Tuesday's with Jesus #77

#77 "Our Christmas Gifts To Jesus" December 19, 2006 "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13: 8). "And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us." (1 John 3: 23). "And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." (1 John 4: 21).   The countdown begins. As I write this, the snowman on my kitchen wall reminds me that there are 7 days until Christmas. Most of the gifts are bought. It's time for "wrapfest" and "cookie bake-off." Cookies will be consumed around here at about the same rate that they're baked. And you think I'm kidding! Remember, I have two teenaged boys still at home. I'm sure that you're in the throws of your last minute preparations as well.    There will be parties to attend. Office parties. Church gatherings. And oh, those infamous family get-togethers. Tempers are short. And so is the checkbook. And I can't help but think, "Is Jesus pleased? Is He smiling at our attempts to celebrate His birth?" I'm not saying that I think He doesn't like it when we get together with family and friends. I don't think He's generally opposed to our gift giving if we do it in the right perspective. I don't think He's opposed to the festivities and the celebrations. As long as we keep the reason we celebrate in the forefront of our minds and hearts. But what do you think Jesus really wants for Christmas? The obvious answer is that He wants you! But let's go deeper...   The Bible shows us exactly what Jesus wants for Christmas and every single day of our lives. He wants us to love. First, He wants us to love Him. {"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment".} Today, we'll focus on the second. Jesus says, "And the second (commandment) is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Love is what it's all about. Not just the kind of love that shows up with the Christmas "warm and fuzzies". Deep, abiding, hard to love, LOVE, each and everyday of our lives. Love is the foundation for everything. The Greek word is "agape". It's a self-sacrificing kind of love. John 3:16 is the simplest, yet most profound commentary on the kind of love that God has for us. I know you know it, but really look at it...."For God so LOVED the world, that He GAVE His one and only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." God is Love. He is a Giver and His brand of love is for "whosoever".   So who should we love? Who are our "whosoevers"?   First we must love those belonging to the household of faith. I say this first because Galatians 6:10 says, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Family first, neighbors next. You might think that this is the easy part. I think we're deluding ourselves if we think that we're doing a good job of it. From the time of Paul to the present day, division among believers in the church has been a constant stain on the proverbial shirt of Christianity. One of my commentaries says this: "Nothing can frustrate the advance of the gospel more, both in a Christian community's effectiveness in their witness for Christ and in Christians' individual lives, than internal unrest among believers. The gospel is all about reconciliation, and unreconciled people do not advertise it well."    When we're divided as Christian brothers and sisters, when we are backbiting, grumbling and complaining about each other, we are not living a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. We are an advertisement for Christ. Jesus prayed to His Father in John 17: 21 that "all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." He continued, "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." 2 Corinthians 3: 3 says that "you are a letter from Christ." What does your "letter" say? Do you want to know what Jesus wants for Christmas? Unity, my friend...unity among believers. May no one ever hear me, ever again, slander, gossip or talk about a fellow believer in Christ in a disparaging way. May my children never hear it again. I do not ever want to put a black mark on what Christ died for and what is the obvious desire of His heart. We must "stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel." (Philippians 1: 27b) Our churches aren't one better than another. Our pastors aren't one better than the other. One denomination isn't better than another. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Amen.   The second recipients of our God-kind of love are unbelievers and those who have done us wrong, Christian and non-Christian alike. Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" The Bible says to "accept one another, just as Christ accepted you." Where were you when Christ found you? What type of sin(s) were you steeped in? Are you perfect today? God loved us and continues to do so in spite of our sin, in spite of our selfishness, in spite of our lack of desire to change. And we are to love just like Him. This couldn't be impossible because God would not give us a command that we could not carry out. That would be cruel. But in His mercy and grace, He gives us the precious Holy Spirit to help us carry out His command to love. Submit yourself to the Holy Spirits' guidance, anointing and power and He will enable you to love the unlovely, to touch the leper and to forgive your enemies and love them in spite of themselves...just like He loves you!   You say, "Donna, they're just impossible. They'll never change. I've been hurt so badly." Ruth Bell Graham, in her book "Prodigals [and Those Who Love Them]", says this: "We cannot convict of sin, create hunger and thirst after God, or convert. These are miracles, and miracles are not in our department. God's part, (the impossible) is conviction of sin, creating a hunger and thirst for righteousness, conversion, and bringing a person to the place of total commitment."  Those words revolutionized my way of thinking. I am not Holy Ghost Junior! Don't try and effect in people's lives what only God can do. Love...pure and simple...love. Affirm, encourage, teach, listen and care.  And never give up on them. What would've happened if God gave up on you? This goes for your unsaved husband, your prodigal daughter, your loved ones who have hurt you deeply, that homeless man who just refuses to get with the program....all the "whosoevers" in your life.  We look so little like the lovers that the Bible calls us to be. But we must do it, "for the sake of Christ." Again, His reputation is at stake. Christ must be our example. Through death on a cross He not only "saved us" but modeled for us God's way of dealing with the opposition -- loving them to death!   Love them patiently. Love them kindly. Don't envy or boast and be not proud. Don't be rude or selfish. Don't get easily angered and by all means, keep no record of wrongs. Let it go. Rejoice with the truth. Protect, trust God, hope and persevere. This is 1 Corinthians 13, Bible-kind-of love. This is the kind of love that Jesus wants from us. These are the things that are on the Christmas list of Christ.   I pray that you will have a blessed and peaceful holiday. I pray for wonderful time with family and friends. I'm going to take a couple of weeks off from writing. "Tuesday's" will be back on January 9, 2007.    I pray to my Heavenly Father for each one of you, "that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God." Let's together, in unity, give Jesus what He wants, more than anything, for Christmas... and everyday of our lives.   Merry Christmas,   Donna Schultz                                                                              See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.         If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #76

