Tuesday, April 25, 2006

#43 The Heart of Worship

April 25, 2006
"[Job] fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.' " (Job 1: 20b-21)

The Bible tells us that Job was a righteous and upright man who feared God and shunned evil. The overriding question has always been, "why did Job suffer?" and correspondingly "why does any righteous person have to suffer"? However, today I would like to focus on Job's ability and willingness to worship and praise the Lord in spite of his hardships.

Job was devoted to God and knew that He was sovereign in all things and in all circumstances. He knew that God could bless and that God could take away His blessings. He was in charge and in control. I believe that Job saw God. Not visibly, but he had revelation of God's power, might and worthiness to be praised, no matter what. Job also had an adversary. An accuser. Satan, the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10) Satan was convinced that the only reason that Job led a righteous and blameless life was because of the abundance of blessings the Lord had given him. He wanted to see what would happen if Job lost everything. How righteous would he be now? So God allowed Job's life to be turned upside down. He lost his sheep that provided clothing and food. He lost his 3000 camels that provided transportation and milk. 1000 oxen and their power to plow and provide food and milk. 500 donkeys. His servants were all dead. The worse loss was yet to come. The loss of all of his 10 children when a tornado whipped across the desert and killed every last one of them. His losses were financial, emotional, physical and spiritual. Would Job serve the Lord now? Absolutely!

Job followed adversity with adoration. Woe with worship. He did not give in to bitterness or blame God. His wife told him to "curse God and die". But he responded, "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" He called her a foolish, spiritually ignorant woman. (see Job 2:9-10) He praised God in spite of it all. Job showed us that we can be devoted to God without receiving anything in return. He showed us the heart of worship. It's not about us...it's all about Him!

It's all about Him because He is God. Pure and simple. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. He is the King and the Lord. He is. Period. And because of that He is worthy and entitled to our worship. No matter what. And the sooner we stop seeing Him as a slot machine, dispensing answers to our prayers, the sooner we will begin to see Him for who He truly is and we will worship Him because He is worthy to be worshipped. We will seek His face, not His hand. We will take our eyes off of ourselves and fix our eyes on Him. As a result, our relationship with Him will go to a whole new level of intimacy.

Of course we should thank the Lord for all of His blessings and goodness to us. But we should be more in tune with seeking His face and gaining revelation of Who He truly is than being interested in what He can do for us. My goodness, He sent His only Son to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins! If He never did another thing for us, that's enough! He allowed you to wake up this morning and breathe air into your lungs. I believe He does that to allow us one more day to possibly, just maybe, seek Him today. Really seek Him...He longs for that. He wants that from you.

Like Job, you too have an adversary. The same one..Satan. In the midst of your trouble he will tell you that God isn't there. God doesn't love you. You have been so bad that God will never bless you again. You brought this upon yourself. Curse God and die! The book of Job proved to us that these are all lies. Job was righteous. He did nothing to precipitate his adversities. And God did bless him abundantly in the end. God is God. He is Holy. He is in control. Job gave us a beautiful example of praising God in the midst of...in spite of...

God wants to bless us. He wants to be good and gracious to us. But I believe that He wants us to know Him more than He wants to make our lives comfortable. He wants an intimate relationship with us. He wants our hearts. He wants us to fall in love with Him. He wants us to long to live in His presence. And how insulting it must be when we stop praising Him because life isn't going quite the way we would want it to. How would we feel if our own children only loved us and showed love to us when we were giving them presents? I think that I would be very sad and very insulted. I want them to love me because I'm their mom. I want them to spend time with me because of that love, not because of what I can give them. And God is that same kind of parent.

Worship God for who He is. Seek His face. I dare you to really, from the bottom of your heart pray, "God, show me more of who you are. Show me your glory. Give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know you better (Ephesians 1:17). The only thing I want is you. If you never give me another blessing, bless me with fullness in the knowledge of you. Draw me close. I want you and you alone." And since this is God's heart...He will answer you and you will see things you've never seen before. I promise you that!

No matter what you are going through today, let Job be an example to you. He cried,"Blessed be the name of the Lord" in the midst of his trial. Let the words of the prophet Habukkak be another example. "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Habukkak 3: 17-18)

That is the heart of worship!

Donna SchultzSavemom@aol.com

#43 The Heart of Worship

April 25, 2006
"[Job] fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.' " (Job 1: 20b-21)

The Bible tells us that Job was a righteous and upright man who feared God and shunned evil. The overriding question has always been, "why did Job suffer?" and correspondingly "why does any righteous person have to suffer"? However, today I would like to focus on Job's ability and willingness to worship and praise the Lord in spite of his hardships.

