Rich Towards God

Luke 12:21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (NIV)

Recently the jackpot for a nationwide lottery hit the billion-dollar mark. Around water coolers and dinner tables the question, “What would you do with all that money,” came up frequently.  Mmm, just imagine striking it rich. While there is nothing wrong with being wealthy, the Word admonishes us to be “rich toward God.” When I read this verse I wondered what my “God-wealth” status would be: Rich? Middle class? Poor?

My family has never been well to do. As a kid, I thought we were rich.  Both of my parents worked. We had plenty of food to eat. It never occurred to me that we would run out of anything because we always seemed to have what we needed and a little extra.  In reality we were hoarders. Just kidding. My organized and disciplined father did amazing things with money. He took care of everything meticulously and with proper planning.  From those childhood experiences, I define rich as lacking nothing, having more than enough, never running out, abundant, comfort, and security, even though we were not actually rich.

 

Be rich towards God. That’s how I want to experience God daily and for the rest of my life.  I want more of Him. I desire to live in the comfort of knowing God is my Father and Provider. I yearn for more of His Word so that it overflows from my heart and pours out of me. Let God fill you with His presence and His Word. The things of this world look shiny and pretty, but they can be unsatisfying, temporary, and fleeting.  The riches of God fulfill every need and never expire. Let’s make room for Him, and strike it rich!

Failure is Not an Option!

Failure is not an option! or is it?

2 Corinthians 12:9 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.

Have you ever just had one of those days?

You wake up with great expectations…

By bedtime, the last word on your mind is “failure.”

Yesterday, it was my turn to have one of those days.  I had so much hope for what the day would bring, but ultimately, a lot went wrong.

Thankfully, God gave me another day.  Driving into work this morning I realized that still being in a funk was silly. I began to think about all that I am grateful for and the blessings I have that I do not deserve. Usually, reflecting on what I am thankful for is enough to get me to snap out of it. God’s grace truly is amazing!

During the morning commute, it dawned on me that the reason I struggle when things do not go right is because of a deep seeded notion that failure is not an option.  As a type A, tightly wound, overachieving, alpha female I thought failure is never an option.  Something in my nature and nurture taught me that. Can I get a witness? 

Here’s the conundrum: Failure is not only an option, it’s the whole point!  If we can achieve all we need to achieve in our own power, what’s the point of Jesus? What’s the use of His power? Our human frailty and imperfection has to be more than an option.  We must acknowledge this condition…and keep moving forward.  God’s power is made perfect in our weaknesses. His grace is sufficient. Grace is sufficient, i.e. more than enough, because it bridges that gaps between our shortcomings and successes.  Demonstrated in us is the truth that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ask think or imagine according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20) That is, His power at work in us, if we let Him work it in us. So, if you are feeling like a failure, don’t get stuck there because it is a starting point towards something great.

And the Winner is...

1 John 5:4 “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” (NLT)

Who doesn’t love winning?  Winning is the best! “If you’re not first, you are last.”  (Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights)  There’s nothing like savoring the taste of sweet victory of contests in school, games at baby showers, Wii with my kids. I L-O-V-E to W-I-N.  On occasion, my desire to win has gotten out of hand.  I am so competitive that I actually can be obnoxious.  OK, not can be, I am obnoxious.  To deal with that issue, I try not to play many games.  It has been many years since I have had that feeling in my gut. It is an all or nothing feeling that comes when I am in the thick of battle. 

Imagine my delight when I came across 1 John 5:4, which says, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” (NLT)  *insert fist pump* I love that satan is a confirmed loser. I adore that every situation that the enemy thought would destroy my health, my finances, my calling, my destiny, etc., God turns around for my good and for His glory.  (Romans 8:28)  Every evil intention, every destructive plan directed towards me, and every malevolent objective, God has already purposed for my good. (Genesis 50:20)

I am a winner!  You are a winner! God declared in His eternal Word that His children defeat the world.  All of the ugliness, despair, hatred, violence and abuse is defeated.  We annihilate it.  The enemy does not have the final say. While we do not fight the battle, we control whether we are going to believe. Our faith catapults us from underdog to victor. 

Believing Jesus when everything looks hopeless, hoping in Him when there is nothing left, trusting God when everyone else has let us down, and looking for His glimmer of light in the darkness are the things that make us winners. Knowing what God says about me is the motivation I need to keep believing in Him because He says, “And the winner is, Jenni.”

