To Know Christ in His Sufferings

Spring is in the air. The month of April has brought with it rain showers and even several bursts of snow, but we refuse to let go of the hope of green grass and sunshine. Grace has been so happy to finally be able to get out and ride Sassy again. Jumping is her sport of choice for this year. Not so sure it's mom's sport of choice, but the smile that never leaves her face while she's riding is worth the fear of her falling off.

Sassy continues to give her a run for her money, definitely living up to her equine name, but it's a good challenge. Two stubborn, feisty girls battling it out for who's going to be in charge. At the end of the ride they're both happy, one with grain the other sore muscles. Born fighters wouldn't be happy without a fight.

Grace got her hair cut. She hasn't had it this short since she was three years old and took a scissor to it herself. She's been begging for the transformation, and was thrilled to donate the cut portion to Locks of Love, happy knowing that somebody else would benefit from her beautiful gift. She's turned into a different girl in so many ways.

Horses are one of the harder parts of grief. There is only so much emotion and strength to go around, and some things are just too hard to revisit for the extra energy it takes to live them without your loved one. Too many memories to relive, and too hard to make new ones with the same horses minus one kid. Grace informed me that I haven't rode with her for over a year. So much is lost in grief, more than just your child who is gone, the ones here suffer for it as well.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings. Philippians 3:10a

The words finally made some sense when I read again them last night. I always wondered, who would want to suffer to know Jesus? It is such of a backward way of thinking in our society of ease and pleasure. But the verse has haunted my thoughts for years, moreso of course since Trent's accident. To want to know Christ in His sufferings.

Then it struck me as I read it for the hundredth time: Without suffering we wouldn't know Jesus to the same degree as without it.

Poor Rob happened to walk in during the middle of my revelation. I sputtered at him, "You know how it was when we met Amos and Sue, and we didn't have to explain to them what it was like to lose a child to death on a ski slope? Do you remember that instant connection, regardless that we lived worlds apart? Remember the knowing, on both sides, without explaining to them what that suffering felt like?"

Yep. He knew.

That's what Paul means: to know Jesus in his suffering is like knowing Amos and Sue, or the many others parents we know who have lost a child. You don't have to explain what it feels like to receive that dreaded call, or to walk into an emergency room and see your child's dead body lying there, or how to choose what color of casket you want for the funeral. They know. They just know.

You don't have to explain tears for over two years straight. Or why you haven't answered the phone in two days. Or why riding horse might be hard. They just know.

To know Christ in His suffering is to know Christ. You can almost feel the whip He felt, and feel the shame He endured for trusting God. You know the tears He cried, and the hope He had. On some level, you set your face as flint towards eternity and the waiting glory just as He did. You begin to live as He lived, not for this world but the next, not for joy found here, but for the treasure found there.

And when you realize that it is all filtered through a Sovereign Father's hand you can even rejoice in it. The participation becomes an honor, just like it is an honor to wrap your arms around a newly grieving mother and try to point her to Christ. To repeat the promises to both her and yourself, willing you both to hold on and not lose hope. Looking forward to what's ahead, not looking behind, but trudging through the deep waters that God wants you to walk.

To know somebody in the trenches of suffering is to truly know them. There is no room for fake, no reason to talk about the weather, no Sunday smiles. There is only full exposure of the heart in sorrow. God is the searcher of hearts. He reveals through suffering, both our hearts and Himself. What a joy, then, to be sought out. What a joy to experience His grace. He disciplines those He loves. He wakes those up whom He loves.

Therefor, it is easier to say it again:

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings. Philippians 3:10a

Why? Because I know there is much more beyond the pain of today.

Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20-21

That the Legacy May Continue

 

One of Trent's many joys in his young life was fishing. Often times I would find myself wondering, after observing this obvious gift from God (if fishing can really be called a gift), how it was going to be used for God's glory or for advancing the coming Kingdom of Christ. Shortly after Trent's death God revealed a bit of the answer.

 

Although it took nearly a year to come into fruition, once the shock of the accident started to wear off we shifted into high gear and printed a gospel sharing booklet written in fisherman language. Shortly after it arrived, we contacted our local newspapers and announced a fishing scholarship in honor of Trent. Gift cards to be used towards a fishing license, plus the books, were handed out to anyone buying a license at our local Holiday station bait store who wanted a scholarship until supplies ran out. 

 

With Spring right around the corner, we are planning our second year of scholarships. Our hope and prayer is that God would be glorified through the suffering in our life that has resulted in the gospel message going forth so that many would have an opportunity to hear about this offer of salvation.

 

Trent loved fishing, but ultimately he came to find a greater joy in his Savior Jesus Christ, which has proved to be invaluable when he died at the young age of twelve. 

Can we be a blessing to your Christian fishing program?
If so, please contact us at MoreGlory@grantsburgtelcom.net to discuss the details.



Bible Study ~ Genesis 18-19

Genesis 18-19 

Who is it about? God or us?

“The Lord appeared to Abraham...” Genesis 18:1 Just let that thought sink in for a moment: The Lord appeared to Abraham. Visits from the Almighty were a regular occurrence for Abraham, much different than our experience today. What was Abraham's response? Did he recognize who these visitors were? Who were they?

After tending to their needs (washing their feet, feeding them, giving them rest) the visitors ask about Sarah. Where was she? They reiterated again God's promise of a son. What was Sarah's response? Why was her laugh rebuked when Abraham's was accepted? (Abraham responded in faith, Sarah responded with doubt and distrust.)

God includes Abraham into His council and tells him of His plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Why do you think God would have discussed the matter with Abraham? Was God needing advice? What was Abraham's request? Why do you think God chose to grant it?

The angels were sent ahead to Sodom – what did they discover? What was the response of the future sons-in-law? (Verse 19: 14 “thought he was joking”) Was God just in destroying the cities? Explain...

The angels woke the family early in the morning and granted them escape. Why had Lot not left before morning? Why would he be hesitant to leave? Lot pleads to change the requirements of the escape, and the angels consent and allow them to only flee as far as the nearest town of Zoar to make it easier on the family. Lot's wife looks back (ignoring the angel's command not to) and is turned to a pillar of salt.

We see that even though Lot's family just saw the result of sin first hand, and the serious consequences of it, within a matter of (probably days to weeks) there is more sexual sin already manifested in their lives. The sins of the father/culture had certainly passed along to the children. How does our culture compare to that of Sodom and Gomorrah? Do you see any similarities? What is the core of the sin that abounds in our country? (The denial of God leads to depraved, unchecked hearts- Romans 1:21-24, God turns us over to our sins when we refuse Him – Sodom is the epitome of what manifested sin looks like.)