#76 "Cattle, Ravens, The Stars and You" December 12, 2006 "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call." (Psalm 147: vs. 4 and 9)                                         A construction crew was building a new road through a rural area, knocking down trees as it progressed. A superintendent noticed that one tree had a nest of birds who couldn?t yet fly and he marked the tree so that it would not be cut down. Several weeks later the superintendent came back to the tree. He got into a bucket truck and was lifted up so that he could peer into the nest. The fledglings were gone. They had obviously learned to fly. The superintendent ordered the tree cut down. As the tree crashed to the ground, the nest fell clear and some of the material that the birds had gathered to make the nest was scattered about. Part of it was a scrap torn from a Sunday school pamphlet. On the scrap of paper were these words: "He careth for you". Psalm 147, verses 4 and 9 give us an awesome reminder of the care that God has for us.  It continually amazes me when I look up at a clear, night sky that my Heavenly Father placed each one of them there and He knows them each by their name! Isaiah 40: 26 tells us to "Lift [our] eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." If He cares to know each star by its' name, how much more does He know your name? If He cares for their welfare, (not one is missing), how much more do you think He cares about the things that concern you? He knows you individually.  He knows your uniqueness. Your hopes and dreams, fears and concerns. After all, He made you. He knew you before you were ever born and has a plan for your life since eternity past. A plan just for you. He cares for you! Ravens are not appealing birds. They are members of the crow family. We find them disgusting for the most part. They eat road kill. We see them a lot on roadsides when it's garbage day. We see them picking through and eating trash. They are a dirty looking kind of bird. When we see a dead crow on the road (one that was too slow getting out of the way of a car as it feasted on a dead squirrel) it does not touch are hearts like seeing a dog or cat, or a cute little bunny does. There is no outpouring of sorrow at the death of crow. Yet that is the kind of creature that God says He provides for. He hears that cry of the raven, the cry of the crow. Jesus said in Matthew 6: 26, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" He cares for you.     And cows, well, they're cows! What more can I say? Not the most beautiful animals. They chew their own vomit. And they don't follow very well. Sheep will follow...cattle have to be driven. They are stubborn and willful. Yet God provides them with their food. Will He not provide for us even more, in spite of our stubborn, willful ways? He cares for us! This is a pretty simple concept to grasp. No big theology here. But if we do not grab hold of it, own it and BELIEVE it, we will fall prey to the devil, and believe instead, the lie that God doesn't care. Remember the devil IS a liar! You are an immortal soul. When a crow or a cow dies he is gone, life is over, he exists no more. But when your present life passes, you will not cease to be, but you have begun a life of eternity. When we pass from this life to the next we have just begun to live forever. Please understand that you will outlive the mountains, you will outlive the sun and the stars. Psalm 8: 5 says that God made you "a little lower than the heavenly beings (or than God) and crowned you with glory and honor. You are worth much, much more than any beast of the field or bird of the air! Verse 9 tells us that the cattle and ravens are provided for "when they call". Are you calling? Are you praying? Are you crying out to God for the answer to your circumstance? He WILL hear and answer you. You are cared for much more than cows and birds! He hears them...smelly, stinky, garbage pickers, cud chewers....He will hear you! He is your Father. Are you a parent?  For those of you who have children of your own, do you not get greater joy in giving your children gifts than in feeding your dog? Do you not find more satisfaction in providing for the needs of your children than you do for your pet? So how much more gracious and good is God than we are? Not to say that we do not love our pets, but are not our loved ones immensely more important and precious to us? Thus it is with God, all of His creation is precious to Him, yet are not those made in His image more so? "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7: 11) Whatever you're facing today...whatever struggle...whatever sin...whatever problem...God knows. He answers. He cares. And this Psalm shows us what exactly He provides. It says that He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He is great and mighty in power. He sustains us. He protects us [He strengthens the bars of your gates]. He blesses His people. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat...the finest of His provision. He gives you His Word, His precious promises. And most important of all...He gave us Jesus...His only Son, who died on a Roman cross for our sins to give us abundant life here on earth and eternal life in Heaven with Him. Forgiveness, salvation, sanctification,and justification were all bought with the price of the blood of Jesus and given to us as a free gift.  Really if God never gave us one other thing...Jesus would be enough. But He chooses to continue to lavish His grace, His mercy, and His loyal, hesed love on us, because He is a wonderful Father.  Look up at the stars tonight. Notice the birds outside your window. Unless you live on a farm, you probably won't see many cows...But let these always be a reminder to you of the love and care of your Heavenly Father. If He cares for them, my friend, how much more does He care for you?                                                                                                  Donna Schultz                                                                                 Savemom@aol.com                         See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.           If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

#76 "Cattle, Raven, The Stars and You"

December 12, 2006
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call." (Psalm 147: vs. 4 and 9)

A construction crew was building a new road through a rural area, knocking down trees as it progressed. A superintendent noticed that one tree had a nest of birds who couldn?t yet fly and he marked the tree so that it would not be cut down. Several weeks later the superintendent came back to the tree. He got into a bucket truck and was lifted up so that he could peer into the nest. The fledglings were gone. They had obviously learned to fly. The superintendent ordered the tree cut down. As the tree crashed to the ground, the nest fell clear and some of the material that the birds had gathered to make the nest was scattered about. Part of it was a scrap torn from a Sunday school pamphlet. On the scrap of paper were these words: "He careth for you".
Psalm 147, verses 4 and 9 give us an awesome reminder of the care that God has for us. It continually amazes me when I look up at a clear, night sky that my Heavenly Father placed each one of them there and He knows them each by their name! Isaiah 40: 26 tells us to "Lift [our] eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." If He cares to know each star by its' name, how much more does He know your name? If He cares for their welfare, (not one is missing), how much more do you think He cares about the things that concern you? He knows you individually. He knows your uniqueness. Your hopes and dreams, fears and concerns. After all, He made you. He knew you before you were ever born and has a plan for your life since eternity past. A plan just for you. He cares for you!
Ravens are not appealing birds. They are members of the crow family. We find them disgusting for the most part. They eat road kill. We see them a lot on roadsides when it's garbage day. We see them picking through and eating trash. They are a dirty looking kind of bird. When we see a dead crow on the road (one that was too slow getting out of the way of a car as it feasted on a dead squirrel) it does not touch are hearts like seeing a dog or cat, or a cute little bunny does. There is no outpouring of sorrow at the death of crow. Yet that is the kind of creature that God says He provides for. He hears that cry of the raven, the cry of the crow. Jesus said in Matthew 6: 26, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" He cares for you.


And cows, well, they're cows! What more can I say? Not the most beautiful animals. They chew their own vomit. And they don't follow very well. Sheep will follow...cattle have to be driven. They are stubborn and willful. Yet God provides them with their food. Will He not provide for us even more, in spite of our stubborn, willful ways? He cares for us! This is a pretty simple concept to grasp. No big theology here. But if we do not grab hold of it, own it and BELIEVE it, we will fall prey to the devil, and believe instead, the lie that God doesn't care. Remember the devil IS a liar! You are an immortal soul. When a crow or a cow dies he is gone, life is over, he exists no more. But when your present life passes, you will not cease to be, but you have begun a life of eternity. When we pass from this life to the next we have just begun to live forever. Please understand that you will outlive the mountains, you will outlive the sun and the stars. Psalm 8: 5 says that God made you "a little lower than the heavenly beings (or than God) and crowned you with glory and honor. You are worth much, much more than any beast of the field or bird of the air!
Verse 9 tells us that the cattle and ravens are provided for "when they call". Are you calling? Are you praying? Are you crying out to God for the answer to your circumstance? He WILL hear and answer you. You are cared for much more than cows and birds! He hears them...smelly, stinky, garbage pickers, cud chewers....He will hear you! He is your Father. Are you a parent? For those of you who have children of your own, do you not get greater joy in giving your children gifts than in feeding your dog? Do you not find more satisfaction in providing for the needs of your children than you do for your pet? So how much more gracious and good is God than we are? Not to say that we do not love our pets, but are not our loved ones immensely more important and precious to us? Thus it is with God, all of His creation is precious to Him, yet are not those made in His image more so? "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7: 11)
Whatever you're facing today...whatever struggle...whatever sin...whatever problem...God knows. He answers. He cares. And this Psalm shows us what exactly He provides. It says that He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He is great and mighty in power. He sustains us. He protects us [He strengthens the bars of your gates]. He blesses His people. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat...the finest of His provision. He gives you His Word, His precious promises. And most important of all...He gave us Jesus...His only Son, who died on a Roman cross for our sins to give us abundant life here on earth and eternal life in Heaven with Him. Forgiveness, salvation, sanctification,and justification were all bought with the price of the blood of Jesus and given to us as a free gift. Really if God never gave us one other thing...Jesus would be enough. But He chooses to continue to lavish His grace, His mercy, and His loyal, hesed love on us, because He is a wonderful Father.
Look up at the stars tonight. Notice the birds outside your window. Unless you live on a farm, you probably won't see many cows...But let these always be a reminder to you of the love and care of your Heavenly Father. If He cares for them, my friend, how much more does He care for you?
Donna Schultz
Savemom@aol.com
See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.

