Faith

Embracing What May Come

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2 Timothy 3:1-5

It seems that every time I look at Facebook, my feed is filled with atrocities, horrifying acts of violence, signposts that indicate waning morality and even social insanity, hints of increasing government control  in America and simultaneously decreasing public awareness, and all manner of corruption both here and abroad.

Then there are the inevitable social media responses which vary from outraged furor to gleeful celebration to bland misunderstanding.

Sometimes it all just sounds like noise to me. And I grow so weary of Facebook and of the news…

All things taken as a whole, it does appear that as a nation we no longer accept any actual standard for discriminating between right and wrong. Media seems to play an increasingly large role in creating and supporting a somewhat shifty moral basis, more intent on what captures the attention of the people than honoring any absolute truth.  The role of government seems to have shifted, too. No longer merely content to uphold a certain standard of right and wrong, they are now modifying it to fit the mood of the people.

Friends, that is not only sad, it’s frightening. If what is “moral” today can become “immoral” tomorrow based on something strikingly similar to a whim, than the value of our very lives is subject to fluctuation.  If morality is a standard judged by something as fickle as society — like fashion — than there is no future guarantee of safety, prosperity, rights… of anything, really.

“Here is a simple but profound rule: If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.” — Francis A. Shaeffer

I admit these things scare me some. I understand history enough to see the logical conclusions of the very choices that are presently being made by our country.  I am often saddened at what likely lies ahead, particularly for my children and subsequent generations.

But I also have hope, for I am reminded constantly that this America is not my country.  I belong to a Kingdom that is not of this world, and when I view the signs of the times through that lens, I am no longer afraid. In fact, I feel excited. Exhilarated even.

No matter how quickly or slowly the moral climate of America may shift, one thing we can count on as believers is that persecution will come. We are promised it in no uncertain terms many times over in Scriptures (see Matthew 2:9, John 15:20 to name a couple).

As Paul wrote to Timothy: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).  Persecution is one certainty in an uncertain world. But we who are in Christ need not be afraid. Even persecution has immense value in our Kingdom’s economy.

Historically, the Church has thrived under persecution. It shakes things up, makes believers get to the root of their faith, brings out the importance of prayer and the preciousness of the Word. It leaves little time for bickering over secondary issues and brings Christ into sharp focus. It provides opportunities for real forgiveness where there little or no reason to forgive. It scatters communities of believers and brings the Gospel to new areas because of it.

It also highlights genuine love and faith in a risen Savior like nothing else really can. When believers choose hardship, exile, or death over renouncing their faith in Christ, it is a mighty witness to His worthiness. Others will be watching us, wondering if this thing is real. They already are. What are they seeing? May it be You, Lord; let it be You!

Yes, the darkness is menacing. But we are not children of the darkness, but of Light. It is heady stuff, my brothers and sisters. We do not have to knuckle under to fear, even if it should come knocking at our very doors. We serve a powerful and living God, a God worth not only living for but dying for, and we are His witnesses. Who knows but that we may be on the verge of seeing His hand move in ways we have so far only read of or dreamed about? That is exciting stuff!

Don’t let these crazy times make you fearful, bitter, or angry, Christian! Try to remember that we are just travelers tarrying here for a time on our journey Homeward.

Instead, let’s pray for strength for the Church and for each other, for unity in Christ, for a commitment to the King of kings and to His Kingdom purposes. Rather than feeling hopeless, pray that as we see lawlessness increase, we will also see grace increase more and more, and His Light in us will draw scores of souls to salvation in Christ Jesus. Let’s pray for humble, obedient hearts and for an eternal focus in our present lives.

Let’s pray for each other daily, for endurance and to see His glory and the power of the Holy Spirit. And let us not be sorrowful to live in such a time as this but rejoice at the opportunities they present!

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:4-5

 

Getting Real

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Philippians 2:14-16

There is a common theme that I have heard time and time again among my fellow Christians and have even said myself as a new believer. I keep hearing that we (the Christian community) need to stop putting on false smiles and acting like we have it all together when we don’t, really.  That we need to stop pretending all is well when it isn’t. That we need to get real.

The odd thing, however, is that I don’t actually know anyone who does this. I know no one who acts as if they have it all together, none who put on a happy face and waltz around pretending the world is unicorns and music and roses.  Not one.

