Oh, Lord our Lord How Majestic is Your Name!!!! November 29, 2009

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters.

Psalm 24:1-2

 

As I sit on my balcony this morning, I am overwhelmed at the majesty of God.  My heart is calmed by the sound of waves crashing below me, knowing God set their boundaries (Job 38:11).  Joy fills my soul and a smile graces my face as I look over the edge of the balcony and see the endless ocean.  Oh, Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!!! (Ps 8:1)  These words penned by David are ever-present on my tongue as I enjoy the beauty of God’s creation here in Jamaica!  I can’t help but praise the Lord for His creativity and graciousness.  Carl and I are having a wonderful time bonding with each other and our Maker on our honeymoon!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Please take time to thank God for His creation today!!

 

Love ya’ll!

 

Faith Klein Herrgesell

But That’s Not Fair November 20, 2009

Have you ever caught yourself saying these words?  When you were younger you probably said these words over petty things like not getting chosen for the part you wanted in the fourth grade play or not getting the playing time you wanted in high school.  But now, as you’ve gotten older you probably have said these words over a gut wrenching ordeal.  Maybe a loved one with cancer, the loss of job in these tough economic times, or strife with a family member that you just can’t seem to resolve.  Today we are going to look at Genesis 27:1-40, the story of Jacob deceiving Isaac to get Esau’s birthright.  This example of life not being fair will lead us to a better understanding of who God is when life isn’t fair.  

 As you read this story, if you’re like me you probably have really only paid attention to Jacob.  And then when you finally do read about Esau, you have compassion on him and therefore, justify his response.  But today I’d like to walk thru the story again and focus on Esau.  At the beginning we see that Jacob is Rebekah’s favorite, and Esau is Jacob’s favorite.  Now Esau, because he is the older twin, was by custom supposed to get the birthright and the blessing.  At this point in the story, Jacob has already weasled his way to getting the birthright, and today’s passage reveals how he and his mother use deception to get him the blessing also.  Read thru the passage and watch Esau’s response beginning in verse 34.  Esau has just found out that Jacob has taken his blessing and he responds with the following:

v34: “Bless me–me too, my father!”

36: “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?  He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, nd now he’s taken my blessing!…Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

38: “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!”  Then Esau wept aloud.

As you read his response you realize that in Esau’s mind, Jacob was in control of this situation.  Esau’s losing his blessing was a big deal.  I’m not down playing that…but his understanding of who God is in this loss determines his reponse.  Esau has not yet come to the full understanding that God is God Most High.  And as we read the rest of story of Esau we realize that he never comes to this understanding.  But as you and I read this story, we can see God’s hand at work.  Let’s look at this story through the lens of God as God Most High.  

In an early blog and in the OT Home study we looked at a couple of names of God including the one mentioned above: “God Most High.”  In our home study we really dug into this and looked at supporting verses.  And came to an understanding that God Most High is the one who “gives and takes away” as the popular song says.  Knowing this attribute of God makes this passage really come to life.  If you look back at the birth of Jacob and Esau, God told Rebekah that Esau (the older brother) would serve Jacob, and that Jacob would be the stronger nation.  Knowing that God has already decided this, makes this story read a little differently.  With this prior knowledge you realize that Jacob was deceiving his father, but he wasn’t deceiving God.  And he definitely wasn’t catching God off guard.  God knew that this would happen and allowed it as part of His bigger plan for the salvation of man.  Maybe the idea that God is in control of this story even though Esau gets the short end of the stick ticks you off because you see how unfair it is that through lying Jacob “wins.”  But I see it as a huge comfort.  Knowing  that God is in control, and that even when bad things happen God knows and has His hand on all things brings peace to my life.  Knowing this means that my life is not in the hands of a drunk driver or a random thief or a cheater in the work place.  But my life is held in the hands of God.  Kay Arthur talks about, in her book “Refined as Silver,” how God sifts everything through His all-knowing and all-loving hands.  He knows what will make us look more like Him and what will bring Him the most glory in the end.  So we don’t have to worry about our lives.  The trials we face God knows about and has allowed.  We often don’t understand the “why” but knowing He is still in control and He is still on the throne will allow us to rest in Him.  This doesn’t necessarily make the trial less painful, but we can rest in the fact that God sees and God knows.  Melissa Greene has an amazing song on her new album, “Next Step” called “Jody’s Song.”  This song was written as a loved one died an early death to cancer.  In the chorus she sings, “I can choose to ask why, I can choose to be angry, I can wrestle when life is not what I thought it would be.  I can wish that all the pain would simply go away.  At the same time I can choose, Lord to trust You.”  This song does an amazing God of being real with the questions we ask of God when life really gets tough.  And it also does an amazing job of showing us the option we have of trusting that God is who He says He is.  