Job was devoted to God and knew that He was sovereign in all things and in all circumstances. He knew that God could bless and that God could take away His blessings. He was in charge and in control. I believe that Job saw God. Not visibly, but he had revelation of God's power, might and worthiness to be praised, no matter what. Job also had an adversary. An accuser. Satan, the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10) Satan was convinced that the only reason that Job led a righteous and blameless life was because of the abundance of blessings the Lord had given him. He wanted to see what would happen if Job lost everything. How righteous would he be now? So God allowed Job's life to be turned upside down. He lost his sheep that provided clothing and food. He lost his 3000 camels that provided transportation and milk. 1000 oxen and their power to plow and provide food and milk. 500 donkeys. His servants were all dead. The worse loss was yet to come. The loss of all of his 10 children when a tornado whipped across the desert and killed every last one of them. His losses were financial, emotional, physical and spiritual. Would Job serve the Lord now? Absolutely!

Job followed adversity with adoration. Woe with worship. He did not give in to bitterness or blame God. His wife told him to "curse God and die". But he responded, "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" He called her a foolish, spiritually ignorant woman. (see Job 2:9-10) He praised God in spite of it all. Job showed us that we can be devoted to God without receiving anything in return. He showed us the heart of worship. It's not about us...it's all about Him!

It's all about Him because He is God. Pure and simple. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. He is the King and the Lord. He is. Period. And because of that He is worthy and entitled to our worship. No matter what. And the sooner we stop seeing Him as a slot machine, dispensing answers to our prayers, the sooner we will begin to see Him for who He truly is and we will worship Him because He is worthy to be worshipped. We will seek His face, not His hand. We will take our eyes off of ourselves and fix our eyes on Him. As a result, our relationship with Him will go to a whole new level of intimacy.

Of course we should thank the Lord for all of His blessings and goodness to us. But we should be more in tune with seeking His face and gaining revelation of Who He truly is than being interested in what He can do for us. My goodness, He sent His only Son to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins! If He never did another thing for us, that's enough! He allowed you to wake up this morning and breathe air into your lungs. I believe He does that to allow us one more day to possibly, just maybe, seek Him today. Really seek Him...He longs for that. He wants that from you.

Like Job, you too have an adversary. The same one..Satan. In the midst of your trouble he will tell you that God isn't there. God doesn't love you. You have been so bad that God will never bless you again. You brought this upon yourself. Curse God and die! The book of Job proved to us that these are all lies. Job was righteous. He did nothing to precipitate his adversities. And God did bless him abundantly in the end. God is God. He is Holy. He is in control. Job gave us a beautiful example of praising God in the midst of...in spite of...

God wants to bless us. He wants to be good and gracious to us. But I believe that He wants us to know Him more than He wants to make our lives comfortable. He wants an intimate relationship with us. He wants our hearts. He wants us to fall in love with Him. He wants us to long to live in His presence. And how insulting it must be when we stop praising Him because life isn't going quite the way we would want it to. How would we feel if our own children only loved us and showed love to us when we were giving them presents? I think that I would be very sad and very insulted. I want them to love me because I'm their mom. I want them to spend time with me because of that love, not because of what I can give them. And God is that same kind of parent.

Worship God for who He is. Seek His face. I dare you to really, from the bottom of your heart pray, "God, show me more of who you are. Show me your glory. Give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know you better (Ephesians 1:17). The only thing I want is you. If you never give me another blessing, bless me with fullness in the knowledge of you. Draw me close. I want you and you alone." And since this is God's heart...He will answer you and you will see things you've never seen before. I promise you that!

No matter what you are going through today, let Job be an example to you. He cried,"Blessed be the name of the Lord" in the midst of his trial. Let the words of the prophet Habukkak be another example. "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Habukkak 3: 17-18)

That is the heart of worship!

Donna SchultzSavemom@aol.com

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

#42 Life in the In-Between

April 18, 2006
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' (John 20:19)

My Tuesday devotionals seem to have a common theme lately and at first that bothered me. However, the more I think about it ... I think it's okay. I remembered back to why I first started to write "Tuesday's" and my current theme is still in line with that reason. The overriding purpose for which I started writing was to bring hope to the hurting. I was and still am moved in my spirit by those who are struggling on life's journey and just don't know how to cope. What bothered me even more was that I saw this among so many of my Christian brothers and sisters. Those who supposedly have all the Hope in the world. Those whose faith should be strong. Those who profess Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ...the HOPE of glory! They seemed to have lost sight of Him and honestly weren't reacting any differently in their struggles than the non-Christians that I know. So here I am again today, having found more treasures of hope in God's Word and if you'll allow me, I'll once again attempt to bring that hope to the hurting.