Among my brothers and sisters (and sadly, from my own mouth), what I do hear plenty of is grumbling. I see plenty of sad faces and sorrow and regret. I hear so many stories of how we are a mess. I see much groaning under the burdens of life and much fear and anxiety.

In fact, I see plenty of reality, so much reality that my mind would be overcome by it if I did not have my mighty Refuge to run to when all the world seems hostile and alien.

But that’s all an aside. What bakes my noodle is this:If I don’t know anyone in Christ who plasters on a mask and pretends, and yet the people I know keep saying we all need to stop doing that, where is this idea coming from?  I fear that it is actually some bit of spiritual propaganda that has wormed its way into  the center of modern American Christian culture. And frankly, I don’t understand it.

If there is someone with a smile on their face, how can an onlooker know if it is a real smile or a mask? What if that person smiles because they are consumed with the joy of their salvation? What if the smiler is genuinely filled to the brim with the joy of the Lord and that joy is his strength even in hardship?

What if  someone is caught actually, truthfully rejoicing in their suffering because they know that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us?” (Romans 5:3-5)

What if… what if there is a Christian or two who are real, and whose reality is rooted in a belief that “…the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us?” (Romans 8:18)

What if some believers do not have it all together, know very well they do not have it all together, but trust entirely in an Almighty God who does have it all together?

What if these believers have absolute confidence in Him and are content to fight the battles He has given them to fight. What if they are honestly delighting themselves in His Word and relying on the belief that He who began a good work in them “will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ?” (Philippians 1:6)

Aren’t those the very things we ought to be doing, the very things that separate believers from the rest of the world? Isn’t it the absolute trust in God despite our circumstances that make us, in fact, Christians. Isn’t joy and peace a direct result of that trust?

Maybe I’m crazy. I don’t know. But I wonder sometimes if our “reality” lines up with what is written in the Scriptures; if, perhaps,  we need to get real with our faith. I wonder if our getting real doesn’t need to include a little less about us — our messes and our failures — and a little bit more about the incredible victory of our Jesus.

I somehow doubt that the world needs to hear very much about our troubles and temptations. It has plenty of its own.  What the unsaved world needs is to hear more of the victory of our Savior, of the hope we have in Him even in the midst of life’s pain, of a greater Truth that is steady and sure when human wisdom falls short.

I believe the world needs to see us honestly crying to God to overcome our unbelief, genuinely and humbly repenting of our sins each time we fail, dying to our selves and living with Christ.

So let’s get real.  Real hunger for the things of God, for His presence, His glory, His Word, and His Kingdom. Real work of faith, real labor of love,  real steadfastness of hope.  Real submission to Christ. Real love for God that overflows in love for others.  Real self-sacrifice and real belief in a real God who really does save.  Really denying self and living for Christ.

Lord, help us to be real with You, to have genuine faith in You, to be real imitators of Christ. Forgive us our complaints and our self-focus. May we only use our troubles to point others to Your greatness, amen. 

 

Reflections of Pain

~ Heather Davis ~ 1 Comment

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5

My first awareness last Sunday was of pain. All the warning signs from previous days had coalesced into a tight, aching knot somewhere vaguely around or behind my left eye. Pain spread in ripples to encompass the whole left side of my head, my muscles felt like water, the dim morning light seemed excruciatingly bright when I cracked my eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to lie perfectly, perfectly still.

Good morning, Migraine… my nemesis.

I took some medication and curled into a ball, praying for the thing to end so I could spend Sunday morning with some of my favorite two- to four-year-old kiddos.  Lying there trying to think of anything but the misery of migraine, my thoughts drifted to the pain of others:  to the suffering of a friend who has received heart-wrenching news about her new baby, to another friend whose life has been a battle with emotional anguish and who now struggles under a debilitating physical ailment, to a family member whose heart is torn and tattered… on and outward to so many who suffer and hurt and weep.

So much pain; such a tremendous, horrible variety of pain.

Like a shaft of sunlight penetrating storm clouds, a fresh and awesome sense of the magnitude of what Jesus has done broke into my dismal reverie.  I cannot help but wonder that the Master and Maker of all the universe would choose to put on such a frail and faulty machine as a human body and trudge about in the muck of His own creation.

Why would He voluntarily step down from a state of complete and painless perfection into the sticky and unpleasant tangle of human emotions and physical shortcomings;  of hate and jealousy, of sweat and hunger and disease and despair? Why would He suffer physical pain, torture, betrayal, loss, rejection, death — all for a people who neither understand nor care what He has done; a people who often glance blandly at Him, battered and bloody on that cross, sparing little thought as to what it all means?