Letting Go of Offense

1 Timothy 1:13-14 “although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”

If you are familiar with “church life,” you have probably attended a service that was followed by a repast or food served in the fellowship hall.  Several years ago, after one such service, I made my way to the church basement and grabbed a piece of cake and some red punch that had been spiked with 7-Up.  One of my girlfriends and her husband walked up while I chowed down, and she asked, “How’s the cake?”  With no thought, except here’s a chance for me to be funny, I replied in the most dramatic, parched and arid sounding voice, “It’s drrrryyyyyy!” My friend said, “I made it.”  “D’oh,” I screamed mentally.  Then I profusely apologized as her husband laughed.  I wish I could say that I rarely feasted on my own feet. I wish I could say that I hardly ever offend people with my words. I wish I could say that…I wish.  *sigh*

I am offensive sometimes. I say things that are hurtful, and I regret it.  I do things that are selfish and stupid.  Sometimes it is inadvertent; other times it isn’t. I hate how my words and actions offend God, and I hate hurting others, too.  However, when I have offended God, I know He offers me forgiveness. He is merciful and gracious.  But, when I offend people, the offense leaves an indelible mark. That person may never forgive me.  While we all are seekers of mercy and grace, we rarely dispense it.  Forgiveness is a seldom seen virtue. We treat it like a moral unicorn or Sasquatch. We are shocked to hear when forgiveness is given, and we doubt that it truly happened. Because I have been shown amazing grace, mercy, and forgiveness after the many times I have offended God and others, I try my best to extend the same to others who hurt me. It is not easy, but man-o-day, it is freeing!  I cast off shackles that connect me to what happened in the past. It can no longer hurt me. 

 

Mercy, grace, and forgiveness become easier to bestow on others when we remember that God lavishly and abundantly pours them onto us. He does so because of our ignorance.  Many of the offenses we experience usually come from a place of ignorance and unbelief.  Folks are focusing on their own pain.  People do not believe their actions are hurtful. In some instances, people think they are being helpful.  I am not offering ignorance and unbelief as an excuse for bad behavior, but we all can do some jacked up stuff. I am offering them as an explanation for why we do the things we do.  The baggage of offense grows heavier over time, but relief comes through giving and receiving mercy, grace, and forgiveness. 

Friendships and Grace: Part 2

Beloved

Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;”

The other day my daughter asked to use to my special coffee mug to get a drink of water. I quickly told her, "No." Well, I kinda barked it at her.  Why? Because that is MY special mug! Coffee is not just about the taste, it is about the experience when you drink it. Things like where you sit when you take that first life-giving sip in the morning or the special cup you use to hold that sweet nectar are as important as how you take your java.  I didn’t want my special cup sullied by someone else using it.  

This reminded me of a similar moment I had with a friend a few years ago. During a conversation, a dear friend mentioned something about going on a road trip with another friend of hers.  I thought, “Uh ruh, you’re MY friend.  Why are you hanging out with her?”  I didn’t want her to have fun with someone else; I’m the special one, right? All that friend-goodness should be reserved just for me, right? Well, instead of thinking about how special she was, I thought of her the same way I thought about my coffee mug.

In John 21 we read that before Jesus ascended, Peter asked Jesus what was going to happen to John, the beloved friend of Jesus.  It is not that Jesus did not love the other disciples; He had a deeper or different connection to John.  Jesus essentially told Peter, “Don’t worry about what happens to John. It’s my business.”

We have heard of “6° of separation” where someone is friends with someone who is friends with someone and so on.  For some folks, this can be a challenge.  It is difficult to think that our friends also enjoy hanging out with somebody else.  Just like with our toys when we were kids, we do not want to share.  As adults, when it comes to friends, we say, “Mine!”

Remember, friendships are a matter of grace.  God allows special people into our lives and by His grace He nurtures, matures, and develops the friendships we need in the seasons we need them.  Rather than hate on our friend for having other friends, let’s celebrate that we are blessed to have that person in our lives.  What a testament to God’s goodness that He sends us friends who are well liked and amiable. 