The disciples had almost been arrested with Jesus. One had outright denied that he knew Him and lived with his own shame and regret. Along with so many others they thought that Jesus "was the One who was going to redeem Israel", that is, to be the Messiah and bring in the kingdom. (Luke 24:21) They were all afraid and had scattered when Jesus was arrested. They remained under the fear of death at the hands of the Jewish authorities, so they met in secret, at night, with fear, behind locked doors. Talk about having no hope! I do have to say that the one thing that they did right was to stay together. My pastor preached on the importance of being in community when all is falling apart. We absolutely need each other to survive. We need other Christ followers who can listen and not necessarily give advice, but point us back to Christ when our struggles cause us to lose sight of Him. Brothers and sisters who are not afraid to speak Truth to their hurting friends. No platitudes, no patronizing, just the unadulterated Word of God spoken for the purpose of re-focusing their eyes on Jesus...the HOPE of glory! Find a friend...be a friend, with Christ Jesus as the tie that binds you together.

How many times had Jesus told them that things would happen this way? How many times did He say that He would be betrayed into the hands of men and have to die? He told them He had to go away. He told them that darkness would reign for a time. But He also told them that He was going to prepare a place for them. He told them He'd never leave them alone. He told them that He would come to them and not leave them as orphans. He gave them instruction on how they were to live, what they would have to say and so much more. But they seemed to have forgotten it all. How like us, isn't it? Trouble swoops in like a flood and we forget all the Word that we know. We can sure quote those verses in the good times. Or to other people. But when our own world is falling apart, our minds would rather listen to the lies of the devil than recall the words of the Victor over death, hell and the grave. Some of us may also not even know enough of God's Word to recall it when the storm winds blow. We neglect the study of God's word and have nothing to hold onto in the bad times. We search for answers everywhere and from every one who will listen instead of running to our Bible and searching out the Truth of God's love, faithfulness, protection, provision, mercy and grace. Peace in your storm is found in nothing and no one else but Jesus! When He appeared to His disciples in that locked room His first words to them were, "Salom" in Hebrew. "Peace be with you!" Once when He appeared to them while they were eating He rebuked them quite harshly for their unbelief and hardness of heart. They had lost their ability to believe! They lost their peace. That's because they took their eyes off of Jesus and strayed from the remembrance of what He had told them. Jesus will speak peace to your storm. He'll reveal Himself and who He is and what He is like in His Word. He'll instruct you. He'll guide you. I have found in my years as a Christian that there is not one issue, problem or situation that is not addressed in God's word. And if you follow His instruction, you'll never go wrong.

The disciples were so afraid. Fear comes from the devil. The Bible tells us that "God has not given us a spirit of fear , but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) If you are afraid today, it's not from God...it's straight from the pits of hell. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. And the devil is a liar. Believe God and His Word. Resist the devil and he will flee. (James 4:7b) God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to live with you and in you. You have Power!! You have the same power that God exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated him at His right hand (Ephesians 1:20). You have THE SAME POWER working in you! You are not a slave to fear (Romans 8:15). You are a son or daughter of your Abba Father, God! Ask yourself..."whose kid am I?" You are a child of the King! And the King knows how to care for those who belong to Him.

I speak to you right now my friend, from my heart and from what I know to be true. Trust God. Know His word. It is life to you. It's the instruction manual for life. If you don't know God's word, you don't know His mind or what He is like. You have nothing to fall back on in times of trouble. Make time each day to read and study the Bible. No day is too busy for time spent with God. We make time for everything else, don't we? God just wants some time with you to allow you to sit in His presence and for Him to speak to you through His word. Read and study in the good times and the bad. Don't just run to God when times get tough. He wants you every single day. He wants to reveal Himself and all that He is to you...today and everyday. He can be trusted. No human being can be totally trusted. People will inevitably always let us down, even those closest to you. I promise you that! Nothing on earth is as sure as Jesus. Isaiah calls Him "a nail in a sure place" (Isaiah 22: 23). The writer of Hebrews calls Him "an anchor for the soul" (Hebrews 6:19). He is our hope..our only hope in those in-between places in life when it seems that all hope is gone. Between the vision and desires of your heart that seem to have died and the risen Savior full of love, compassion and promise for your here and now and your eternity, there is still hope. He is firm and steadfast..immovable. He is who He is no matter where we are. He never changes. He's always the same. Sure, fixed, steady. My Rock, my Refuge, my Fortress, my Deliverer!