If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please letme know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as theLord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e-mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.

If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #75

#75 "What's It All About?" December 5, 2006 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6: 33)   According to Garbage Magazine, Americans used 28,497,464 rolls and sheets of wrapping paper, 16,826,362 packages of tags and bows, 372,430,684 greeting cards, and 35,200,000 Christmas trees during the 1989 Christmas season. I can just imagine what the numbers are now. The National Retail Federation projects that $457.4 billion will be spent on the "winter holidays" -- including Christmas -- this year. What's it all about?   Chuck and I had mixed feelings this weekend as we were decorating our home for Christmas. We just weren't into it so much this year. As we pulled the boxes out of storage, I began to look at all that we've accumulated over the years. Mind you, I pitched a lot of it a few years ago. It's amazing how it grows again! Some of it was junk that ended up in a bag for either donation or the trash. Haven't decided yet. Other things held dear memories. Like a picture frame that I received from a homeless man one year when we were coordinating a shelter program. He was so proud of the gift that he gave me, even though I'm quite sure a certain snow globe store at Macomb Mall lost some money that year. There was "The Night Before Christmas" book that I read to my children each Christmas Eve before Chuck would read the Bible passages from Matthew or Luke. They're too old for that now, but maybe one day I'll read it for the grandkids. So I hung on to that one. As I was decorating the tree, I was able to look at ornaments made by my children when they were small. Those are precious to me. Paper ornaments with their pictures on them brought a smile to my face. Other ornaments have been gifts received from family and friends over the years. Those made me smile as well. These are important things; children, family, friends, my husband.   The space under my tree is empty. It is awaiting the brightly colored, ribboned packages that will soon be placed there. A part of me wishes that it could stay empty. The true meaning of what we celebrate is not found in those packages. The meaning is in the simple manger that I placed under the tree. The truth of the One who was born in a borrowed stable and was buried in a borrowed tomb. The truth of the One who was laid in a wooden manger and died on a wooden cross. This is what my heart is full of this year. The gift that God, my Father, gave to me, in His precious Son, Jesus Christ. I wish my tree would remain empty except for all of my children sitting around it, each one claiming Jesus as their Lord and Savior.     Maybe it's because I'm getting older. My husband hates when I say this, but I've lived more years of my life than I have left. Maybe it's because in the past month or so, I've been acutely aware and grieved over different people, problems and situations that have come across my path. In the last week alone, I've been asked to pray for sickness and disease, relationship restoration, people divorcing, people dying. There was one day where honestly, I told the Lord I didn't think I could pray for anyone else. It was sucking the life out of me. On Friday morning, it was pouring rain..literally beating against my windows while it was still dark and I was trying to pray and read the Word. I felt like there was just a blanket of evil over everything...Satan overcoming the world it would seem. Of course, when I focused on the Word, the voice of truth let me know that the world had not spun out of control and that God was still sovereign and in charge. Nevertheless, it still made all the Christmas trappings seem very meaningless to me.   So like the loving, wonderful Father that He is, my Abba sent His word to me right in the middle of my half- put- together Christmas tree and all my boxes. I pulled out a beautiful crystal frame in which I had placed a greeting card front a few years ago. I had forgotten about it. As it brought tears to my eyes, it brought peace to my heart. It reminded me "what this was all about" and I want to share it with you.   "If you look for me at Christmas, you won't need a special star - I'm no longer just in Bethlehem, I'm right there where you are. You may not be aware of Me amid the celebrations - You'll have to look beyond the stores and all the decorations. But if you take a moment from your list of things to do, and listen to your heart, you'll find I'm waiting there for you. You're the one I want to be with, you're the reason that I came, and you'll find Me in the stillness as I'm whispering your name. Love, Jesus."   That frame, with that simple message is my favorite decoration this year. If it were up to me, it would be the only one. But since I have children and they enjoy the decorations and the presents and the cookies, I will keep pressing on. But now my heart is filled with the answer to my question, "what's it all about?"  I will find quiet moments and go to Calvary. And there I'll kneel with those who know the meaning of the manger, and find the Christ, this Christmas. I will praise the one who would one day be executed for my crime. That, my friend, is what it's all about!   May you find Christ this Christmas,   Donna Schultz Savemom@aol.com   See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.   If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #74