The Ammonite and Moabite tribes that resulted have brought much strife throughout history for the nation of Israel, but ultimately the extent of God's grace to forgive every kind of sin, and use it for His glory, is seen through the hereditary line of Ruth (Ruth was a Moabite who was in the ancestral line of Jesus Christ).

If all Scripture points to Jesus Christ and all events will ultimately glorify God, how is that seen in this historical account? How is this account a representation of the hope found through the gospel? (Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone, God is able to forgive every sin through the atonement of Christ.)

The God of all grace is capable of making every situation glorify His name. But this same God will not tolerate sin. Jesus is coming soon (Revelation 22:20) and will deal once and for all with sin. Where are you with God? Are you ready to meet Him face to face?

 

 

Bible Study Credits: Terri Stellrecht http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

The Harvest Field

“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:35b

Too often, I forget to look up at the fields. My head downcast, or so preoccupied with “self,” or looking at somebody elses field, my own easily gets ignored. The glamor of a different ministry becomes appealing, maybe a stage somewhere, or a big platform, or being a missionary across the seas where I would be “super Christian” and be worthy of the title. Not the mundane of another day of home school in March with two feet of snow still left on the ground to battle through to do chores with a predicted high of only thirty-six.
 

In the midst of my pity party I am impelled to go back and re-read the words of Scripture:

“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” John 4:35b

I literally look up and see a teenage boy sitting at the island eating breakfast and reading his Bible. Either way, if even only for the sake of duty to cross it off his daily list, the living words are still being drunk in. I watch him for awhile, wondering where thirteen years have gone. I pray for him once again. No earthly desires top the list, only eternal ones. I beg God, please God, grant salvation to this son, too.
 

I am reminded of long-ago prayers whispered over sleeping children, standing next to their beds, touching their silent forms that were snuggled under handmade quilts. Prayers, particularly for Trent, that God would use his life in a mighty way for His glory. A prayer I didn't expect to be answered in the way that it was. A prayer that I am scared to request again. My words want to stay guarded before they leave my lips, frightened of what God may ask of me next. But He knows my heart. He knows the uttering of it, He has made the longing for His glory, no matter the cost, to reign.

Fear wants to sneak its way in – fears of what might be for their futures, fears even for this day, fears of more suffering. How quickly my eyes stray from the field where I have been sovereignly placed, stray from my Savior. Quietly, the thoughts of grace eventually calm the fears. I look back to the Bible and read the words again: Jesus answered [the Samaritan woman], “If you knew the gift of God...” (John 4:1) To truly know the gift of God compels me to endure.

In grief there is so much time spent trying to learn how to live without your loved one. Whether you get out of bed or not in the morning, it doesn't make a difference, they are still not here. Every event is met with a brokenness, a neon sign reminding you again and again that all is not right. There is a continuous aching in a mother's heart and arms that refuses to be comforted while your mind is forced to learn to live with the loss lest you literally go insane.
 

As much as I am learning to live with the loss of my son, I can't escape the continuous thought of Heaven. If Trent were just spending the weekend at his best friend's house, or staying with Aunt Traci for a while, or enjoying time at kid's camp I could associate with where he was. I would not doubt his “being.” Death is only an absence to those left behind, not to the person who died. Trent is still Trent.

As I sat in my recliner late one night last week, enjoying a book in the quiet hush of this old farmhouse, the startling revelation came to me again: Trent is in Heaven. The thought nearly took the wind out of me. Tears soon followed as the reality was fresh yet again. The brevity of this life once more became glaringly apparent. The gospel of John reminds me over and over of Jesus' words, “I am telling you the truth,” and “Believe me, woman” echoing truth today while I sit drinking my coffee and crossing the Bible off my own list. (John 4:21)
 

So somehow, I try to measure everything against that eternity. The short days here, the lives around me that God has given me the privilege of influencing, my own heart that has nowhere to hide. Like the Samaritan woman, though, (John 4) I quickly tend to change the subject, busy myself with the cares of this world, consume myself here in some new project rather than face the reality of eternal life.
 

Jesus met people where they were, even sinful women going about their daily duties. There was no prerequisite, other than brokenness, to feel his healing touch. Jesus meets me where I am today. He answers my prayers and renews my longing for His word, He breaks through my vitamin D depraved brain and lights the fire again so that rather than being lukewarm I may be hot. Rather than investing a little into eternity I may see the worth, as much as my human brain can conceive of the idea, of fully longing for redemption, longing for Christ to reign, longing for that glory that Paul talks about so often.

Pictures of Remembrance

On my agenda for the past couple of years has been the project of tackling the transformation of the upstairs hallway. The orange shag carpeting has been torn out for quite some time and revealed decent, although characteristically unlevel, old house wooden floors. The lathe and plaster walls were repaired, then recently painted a neutral beige color and an appropriate border has been picked out and is just waiting to be installed. Family pictures were next. I have been purposely avoiding this part of the project. Part of me wants to see the walls plastered with all those smiling little faces, but the other part of me hasn't wanted to dig through the pictures to decide which ones to use.

Do you use all pre-accident photos, or acknowledge that life has been forced to go on and everybody else is two years older and use recent photos? Do you change them out every year, allowing the glaring reality that Trent's picture never changes to be the first thing you wake up to every morning? And then there's the actual event of digging through the archived pictures: the horse rides, the football games, the reminders of the breakfasts in bed that you never got a picture of.

Grief steals so much. More-so than just the person you are grieving, it steals your very self. It steals the mother, sister, wife, aunt, friend that you used to be. It drives you to the brink of insanity where you really don't think that just going over the edge of it would be so bad. It steals even the ability to think rationally. You start to forget that this life is a mist and heaven goes on for an eternity. Everything brings tears, even two years later.

The anniversary is over and Trent's birthday has just passed. Dear friends sent cards and emails, as well as called and visited. I cried over the ones who did, and the ones who didn't. The sweet, painful emotion of being loved well~ there are not adequate words to express how that feels.

I continuously tell God that I am so tired of crying. I can barely begin the words of a cohesive prayer anymore because all I do is lament and weep. There are no more words. My brain is exhausted by the work of searching out the glory of God in this (Proverbs 25:2NKJ). God knows my heart, He knows the depth of this agony. He has allowed a quiet hush to hover over me. A time of rest in my soul. A time of waiting as His work is being done. Simply "being" in Him. There doesn't always have to be answers to the questions.

So I went through the pictures. I relived life when there were five children smiling back at me on a computer screen all the way through life when there were only four. I sorted, debated, and created personal collages for each person in our family.