God is God Most High.  He holds your life in the palm of His hands.  And we do have the choice to be angry when things don’t go our way, but we also have the choice to trust Him.

Old Testament Study November 17, 2009

Hey, Friends!  

If you are walking thru the Old Testament study with us, I wanted to let you know that half of Week 3 is posted.  I will post the rest of Week 3 later today or tomorrow, but wanted to get the start of it up for those of you who are studying with us.  We are having a blast on Monday nights, and I hope you are having a blast as you study from a far.  Please feel free to post insights or questions that you have as you study alongside us.  

If you haven’t had an opportunity to check out the OT Home Study, yet, please check it out…we are looking at the major events in the History of Israel.  So far we’ve looked at some of the names of God and how they relate to us, and this week we are jumping into some drama filled pages and seeing God’s hand in the midst of the chaos!  I hope you’ll check it out.  God has revealed to me some significant insights thru this study.

God bless you as you dig into His Word!

Dream Walks!!! November 13, 2009

I moved to Nashville in September 3 years ago.  I was so excited that I moved here in the fall because the trees here are AMAZING this time of year.  When I first moved here, my best friend and I both had pretty unique work schedules which allowed us to spend lots for free time dreaming about what God might have in store for our futures.  We didn’t do this dreaming at a coffee shop or music venue, but rather we would dream while we walked.  We would go to our favorite park and walk down one particular sidewalk that was lined with trees one each side with branches that met overhead providing an ambiance we couldn’t resist.  We felt a million miles away from all the worries of our days, and as we walked we had the most incredible honest conversations.  We were honest with ourselves, each other and most importantly our heavenly Father.  It was during these walks that my dream of traveling and speaking and writing to encourage others in their walks with Jesus began to take shape.  And so when I came across the passages we are going to look at today, each one touched a special place in my heart taking me back to a time that I went on walks with God.  

Let’s jump in at Genesis chapter 5 is a chapter that most of skim over as we are reading through Genesis because at first all we see is who is the father of whom and how long each man lived, but as we near the end of the chapter we meet one special man, Enoch.  

“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methusalah.  And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.  Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.  Enoch walked with God; then he was no more because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:21-24, NIV)

Can you believe that?  He left his house one day to go on a walk with God and he never came home!  NEVER!  Enoch was walking with God, and God just took Enoch home with Him.  Isn’t that so amazing?  What do you think they were talking about?  Do you think God said, “Hey this walk has been great…why don’t we finish this conversation at my house?”  I just love to think of the honest conversations they must have had.  How encouraged must Enoch have been to hear the truth from God Himself!  As we read the passage again we realize that this wasn’t Enoch’s first walk with God.  It says Enoch walked with God for 300 years!  As I think of my inconsistency, I am challenged by Enoch’s faithfulness to continue to walk with God day after day, year after year for 300 years!  That is so encouraging.  I long to be so intimate with Jesus that one day as I’m spending time with Him, He just takes me home to finish the conversation at His house.  Isn’t that a sweet thought!  I love my life here on earth, but my soul LONGS to sit at Jesus feet!