#74 "What Are You Thirsty For?" November 28, 2006 "..."Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst." (John 4: 13-14a)   She came to the well that day, just like she did every other day. We don't know her age or her name. But we do know a little of her history. With five failed marriages behind her, she was now living with another man and not married to him. Wonder what had happened to this woman in her past. Wonder what made her keep searching for fulfillment and purpose in men. Did her father die? Had he been alive but rejected her or mistreated her? Something made this woman want. Something was broken inside of her. Something kept making her search for the answer to her inner pain in all the wrong places. It doesn't really matter what it was. I don't think, consciously, that even she knew what it was. She was just empty and trying to fill the void..in her case, it was men. What is it for you?   When we seek contentment with physical things, we can never get enough. The Samaritan woman sought it in relationships. We do that too. We seek it in new toys and gadgets, possessions or power, health, wealth or notoriety. But Solomon tells us that all these things are vanity. Vain attempts to fill an empty space in our souls. It is commonly said that there is a God-shaped vacuum inside each one of us that only He can fill. If that is the case, and I believe it is, no amount of searching and seeking and trying to fill it with anything other than Christ will make the ache go away.    I've been there myself and right now I am watching someone that I love deeply "looking for love in all the wrong places."  And truly, lest we judge, I didn't even know what I was doing at the time and neither does she. Neither did this Samaritan woman. We all just knew that something was missing. Something was broken. There was no sense of fulfillment or contentment...life was just lived with a dull ache inside ... an empty hole...a need...and trying to fill it up became a way of life. But the problem is that "it" is never enough. It's like a drug addiction...the more you use, the more you need. Frederick Douglass said, "Whenever my condition was improved, instead of its' increasing my contentment, it only increased my desire to be free, and set me to thinking of plans to gain my freedom." Anything earthly, relationships or material things, cannot satisfy. You will always want more...want FOR more. Relationships and things can fail...leaving you empty again. Empty and thirsty.   The Greek verb used in this passage for thirsty is "dipsao". It means to painfully feel the want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported and strengthened.  The King James Dictionary defines "thirst" as having a vehement desire of anything. Jesus used this very word because He could see deep inside this woman's soul. He saw how serious this need was. He knew that she felt it painfully, intensely and deeply. He cut right to the chase to help her. He told her about living water...water that is alive.    To the Jew, living water was water that was always flowing and moving along. It was a creek or a lake that had an inflow and an outflow. It was not the still water of a stagnant pond that was always sitting still. Jesus, Himself, was the Living Water. What she needed was a drink of Him. A continual inflow and outflow of His Holy Spirit, not the stagnant pond of earthly water that never satisfies. Stagnant water goes bad. It gets slimy and buggy. Living Water is clean and fresh...and it satisfies the thirst, the need, the ache deep down inside.   Are you thirsty today? Are you drinking the muddy contaminated waters of the world and destroying yourself? The waters the world offers cannot quench your thirst. Jesus says we should come to Him, and out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water. Jesus Christ is able to meet our needs. And I must say that I'm not talking merely of just believing in Him. That will absolutely get you to Heaven, but don't you want more of the abundant life that He died to give you? The end to all of your searching? I'm talking "relationship" here. A walking, talking, breathing, enduring, close (like a branch to a vine) relationship with Him each and every day. He calls to you from Isaiah 55:1 and says, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters." And in verse 2, He says, "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?" What are you spending your time or money or energy on that will never satisfy? Only Jesus can satisfy your deepest longings. Jeremiah 2: 13 says, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."  Have you forsaken Him? Are you digging your own broken cistern?   In researching for this "Tuesday's", I came across these words that I will close with:  "Jesus is the One who makes life possible, who makes peace possible, and who makes joy possible. He makes it possible under all circumstances and in all places to possess everything the soul desires. If Christ lives within us, then we will be like a fortress that has in its courtyard a fountain, fed from some source high up in the mountains, and finds its way into the fortress by underground rivers that no one can ever touch. It does not matter who surrounds such a fortress, those who are inside can survive for years with abundant water. When people are deprived of a thing they ?want,? they generally get along pretty well without it; however, when it?s something they ?need,? or require, they suffer horribly in its absence. Just as a man thirsts for physical water, so also he thirsts for spiritual water. Only Jesus Christ can satisfy that thirst. He is The Living Water. He is the one who supplies the water. He paid for it with His life. Today take a drink by taking hold of Jesus and letting the fountain of God?s provision overflow in your life to the praise and glory of God. Amen!"   Blessings to you,   Donna Schultz Savemom@aol.com   See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.   If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #74

#74 "What Are You Thirsty For?" November 28, 2006 "..."Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst." (John 4: 13-14a)   She came to the well that day, just like she did every other day. We don't know her age or her name. But we do know a little of her history. With five failed marriages behind her, she was now living with another man and not married to him. Wonder what had happened to this woman in her past. Wonder what made her keep searching for fulfillment and purpose in men. Did her father die? Had he been alive but rejected her or mistreated her? Something made this woman want. Something was broken inside of her. Something kept making her search for the answer to her inner pain in all the wrong places. It doesn't really matter what it was. I don't think, consciously, that even she knew what it was. She was just empty and trying to fill the void..in her case, it was men. What is it for you?   When we seek contentment with physical things, we can never get enough. The Samaritan woman sought it in relationships. We do that too. We seek it in new toys and gadgets, possessions or power, health, wealth or notoriety. But Solomon tells us that all these things are vanity. Vain attempts to fill an empty space in our souls. It is commonly said that there is a God-shaped vacuum inside each one of us that only He can fill. If that is the case, and I believe it is, no amount of searching and seeking and trying to fill it with anything other than Christ will make the ache go away.    I've been there myself and right now I am watching someone that I love deeply "looking for love in all the wrong places."  And truly, lest we judge, I didn't even know what I was doing at the time and neither does she. Neither did this Samaritan woman. We all just knew that something was missing. Something was broken. There was no sense of fulfillment or contentment...life was just lived with a dull ache inside ... an empty hole...a need...and trying to fill it up became a way of life. But the problem is that "it" is never enough. It's like a drug addiction...the more you use, the more you need. Frederick Douglass said, "Whenever my condition was improved, instead of its' increasing my contentment, it only increased my desire to be free, and set me to thinking of plans to gain my freedom." Anything earthly, relationships or material things, cannot satisfy. You will always want more...want FOR more. Relationships and things can fail...leaving you empty again. Empty and thirsty.   The Greek verb used in this passage for thirsty is "dipsao". It means to painfully feel the want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported and strengthened.  The King James Dictionary defines "thirst" as having a vehement desire of anything. Jesus used this very word because He could see deep inside this woman's soul. He saw how serious this need was. He knew that she felt it painfully, intensely and deeply. He cut right to the chase to help her. He told her about living water...water that is alive.    To the Jew, living water was water that was always flowing and moving along. It was a creek or a lake that had an inflow and an outflow. It was not the still water of a stagnant pond that was always sitting still. Jesus, Himself, was the Living Water. What she needed was a drink of Him. A continual inflow and outflow of His Holy Spirit, not the stagnant pond of earthly water that never satisfies. Stagnant water goes bad. It gets slimy and buggy. Living Water is clean and fresh...and it satisfies the thirst, the need, the ache deep down inside.   Are you thirsty today? Are you drinking the muddy contaminated waters of the world and destroying yourself? The waters the world offers cannot quench your thirst. Jesus says we should come to Him, and out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water. Jesus Christ is able to meet our needs. And I must say that I'm not talking merely of just believing in Him. That will absolutely get you to Heaven, but don't you want more of the abundant life that He died to give you? The end to all of your searching? I'm talking "relationship" here. A walking, talking, breathing, enduring, close (like a branch to a vine) relationship with Him each and every day. He calls to you from Isaiah 55:1 and says, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters." And in verse 2, He says, "Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?" What are you spending your time or money or energy on that will never satisfy? Only Jesus can satisfy your deepest longings. Jeremiah 2: 13 says, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."  Have you forsaken Him? Are you digging your own broken cistern?   In researching for this "Tuesday's", I came across these words that I will close with:  "Jesus is the One who makes life possible, who makes peace possible, and who makes joy possible. He makes it possible under all circumstances and in all places to possess everything the soul desires. If Christ lives within us, then we will be like a fortress that has in its courtyard a fountain, fed from some source high up in the mountains, and finds its way into the fortress by underground rivers that no one can ever touch. It does not matter who surrounds such a fortress, those who are inside can survive for years with abundant water. When people are deprived of a thing they ?want,? they generally get along pretty well without it; however, when it?s something they ?need,? or require, they suffer horribly in its absence. Just as a man thirsts for physical water, so also he thirsts for spiritual water. Only Jesus Christ can satisfy that thirst. He is The Living Water. He is the one who supplies the water. He paid for it with His life. Today take a drink by taking hold of Jesus and letting the fountain of God?s provision overflow in your life to the praise and glory of God. Amen!"   Blessings to you,   Donna Schultz Savemom@aol.com   See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.   If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #73