I chose the Roseman Bridge, where Trent's ashes were spread, for my collage. Pictures where I opened my hand and let go, let go of my son, let go of myself and my plans. Pictures of remembrance that mark in computer generated options my surrender to God, my attempt of the resurrection of an altar as the prophets of old used to build: an everlasting reminder of when God abundantly poured out His grace and along with it a great measure of hope. When He revealed Himself and allowed me to see and love Him more, and especially long for Him more, despite the great cost.

Bible Study ~ Genesis 12-13

Genesis 12-13 

Who is it about? God or us? Who did you learn more about ?

Genesis 12:1-3 God calls Abram and blesses him with the promise of Christ.

God chose Abram (Isaiah 41:8; Matthew 22:14; Luke 23:35; John 15:19; 1 Peter 1:20 1 Peter 2:0) from among his fellow idolaters that he might reserve a people for himself. By moving him from his country, Abram was tried whether he loved God better than all. With this command, God calls Abram to begin a journey of faith that is marked by complete dependence upon God and God's promise. This is not an easy thing for Abram. The things he must leave are mentioned in order of increasing level of intimacy: "Go forth from your country, your relatives, and your closest family." Abram must leave all he holds dear and trust God to guide him in a new land.

The command God gave to Abram is much the same as the gospel call (natural affection for our ways must give way to Divine grace, sin and all the occasions of it must be forsaken, a promise of greatness fulfilled in Christ, blessings for obedience, all sustained by God's sovereign grace for his glory).

God's promises to Abram:

-I will make you into a great nation. (Literally, Abram would be the father of a great nation.)

-I will bless you. (Obedient believers will inherit a blessing/somewhat here/more-so an eternal blessing/blessings here are a foretaste of what is to come/encouragement to continue until we see Jesus face to face.)

-I will make your name great. (Book of life/the name of obedient believers shall certainly be made great/ “Shine like stars” Philippians 2:14-16)

-You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you/All people on earth will be blessed through Abram. (The greatest blessing to come through Abram would be that of Jesus Christ/Eventually through Abram came the Savior, the Bible and the gospel/Galatians 3:8.)

-Whoever curses you I will curse. (God will take care of Abram/all believers-sometimes not until eternity will it be “made right.”)

God allowed Abram to believe that the blessing of the Almighty would make up for all he could lose or leave behind, supply all his wants, and answer and exceed all his desires. He knew that nothing but misery would follow disobedience.

 

 *Do you believe that? Understand that? Explain.

Such believers, being justified by faith in Christ, have peace with God. They are not discouraged by the difficulties in their way, nor drawn away by the delights they meet with. What we undertake, in obedience to God's command, and in humble attendance on his providence, will certainly succeed and end with comfort at last.

Genesis 12:4-9 Abram departs from Haran, journeys through Canaan,

and worships God in that land.

Canaan was not a mere outward possession, but a type of heaven – the promised land that foreshadowed the real heaven to come (Hebrews 11:16). He journeyed through the country as a stranger, as a sojourner in this world. He continued to draw nearer to God through prayer – God revealed himself numerous times to Abram – Abram built alters of remembrance along the way.

*What “alter of remembrance” have you built to God? Have you seen and/or remembered His grace?

Genesis 12:10-20 Abram is driven by a famine into Egypt, he feigns his wife to be his sister.

Because of a famine, Abram brings his family to Egypt. This passage reveals Abram's “humanness” - although God has already appeared to him twice, he had just received great promises, and had experienced God's faithfulness he fell through unbelief and distrust of the Divine providence. He not only chose to sin, but led his wife, his attendants, and the Egyptians to sin also.

God reveals himself by delivering Abram out of his sin. God deals with his children not based on our actions, but based on his purposes and mercy all for his glory.

 

*How does this situation reveal God's glory? (God makes it clear that it is God's sovereignty, and not human initiative, that will bring the people of God into existence, God did not allow Pharaoh to hurt Abram's family, God exposed Abram's sin and granted him repentance, God kept Abram alive and continued His promises through a sinful man to reveal how deep His mercy and forgiveness goes, reveals that God's plans are not thwarted by our actions, a Christian will never fall beyond grace because it is God Himself who sustains them, points ultimately to the cross where forgiveness is found through Jesus Christ).

Genesis 13:1-4

Abram came out of Egypt very rich. The Hebrew word for rich is “heavy.” Habakkuk 2:6 says that those who will be rich load themselves with thick clay. Riches are a burden because of the care in getting them, the fear in keeping them, the temptation in using them, the guilt in abusing them, the sorrow in losing them, and the burden of giving an account to God for them in the end.(Mark 10:23-24)

*In America we strive to become rich – how can financial prosperity be a hindrance or blessing?

Yet God, in His providence, made Abram rich without sorrow (Proverbs 10:22). If prosperity is well managed it can be an opportunity to do more good than otherwise possible. In the midst of his riches, we still see Abram dependent on God and calling on his name. You may as soon find a living man without breath as one of God's people without prayer.

Genesis 13:5-9

Because of their overwhelming riches and animal stock, there was not enough room in the land for both of them (Abram and Lot). Quarrels, lying and slandering began with the servants, which was only made worse because they dwelt in the land inhabited by the Canannites and Perizzites- these quarrels would cause a reproach of their religion, and God's name. Abram wisely sought to solve the dilemma quickly. Although he was the elder and the greater of the two men, he yielded his first rights of the choice land to Lot in order to keep the peace. He understood that ultimately there was a greater land coming.

Lot, being selfish and choosing with the lust of his eyes, picked the fertile, fruitful land. Rather than looking to the morals of the country. The men of Sodom were impudent, daring sinners. This was the iniquity of Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and an abundance of idleness (Ezekiel 16:49). God often gives great plenty to great sinners.

Those who, in choosing relations, callings, dwellings, or settlements, are guided and governed by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life, cannot expect God's presence or blessing. They are commonly disappointed even in that which they principally aim at. In all our choices this principle should rule, That is best for us, which is best for our souls.

 

*How do you tend to make decisions? By that which is pleasing to you, or pleasing to God?

 

 

Commentary quoted from:http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=1&c=12 http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=1&c=13 http://www.theocentric.com/theology/gospel/the_gospel_in_genesis.html

 

Bible Study Credits: Terri Stellrecht  http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

Trent's Story

On Friday February 18, 2011, God did the unthinkable in our life: He chose to take our 12-year-old son, Trent, home to heaven in a skiing accident.
It is only considered “the unthinkable” because our plans are not God’s plans, and our ways are not God’s ways.

Before Trent was born we had entrusted the Lord with his life and had asked Him, above all else, to bring salvation to our son. Our greatest desire was that he would be used in a mighty way for God’s glory, and that God would let him dwell in heaven for eternity.

