August 2011
Dear Friends,
Life has been crazy busy for my family. How has it been for you? We have seen God provide…renting our home, a water leak fixed the day before we moved in, money to repair vehicles, money to have a septic tank cleaned out, good teachers for our kids, a new welcoming school, less fuel costs, wonderful coupon deals, rest in the woods, a house mother for a transition home. We have seen God heal…broken toes, chicken pox, infections, backs, nerve pain, bruises, hearts. We have seen God love…freely, consistently, faithfully. We have seen God bless…joy, peace, contentment, forgiveness, patience, hope in adversity. He never sleeps and never slumbers. He helps us see the world and our circumstances from a different perspective. He is constantly changing us from the inside out.
Have you ever believed a lie? I am worthless. I am ugly. I am dumb. I can never be forgiven. No one loves me. Lies are all around us every day from satan. We get up every day with lies waiting for us. We have access to the Truth through the Word, the Holy Spirit, prayer and other Christ followers; but so often we still find ourselves trapped by a lie. God wants us to live in the Truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 says, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
Thanks to Jesus we are saved and the Holy Spirit lives in us. We have access to the truth when we admit our wrongs, believe that Jesus died for us and confess that He is Lord. When Jesus is our Lord, everything changes. We still have troubles and difficulty, but we have an inner hope, joy, comfort and we desire to live differently. One way we share in the glory of God is sharing Him. The other day I was in the grocery explaining to a lady that we were coupon shopping to share food with others, in hopes that they would see Jesus. Her eyes filled with tears. When I see the beauty of God’s creation, I see His glory. My eyes soak in the beauty and my heart is full of worship. When we are in awe of God’s creation our praise brings Him glory. Have you come broken before God for a wrong you did? Our repentance and brokenness brings Him glory as we lower ourselves and exalt Him.
As we think about the power of the Gospel and the truth we have as a Christ follower, it seems impossible to think that we would believe a lie. But, we still live in this world and if we are not careful, we can be swayed by the things of this world. In my greediness, I would love to go out to dinner every night, but that choice would leave much less for me to share and would possibly be bad for my health as I love fried food. I could start to believe that I need more and more money and that could lead me to hoarding my resources at the detriment of the Kingdom of God. I can easily start to believe that I need my own time and dismiss the opportunities to love others. I can think it is no big deal to watch television and then realize I have wasted four hours, a resource for the Lord. Lies are easy to believe. Our world beckons us and it is easy to fall.
Verse 15 reminds us to stand firm and hold on to the truth. The Bible is full of so much truth we cannot learn it all no matter how long we study or learn. The Lord draws us to new treasures every day. He has more for us than the lies we buy. We are reminded to stand firm and not let go. Over the years, I have noticed different ways that we can stand firm. We can pray without ceasing; staying in constant conversation with our Father. We can spend time in His Word meditating on truth. We can wander the earth watching for His creation and thanking him for the little yellow butterflies that fly around the azaleas, smiling at the lightning bug that blinks, worshipping Him for the mighty storms, being utterly amazed at the work of His hands. We can join with other Christians to sing praises to Him, pray and study scripture together. We can write poems to the Lord. We can share of His mighty deeds to others. We can reflect on His provision. We can cling to Him for our comfort in difficulty, our faith when the road is unknown, and our hope when we do not know the answer. We can choose to trust Him in the dark. So many ways, we can stand firm and not let go. Please friends, do not let go of Jesus. He will never let go of you.
The Lord Himself who has loved us with an unfailing love, is daily here to encourage our hearts and strengthen us. Every good, true word and deed that comes our way is from our heavenly Father. He loves us with a lavishing love. He knows what we face and He has a path for us. Some days my path is not easy. I am tired, I am afraid, I am worried, but God is consistently there, encouraging my heart and strengthening me. Just this week, He has reminded me of the treasure of children, thankfulness for indoor plumbing, His gift of contentment, the power of forgiveness, His love, the sacrifice He made that makes any earthly sacrifice seem minimal, He answers prayer, He gives second chances, He is patient, and I desperately need Him.
Consider writing a note to a friend, sharing a word of encouragement and hope, from the very hope you have in Christ. Maybe that family member or friend is trying to stand firm and they are weary and your kind word will be used by God to encourage them and strengthen their soul. The other day, I woke up to a thank you email from a customer and that gesture made such a huge impression to my day. I felt like what we did mattered and we needed to stay the course on this mission God has called us to. I wrote him back and shared about Jesus. Then, I stopped by Walgreens and the cashier was so friendly and helpful and I felt like I was a person, not another sale. I hope in some way, these letters we write you each month and the visits you share with your delivery teams are a blessing. May God use us to fill you with hope and encouragement so you might stand firm and hold on to the Truth and in turn may He use you to do the same for us. But for the grace of God, our paths would never have crossed.
Be encouraged and much love,
Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”