’t want to do what needs to be done, and we are perfectly capable of doing the thing, this phrase might be appropriate. It’s cute and just pithy enough to awaken us to our own ridiculous self-pity and get ourselves moving in the right direction.
When we are exhausted, overwhelmed, or incapable of a next step for any reason, there is only so much we can do before we run out of strength and can no longer keep going on our own. If you are in that season now, or have ever been, let me just remind you of what God has to say about it.
When we repent and rest in God, he will strengthen us (Isaiah 30:15). When we cry out to God, he gives us boldness and strength (Psalm 138:3). God answers our faithful prayers (Mark 11:24). When we wait on God, and don’t run ahead, he gives us the strength to run and not be weary (Isaiah 40:31).
Our loving God invites us to stop trying to suck it up, and start soaking him in. Turn to him, and away from the temptations of this world. Rest in him, wait on him, and pray with a believing heart that he will strengthen you with a renewed boldness you have never known before.
Jesus sucked it up and paid the ultimate price for us because God knew we needed a savior, and he still doesn’t expect us to save ourselves from our sin or even from a bad day. Maybe today, my weary buttercup, it’s time to stop trying to suck it up and start soaking him in.
I was walking past the mirror the other day and before I even knew what was happening negative, self-deprecating thoughts filled my mind.
Weight loss, weight gain, and two kids later – I’ve got stretch marks out the wazoo, and that’s the truth – at least the way I see it.
But.
But God stopped me in my tracks. As soon as that thought crept In, God got in my business. You see – I was talking bad about His daughter. I was talking about someone that He created.
This is the kind of self-hate that God wants to put a stop to.
This is the kind of self-hate that God will give us the power to put a stop to. Open up your Bible and read God’s written word about you.
Ladies, I’m telling you right now – YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Look at the Montana mountains, the Florida beaches, the rushing rivers of Colorado – the same God that designed all of that designed you, and He is an amazing artist.
Maybe today tell another woman that she’s beautiful. Maybe today look in the mirror and say those same words to the lady staring back at you – and believe it.
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. (Psalm 34:5)
Those three words [playing on repeat in your mind] can cause a lot of trouble.
The thing is, you are the only one with the power to control what comes out of your mouth.
Stop and ask yourself are the words that are about to spew from my mouth noble? Are they true? Are they pure? Are they admirable? And if those words are right how can I speak the truth that they hold in love?
Y’all, it’s hard. Trust me – I know. But self-control is a fruit of God’s Spirit. I want to grow with God, not go – go with the world that is.
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. Philippians 4:8
Wearied by his long journey, he sat on the edge of Jacob’s well. He sent his disciples into the village to buy food, for it was already afternoon. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.””
John 4:6-8 TPT
Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” When He asked this of her, He was asking for her devotion, her simple devotion. He told us to drink from his well which meant receiving everything He had to offer. Him drinking from her well meant her giving Him her everything. Her time, her interest, He was asking her to look at Him, to gaze upon Him.Oh that we get to gaze upon the One who is so worthy of our devotion!
Devotion: commitment to; being ardently dedicated and loyal
Ardently: an expression of zealous support
Loyal: faithful to a person whom faithfulness is due
Are we zealously committed and faithful to the one who deserves all of our faithfulness? Jesus is so committed to us, are we committed to Him? I prayed out loud a few months ago, Jesus thank you for your commitment. When I said that I literally began to weep over the gratitude in my heart for his constant commitment to me. Greater levels of gratitude lead to greater depths of intimacy. He’s committed to gazing at us. We always have His attention, but does He always have ours?
In the secret place, are we more concerned with how long we were in there or what took place while we were there? I’m not talking about marking off a check list while we were in the secret place, but did you gaze at Him? Did you commune with Him? This is real kingdom success, to be totally devoted to the one who is totally devoted to me. We must never confuse kingdom success. We often think our kingdom success is measured by how many ministries we start, but in all reality, its measured by how well we gaze at the Father, how committed we are to Him. True success is does the Father know me & do I know Him?
“Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.” Psalms 27:4 TPT
Is the ONE thing we crave gazing at His face? To gaze means to look steadily upon. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe in going into prayer and warring and tearing down darkness but we can’t do that if we don’t first look at the one who gave us the authority to do that.
Are we devoted on the mountain, are we devoted in the valley? Is He our everything when our plans and dreams aren’t happening fast enough? Is He our everything when we’ve been in the wilderness and we’re tired & weary? Do we GAZE when its not convenient to GAZE?Do we gaze when what we’ve prayed for doesn’t happen? Is He worthy of our attention when your season doesn’t totally make sense yet? How devoted are we? How steady is our gaze? Is it wavering based on circumstances or is it steady?
There’s a true satisfaction that comes when we give Him our full, unwavering, simple devotion & gaze. A true satisfaction in the Father, and in you.
She was so satisfied in Him that she ran back to town and told everyone what Jesus had done. She left her sin. One moment with Jesus, and she left her sin. She became one of the greatest evangelists for Jesus. She was looking for affirmation through those men & in a moment was affirmed by Jesus. That was enough for her. Her value was raised by His response. She then valued his affirmation over mans.
Jesus was also filled. In verses 31-34. He says I’ve eaten a meal that you don’t know about! He was saying, I’ve eaten from the devotion of my bride and I’m satisfied! He was pleased with her devotion, her commitment, her zeal. Know the pleasure we give our Father when we’re simply devoted, when we gaze upon Him with no agenda other than to be with Him.
Become excited again by being in His presence. He’s excitedly waiting on you. You’re not wasting His time daughter. You’re not wasting His time son.
This year has brought so much fear and uncertainty to almost everyone.
During this unprecedented year, I have found myself dealing with more anxiety than ever. As an educator, I have watched my colleagues face unbelievable challenges, criticism from every corner, and fears and anxieties that are paralyzing–so paralyzing that it sometimes makes it hard to even focus on prayers and presenting our requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 is one of my favorite verses because it reminds me of so many things when I am anxious about EVERYTHING! Repeating this verse aloud, slowly, can bring my head out of the fog.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
Read it slowly, and contemplate every phrase.
Come back to “with thanksgiving,” which essentially means to be thankful.
Be thankful…
It’s easy to forget that part of the verse.
Even when things go dark, and your attitude needs a huge adjustment, thank God. In every situation, even the scary, world-is-turning-upside-down-pandemic, we must reach deep inside to remember the things for which we are thankful, big and small.
Thank you for this day.
Thank you for your love.
Thank you for dying on the cross for me.
And when I can’t think of anything else, when my mind won’t slow down, sometimes my only prayer is “Thank you, Jesus!” I meditate on these three little words, and they bring me peace.
Thank you, Jesus!
Thank you, Jesus!
Thank you, Jesus!
When we are thankful and welcome the holy spirit into our hearts, we can face anything!
I’m currently studying the Pslams with a dear friend. First of all this study is hard. Hebrew poetry – enough said. Secondly, the Old Testament Israelites make me mad. Why do they keep making the same mistakes over and over and over?
It’s easy for me to read about the Israelites and be all kinds of judgy-judgy towards them. I quickly say I would never do that or that or that all while coddling and repeating my own little sins.
We are all sinners. The Israelites. Me. You. Every single one of us. We all have something we keep circling back to.
Yet.
Yet God forgives.
Yet God loves.
Yet God still roots for us.
Yet.
I’m so glad that word exists.
“Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.” Psalms 78:38-39
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