God answered our prayers that Friday in a mightier way than we could have imagined, and we have been rejoicing in His good works and His mercies ever since.

Trent was a boy who truly lived. From the very beginning he did what he loved and enjoyed to the full the gifts and skills that God had given him. In his short life he saw much of this world, traveling as far as India, the Bahamas, Bass Pro Shop in Missouri where he explored his favorite destination on his golden birthday, as well as many family camping trips. God instilled a love of hunting and fishing in Trent, and a joy of the great outdoors. Since he was little all he wanted was to turn 12 to be able to go deer hunting. During his 12th year God allowed him to shoot two deer. Trent loved to pick on his siblings Alexis, Cole, Grace, and Micah, to protect his mother, to snuggle with his father, and to be with his friends, especially his best friends: Thomas and Samuel. He tried everything that interested him, even carving his own long bow and succeeding in taxidermy. In his short years he lived life to the fullest.

But as we are all destined to, Trent also died. On Friday, February 18, 2011, we said goodbye to our son as he left for a skiing trip with his friends, not knowing that he would never be coming back home. God says that He knows the number of our days, that He has created each one, and that He will do what He pleases (Psalm 115:3; Job14:5).

God’s standards to enter His kingdom are high: He expects perfection. Trent was not perfect, not even close. God graciously provided His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, as the atonement for our sinfulness and requires that we simply believe and acknowledge Him for it. 

For most of his life Trent struggled with his own sinfulness before God. He knew that he was not right before God, and nothing he could do would ever make up for the sins he had committed to make him worthy to enter heaven. In the spring of 2010, God graciously chose to bring salvation to Trent through repentance and the saving grace of Christ Jesus. Trent’s life was transformed and we enjoyed the young fruit in his life as we watched God work.

It was with great peace and much rejoicing, then, that we as his family have sent him off before us and accepted God’s perfect plan for Trent’s life. Our longing is that God would be glorified in what He has done to wake up many to the realization that we are not guaranteed any number of years in this world (Psalm 39:4-5).

On Friday morning we had our son; on Friday afternoon he was gone.

What we have asked so many people since the accident is: “What if it had been you? Where would you be right now?”

We diligently raised Trent up to know his sinful state and taught him what the Word of God says because we know the implications of denying Christ now, and God was gracious to answer our prayers and to save him. Scripture says that the gospel will go forth with much sorrow and heartache. Please let Trent’s short life be a wake-up call to you. We are rejoicing in the sorrow because we know where our son is and that we will one day be with him again for eternity because of our own salvation.

God's mercies are new every day and His peace does surpass all understanding (Lamentations 3:22-23; Philippians 4:6-7). God has been so gracious to us by blessing us first of all with His peace in His perfect plan. The family and friends who have surrounded us and have lifted us up in prayer are amazing and another testimony to God’s goodness.

It is with great rejoicing that we release our son, Trent, age 12, to our Heavenly Father. Dance before your King, my son.

The Romans road to salvation:
Romans 3:23; 3:10-18; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9; 10:13; 5:1; 8:1; 8:38-39

Bible Study~ Genesis 3-4

Genesis 3-4

*Who is it about? God or us?

*When did the Fall of Man happen? How/why was Satan in the form of a serpent? What was Satan's deception? (To twist the word of God-to indicate that God might have been wrong) Why did he go to Eve first? (1 Timothy 2:12-15) Where was Adam? Was God still in control of His creation when Adam and Eve ate the fruit? (Yes- Revealed by the fact that it is God who decides on the punishment.)

*God's curses because of the Fall: Cursed is the opposite of blessed. In Genesis God promised blessings for obedience, curses for disobedience. (Genesis 1:22&28; Deuteronomy 28)

First to the serpent: Verses 3:14-15 (cross reference Revelation 12) Represents a judgment against all who have sinned, even the serpent (Romans 3:23/All have sinned). Also an indication that Satan will be defeated, although not immediately. (Jesus' heel was “struck” on the cross; Satan's head crushed-Revelation 13:3) “All the days of your life,” implies that Satan's life has been extended to fulfill God's plan of salvation through the offspring of the woman (and ultimately through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus).

The gospel is first presented to Satan pointing to his defeat and Christ's victory (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 24:26, 46-47; Romans 16:20; 2 Cor 1:5-7; Col 1:24; 1Peter 1:11; Rev 20:10). A promise was made to mankind that enmity (hostility) would be place between the woman and the serpent/ the saved and unsaved/those who love God and those who don't. How is that a promise? (She was given a change of heart- she would despise the serpent- God's grace of salvation.)

Second curse to the woman: Verses 3:16, (Pain in childbirth, longing to rule over her husband). Submission prior to the fall was a pleasant position- Adam was to protect his wife/reflection of the trinity and Christ's role of submission. After the fall it would be a great burden and longing for her to rule over her husband, ultimately causing marital issues, men to not act as men/leaders, etc.. (Judges 4; Isaiah 3:12; Ephesians 5:22-25; Amos 4:1) Represents her loss of freedom and spiritual liberty~ she would be under bondage; the dominion of sin in the soul is compared to that of a husband ruling her.

Third curse was to the man: Verses 3:17-19. God can not spare passing judgment. The earth that was blessed is now cursed, resulting in toil in working it. It was cursed because of man's sin. Adam was not cursed himself as the serpent was, but instead the ground was cursed for his sake. The result was sickness, melancholy, sorrow, and ultimately death in various shapes (everything dies-dreams, plans, plants, animals, people).

The righteousness of God is to be acknowledged in all the sad consequences of sin-- remembering “how it was/how it should be” causes us to reflect on the God who will one day make it all perfect again. God's mercy is seen in vs. 19: the fact that they would still eat though it would be through sorrow-there would still be some joy. There is even the hope of death as a rest which brings the promise of relief from the curse. Man's days were cut short~ a mercy from God. Prior to the Fall, all mankind would have been allowed to enter heaven (under the pretext of never sinning), Adam's curse reveals the difficulty now of entering heaven.

Verse 3:21

• God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve. Before the Fall there was no death. God presented the first sacrifice representing the Levitical sacrificial system to later be implemented, and ultimately pointing to the sacrifice for sinners of His own son, Jesus.

Verse 22-24

Adam and Eve were drove out of the garden by God himself. Why? (To protect them from eating of the tree of life and living forever under the curse of sin/never being able to receive a resurrected body.) Cherubim were placed at the gate with flaming swords that flashed back and forth to guard the garden. Do you think the Garden of Eden is still there today?

*Chapter 4 ~ Eve gave birth to her firstborn, a son. The curse has begun already evidenced by the hostility of ungodly Cain and godly Able. Why was Cain so upset about God's response to his offering? Was it the offering that God did not accept, or his heart attitude? (Both, God specifically required a blood sacrifice but Cain brought vegetation; he was not saved, therefor his offering could not be accepted by God.)