As we continue strolling thru the pages of Scripture we come across another man who walked with God in the very next chapter.  Let’s set the scene with a few verses from this passage:

The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.  The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.  So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  

This is the account of Noah.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Genesis 6:5-9, NIV

Does this introduction of Noah seem a little abrupt and out of place?  It might, but I think the stark contrast from the previous verses really highlights the righteousness of Noah.  After we read about how God is so grieved that He is going to wipe mankind from the face of the earth, the next thing we learn is that there is one blameless man.  And as I was reading this chapter immediately after reading chapter 5, I could help but notice one important trait that linked Enoch and Noah.  Did you pick up on it?  They both WALKED with God.  I have to believe that these walks with God shaped Noah into the blameless, righteous man that he was.  Noah didn’t have a small group, or Bible study or even a church to go to.  All he had were His walks with God.  But these walks with God were intimate enough that he came away from them living a blameless life in the midst of a world whose hearts were evil all the time. Reading each of these stories makes me contemplate my own “walk” with the Lord.  I’ve spent time over the past couple of weeks reflecting on the difference and similarities between these men walking with God and what we see as “walking with God” to be in 2009.  

As I’ve let these thoughts roll through my mind and talked about them with a couple different Bible studies I’ve taught in the past week, I’ve challenged myself and my friends to take a new look at “walking with God.”  I feel like in my life I often put “walk with God” on my to do list next to “go to the gym.”  But I started thinking about how this mindset is in opposition to the mindset I desire.  I thought about other people I enjoy spending time with, even going on a walk with.  I thought about my best friend and our first days in Nashville, and I thought about my husband.  We cherish the time that we have together on walks with no cell phones or interruptions.  I thought about what my attitude and desire is to go on these walks because I long to spend time with these special people in my life.  I love to catch up with them and find out about what is going on in their lives.  I love hearing about what God is up to in their lives and just listen to their joys and pains.  I also love sharing my heart with them openly and honestly.  I know that the time Carl and I spend walking together deepens our intimacy and honesty with each other.  As I thought about this special time I treasure with my husband, I had to reevaluate my attitude toward the time I spend with my Savior.  Rather that approaching my time in the Word and with the Lord as something to cross of my to do list, I can approach it as a time in grow deeper with the One I love.  I’ve challenged myself to let my guard down with the Lord, to be as vulnerable and honest as I can.  I’ve also intentionally spent time listening the heart of God and not just unloading my burdens on Him.  It has been a sweet time of refocusing my heart.  I have to take the time to reevaluate every so often because it is so easy to slip into my to do list mentality or to just step away from our uninterrupted time altogether.  Today I encourage to you take time to reflect on the attitude of your heart.  Are you in the mindset that you feel guilty if you miss a day with your Savior, do you put Him on your to do list?  Or have you stepped away from your time with the Lord altogether?  Wherever you are, today, take some time to just enjoy Jesus.  Don’t have an agenda, but just enjoy Him, and see where He leads you on your walk.

Faith Klein, I mean Herrgesell November 6, 2009

I’ve caught myself saying the above phrase quite often lately.  On our one week anniversary (yes, we count those), we attended our first “marrieds” Sunday School class at church.  We were the first ones there because I had the time wrong, and a friendly man came over and introduced himself, and I proudly stuck out my hand, so happy to be in the “marrieds” class now, I heartily shook his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Faith Klein…oh, no!  I mean Herrgesell, and this is my husband Carl!”  Thankfully my sweet husband did not get his feelings hurt by my mistake.  But this name change is definitely a weird transition…I don’t really know who I am right now  My website, my bank account and all legal documents say I’m Faith Klein, but I clearly heard the pastor on October 18th introduce us as Mr. and Mrs. Herrgesell.  My family calls me Mrs. Herrgesell, and one of my many email accounts has been changed to Herrgesell, but the government does not, yet, agree.  What name you have might not matter to some, but when you are bordering a plane for your honeymoon you better know who you are.  And your passport better match the plane ticket! Knowing your own name matters, but even more than knowing who I am God reminded me of the importance of knowing HIS name!  

This week I was reading thru the story of Abram (Genesis 12-24), whose name was later changed to Abraham, and as I read, I began to notice other names besides Abram’s in this story.  Abram’s wife Sarai also had her name changed.  She is introduced as Sarai, and later God changes her name to Sarah.  In the story we also meet characters with names like Lot, Terah and Ishamel.  But in the middle of all these names I noticed that these men and women were also calling God out by name.  In Genesis 14 God is introduced as “God Most High.”  In chapter 15, Abram recognizes God’s authority and cries out to the “Sovereign Lord.”  And then in Genesis 16, a maid-servant in distress puts her trust in the Lord as she finds comfort in “the God who sees me.”  