He loves you so much. He really does. You are the apple of His eye. He delights in you. You are engraved on the palms of His hands. He will never hurt you. If you're in that in-between place right now, and you can't see His hand, my friend....trust His heart!

Donna SchultzSavemom@aol.com

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

#41 "The Cardinal, The Daffodil and Jesus"

April 11, 2006
"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:22)

I'm glad that I live in Michigan. We may complain about the weather and laugh about how it can be winter in the morning and a beautiful spring day by afternoon, but I think there is so much to be learned from God's creation as evidenced in nature and the changing of the seasons. Let's look at a cardinal, a daffodil, a Savior and you.

Consider the cardinal. The brightest red I have ever seen. Perched high atop a tree that is totally barren of leaves. Singing so loudly that all else went still. A beautiful song. I imagine he was calling out to his friends, "Hey guys! Wake up! Spring is here! Get a move on!" Even though the tree is bare and there is still a chill in the air, he KNOWS Spring has sprung. Surrounded by hard branches he sings the new song and testifies to God's faithfulness that spring is coming. Good times are on the way!

Consider the daffodil. One lonely daffodil. Bright yellow among a bunch of green flowerless stalks. She's calling out to her friends too. "Hey you! Wake up! Show your colors! Spring has sprung!" The earth beneath her is still a bit cold and hard. Nothing much seems to be happening around her. But her beauty assures us God is faithful and spring is on it's way.

Consider Jesus. Sharing supper with his closest friends, knowing that it would be their last meal together on earth. Feeling in His spirit the winds of opposition and hatred growing outside the room where they ate. Only a few days before, the crowds cheered Him on and proclaimed Him the one who comes in the name of the Lord. "Hosanna"! they cried. (Luke 19:38). Right now they were planning His death. He knew that He was about to become the fulfillment of all that had been written about Him.

Consider Him at Gethsemane (Mark 14). Overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death is how He described it. Paul Shepherd in his novel, "More Like Not Running Away", describes it like this: "I'D ALWAYS KNOWN, in one place in my throat, how Jesus must have cried in the garden?crying not to die, because there was no fear of death, and not to leave his friends, because he walked alone, and not to suffer, because the blood and bruises and thorns were part of his perfection?but crying because he could not find his Father's face, because when he would suffer all that he could bear, the pain of every person, living and dead, in that dark moment, there was really nobody there."

Consider the betrayal of Judas. The denial of Peter. The arrest. The floggings. The mocking. And worst of all the crucifixion. But also "fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM (emphasis mine), endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. CONSIDER HIM who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12: 2-3) Jesus knew what was ahead. The Bible says it was the JOY set before Him. The joy of the resurrection. The joy of defeating death, hell and the grave. The joy of finishing the work the Father sent Him to do. The joy of seeing you in right relationship with the Father because of what He had done. He knew winter was past and spring was on it's way. He knew His Father was faithful.

Here's where you come in. Hebrews goes on to say that "in your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." (Hebrews 12:4) I don't care what we are going through today, it pales in comparison to what Jesus did for us. You will never suffer the way Jesus suffered. And never say, "Well, He was God...He could handle it." No, He was also fully man and suffered just as you and I would. But He knew what was ahead. And by faith, we need to be sure of what is ahead. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11: 1) Be certain that God is faithful. Be certain that He answers prayer. Be certain that He will never give you more than you can bear (1 Corinthians 10: 13).

There was a crucifixion, but after that came the Resurrection. There was a dark, cold winter, but after that came a spring. Your world and circumstances may be dark and cold today. Your pain may be unbearable and excruciating. But like the cardinal, the daffodil and Jesus, I am calling to you, "Hey guys! Wake up! Have faith! God is faithful! Spring has sprung!" I'm sure of it!

Donna SchultzSavemom@aol.com

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

#40 The Big Bonfire

April 4, 2006
"But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Corinthians 3:10b-15)

When I try to imagine what Heaven will be like, I guess I think of the usual things. Beauty beyond anything I've ever seen. Perfect weather. No tears, no pain, no worries. The tree of life bounteous with perfect fruit. The crystal sea. Streets paved with gold. Gates made from gems. The face of my Jesus, right there in front of me. But I also can't help to think about a time that I will stand before my Lord and His great bonfire. And it makes me think seriously about what I will have left after my personal bonfire is over.