Just because somebody seeks to sincerely worship God does not mean that God accepts the sacrifice. Does this seem “cruel” of God? Does God owe us salvation? Cain was to be his “brother's keeper,” but instead he became his brother's murderer.

Sin always needs to be punished. What was Cain's punishment? (vs 4:11-12, under a curse, driven from the ground, the ground will no longer yield its crops [remember Cain was a farmer, the punishment was very close to his heart], he would become a restless wanderer.) Out of Cain, a wicked lineage of people began, setting the stage for the battle between the ungodly and the righteous, and making clearer the obvious need for a Savior.

With prayers that the gospel of Jesus Christ may become sweeter to you day by day as you reflect on His word and His grace to you as a sinner ~ Terri

 

Bible Study Credits: Terri Stellrecht  http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

On the Hard Days

That day, when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”

Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.

There were also other boats with him.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him,

“Teacher, don't you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,

“Quiet! Be still!”

Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other,

“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

Dates on a calender should not have the power to have so much control over a persons life. For nearly four decades I was able to enjoy the month of February. It always brought with it Valentines Day, chocolate hearts and cards, and the hope of warmer weather to come. Now the days bring paralyzing grief, a return of tears that won't end, and a flood of memories. I thought goat deliveries and baby chicks would help speed the days and consume me with busyness, but they have only proven to be too bitter-sweet to enjoy.

{Jesus} said to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40

I've been reading through the gospels again, my second round in our ninety day New Testament marathon; my anchor of sanity, the words that keep my soul focused.

Do I still have no faith? Rob reminded me that having faith doesn't mean that you don't have tears. Heart wrenching, sobbing, curled up next to the toilet tears. Begging Jesus to meet you there, on that tile floor, so that you can get up, start the day and tend to your other children kind of tears.

The second year is harder, ladies. I've hesitated to write that since I know many of you haven't even finished the first year yet. Satan does a doozey of a job to thwart the plans of God and twist whatever hope is left after the first twelve months of grief.

The kids and I have been reading John Bunyan's book, The Holy War,this week (it's a required assignment, otherwise our children do not usually gladly endure sitting through fifty-five pages a day of Old English language). My eyes have been opened, once again, to the fact that there is a battle raging – a battle for souls. Night terrors, in a girl too big to be scared of the boogey man, only revealed it again. The power of prayer reminds us of who wins in the end.

Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven, talks about the liar of all lies, the great deceiver that masquerades as an angel of light dulling our minds to the reality of eternity:

“Our enemy slanders three things: God's person, God's people, and God's place – namely Heaven.

What better way for the devil and his demons to attack us than to whisper lies about the very place on which God tells us to set our heart and minds?

Satan need not convince us that Heaven doesn't exist, He need only convince us that Heaven is a place of boring, unearthly existence. If we believe that lie, we'll be robbed of our joy and anticipation, we'll set our minds on this life, and not the next, and we won't be motivated to share our faith. Why should we share the 'good news' that people can spend an eternity in a boring, ghostly place that even we're not looking forward to?

{Satan} cannot keep Christ from defeating him, but he can persuade us that Christ's victory is only partial, that God will abandon his original plan for mankind and the earth. Because Satan hates us, he's determined to rob us of the joy we'd have if we believed what God tells us about the magnificent world to come....

Sitting here in a dark world, we must remind ourselves what Scripture tells us about Heaven. We will one day be delivered from blindness that separates us from the real world. We'll realize then the stupefying bewitchment we've lived under. By God's grace, may we ... clearly see the liberating truth about Christ the King and Heaven, his Kingdom.”

I wonder, as Jesus sat in that boat with His disciples – the God man who lived not by His own power but by God's, the maker of Heaven and Earth itself – how He had the patience to not rap these men upside the head. They had walked with him, seen the miracles, heard the promises. Yet, so easily, like us, they got flustered at the first test.

God seems to “step away” sometimes in suffering, and makes us depend on His Word alone. Is it sufficient? Will we hinge everything on it? Do we allow it to sustain us? The splitting of hairs is so fine, our sin runs so deep, our understanding of God is so shallow.

We demand of Him, “Give me grace, do it my way, don't let it hurt.”But the hurt reveals. It reveals what we cling to. It reveals that we have not fully surrendered to Christ as King and Lord, sovereign of all, over every aspect of our lives. It reveals that we really don't think He's capable when we are honest with ourselves; that He may not have a master plan in all of this.

But it wasn't until the winds were blowing the hardest, the squall was in its most furious state, and the waves had finally broken over the boat that the disciples bothered to wake Jesus, and in desperation cried out for a Savior.

“The honest cries of a broken heart are better than a hallelujah,” sings Amy Grant. Pain brings honesty that can't be faked. It brings an opportunity to cry out to God. It forces us to figure out who He really is.

Crying on the floor, begging for rather than demanding grace, acknowledging God's perfect ways, waiting for my Savior to quiet the storm, and longing like I've never before longed for Heaven … reminding myself that the glory to be revealed will not even be worth comparing to this trial (Romans 8:18) that this life is as a mist (James 4:14), that my days are numbered (Psalm 39:4), and that my God is fully capable to see me through to the end (Isaiah 46:4), even through the second anniversary date.

“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” Mark 4:41

Bible Study ~ Genesis 1-2

Genesis 1-2

*Who is it about? God or us? Who did you learn more about as you studied this passage?

Creation – God took chaos and made it order – He spoke the world into existence –

Genesis 1:16b “He also made the stars.”

*Who is the “us?” Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image.”

Triune God- Trinity - God the Father; God the Son; God the Holy Spirit

Father: Creator

Jesus: John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Holy Spirit: Genesis 1:2 “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”Psalm 33:6-7

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath [Spirit] of His mouth.” See also Isaiah 45:8

*What did Jesus do before the creation of the world?

1. Fellowship with God – John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

2. Creating angels – Job 38:4, 7 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand . . . while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”

 Fall of Satan: “The devil was certainly created before the creation of the world. Job 38:4-7 tells us that when the foundation of the earth was laid, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." These were the heavenly beings and the devil had certainly already been created.”

 3. Planning for the Church. Ephesians 3:9 “and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery (Church), which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.”

4. Adopting us into His family – Ephesians 1:4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will”

5. Preparing for the future Kingdom – Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

6. Providing salvation for the world – 1 Peter 1:18-20 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”

*Why did God create the world? For His own glory-revealed specifically in Jesus/Gospel/Salvation/He will be praised for eternity. Scripture teaches us that God created the world and all that is in it to portray His own glory – to put His glory on display-. We are the “audience” of that glory. Psalm 19:1f; 8:1; 50:6; 89:5

*Why did God create man? To be image bearers of God Himself- reflectors/mirrors reflecting God.