Why would He choose to endure pain for me? I, who will call Him “good” when all is well in my  little arena and yet will wail dismally, believing that He has forsaken me when some little distress disrupts my plans? Why?

I know why. It is no more and no less than perfect love that motivated His sacrifice;  a love so intense and so profound that I can barely fathom it even if I strain with all my being to grasp it. On Sunday, as my thoughts burrowed inward, attempting to escape the conflagration of pain, I was grieved that there were so few traces of such a love within me.

Lying there in the dim semi-consciousness of migraine, I cannot honestly say that I would willingly endure such things as this– physical pain, emotional torment, rejection — for my enemies as He did. Perhaps I might face such affliction on behalf of my children, my husband or sisters, or close family or friends, but certainly not for the ones who slander me or those who wound my children.

For them, I would not embrace pain. But Jesus did.

He endured excruciating physical torture at the hands of the brutal but efficient Roman lictors even before the gory horror of crucifixion. What’s more, He did it willingly, knowingly, fully understanding what it would cost. He understands physical pain.

Despite the heavy toll exacted from His flesh, He was — and still is –rejected by the very ones He was suffering for. He was betrayed to this cruel death by one of His inner circle.  He knows about emotional pain as well.

As I contemplated His shattered and broken body on that cross through the haze of my own pain,  I felt truly thankful.

Thankful that my God is not distant and impartial but willing to undergo temptation, torture, rejection, and loss so that a worm such as I can gain access to the Throne of Grace.

Thankful that my pain is a small reminder of the price of sin; a moment to reflect on the suffering of Jesus.

Thankful that even enormous pain will not last forever, but that His love brought victory through the pain to the bitter end of the grave and beyond.

Thankful that in Christ, I have a hope that does not disappoint, even in the midst of pain.

Knots in My Kite String

~ Heather Davis ~ 2 Comments

Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalms 27:14

Last week, our family took a much-needed vacation to Hilton Head Island.  I confess we were somewhat selfish this year. Most of our trips in the past have either been to visit family or shared with other families. This time it was just the five of us hanging out together after a rather brutal year. Just because he could, my husband purchased trick kites for the kids.

Our oldest is now a teenager, and a more meticulous young man you could not hope to meet as far as possessions go. He has an engineer’s brain and organizes his closet and drawers into neat rows and it is not unheard of him to say, after a sleepover or younger company, “Boy, my room’s a mess! I’d better clean it.”

Naturally, according to the finer points of Murphy’s Law, it was his kite string that first became knotted. Twice. The first was a relatively simple knot, causing him some degree of distress but not too complicated to undo. Soon — not as soon as he would have liked, but soon enough — he was mastering the various loops, swoops, and dives the kite was designed to perform.

The second snarl, however, was one of astronomical proportions involving both left and right strings. Darkness grounded my reluctant flier and we quickly discovered that a trick kite is no joke to pack up when one has a deficit of illumination and a profusion of robust wind. The poor young man almost gave up all hope of further aerial endeavors.

However, I have a knack for undoing knots, and there on that island with the salt tang in the air and no deadlines, I did not mind spending whatever time was necessary to restore the strings.  In fact, I rather enjoyed the challenge.  My husband also pitched in and we managed to unravel the mess and restore order.

At the week’s end we returned home and as we picked up our routine, I found myself once again brooding over several dilemmas that have been the subject of fervent prayer, some for many weeks and others for months and all related to some degree or another.   I desperately want to be certain of God’s will before I move forward on any of these, and I supposed I had hoped to return home with the answers I sought.

On the island, it was easy to forget them for a time and simply praise God for the incredible beauty I saw all around, for my family, for His mercy to allow such a gift as that trip was to one so undeserving as me. My heart was full of praise and mind was full of God.

However, back in reality, I found myself once more distressed by what appears to me to be a hopeless, complicated mess.   Impatient for answers, I cried out to God — literally — on a morning walk with my dogs when suddenly it hit me: My Father has a knack for undoing knots.

He has solved more than one seemingly impossible dilemma, certainly greater dilemmas than mine.  His timing has always been absolutely perfect, though I often do not realize that until after the fact  There is nothing too difficult for Him to handle,  no snarl so incredible that He cannot straighten it.  He has got this. Truly, it is not even mine to undo.