#73 "When 'Thank You' Just Isn't Enough" November 21, 2006 "Therefore, I urge you brothers [and sisters], in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual [reasonable] act of worship." (Romans 12: 1)   Have you ever gotten an answer to prayer that was so awesome, so miraculous, and so amazing that the words "Thank you, Lord" just weren't enough? You can say those words a hundred times and yet they just seem so empty in the light of the great blessing that God has given you. This has happened to me in the past and the not so distant past, as a matter of fact. I yelled, "Thank You, Jesus!" over and over again. Even fell on my knees and lifted my hands to the Lord in thanksgiving. But it still just didn't seem to be enough.    When David received answers to his cries for help, he wrote poetry and songs. Old Testament saints offered fellowship offerings to the Lord as an expression of thankfulness. But how should we, followers of Christ in the year 2006, offer our thanksgiving to God Almighty for the things He has done in our lives? For those awesome, unbelievable answers to our prayers?   You and I have nothing that God needs. Everything that we have has come from His hand. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. (James 1: 17) He has given us our lives. He doesn't need our money. He is the one who gives us the ability to produce wealth (Deut. 8: 18). He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10) All of the silver and gold belongs to Him. (Haggai 2:8) He doesn't need our gifts, our talents, our money or our abilities...He is the one who gave them to us in the first place. We have nothing to give Him. Or do we???   I think that Romans, Chapter 12, verse 1 gives us the answer. I really do. What can we give? Ourselves! Plain and simple...ourselves. The apostle Paul spent the first 11 chapters of Romans to exhort people on God's tremendous mercy and compassion. In light of Paul's closely reasoned and finely argued exposition of the mercies of God, he comes to chapter 12 and says, "Therefore". This word shows the transition. He is saying.."Because of God's mercy. Because of God's compassion. Because of all God has done for you, this is what you should do"....Here comes the desirable response for believers. "Offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing [devoted, consecrated] to God-this is your reasonable, acceptable act of worship." In light of all of His mercies, blessings and answers to your prayers...offer yourself to Him.   The Message version of the Bible says it in such a cool way... "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life?your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life?and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him." Bible teacher, Martha Kilpatrick is quoted as saying, "Thanksgiving to God is an exuberant response to giving me HIS everything...by giving Him MY everything."  A believer's offering of his total life as a sacrifice to God is sacred service. And it is the desirable response to our blessings and the way that we can respond when the words "thank you" just aren't enough.   And what does this offering of ourselves mean? God showed me a few scriptures that helped me understand. Offering myself means that I "fear the Lord and walk in His ways." (Ps. 128) It means that I "act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God." (Micah 6:8) It means that I offer myself to Him each day, an empty vessel, presented to my God for His use in any way that He calls me to be, on any given day. It means that I include Him in every thought and conversation and decision and circumstance. I don't just rattle off some morning prayers and go on my own way. God is all about relationship. He wants to be involved in the minutest details of your life. Include Him. Talk to Him. Ask Him. Seek Him. Serve Him. Obey Him. This is what a living sacrifice to Him looks like. The branch connected to the Vine. So close and intimate in relationship with Him, that you can be used at any given moment for His purposes. A cracked pot in the hands of the Potter, but a pot that can be shaped as seems best to Him (Jeremiah 18: 4). Moldable, pliable, not hard and unyielding. A vessel ready to have the Spirit of God poured into it, to be used for His holy and eternal purposes. That's what we can give in response to God when "thank you" just doesn't seem to be enough.   John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." Are you truly thankful to God today? I challenged my Bible study group this past weekend to find things to be thankful for and truly thank God for them. Even in the midst of life's hard circumstances, we all have things to be grateful for. Things that we should never take for granted. Things that would never be possible without God's intervention in our lives. Things like eternal life and forgiveness and grace and God's presence...things that we can never lose. I take that challenge with you today, friend, even deeper. Don't just SAY "Thank you". Show your gratitude to the Lord with your life. The offering of all you are - of everything - good and bad - perfect and imperfect - to God so that God can take it and do what He wills with it. Seems to me that it is our reasonable, acceptable service and offering to the Lord when the words, "Thank You" just aren't enough.   Entering His gates with thanksgiving,   Donna Schultz Savemom@aol.com   ~ One Night with the King ~ The Story of Esther ~   See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.   If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #72