This earth is temporary – God will one day create the New Heaven to be permanently established on earth, without the curse, for those who are saved in Christ.

Revelation 21:1-4

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

With Commentary help from: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/creation-redeeming-chaos-nelson-lin-sermon-on-creation-173398.asp and http://www.learnthebible.org/when-was-satan-created.html

 

Bible Study credits: Terri Stellrecht  http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

Bible Study ~ James 5:7-18

James 5:7-18

*Who is it about? Us or God? What did you learn about God in this passage?

*James opens by encouraging the believers to stand firm and wait patiently (vs.7-11) - wait patiently for what? (For Jesus' return when all will be made right; he warns/encourages them about the judgment to come.)

*James makes the shift from swearing, to its opposite: praying (vs.12). He instructs the believers when to pray: in times of trouble, when they're happy, sick, etc. – they should pray in all circumstances.

*James instructs the believers to call upon the elders of the church for prayer. In the previous passages he just finished warning them about their actions towards each other (favoritism, bitter envy, slander, quarrels, etc.). This command to pray together would mean that there would need to be unity and submission in the church body, which would unleash the power of believers praying together (Matthew 18:19-20; John 15:7-17).

*They should pray in the name of the Lord Jesus which is another expression of submission. It is acknowledging God's right to be God, and allowing Him to do what He wants according to His ways, not ours. How do you usually pray? Wanting God to give you what you want? Or asking for what He wants?

*They should pray in faith, not doubting God's good will, and not demanding of God, but accepting what He gives as the answer.

*They should confess their sins, which would be evidence of repaired relationships. “As a first result of their hardships, their relationship with God has been suffering. They are falling into temptation to doubt God (1:6), to blame God (1:13) and to bargain with God (5:12). James is directing them back to God in faith with a reliance on him in prayer.” Is repentance and confession hard for you to do in front of others?

* “A second result of their adversities is that their relationships with each other have been suffering... He points out the oneness we have with each other because of our common need for forgiveness. If we consciously stand together before God as sinners needing grace and wanting righteousness, that stance has compelling application to our relationships. Instead of judging each other, we will be driven to confess to each other. Instead of desiring to place guilt on each other, we will become eager to forgive each other. Instead of moving to criticize, we will move to intercede for each other. ((Explain)) This, too, James learned from Jesus (Mt 5:23-24; 6:12-15; 7:1-5).”

“This is the message of grace. God gives good gifts because he is full of compassion and mercy. Grace is the element in God's character which James wants his readers to know with absolute confidence. The Christian can be patient in suffering and consider trials pure joy because of the assurance that God will give wonderfully good gifts even through the hardships. Fundamental for Christian practice is Christian belief.

 

*What is the truth about God? Is he this God of grace or not? We are called over and over in James's letter to believe this truth – believe it, believe it, believe it. And then act accordingly. Put belief into practice by being patient in the endurance of suffering.”

Commentary help from: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Jas/Instead-Be-Patient

Bible Study credit: Terri Stellrecht http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

Bible Study ~ James 4:11-5:6

James 4:11-5:6

*Who is it about? Who should we learn more about? Us or God?

*Who is James talking to? (Professing believers, but by their actions they did not look like believers.)

*In verses 4:4-6 James impresses upon his readers the importance and urgency of the decision to follow Christ. He writes with “a stronger conviction of the seriousness of sin than most of us are willing to hold.” Did they want friendship with God or friendship with the world?

*Verses 4-6 emphasizes God's requirements of Christians/ explains what a Christian would look like. He challenges them to search their hearts and know where they are with God. This begins with repentance, and is only achieved through grace from God.

* “James has a problem: his readers are being corrupted by bitter envy and selfish ambition leading to fights and quarrels. He has a goal: to help them learn to live in love and at peace with each other. Therefore he has a prescription for them: repentance.” Rather than judging others, we should remember God's rightful judgment and mercy towards forgiven sinners, and extend the same to others.

* “To what extent is your life directed by the knowledge that Christ is coming back?” Much of our thinking and behavior is shaped by what we can see of present circumstances or past events. Yet Scripture speaks forcefully of Christ's return as a fact that should be directing how we live now. Christians are to be motivated by the certainty of this future event.

*How would your life look differently if you really believed that Jesus was coming back tonight in righteous judgment?

 

With commentary help from :http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Jas/Dont-You-Know-Choice-Be-Made and http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Jas/Patience-Until-Lords-Coming

 

Bible Study credits: Terri Stellrecht  http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

Bible Study~ Philippians 2:1-11

“Do Something”   Philippians 2:1-11

Paul is writing from jail - talking about suffering for the sake of the gospel.

He is urging the believers to have unity and love for each other, and especially with God. He is encouraging them to accept suffering and humble circumstances in this life, and to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility to consider others better than yourselves.” (verse 2:3)

In chapter 1, Paul has explained to them that nothing matters in this life more than the gospel of Jesus Christ being made known, and for that sake, it is worthy of enduring anything to know it and have it preached (verse 1:18). He acknowledges that fellowship with Christ is fellowship in His suffering.

Paul points to Jesus Christ as the ultimate example of endurance in the face of suffering. “He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (verse 2:8) “Therefor God exalted him to the highest place” in heaven. (verse 2:9)

*Who is it about? Us or God? (Biblical teaching should always be about God -His glory,etc.- not us.)

*What is the gospel? (That Jesus Christ, the son of God, took our sins upon himself on the cross as the atonement to satisfy the wrath of God for those who would believe in Him.)

*Why is the most important thing to have the gospel made known?

*What did Felix Baumgartner's “leap of faith” accomplish? What will its results be in eternity? For God's glory?

1 Peter 1:24 “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fail, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”

*What should Christians strive after (this world's glory or God's glory)?

John 6:28-29

They replied, "What does God want us to do?"

Jesus told them, "This is what God wants you to do: Believe in the one he has sent."

*Why would professing Christians tend to not be excited about Heaven? Do you look forward to the glory of Heaven, or do you tend to look to this world to satisfy?

 

Bible study credits: Terri Stellrecht http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

To Wrestle Like Jacob



Six below is the predicted high for the day here in Wisconsin. Which means that, at least twice a day, we get to bundle up and brave the elements to care for our menagerie of critters. Enduring a nearly eighty degree difference in temperature, and a frozen water spicket, all for the sake of having some home grown beef in our freezer. The thought of a little corner lot in town with a plastic goldfish floating in a bowl has become appealing and common dinner conversation as of late. Or at least goat farming in the Bahamas. There must be a need for handmade soaps and milking Nubian does somewhere in the Atlantic region.