He can handle my little snarl. He will give me the wisdom I seek. All I need to do is wait patiently He has finished His work in that particular area. And when my mind is full of Him rather than my little snags, He gives me peace.

HiltonHead037
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Doing My Duty

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'”
Luke 17:10

I don’t know about you, but I find it oh, so easy to fall into what I can only call the “appreciation trap.”  In my head I long to serve God with pure motives and an undivided heart, cheerfully and humbly industrious for love of my King and totally free from any selfish ulterior motives.

That describes what I want. What happens in actual, real life is quite different.

Often I begin this way, working from an abundance of love and with great gusto at the start. Then the days wear away, my fervor lags, the joy in my ministry is replaced by a sense of drudgery, and suddenly I find myself wondering why I am not acknowledged for what I do or why I feel so invisible. Without knowing quite how it happened, I find I am no longer working out of sheer love for God but have developed a desire for recognition and appreciation.

I suppose I could say that it’s just the sin nature and shrug it off. I could continue on, pretending that my motives are truly pure, or I could quit.  However, if I am serious about my spiritual growth, truly “working out my own salvation with fear and trembling,” as Paul put it, neither treating my sin casually, pretending it does not exist, nor giving up are viable options.

What I need at such times is an attitude adjustment; a reminding of who I am in Christ… and of who I would be without Him.

In Christ, I am acceptable to God, forgiven and beloved, no longer a condemned and forsaken criminal under the death penalty but pardoned and then adopted as a child and in the process of being lovingly reformed. Christ paid the price on my head with His life, and because of this undeserved gift, I can now approach the Throne of Grace wearing His righteousness to cover my shame.

Without Him… well, I shudder to think of getting what I really deserve. Do I want recognition?  I think not, for I may be recognized not only for the trivial good that I have done but also for the heinous crimes I have committed.

Suddenly, when I consider the matter of my little service in light of my unmerited favor with God, I have to admit that my desire for acknowledgement is more than a touch ludicrous.  Is it not reasonable for the God who granted me reprieve, indeed who paid the cost of my crimes with His own blood to expect a grateful compliance to His wishes?

What’s more, even if He did not redeem me, am I not created by Him and for His purposes in the first place? Do I praise my cup for holding water? Ought I not to perform the functions He created me to do. and that without complaint or need for acknowledgement?  Then I ought to do so doubly for sheer joy that not only did He shape me, but He saved me from my own poor choices as well!

Oh, Father! Today I thank You for humbling me when my pride swells. Forgive me for my sense of entitlement. Keep my heart humble and teachable, and never let me forget that my standing before You is undeserved. May I bring You glory and be willing to relinquish every shred of ambition and pride.  You must increase and I must decrease.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Philippians 2:12-15

 

My Call to Endurance

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever had a moment when God put into place so many signs indicating His direction for you that you would have to be ultra-dense to miss them all?

That happened to me this past weekend. Months ago, I felt strongly drawn to attend the Teach Them Diligently conference in Nashville and registered early. There was a glitch in my registration which resulted in me being charged substantially less than I was expecting. I called to straighten it out and the gentleman I spoke with was able to see the problem, but he had no idea how it occurred nor how to fix it. He told me, “Well, consider this a gift from the Lord and I guess you are supposed to attend this year!”

That event slipped into obscurity as the mundane home school days ground on. A few bouts of sickness, winter weather, and unexpected life events introduced kinks into our routine. As March commenced with a parting shot from ol’ Jack Frost, I found myself pretty much sick of home schooling.  And if I was feeling depleted concerning my home school, I was utterly devoid of any creativity or energy for writing. I was seriously eyeballing a complete change of career (read: getting a career) and began to look toward the upcoming conference with a sense of hopelessness.

We missed the first day. A series of what I can only call “Murphy Events” made my oldest child wonder aloud if we were even supposed to go to the conference. The memory of my conversation upon registration came to mind, and I replied that I was certain we were.

Knowing this, I rose at 5:00 the morning of the conference and sat down with my Bible, asking God to prepare my heart for what He wanted me to hear. As I read, I conferred with Him and He began to bring passage after passage of Scripture to mind, all in some way or another related to perseverance and steadfastness.

The first seminar we attended was called “Passionate Pursuit of Excellence” by Mark Hamby of Lamplighter. I must say it was basically an extension of my private conversation with my King from that morning, incorporating many of the same Scripture passages and even an illustration using an account from Judges that I had read the day before. In many ways, though several people were listening, it was an intimate chat between me and my God.