By changing the way we view our friend’s friendships, we learn that we do not have to sabotage his or her friendships, try to tag along and be a third-wheel, put pressure on our friend to only spend time with us or pout when our friend is hanging out with someone else.   We can love and cherish our special time with our friends.  Knowing that our time is precious will motivate us to make it unique and memorable. 

Thankfully, we are friends of God.  Clearly, we wouldn’t be jealous of God’s friendships with others, right? Oh, please say, “Right.”  We rejoice that we have our own individual friendship with God and that others enjoy the beauty of intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe.  In His eyes, we are all beloved.

Friendships and Grace: Part 1

Handling the End of the Road

John 14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

Friendships are interesting.  Of all relationships, we take this one for granted the most.  We don’t realize how great a friendship we have until it ends.  We rarely think about the end game with our friendships. We don’t contemplate how, when or if a relationship will end. But when it does end, for whatever reason, it can throw us for a loop.  Have you ever lost your closest and dearest friend?  

In John 14:1-4, Jesus told His disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” because of His impending departure. Jesus had a promise and a destiny to fulfill, which was ultimately for His friends’ benefit.  This passage is a promise for us about our eternal lives.  Jesus talks about preparing a place for us to be with Him in heaven. (John 14:2-3) It makes us feel hopeful.   However, when Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, He was looking into the faces of His friends with whom He spent the last three years on a constant and intimate basis.  Of course, their hearts were heavy.  It is not surprising that Jesus’ friends felt anxious, worried, confused and saddened.  We all feel this when we lose a friend.

Every person has a calling to follow.  All of us have seasons in our lives, and the people that God sends into our lives during our various seasons are an extension of His grace.  I saw an internet meme that said, “Some people come into your life as blessings, others come in your life as lessons.” (Source unknown.) The season the friend was in our life was a gift from God as either a blessing or a lesson.

Although we might experience loss of friendship because of a person moving away, heading in a different direction, drifting apart, or betrayal, we do not have to be stuck in that moment of loss.  Reflect positively on the good of that season and that relationship.  God did not have to allow that person into our life, but by His grace, we receive a blessing or a lesson.  Whether the situation was good or bad, the relationship edified us. Rather than focus on the bad as a way to justify why the friendship no longer flourishes, remember the good about the relationship.  Rehearsing and nursing negativity sows seeds of bitterness, resentment, anger and anxiety from a “lack of closure.”

During His last and precious moments with His friends, Jesus encourages His comrades to trust God. (John 14:1 NLT)  When friendships end, we can trust God.  We can trust that He sent those individuals into our lives for a purpose, that He will graciously send other Godly connections for the next season, and that we have an imperishable friendship with Him. 

Sing a New Song

Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

All of us have been slammed by some life tragedy: death of a loved one, a life-threatening diagnosis, divorce, betrayal, so forth and so on. For talented individuals, heartbreak can birth wonderful melancholy songs. However, for non-music writing folks, heartache can be a melody stealer.  It is hard to sing a happy tune when our lives are out of sync.  

Within a very short period of time I experienced all of those things above. Many days I didn’t want to get out of bed. I dreaded facing the world, my children, my life, or the possibility that one more devastating thing might happen. At one point, every area of my life (family, work, friendships, and marriage) was in a state of limbo.  Candidly, some days I just did not make it out of bed. 

There were days that God ministered to me in a deep soul-cleansing way. Other times, He sent friends to my door to pick me up, literally.  A couple friends came to my house, convinced me to change out of my jammies, took me to lunch, and kept me from spiraling.  (I don’t know how they stomached their food with all my incoherent, snot-filled blubbering.) He forged connections with people who became my “Ms. Celie.” They loved on me, encouraged me, and listened to my tear-soaked, anger-laden mumblings and rumblings. God used all of the above to “scratch a song out of Shug Avery’s head.” (To understand these references see The Color Purple.  For real, see it.  This movie is a classic.)

Thankfully, He did not leave me where I was during those dark times. In my deepest pit He still saw me and reached down for me. Now, I am standing on firm and stable places. God gave me a New Song!  A song I never sang before.  I heard about God in certain ways, but after all that, I can now sing about Him as Healer, Comforter, and Lover of my soul.  The great thing is that while this is my journey, it is a common story.  All of us have or will have an “after all that” experience.  We are not at our final destination because we are still alive.  We have not sung our last song.  It is time to put that old tired melody to bed.  It is time for a New Song.