The "Day" our scripture refers to is the judgement seat of Christ. Only believers will appear there and our works will be judged for their quality. We have been building a foundation throughout our whole life and the materials we have built with really matter. We have either built with solid and enduring materials (gold, silver, costly stones) or with perishable, passing and useless ones (wood, hay and straw). What is it that will truly endure until that "Day"? And how does that impact the way I walk out my daily life?

First of all, I know that it's not my house. It may be a nice place to live filled with nice possessions, but I won't need it in Heaven. I believe that God wants me to have a nice place to live and that He wants me to take care of what He gives me, but He does not want me to pursue my home and my possessions over the pursuit of Him. I won't need my house in Heaven because Jesus tells me in John 14 that He is preparing a mansion for me, with many rooms. I'll have a place to live full of everything I'll ever need. There will be a new Heaven and a new earth. The dwelling of God, the New Jerusalem will be with men and He will live with us. (Revelation 21: 1-3)

It is absolutely not food that will endure. When I get to Heaven I will be blessed to be invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.(Revelation 19:9) Jesus will be my host and I will dine with Him through all of eternity. I've already sent in my R.S.V.P. My clothing doesn't matter either. When I get to Glory I will be given a white robe made of fine linen, bright and clean. (Revelation 7:9 and 19:8). I'm thinking that this is why Jesus told us in Luke 12 not to worry about food and clothing. He knew it didn't matter. He wants us to seek FIRST His Kingdom...He knows what we need and He will faithfully provide it. We are to concentrate on Kingdom things.

My job and the position in my company will be exposed in the Light and will not endure. Do a good job, with integrity and hard work, but don't bank your heavenly future on it. My bank account may have an impressive bottom line but if I have never used that money for the work of the Lord, it will have nothing to show for it. Jesus tells us not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. He tells us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where they will last. (Matthew 6:19-20) "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15) Don't be like the rich fool of Luke, Chapter 12 who stored up and hoarded his crops and died that very day. No one benefited from his hoarding. He should've been "rich toward God". (Luke 12: 21)

So now that our homes, clothing, food, jobs and possessions are burning in the bonfire, what's left? People. That's what Jesus cares about...people. On that "Day" you will see the people in your life that were impacted by you. That work will not be thrown in the fire. If you notice, Jesus Himself was all about people. He didn't have a place to lay His head, He had no bank account and He would've never been known as one of the rich and famous. But He loved people. He was never too busy and never too tired to stop for a crowd or just one person who needed His touch.

You will see the husband who became a better man because of your influence and faithfulness to stay with him "for better or for worse." You will see your children who you labored in prayer over and who you brought up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. You will see friends and family who always wondered what was different about you and when they asked, you shared Jesus. Co-workers will be there because they saw Christ in you when you didn't gossip at the water fountain and when you didn't react the way others did when it got hairy at work. You faithfully and cheerfully did your job, being a living epistle. (see 2 Corinthians 3: 3) People came to know Jesus because you taught Sunday school or worked in the nursery. You gave to missions or perhaps even served in a distant country to those who never heard "The Name." You offered a sandwich or some other help to a homeless person. You visited or wrote someone in prison. You gave away clothing or other possessions that you had that weren't stained or broken. You gave your best to those who had nothing. You befriended a lonely person who just needed a listening ear. These are the solid, the enduring, the lasting things that won't be in the bonfire of Heaven.

It is our own individual responsibility to live our lives like this. And remember that you don't have to. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are saved. You will not lose your salvation. That is a gift from God (see Romans 6:23). But you will lose your reward. Even though our rewards are never spelled out, I'm sure that my loving, abundantly gracious Father will have rewards for me that will blow my mind. If what you built survives you will get your reward. I know that one reward is God's praise. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says that we will receive our praise from God. Beyond that, who knows? But I can't wait to see. If what you built burns up, you suffer loss. Again, you will be saved, but "only as one escaping through the flames." The picture here is of a man rushing through fire to safety as the building crumbles.

There is no lack of work to be done. Jesus says to you today, "open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4: 35) But "the workers are few". (Matthew 9: 37) Let's take an honest look at our lives this week and see where we are putting all of our energies and what we are really pursuing. Are you building your life with hay, wood and straw? Or are you laying a foundation with gold, silver and precious stones that can never be burned in the big bonfire of Heaven? Life on earth lasts only a moment...eternity is forever. What's the better investment? It's up to you.

Donna SchultzSavemom@aol.com