A word Mr. Hamby mentioned as he spoke was the Greek word agon, meaning struggle or fight, from which we get words such as “agonize.” Here, God reminded me that agonizing effort will often be required of me both in writing and home schooling. In both I must be prepared not only to give my all, but to sacrifice many desires.  Indeed, I will need to heed the words of this blog’s key verse and “run with endurance the race that is set before” me.

While I received many other admonitions from God during the conference, there is one other speaker I would like to mention in part because her topic was so close to my heart. Stacy Farrell of Homeschool Adventure Co.  spoke on the dire need to prepare our children for the absolute inundation of lies they will face every single day in this world.   Of the many wonderful points she made, one in particular hearkened back to my discussion with the Lord: She encouraged us all to be stubborn in our callings and to expect our enemy to try to dissuade us.

I had grown weary and had allowed discouragement to creep in. In these and so many other ways — far too many to recount here — God used people at the Teach Them Diligently conference to remind me of what He had been telling me all along.

Through many of the speakers, God dealt me a much-needed slap in the face and many reminders that I am not in this race alone; that I cannot quit just because the course is long and I am at the point of exhaustion. That I can trust Him to be strong in my weakness.

God emphasized to me that now is not the time to give up, but as Jacob did on that riverbank so many years ago, now is the time to cling to the Him with all the strength I can muster, refusing to let Him go. After all, I cannot be said to have endured if I drop out in the third leg of the race, but only if I run over hill and rocky ground, through blood and pain and tears, laboring diligently, walking when I can no longer run, clawing my way when I can no longer stand, continuing all the way to the end.

Now, at this moment, when the contest seems grueling and interminable, now is the time not only to endure. Now is the time to rejoice.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5

Like a Rock

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter…  And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”    Exodus 15:22-24

My children and I giggled a bit over this passage, although I admit, on my part at least it was a somewhat guilty giggle.  As the last young person finished her turn in the reading, I noted aloud that the Israelites took a significant pendulum swing from a state of joyous praise to dissatisfied griping in three measly days.

To fully understand what I mean, you may want to read the previous portion of Exodus 14 and 15. Go ahead. I’ll wait….

Now, think about what you just read:  Three days after watching the hand of God perform an impossible feat of deliverance involving a massive volume of water, the people seemed unable to grasp that the very same God might possibly be competent to make a little nasty water taste nice.

Three short days — it really is a little amusing. However, if I am honest, the joke’s on me. It is so easy for me to look at the infant nation and wonder how on earth they could have watched something as astonishing as the parting of the Red Sea and still not understood that God is infinitely capable of providing for their needs even when they cannot see how He will.

The sad truth is that I am no different.  I desperately want to be a person possessing unwavering faith in my God, a person who never doubts Him for a moment. But the real me is much more like that group of refugees from Egypt.

On any given day, I may see a glimpse of the enormity of my God and of the goodness and rightness of His plans, yet I rarely need three whole days to slip into disbelief. I have been known to literally sing His praises, filled with unspeakable joy, during an early-morning walk with my dogs only to collapse in frustrated tears before lunchtime because my children are disrespectful or my home school day is not going well.  Three days? It can happen to me in three hours!

Perhaps there is a lesson in this shameful undulation of faith, so like the tides of the sea. It is at such times when my rashness and fickleness are so evident that God’s steadfastness and patience are poignantly underscored.  This,  then, is why God desires so to develop patience and faithfulness in His children — because He is, Himself, patient and faithful.

Perhaps — just perhaps — He has yet one more miracle to perform involving water, considering our flesh is mostly composed of water; one more marvel concerning the tide-like ebb and flow of our faith. For in a display of really ridiculous patience, our long-suffering, holy God continues to allow us access to Himself when we draw near despite the tragic number of times we faithlessly retreat from His presence.

Just maybe as He works in us,  He is gradually increasing the length of our advances toward Him and decreasing the distance we withdraw.  Maybe He will do the impossible and change the shifting waves of our disbelief into fixed and changeless postures of trust.  Maybe even someday in the process of our sanctification, we will find our faith is no longer capricious but has come to look something more like Him , our faithful and steadfast Rock.