To pass the time of these cold days we work on home school: adverbs and adjectives, transitive and intransitive verbs, algebra and phonics. Character and self-control are highest on our list of curriculum in four young souls (not to mention my own), and seems to be the subject that constantly demands the most attention. Two teenagers and two middle schoolers in one old farmhouse in January makes for many opportunities of growth, and throw in there the dog that constantly needs in and out, in and out, always just as you've settled nicely into the recliner. Each with our own strenths and weaknesses, as iron sharpens iron, we go on .....

Winter is also a time for quilting. Somehow, I have gotten four baby boy quilts behind in my gift giving this past year. Three tops are ready to be stretched and sewed together, with more quilt patterns running through my brain than I could attempt to sew all year long. It's been nearly two years since I could even think of quilting. I'm not sure if that's the first glimpse of the healing they say comes eventually in grief. If it is I think that's why I resist it so; I never want to be healed of missing my son and thinking this is normal. So I sew between the tears.

And cry over hatching chicks. Chicks that haven't hatched in an incubator in my dining room for nearly those same two years. The pipping hole found me crumpled on the cherry laminate next to the table while the house was quiet and the sun hadn't peeked out yet. Crying as I longed for feather legged chickens like the one's we picked up a week before the accident. Crying because there might not be feathered legs, crying because I'm tired of waiting for eternity to begin.

As I often do when I need solid encouragement of Scripture, I searched for the Desiring God blog, and found Jon Bloom's post on Jacob's time of wrestling with God to be so applicable.

"And what changed him from fearing man to trusting God’s word was prolonged and painful wrestling with God. Sometimes, in your battle with unbelief, your greatest Ally will wrestle you — he might even make you limp — until you’re desperate ... "

I have felt like Jacob lately, battling so hard and then struck where I am most vulnerable. Struck by rejection. Struck by pride. Struck by sick goats. Struck by grief, every morning being greeted with the fresh reality that my son is not here. Struck by complacency, and apathy, and the mind boggling, numbing, stuffing inability to discern what really matters. Struck where it hurts the most, because where it hurts the most is where I need to be sanctified the most.

There is so much of "me" left. The pain reveals where Christ is not yet ruling. Where I still expect something else to satisfy. Where I still refuse for Jesus to be enough.

After I've cried the tears, and realized the beauty of the battle is that the end result will eventually produce a harvest of righteousness and peace (Hebrews 12:11), I raise my hands in defeat. I can no longer struggle as Jacob did and demand more from God. My strength has been drained from the energy it has taken to resist Him thus far.

Instead, I accept the blessing that has already been given: the blessing of suffering.

Bible Study ~ James 3-4

James 3-4

*"James has been revealing the sins of the people, now he presents them with an important and urgent choice: friendship with the God or friendship with the world."

- What wisdom in 3:17-18 do you really admire? Would your life be described more accurately by verse 17 or 18? Do you want God or the world?

* “The seriousness of the alternatives is made clear with shocking terms: you adulterous people, hatred toward God, an enemy of God (James 4:4)."

*Who is he addressing? Christians or non-Christians?
“It all sounds so offensive that we are tempted to think he must be addressing non-Christians rhetorically.

Here, however, he must be addressing his Christian readers, for his immediate message is still too closely connected to the hypocritical wisdom and the fights and quarrels among you from 3:13 and 4:1. But he is again warning those who call themselves Christians that they may be false Christians who are really enemies of God. James simply writes with a stronger conviction of the seriousness of sin than most of us are willing to hold. In fact he writes with a sense of moral outrage.” - Search your hearts.

*"Altogether, the paragraph of 4:4-6 emphasizes God's requirement of Christians: "a total, unreserved, unwavering allegiance" to God rather than to the world. It equally emphasizes that this requirement is not an achievement by which the proud can earn God's friendship, for the call to devotion is based on God's extension of grace to the humble. " Explain:

*"James has a problem: his readers are being corrupted by bitter envy and selfish ambition leading to fights and quarrels. He has a goal: to help them learn to live in love and at peace with each other. Therefore he has a prescription for them: repentance.”

*"Along with the presentation of this choice comes a pair of promises to encourage James's readers. The devil . . . will flee from you (verse 7-10). Meanwhile, God . . . will come near to you.”

*Conclusion: Our lives reveal our hearts. They reveal if the Holy Spirit is working in our souls or not. Salvation cannot be attained through works, but God grants it through grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ; it is evidenced through our actions. When we are granted repentance, and resist the devil, we are allowed to come near to God, and He in turn comes near to us.

With commentary from: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Jas/Dont-You-Know-Choice-Be-Made

Bible Study credits: Terri Stellrecht  http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

Reading Between the Lines

An hour and a half in bed, refusing to be real. Too lazy to get my bum down on my knees to bow before my Creator, and instead settling for prayers full of apathy. Tears cried into my coffee cup until it is too cold to drink. Repentance and the first two chapters of Hebrews later, plus several cross references, before the peace settles.

Jesus, the One I have never seen with my eyes yet my soul has never not known, the radiance of God's glory, the Maker of the heavens. The Savior, who was made a little lower than the angels for a time until He would be crowned with glory and everything would be put under his feet, was perfected by suffering under the hand of his Father, that He might become the perfect atonement for sinful man.

I am not good at enduring. Perseverance does not thrill me. Running, controlling, knowing now, hurry up would be better. Scripture puts my unspoken, scattered, and pain-filled emotions into perspective.

“Because He himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18

The overflowing of honesty spills out when I read between the lines: I suffer when I am tempted to be held in bondage by others' approval and allow them control over me, rather than walking in God's ways. The cords of that bondage are strong in a current situation. Chokingly strong. Maybe they choke because they reveal my hard heart; maybe it's not choking but gagging over sin that I don't want revealed. Or maybe it is a blaring warning sign that I can't clearly decipher through the masquerading words of truth.

“Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.” Hebrews 3:1

My eyes have not been fixed on Jesus lately in this situation, I have instead let them stray. I have chosen to wallow in the pain of the seen, rather than looking to the High Priest whom I confess.

“{Jesus} was faithful to the one who appointed him.” Hebrews 3:2a

What did Jesus do in His suffering? He was faithful to the Father, the very one who found it fitting to allow His suffering. For the greater glory, for the joy of being seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, for the throne that would be ruled with a scepter of righteousness and could only be conquered through the death of a perfect sacrifice, to ransom His own, to glorify His Father, He focused his eyes on eternity.