God Most High

Sovereign Lord

The God who Sees Me

Which one of these names speaks loudest to you right now?  

Take a few minutes and open your Bible to the very first book: Genesis, flip through until you come to Genesis 12.  Take 5 or 10 minutes and read Genesis 12-16.  As you read notice where these names of God are used and how these titles or names give us a glimpse into the character of God.  As I read the story of Abraham and Sarah this week I was encouraged.  At the beginning we see a couple stepping out in faith, God says “go” and they go.  He doesn’t tell them where to go, so they just start going.  What faith!!!  But then God promises them a family…a family so big God says ” ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars–if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ ” (Genesis 15:5).  But when the family doesn’t happen in Abraham’s time frame he & Sarah doubt God’s means to fullfilling His promise.  And they take matters into their own hands.  Let’s pause a moment here…is anyone relieved to find out that Abraham, THE father Abraham did not only have many sons, but he also had doubts?  I know that I can relate to this story all to well.  There are days I fully trust the Lord with every ounce of my being, and other days I don’t necessarily doubt God’s ability to do what He said He would do, but I often doubt His timeframe.  

It is at this moment of doubt for Abraham and Sarah that we are introduced to Hagar.  (Genesis 16) Hagar is Sarah’s maid-servant and when Sarah realizes that she is getting a little too old to have a baby, she decides that Hagar should mother the sons of Abraham…the descendants who will outnumber the stars!  She convinces Abraham of her plan, and Hagar conceives.  Ishmael is born, and Sarah no longer likes her plan.  (Have you ever been there?) So Sarah, in her regret, begins to treat Hagar so poorly that Hagar and Ishmael flee from Sarah.  But an angel of the Lord finds Hagar and tells her to go back to Sarah.  The angel reveals to Hagar the future for her son Ishmael.  And when the angel is finished talking, Hagar “gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’ ” (Genesis 16:13).  

Isn’t that a great name?  The God who sees me.  He sees you!  I don’t know where you are at today, but for me knowing that God sees me speaks to my heart.  Last week I was walking through the crowded streets of New York City, and one of my dearest friends said, “Isn’t it cool to think that God knows each of these people’s names?” And at the same time we both said, “And how many hairs are on their heads!”  In my head I was thinking about how amazing it is that He knows the details of each of their lives, and He can hear all of their prayers at the same time!  I was overwhelmed.  And then as I read this particular name this week, I was reminded that in all of mess of the world, God sees me!  He doesn’t just look at me from a distance, but He walks beside me through every moment of everyday!  He sees me!  Praise the Lord, I am not alone, but the Sovereign Lord, the God Most High sees me.  And He not only sees me, but He also sees you!

What emotion does knowing God sees you bring to your life?  Spend some time journalling today about these truths.  

Praise Him for being the God Most High.  

Praise Him for being the Sovereign Lord.  

And praise Him for being the God who sees YOU!

 

*For more on the names of God, check out the Old Testament (OT) Home Study.  Week 2 has a look at these and other names of God.

Fun Updates! November 6, 2009

Hey Friends!  

I know I have been missing on here for a few months, but it is not because I don’t love each of you…it’s because I GOT MARRIED!!!   God is so good and over the past year and half I have fallen in love with Carl Herrgesell.  He asked me to marry him on September 14th, and we were married in Kansas City, MO on October 18th!  We have had a blast being with family and sharing fun moments with friends.  It was a wonderful weekend, and I promise to share the entire story soon, but for now I wanted you to know that I am still around  I am LOVING married life and have been blessed with the sweetest man!  Praise the Lord that He is so faithful!

Other fun news is that my small group in Nashville is doing a study on the History of Israel…this is a very brief study, it will be eight weeks long, which is not a long time to cover the history from Adam to Jesus, but we’re going to try to fit it in.  We began last Monday night and will continue up until Christmas!  If you’d like to see what we’re studying, I’ll be posting notes and suggested readings on the Home Study pages of SpeakingInFaith.  So check those out…they should be up this weekend!  

I pray each of you is well and enjoying life.  I just took some pictures of the beautiful sunset from the spare bedroom in our house! I was reminded again of God’s creativity and majesty!  How has God revealed Himself to you lately?