 

 

 

Not in Darkness

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-6

Oh what a great reminder this was to me on days that I am tempted to be a little lazy, spiritually speaking! It was also a great encouragement at this time when the days seem to darken around me.  Each new day seems to bring more horrifying news from other countries as well as from my own: Christians brothers and sisters being beheaded, being run from their homes, being tortured or imprisoned. Sex trafficking, not only overseas but in a community so close in proximity to my own that I am tempted to make my preteen girls hold my hands in public.

So much darkness… so many reminders to take to heart Ephesians 5:15-16; to walk wisely and make the best use of our time because the days are evil. It takes only a small level of spiritual discernment to realize that the days we live in truly are evil. And they will grow worse.

But take courage, believers! Though the darkness may loom on our horizon, though it may someday even surround us and press in on all sides, it will not overwhelm us. We may one day soon — perhaps much sooner than we would like — be called to put away our pleasures and our comforts and take part in the sufferings of our Lord in earnest as many of our brethren worldwide are already doing.  Even so, we are not of the darkness, though we may find ourselves neck-deep in it.

For we who are in Christ have this hope: in our darkest hour, we know that the Light is coming and indeed is already within us. Though we may weep in the gloom of night, we know that joy will come with the morning. We know that our King will return  and this time in the full force and might of His majesty.  Though we do not know the day nor the hour,  though we know it will come as suddenly as a thief in the night, that Day will not surprise us, my brothers and sisters, for we expect it.

We know that it will come. And we have His own reassurance that we can read the signs of the times just as surely as we can know the signs that summer is near (see Matthew 24). We are given this time, right now, to prepare our hearts and our families for that eventuality. For even if His coming is delayed beyond the span of our expected lifetimes, we still do not know the hour our own lives will be required of us.

Either way — whether we live to see the Lord’s return or we meet Him before that wonderful and somber Day, let us purpose to be ready, to prepare our children, to not only speak of His goodness and worth, but to live as if we believe it so that others may come to know Him, too. Let us see the signs and eagerly anticipate His coming, but let us not wait idly. Let us walk in the good works our Father has prepared in advance for us to do; rightly handling the Word of truth, preaching the good news, and being found ready in season and out of season.   Even if we are not taken by surprise, let us resolve not to rest lightly knowing that those around us may be.

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
James 5:7-8

A Whole Sacrifice

~ Heather Davis ~ Leave a comment

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18

Today, I am on my eleventh day of a program known as the Whole 30. This program is basically a 30-day elimination diet where the participant removes all forms of sweetener (yes, even stevia), all grains, all legumes, all dairy, and pretty much all processed anything from the daily intake with no cheating and no “slips.” There are specific guidelines on how to balance proteins, fats, and veggies with each meal and for pre- and post-workout.  It’s kind of like a dietary boot camp.

The experience so far has made me think a lot about sacrifice for probably fairly obvious reasons (especially taking into consideration that I am the only one of a family of five doing it!). Though no stranger to dietary sacrifice, I admit that I hesitated to take on this particular plan, but that was mere laziness — not wanting to put so much thought, effort, time, money, etc. into my own meals so that my poor family would not be held hostage to the program.  Now on my eleventh day, I find that I am already feeling some positive effects. My sleep has been deep. I am feeling a little less run-down and have a little more energy to spare.

While eating differently, I have thought much on what the Christ calls us to sacrifice.  He calls us to die to ourselves, to take up our cross daily.  He speaks of turning the other cheek when struck, of giving the modern-day equivalent of the shirt off our back to the one who takes our coat,  of feeding and giving drink to our enemies and praying for them. He tells us to give freely to those who ask of us and not to demand our possessions back if taken.

Jesus held a destitute widow up as a role model for giving all the money she had to the service of God.  He is not unclear in stating that the one who grasps and jockeys for position or acclaim will find themselves in last place while the one who serves without seeking credit will find themselves exalted. He, Himself, set an example by washing the feet of His followers so that we would know there is no task too menial or degrading for any who bear His name to do, not to mention giving His life as a ransom even for a reprobate like myself who deserved no mercy.  For those of us who are His, we are not even to esteem our very lives overmuch, but be willing to lay them down for His Kingdom’s sake or for a brother.

In short, He calls us to sacrifice in every way imaginable.

What challenges me and gets those rusty ol’ wheels turning is this: I believe that there is a very real possibility that the Lord will return soon; if not in my own lifetime, then in that of my children.  Of course, I cannot know this, but what I do know is that I am not alone in this belief. Not by a long shot.  Regardless of whether this collective sense is true or not, the fact remains that He will come again — and not a single, solitary one of us knows when. It could be a thousand years. Or it could be before we finish this sentence.