“I will put my trust in Him.” Hebrews 2:13b/Isaiah 8:17

 

Jesus put His trust in God. What a simple concept. To merely trust Jesus until I see Him face to face. To endure what He calls me to endure. To do it willingly as I attempt to train my heart to do the same and look forward to that glory. To fall on grace alone, accepting the proficiency of the solitary power of the Holy Spirit, and continuing to disregard any of my attempts of accomplishing His finished work of salvation on my own. To praise God for failure, so that mercy can be realized.

A Returning

Words have returned, what a refreshing welcome to lay down the consuming thoughts that insist on swirling in my brain, to give them a place to reside and rest, to relieve my heart from carrying them. The camera has hardly been thought of lately, maybe God will choose to restore that soon, too.

I have discovered recently that as hard as enduring the physical separation of grief is, the unknowing of heaven itself is almost as difficult.

“Where are you, Trent?” The first words whispered while I stood next to that emergency room bed nearly two years ago. The joke between my son and I for months prior to the accident. The thoughts that won't be settled in my mind until I see paradise firsthand.

Heaven, where the glory of God is seen in its full. Where we will be welcomed onto the throne with Jesus himself. Where every tear, and every sin, will be wiped away. Where multitudes of angels dwell. Where Paul saw the inexpressible things that man is not permitted to tell. Where martyrs under the alter are crying out, “How long, Oh Lord?” The same plea I cry every morning.

The slow insanity of grief comes in the everyday trickling of “normal.” Trying to make this world the normal when Scripture says it is the temporary. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus shared in our humanity, the children of flesh and blood, so that by His death the power of death- that is, the devil- would be destroyed. He freed His children from the very fear of death; a fear that holds us in slavery.

To think, this very day, that my son is before this Savior while I am consumed by living here. The mortgage has to be paid, there are three meals to plan and prepare again, farm chores to be attended to, little people to love, all while so much pain and suffering is evident all around me, lost souls are everywhere, eternities are looming.

The Gift

After Trent's accident, we chose for him to become an organ donor. Recovering what they could, the doctors would attempt to use the opportunity to restore somebody else's broken body. I have been crying for days after receiving the news of the reality of what this gift meant: sight was restored to two individuals whom we will probably never know this side of heaven. Our son's corneas, which once saw the beauty of his world, now see for others. The radio is blaring, "No more sorrows, no more tears." I am ready and waiting for That Day.

The story is here

Bible Study ~ James 3:1-12

James 3:1-12

*Who is it (sermon/Scripture passage) about? Us or God? Explain: How is it about God? (Points to the gospel: the revealing of our sin as evidenced through our speech; revealing again our need for God's perfect son, Jesus, who died for sinful man in obedience and to the glory of God.)

*The tongue is the revealing of our soul. James 3:9-12

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

- Jesus said that the mouth speaks what is coming out of our hearts, what does that mean? (Luke 6:45)

- How important are the things that we say according to the Bible?

“We will miss the point if we do not recognize the continuity of thought between the previous section and this one. James has just given his readers a sobering picture: the certainty of judgment and their vulnerability in that judgment because of the terrible evil they do with their speech. It leads to one of the most fundamental questions of life anyone must face: How can I hope to purify my behavior (such as my speech) when it flows from my corrupt inward character? How can my heart be changed from its selfishness? Is there any hope?”

*What does your tongue reveal about your soul?

Changing our tongue/speech does not change our salvation, rather it is a revealing of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (John 14:23; 1 John 5:3; Psalm 119:4)

 

With commentery from: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Jas/Spirituality-God

Bible Study credits: Terri Stellrecht  http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/

When Hope Survives

Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect,

that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,

with eternal glory.

2 Timothy 2:10

I wonder, if we had one taste, one glimpse, one second of that eternal glory, how would we live differently? I wondered, too, when I read that verse this morning if Paul ever endured the heart-wrenching pain of grief for the sake of the gospel. It's easy to lump grief into the "everything" category of that one sentence; living it is harder.

To "endure everything for the sake of the elect." Trying desperately to grasp the depth of that statement, and find hope in it, I realized that suffering becomes sweeter when I remember that now John has an eternal glory to look forward to because God opened his eyes and has allowed him to lead his family towards Christ; how Anne and Traci's kids have mothers who have become mightier prayer warriors on behalf of their children's souls; how Sue, and Gwen and countless other mothers have found comfort and a refreshing of God's promises through our brokenness.

It's ironic, I guess, as even hope has been so hard to come by lately that I would be working on a devotional book called "When Hope Survives." God seems to be stripping me bare, so only hope in Him survives, then and only then, will I truly have something to say. There is so much of "me" left that needs to be removed. But I hold God at arms length- tired of the hurt, the tears, the pain of revealing.

Martin Luther's commentary on Romans 8:26 cut deep. "The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

"These are prayers which no man can describe by words, and which no one can understand except God alone. The groanings are so great that only God can rightly regard and appreciate them: as we read in Psalm 38:9: "All my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee." It is not an evil sign, but indeed the very best, if upon our petitions the very opposite happens to us. Conversely, it is not a good sign if everything is granted to us for which we pray.

The reason for this is the following: God's counsel and will tower high above our own counsel and will, as we read in Isaiah 55:8-9, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Hence, when we ask anything of God and He begins to hear us, He so often goes counter to our petitions that we imagine He is more angry with us now than before we prayed, and that He intends not to grant us our requests at all. All this God does, because it is His way to first destroy and annihilate what is in us - (our own wisdom and will) - before He gives us His gifts; for so we read in 1 Samuel 2:6: "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up." Through this most gracious counsel He makes us fit for His gifts and works. Only then are we qualified for His works and counsels when our own plans have been demolished and our own works are destroyed and we have become purely passive in our relation to Him.

The proud (unbelievers) desire to be like God. They want to place their thoughts not under God, but next to His, just as though they were perfect (as God is). But that is much less possible than for the clay to tell the potter into what shape he should form it. So we read in Isaiah 64:8: "O Lord,Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." But those who have the Holy Spirit do not despair but have faith when they see that the very opposite of what they asked for happens to them. The work of God must remain hidden in any other form than that which contradicts our thinking and understanding. Thus God permitted St. Augustine to fall deeper and deeper into error, despite the prayers of his mother, in order to grant her much more in the end than she had asked. This He does with all His saints." (Commentary on Romans, Martin Luther, translated by J. Theodore Mueller, Pg. 126-127)

I sit here and cry my river of tears another morning. But finally, this morning, they come from a deeper place. A place where they are not the overflow from the high barricade that I have built around my wounded soul, but where they pour out from the demolishing of falsehood which means that God has broken through. The tears are the beginning of true hope, true endurance, and true trust in God.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him,

so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Romans 15:13