God bless, 

Faith

Home Study! August 23, 2009

Hey, Speakinginfaith Friends!!

Today we are launching the new Home Study pages on speakinginfaith!  I am so excited about this new addition to the speakinginfaith blog site!  This is a chance for those of you who attended a Bible study I have taught here in Nashville to take what we we’ve walked thru in a hour and go deeper on your own.  For those of you outside of Nashville, you can use this as a resource to go deeper into the Word and to follow what we are studying here in Nashville. 

In the upper righthand corner there is a page called “Hosea Home Study” which has directions on how to use the study. There is also a page called “Hosea 8″ which is the home Bible study guide for chapter 8 of Hosea.  Later today I will add guides for Hosea 9 & 10.  My prayer is that God will use these studies to refine us and deepen our relationships with Him! 

Love ya’ll!!

 

Faith Klein

“Go Big Red!” and other family traditions August 20, 2009

I love family traditions.  At Christmas time I love hearing people’s stories about their family traditions.  Some families serve at the soup kitchen every holiday, some have the same breakfast every Christmas morning, some have a specific order of events for Christmas day.  Traditions are as unique as the families that participate in them.  I’ve found that family traditions are definitely not limited to holiday events.  There are certain things I do, habits I have and foods I eat that I innately learned from growing up in my family.  Traditions and family characteristics are influenced by a variety of elements such as environment,  financial status, spiritual status, etc.  And many of us have no idea that the traditions our family practices would be seen as strange by someone else.  But these traditions  influence who we are.  Have you ever met a friend’s parents and immediately said, “Ahh, now I get it!”  After meeting one’s family, you begin to understand that person better than you ever had. 

My family doesn’t have as many hard and fast traditions as some, but we definitely have some things that are specific to our family.  One of the main categories that is unique to my family is the food we ate.  To this day salmon patties, fresh corn on the cob, mom’s strawberry pie, bubble loaf and chicken dumplings are favorites among my family.  Outside of food, we are all Nebraska Cornhusker fans!  We don’t just enjoy watching the games, but we LOVE the game!  One of my friends watched the Nebraska-Colorado football game last year with my family, and realized when everyone came to breakfast dressed in red, that this was more than a just a game to us.  Everyone from grandparents on down to babies and even dogs are dressed in Husker gear on any given game day.  We love the comradary that brings not only my family together, but an entire state together.   Many people don’t understand this tradition but nevertheless it is tradition I love.

There is another tradition I’ve learned in my family, specifically from my mom that is more valuable than any other tradition.  And that is praying the Scriptures.  She has taught me to use the Word of God as a guide to my prayers.  She taught me to put my name in the Scripture and pray it back to the Lord.  As a family we have prayed the Word of God  many times for many people, and we have seen God work in amazing way as He answered the prayers of His children.  And so today we are going to look at two simple verses from Psalm 25 that we can use to guide our hearts in prayer.

 

4     Show me your ways, O Lord,

teach me your paths;

5     guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

 

(The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 25:4-5)

 

This is a simple prayer that could have an overwhelming affect on our lives if we pray it honestly.  This prayer simply asks God to teach us His family traditions, so that we can walk in His ways.  Today, we’re going to keep this blog short so that you have time to pray this prayer.  I would encourage you to write these verses down on a note card and memorize them.  Begin to pray these precious words regularly, and please take time to listen to God’s response.  He will show you His ways.  Let Him teach you His truth.  And continue to hope in Him all day long!  Let’s pray.

Wishing and hoping and thinking and praying! August 14, 2009

Do you ever wake up singing?  I cherish the mornings that I wake up singing praise songs to Jesus.  I can’t think of a better way to start my day than to be humming or singing about my Savior, my greatest love, and my best friend!  I love when the song I wake up singing sticks in my head all day and reminds me of my love for Jesus and His love for me.  Sometimes we all need a reminder of how much we are loved.  Some days are so tough that we need to speak the name of Jesus out loud just to get the strength to take another step.  I love that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!!!  (Phil 2:10-11)  He is Lord, and what a privilege it is to serve Him, to find our strength in Him, and to walk through life hand in hand with our Savior!    What a comfort it is to know that He isn’t there just on the good days, but He is faithful to see us through the difficult days, too.  Let’s read the first five verses of Psalm 40 and be encouraged by these words about our Lord!