With that in mind, what exactly is too much to sacrifice for His sake? What price too great to pay for a little while, here and now, for the wonder of Eternity in His presence? Is there any mortal and passing thing too great that it cannot be laid aside for love of our Savior?

I think that all it really takes is willingness. Take this Whole 30, for instance. I promise you that if I can do it, you can too. I am not particularly gifted with fantastic restraint or self-mastery. Temptation is no less tempting for me than anyone else.  I am merely willing to give it my all; it is only for thirty days.  Already, there is a reward in place, and one that will likely increase when it’s all over.

If I think of Eternity in that light, it simplifies all things. Everything in my life — homeschooling, money trouble, sacrifices made to obey God’s will — all of it is only a lifetime. It seems long, but it is oh-so-brief in the face of a span of time so tremendous that our minds cannot but faintly scratch at it.   Whatever it is He is calling us to give up, we need only be willing. He will handle the rest. And I assure you that even in the darkest situation, His presence is a reward that will start to happen as we sacrificially obey. And it is sure to increase when it’s all over.

What are you holding that He is calling you to let go?

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1

On Bridles and Leashes

~ Heather Davis ~ 5 Comments

Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.
Psalms 32:9

I have very little experience with horses, but this verse rings true to me nonetheless. What I do have is a dog that I absolutely adore. Actually, I have two dogs but one if them is squarely my dog.

When she was a puppy,  she would only sleep in the crate if it was positioned where she could see me in the bed. If I leave through the downstairs door, she is often found waiting for me on the top stair when I return.

YumiWaiting004

Her crate days are long over, and while she has branched out a little and often ventures into rooms I am not present in, she does still, for the most part, follow me like… well, like a puppy dog.  She is an excellent companion. I trust her around children and rarely have trouble getting her to obey promptly.

Unless, that is, she sees a squirrel.

I don’t know what it is, but the bouncy little guys trigger something deep in her doggy brain that nothing else does and she is prone to dart after one when she spots it.

And so, on our frequent walks together I use a leash.  When she was younger, she would strain against the leash at the enticing vision of one of the little rodents fitfully searching for its winter hoard. Age and many miles of experience walking on a lead has tempered her interest, and now she only acknowledges them with a perk of the ears… or sometimes not at all.

Even so,  I keep that leash on when we walk. She has proved in the past that she needs it, and I am aware of dangers that do not enter her canine consciousness.  I confess I have envied the occasional hiker I’ve seen whose dog trots faithfully, leash-free, at his heels, but I am not yet willing to risk my dog’s safety with such heady freedom as that. Someday, perhaps, but for now I have seen enough interest sparked by a scurrying squirrel to keep my dog tethered on our excursions.

It is the same with us…  Some of us have learned that our God is so good, so  wholly trustworthy, and so incomprehensibly wise that we will eagerly follow His footsteps on the narrow path. That isn’t to say we might not look around or hesitate, but we come at his bidding and regain our place at His side with little fuss.

I long to be like that, and by God’s grace I truly believe that someday, He will bring my training to just such a point. I strongly desire to be more eagerly responsive to His quiet calls, more mindful of where He steps, less tempted to wander away at the slightest diversion; in short, to fix my eyes on my Master alone as we walk along.

However, I confess that I am by no means as close a follower as I ought to be. I am not yet to a point where I never require a “bit and bridle.” What I have learned, however, is not to strain against such apparatus when God attires me in it. As I have grown more trusting of Him, grown to love Him more and more, I notice the bit and bridle less, in part because I fight them less. 

More often these days,  my eyes are fixed on Him and we have taken some few little adventures together where I walk free, bound only by adoration for my King. Even so, I know that any moment I demonstrate a need for His restraint, He will promptly provide it. 

Because He is a perfect Father, He will give us each the measure of discipline we deserve. If we need a bridle to keep us from straying, He will  supply it. Should we need a rod applied in discipline, He will apply it as vigorously as the situation requires to curb our error and bring us back into the safety of His presence.

Make no mistake — if we need correction of any sort, correction we shall have– not because He is a tyrant, but for our welfare,  to keep us from wandering into danger. Because He loves us and in His infinite wisdom, knows dangers our created minds cannot fathom.  Because He is good.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 23:4