#72 "When All Hell Breaks Loose" November 14, 2006 "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" (John 16:33 Amplified Bible) Sometimes life just hits you in the gut. It seems as if it's just one thing after the other. Life is sometimes a big, fat, ugly bully...in your face...making you feel bewildered, discouraged, confused and unable to make sense of it all. British author, Gilbert K. Chesterton says, "I believe in getting into hot water. I think it keeps you clean." I don't know about that, but I do know that sometimes all hell breaks loose in life and we ask "what in the world are we supposed to do????" Jesus' disciples must have felt just that way. They were bewildered. They were confused. Jesus told them that He had to go away (John 7:34, 8:21, 12:8, 35, 13:33). He told them that He would die (12: 32-33). He said that one of them would be a traitor (13:21), that Peter would disown Him three times (13: 38). To add insult to injury, Jesus said that Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22: 31-32) and that all the disciples would fall away (Matt. 26: 31). The cumulative weight of these revelations must have greatly depressed them. They thought that Jesus was going to usher in the earthly Kingdom and get them out from under Roman rule. They thought that His saving work was in the here and now. Even though He had told them the things that must happen over and over again, they just didn't get it and now they hear nothing but bad news, one thing after another. All hell was breaking loose. God, my gracious Father, allowed me to read this passage of Scripture at the beginning of a day where all hell was breaking loose in my life. Things just seemed to be getting worse by the minute. I was reading about all the trouble that the disciples were finding themselves in and then, wait a minute, the next words were in red! Jesus was about to speak. I said, "Okay, Lord. I feel like all hell is breaking loose. You're about to speak. Tell me what I'm supposed to do." Aren't you thankful for the Word of God? In the midst of the roaring waves and burning fire, Jesus can speak right to the situation. Right where you are. And that morning, He showed me three things to do when all hell breaks loose in your life. I'd like to share those with you. They are too important and too life-saving to miss. So turn your ears to John, Chapter 14 and listen to Jesus speaking right into your situation. The first thing to do is Trust God. Sounds too simple and maybe a little like a platitude, but this was the command of Jesus, not a suggestion. John 14:1 says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." The Greek word for "troubled" is "tarassestho" which means "stirred or agitated." So Jesus commands, "Don't let your hearts be stirred or agitated." When He says "do not let", it implies that you have control over this. Don't let yourself get stirred up, troubled and agitated. Trust God. The King James Version used the word "believe" instead of trust. Strong's Bible Concordance defines this as "to be persuaded, place confidence in, to trust Jesus as able to aid in doing something". So to some it all up: "Do not let your heart be stirred up and agitated and troubled over this. Believe, trust, be persuaded and place your confidence in Christ. He is able to do what you need done. And He's an Ephesians 3:20 Savior...He's able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than you could ever ask or think." Need I say more! Second, Pray. In Verses 12-14, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." Praying in Jesus' name is not a magical formula of invocation. But the prayers of believers, as Christ's representatives doing His business, will be answered. Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 says, "pray without ceasing [continually]." In Luke 18:1 "Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." The words that struck me to the heart were "and I will do it." If I ask in Jesus' name, which means with faith in all that He is and according to His will, HE WILL DO IT! He will do it! Are you praying for something that is in God's will? Are you filled with faith in who Jesus is? Then, my friend, He will do it! So when all hell is breaking loose....Pray! Third, know that you are not alone. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. The very Spirit of the Living God is living on the inside of you. Right now, in the midst of your trial...Jesus is there, by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is your Counselor, the Spirit of Truth in the midst of the lies of the enemy. Jesus says that He lives in you and is with you. He says that the Holy Spirit will teach you all things and remind you of everything that Jesus has for you. Romans 8: 11 says that "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you." That's some kind of power living on the inside of you! You have power, you have a Counselor to lead you and guide you in the way you should go. And the Bible says that same Spirit helps you in your weakness. And when you don't know how to pray, He himself intercedes for you with groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8: 26) Author, Sue Richards says, "How empowering in our weakest moments, when we don't know how to express our own overwhelming needs, to cling to the words of God. When Christ gave us the Holy Spirit, he left us much more than an inner spiritual discernment. Our triune God lives within and intercedes for each of us when we are at our weakest moments." The Holy Spirit will lead you into the truth of God's Word. He will call to mind Scriptures for you to hang on to and confess to replace those lies that the devil is putting into your head. You will say, "It is written..." and you will be able to wield that Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, because the Holy Spirit Himself will call those to mind for you. Our God is an Awesome God! You are not alone!!Isaiah 43: 2 says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." I don't know who I'm writing for today. What I do know is that I write as someone who has just come out of a week of all hell breaking loose. I can testify that if it weren't for the truths that I have given you today...well, I don't know where I would be. I am so thankful for the Word of God. It truly does hold all of the answers. I fall more in love with Jesus and more in love with His Word each day and with each new trial. In this passage of Scripture Jesus tells His disciples twice that He leaves them His peace. And in our headline verse, John 16:33, He says that in this world we will have trouble, but that we are to take heart [be courageous, cheer up] because He has overcome the world. Jesus is the Victor! And so are you! Psalm 108: 13 says, "With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies." Hallelujah! It's true. I'm telling you so that you will be encouraged. God gained the victory in my situation. He trampled down my enemies! His Word is true. And He is no respecter of persons. He'll do it for you too. If He will do it for me, He'll do it for you! If God is for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31) "No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you." (Isaiah 54: 17) Are you a servant of the Lord? This same verse says that if you are, this is your heritage and your vindication from the Lord. This is for you. Claim it. Hold onto it! It is the truth! God heard and answered my prayers rather quickly this time. Maybe because of the gravity of the situations. But it doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes hell is breaking loose for a much longer time. You may be there today. In the midst of some hell the devil has sent your way to destroy you. Don't let him. Trust God. Pray. Rely on the Holy Spirit...He is with you...you are not alone. And remember that Jesus has already overcome what you are going through. He has defeated Satan, death, hell and the grave. This problem is not too much for Him. He knows what you're going through. He sees your tears. He will hear your cry for mercy when all hell is breaking loose. And because Jesus won, you, in union with Him, can win also. Donna Schultz Savemom@aol.com ~ One Night with the King ~ The Story of Esther ~ See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives. If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list. If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #71

#71 "Rejection...The Gift That Keeps On Giving" November 7, 2006 "Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel." (Genesis 29: 16-18a) "..and [Jacob] loved Rachel more than Leah." (Genesis 29: 30b)   We live in a disposable society. Everything comes in throw away form to make life easy on us. This disposable mind set has sadly seeped it's way into our relationships as well. We see it in the attitude of some who marry and say, "well, if it doesn't work out, we can always get a divorce." We see it in the booming abortion industry where live human beings are murdered for the sake of convenience. Children are abandoned by their parents when life just gets too hard and some other pursuit seems better. Relationships fall apart when the work to repair them requires forgiveness and acceptance and it's too much work or requires too much grace.    I think all of us have suffered the pain of rejection in one way or another during our lives. The word "rejection" means to be cast aside; to be thrown away as having no value. To be rejected means being told, "I don't want you--you have no value! You're not what I want! You're not right!" And we don't accept that well. We were created by God to be accepted, loved and valued. Rejection is very painful and it's effects can last a lifetime. Rejection is the gift that keeps on giving.    No one knew the pain and sting of rejection better than Leah, Jacob's first wife. She wasn't his first by choice. The deceitfulness of her father, Laban, got her the place of first wife. The Bible tells us that Leah had weak eyes. She was most likely cross eyed or had a "lazy eye." She was plain in comparison to her sister Rachel's beauty. Leah probably had no prospective suitors and was probably past the age that most women were married. Her father Laban used her. Her life of rejection began with one deceitful act of her father. He used her to get seven years of work out of Jacob and he rid himself of supporting an "old maid." In those days, daughters were forced to marry the man of her father's choosing. Rejected and used by her father ... married to a man who would reject her as well. The gift that keeps on giving.   Being rejected displays itself in many different ways. It can cause someone to be rebellious, angry, or bitter. You may feel guilty, inferior and have a poor self-image. Often it results in perfectionism. We try to be perfect, do everything right, and try to make no mistakes, so that we won't ever be rejected by anyone again. This is where we find Leah. Trying to gain the acceptance and love of a husband who didn't love her, by being perfect in outward circumstances. Never realizing that the only acceptance and love that we should crave should be the love of God. God, the One that we don't have to perform for..the One we don't have to be perfect for...the One who loves us anyway, always and no matter what.   This Biblical account plays like a bad soap opera. Jacob is shuffled from bed to bed, from tent to tent. (You fellows are probably thinking, "Oh, pooor guy!) Because of timing, in all of these pregnancies and births between Rachel and Leah, there had to be some overlap. It's like watching a tennis match ... Leah, Rachel, Leah, Rachel.  The name Leah means "weary". Ya think! I'd be weary too if I spent all my life getting pregnant and having babies, just to win the love of a husband who was in love with someone else. Who are you wearing yourself out to please? Who are you trying to be perfect for so that they will accept you and not reject you? A spouse, parents, children, a boss? Give it up, my friend. It can't happen. There are some people that no matter how much you do, how perfectly you do things...will never accept you for who you are. If you trip up once, just once, out you go! Stop living your life to win the acceptance of people who will never change. See your God given destiny and go after it. He's the one who has made you "accepted in the beloved."  (Ephesians 1:6 KJV) God is the one who loves you with an everlasting love...no matter what. He will never reject you.   To understand Leah's mind set and our own desire to please others to be accepted we need to look at what she said after the birth of her sons. This gives us a bird's eye view into her thinking: After Reuban's birth, Leah said, "Surely my husband will love me now." After Simeon's, "because the Lord heard that I am not loved." Levi, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." She was desperately seeking Jacob's approval. She was finding her own self worth in what she did...not in who she was. Never confuse your "who" with your "do". Ephesians 2:8 tells us that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." It is not what we do that makes us acceptable. We have to know who we are in Christ. We are the righteousness of God in Christ, the apple of God's eye, dearly loved. Never abandoned, dropped, left or forsaken. Your worth and value is in Christ Jesus, not in what you do.   None of this child-bearing changed Jacob's attitude anyway. No amount of effort will make people accept you if they don't want to. You can never do enough or be perfect enough for some folks. Smith's Bible Dictionary says that "Jacob's preference of Rachel grew into hatred of Leah after he had married both sisters." None of her striving to please him made him love her. He still spent every night in Rachel's tent. Nothing Leah did could change Jacob. But Leah could change herself.   We begin to see this change with the birth of the fourth son, Judah. For the first time in naming a son, Leah turned from expressing her yearning for Jacob's love to accepting God's love. She says in verse 35, "This time I will praise the Lord." Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for "praise." Leah begins to take her focus off of her lack and starts to look at what she possesses in God. She is finally recognizing the hand of God and the fact that God is giving her the significance that she is looking for. We can be like Leah was and focus on our lack of acceptance by people and be miserable, or focus on what we have and praise God for what He has given us, what He's done for us and who we are in His eyes. Leah is recognizing that to be loved and be led by God was a far greater thing than to be loved by any man. She could be content with the abundant love of God.   As this Old Testament story of "Desperate Housewives" continues, Rachel bears two children through her servant Bilhah. Leah feels that old feeling again and even though she is leading in this match, 4 to 2, she gets in gear again. It's never enough when you're riveted on getting the approval of man. As I said, rejection is the gift that keeps on giving. It just keeps rearing it's ugly head and messing with our emotions. We may think we have it under control, but the roots can be so deep that it shows up, time and time again in our people pleasing behavior. So Leah adds two more points to the scoreboard with the use of her servant, Zilpah. Again her words after their births are interesting and revealing. After the birth of Gad, Leah says, "What good fortune!" She's back to leaving God out of the equation and sees the birth as only good fortune. After the birth of Asher, her attitude shifts to pleasing more than just her husband. She says, "The women will call me happy!" Rejection and the resulting need for approval grows tentacles and grips every area of our relationships. We move from trying to please the one who rejected us to trying to please EVERYONE, so as to never be rejected by ANYONE.   The last part of our story shows the desperation that rejection can cause. Leah was so desperate to be with Jacob, loved or unloved, that she resorts to a form of prostitution by purchasing her husband's services from Rachel with mandrakes. Mandrakes were referred to as "love apples" and were thought to induce fertility (which is why Rachel had them) and were supposed to act as a love potion (Leah's desire). So ready or not, Jacob slept with Leah and two more sons came with the deal. After the birth of Zebulin, Leah's back to her old way of thinking again, and says, "This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." She also had a daughter named Dinah who is involved in a story that is for a whole 'nother day.  The roots of rejection run deep....the gift that keeps on giving.   What a miserable life this must have been. What a miserable life it is when you live it to please someone else and when you only feel significant because people accept you. What a greater and more abundant life it would be to find that significance in God Almighty. The God who has a plan for your life. The God who created you for a purpose. Leah was so blessed and favored by God but her life of Jacob-pleasing blinded her eyes to the truth. She was the mother of half of the twelve tribes of Israel. Her son Judah would be the ancestor of the leading tribe among the Jews, of the royal line, and of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ. There was a plan for her life, God designed, God ordained and she was too busy Jacob-pleasing to see God's hand on her life and submit to His will, obediently and gratefully. Too busy looking for man's approval to see the complete approval of God, the only approval that really matters.   Friend, if you are living your life with a root of rejection, trying to please people and be accepted in this world, I beg you to stop. Know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. He is the only cure for the feelings of rejection that you have that lasts. He took your rejection on Himself on the Cross at Calvary. Because of His death and resurrection, you can truly be free from the feelings of rejection and the behavior that those feelings produce. Immerse yourself in the Word of God and find out what He has to say about you. I might suggest that you put aside all other studies and Bible adventures that you are involved in and make this your mission...to find out who I am in Christ. He has left a love letter to you in His Word. His Word has transforming power. Only through Christ and His word to you in His Word will you ever be truly free to be exactly who He wants you to be. Whether men like it or not. Jesus will become to you all that matters. Then instead of rejection being the gift that keeps on giving, it can be the gift that has been sent back, "Return to Sender"...right back to Hell where it belongs.   Donna Schultz Savemom@aol.com   ~ One Night with the King ~ The Story of Esther ~   See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.   If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

#71 "Rejection..The Gift That Keeps On Giving"

November 7, 2006
"Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel." (Genesis 29: 16-18a) "..and [Jacob] loved Rachel more than Leah." (Genesis 29: 30b)

We live in a disposable society. Everything comes in throw away form to make life easy on us. This disposable mind set has sadly seeped it's way into our relationships as well. We see it in the attitude of some who marry and say, "well, if it doesn't work out, we can always get a divorce." We see it in the booming abortion industry where live human beings are murdered for the sake of convenience. Children are abandoned by their parents when life just gets too hard and some other pursuit seems better. Relationships fall apart when the work to repair them requires forgiveness and acceptance and it's too much work or requires too much grace.

I think all of us have suffered the pain of rejection in one way or another during our lives. The word "rejection" means to be cast aside; to be thrown away as having no value. To be rejected means being told, "I don't want you--you have no value! You're not what I want! You're not right!" And we don't accept that well. We were created by God to be accepted, loved and valued. Rejection is very painful and it's effects can last a lifetime. Rejection is the gift that keeps on giving.

No one knew the pain and sting of rejection better than Leah, Jacob's first wife. She wasn't his first by choice. The deceitfulness of her father, Laban, got her the place of first wife. The Bible tells us that Leah had weak eyes. She was most likely cross eyed or had a "lazy eye." She was plain in comparison to her sister Rachel's beauty. Leah probably had no prospective suitors and was probably past the age that most women were married. Her father Laban used her. Her life of rejection began with one deceitful act of her father. He used her to get seven years of work out of Jacob and he rid himself of supporting an "old maid." In those days, daughters were forced to marry the man of her father's choosing. Rejected and used by her father ... married to a man who would reject her as well. The gift that keeps on giving.

Being rejected displays itself in many different ways. It can cause someone to be rebellious, angry, or bitter. You may feel guilty, inferior and have a poor self-image. Often it results in perfectionism. We try to be perfect, do everything right, and try to make no mistakes, so that we won't ever be rejected by anyone again. This is where we find Leah. Trying to gain the acceptance and love of a husband who didn't love her, by being perfect in outward circumstances. Never realizing that the only acceptance and love that we should crave should be the love of God. God, the One that we don't have to perform for..the One we don't have to be perfect for...the One who loves us anyway, always and no matter what.

This Biblical account plays like a bad soap opera. Jacob is shuffled from bed to bed, from tent to tent. (You fellows are probably thinking, "Oh, pooor guy!) Because of timing, in all of these pregnancies and births between Rachel and Leah, there had to be some overlap. It's like watching a tennis match ... Leah, Rachel, Leah, Rachel. The name Leah means "weary". Ya think! I'd be weary too if I spent all my life getting pregnant and having babies, just to win the love of a husband who was in love with someone else. Who are you wearing yourself out to please? Who are you trying to be perfect for so that they will accept you and not reject you? A spouse, parents, children, a boss? Give it up, my friend. It can't happen. There are some people that no matter how much you do, how perfectly you do things...will never accept you for who you are. If you trip up once, just once, out you go! Stop living your life to win the acceptance of people who will never change. See your God given destiny and go after it. He's the one who has made you "accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6 KJV) God is the one who loves you with an everlasting love...no matter what. He will never reject you.

To understand Leah's mind set and our own desire to please others to be accepted we need to look at what she said after the birth of her sons. This gives us a bird's eye view into her thinking: After Reuban's birth, Leah said, "Surely my husband will love me now." After Simeon's, "because the Lord heard that I am not loved." Levi, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." She was desperately seeking Jacob's approval. She was finding her own self worth in what she did...not in who she was. Never confuse your "who" with your "do". Ephesians 2:8 tells us that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." It is not what we do that makes us acceptable. We have to know who we are in Christ. We are the righteousness of God in Christ, the apple of God's eye, dearly loved. Never abandoned, dropped, left or forsaken. Your worth and value is in Christ Jesus, not in what you do.

None of this child-bearing changed Jacob's attitude anyway. No amount of effort will make people accept you if they don't want to. You can never do enough or be perfect enough for some folks. Smith's Bible Dictionary says that "Jacob's preference of Rachel grew into hatred of Leah after he had married both sisters." None of her striving to please him made him love her. He still spent every night in Rachel's tent. Nothing Leah did could change Jacob. But Leah could change herself.

We begin to see this change with the birth of the fourth son, Judah. For the first time in naming a son, Leah turned from expressing her yearning for Jacob's love to accepting God's love. She says in verse 35, "This time I will praise the Lord." Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for "praise." Leah begins to take her focus off of her lack and starts to look at what she possesses in God. She is finally recognizing the hand of God and the fact that God is giving her the significance that she is looking for. We can be like Leah was and focus on our lack of acceptance by people and be miserable, or focus on what we have and praise God for what He has given us, what He's done for us and who we are in His eyes. Leah is recognizing that to be loved and be led by God was a far greater thing than to be loved by any man. She could be content with the abundant love of God.

As this Old Testament story of "Desperate Housewives" continues, Rachel bears two children through her servant Bilhah. Leah feels that old feeling again and even though she is leading in this match, 4 to 2, she gets in gear again. It's never enough when you're riveted on getting the approval of man. As I said, rejection is the gift that keeps on giving. It just keeps rearing it's ugly head and messing with our emotions. We may think we have it under control, but the roots can be so deep that it shows up, time and time again in our people pleasing behavior. So Leah adds two more points to the scoreboard with the use of her servant, Zilpah. Again her words after their births are interesting and revealing. After the birth of Gad, Leah says, "What good fortune!" She's back to leaving God out of the equation and sees the birth as only good fortune. After the birth of Asher, her attitude shifts to pleasing more than just her husband. She says, "The women will call me happy!" Rejection and the resulting need for approval grows tentacles and grips every area of our relationships. We move from trying to please the one who rejected us to trying to please EVERYONE, so as to never be rejected by ANYONE.

The last part of our story shows the desperation that rejection can cause. Leah was so desperate to be with Jacob, loved or unloved, that she resorts to a form of prostitution by purchasing her husband's services from Rachel with mandrakes. Mandrakes were referred to as "love apples" and were thought to induce fertility (which is why Rachel had them) and were supposed to act as a love potion (Leah's desire). So ready or not, Jacob slept with Leah and two more sons came with the deal. After the birth of Zebulin, Leah's back to her old way of thinking again, and says, "This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." She also had a daughter named Dinah who is involved in a story that is for a whole 'nother day. The roots of rejection run deep....the gift that keeps on giving.

What a miserable life this must have been. What a miserable life it is when you live it to please someone else and when you only feel significant because people accept you. What a greater and more abundant life it would be to find that significance in God Almighty. The God who has a plan for your life. The God who created you for a purpose. Leah was so blessed and favored by God but her life of Jacob-pleasing blinded her eyes to the truth. She was the mother of half of the twelve tribes of Israel. Her son Judah would be the ancestor of the leading tribe among the Jews, of the royal line, and of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ. There was a plan for her life, God designed, God ordained and she was too busy Jacob-pleasing to see God's hand on her life and submit to His will, obediently and gratefully. Too busy looking for man's approval to see the complete approval of God, the only approval that really matters.

Friend, if you are living your life with a root of rejection, trying to please people and be accepted in this world, I beg you to stop. Know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. He is the only cure for the feelings of rejection that you have that lasts. He took your rejection on Himself on the Cross at Calvary. Because of His death and resurrection, you can truly be free from the feelings of rejection and the behavior that those feelings produce. Immerse yourself in the Word of God and find out what He has to say about you. I might suggest that you put aside all other studies and Bible adventures that you are involved in and make this your mission...to find out who I am in Christ. He has left a love letter to you in His Word. His Word has transforming power. Only through Christ and His word to you in His Word will you ever be truly free to be exactly who He wants you to be. Whether men like it or not. Jesus will become to you all that matters. Then instead of rejection being the gift that keeps on giving, it can be the gift that has been sent back, "Return to Sender"...right back to Hell where it belongs.

Donna Schultz
Savemom@aol.com

~ One Night with the King ~ The Story of Esther ~


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