 

1     I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

2     He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

3     He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord.

4     Blessed is the man

who makes the Lord his trust,

who does not look to the proud,

to those who turn aside to false gods.

5     Many, O Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 40:1-5

 

This Psalm has such a raw progression that it is extremely relatable.  We can all recall a time when we had to be patient.  A time when life didn’t go our way, and we had to wait for God to show up.  Some of us are there today: waiting, hoping, trusting.  During this trusting time we feel like we are stuck in a huge pit of mud and mire knowing Jesus is our only hope!  Some of us have just been lifted out of this pit and are getting our feet settled on the Rock of our Salvation!  Some of us are singing a new song of praise to our God! 

I love that the Psalmist reminds us that our trials and our reactions to our trials can affect not only our lives but the lives of others around us.  The Psalmist explains that as we cling to the hope of our Savior saving us, others will see what God has done and is doing in our lives and will trust Him.  Wow!  Your trial, your time of waiting patiently could be what it takes for someone else to see the faithfulness of our God!  Your life could be what God uses to draw someone into His arms!  Isn’t that encouraging! 

It can be encouraging to step back and see the big picture, but that doesn’t immediately stop the hurt and pain that we are experiencing today.  When I am hurting I can often turn to a temporary “fix” to try to ease the pain.  But verse four exhorts us trust in the Lord, “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.”  David goes on to encourage us not to take our eyes off of the Lord.  Don’t look to other people who are proud and who trust in false gods. Rather trust in the Lord because God has proven Himself faithful!  David continues:

 

5     Many, O Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

 

God is faithful!  And His works are wonderful…they are full of wonder!  Do you need to cling to the hope today that God can do something wonderful with your mess?  Dear Friend, not only has He been faithful in the past, but the Psalmist says we can’t even begin to count the amazing things He has planned for our futures.  He says if we tried to speak them “they would be too many to declare.”  Can anybody get excited about that?  Too many to declare!!!!!!  He has more great things in store for your life than you can even count.  Don’t give up hope.  Continue to wait.  Continue to hope.  Continue to trust.  He has great things planned for your life!  Many are the wonders He has done, and many are the wonders He has yet to do!  Hold on!  Hold on with both hands and all your strength!  He is coming to pull you out of your pit!  Praise the Lord! 

Today as you reflect on the words of Psalm 40, Take a few minutes to reflect on God’s faithfulness in your life.  You may want to grab a sheet of paper and a pen, and begin to list all the ways God has been faithful in your life in the past.  As you praise Him for His faithfulness in the past, I pray He gives you the strength and the courage to continue trusting Him with your future.  Please feel free to use the comment section of this blog to share how God has been faithful in your life.  When you share of God’s faithfulness to you, God can use that story to bring hope to others.  So let’s share of the faithfulness of our Father. 

 

Father,

Thank you that you are faithful.  We praise you for what you have done in our lives thus far, and we are excited to know that you have great things planned for our futures.  Lord, I pray that today we would place our trust in You and You alone.  God, I pray we won’t turn to the wisdom of proud men for advice, but that we would hold on to the hope that comes in Christ alone.  Lord, we look forward to the day that we are singing a new song of hope and of joy and telling of the wonders of Your love!  We are excited to see how You use our stories to bring others into a relationship with you.  Praise you Father for Your faithfulness and for the hope You alone can give.  We love you!

Amen.

Hide & Seek August 10, 2009

Hide and Seek.  What a classic game!  Did you ever play the youth group version of this game?  We called it “sardines.”  It was reverse Hide and Seek.  In this game whoever was “it” hid and everyone else would seek him.  When someone found the original “hider” that person would hide there with that person.  As more and more people discovered this hiding place, they would stay there and hide.  The group would get larger and larger.  Everyone would cram into one small hiding spot until everyone was found, hence the name “sardines.”  We played this for hours and hours in my church youth group.  We have many fun memories of hiding in a broom closet or the back corner of a Sunday school classroom.  What fun memories!

As we take a look at God’s word today, we will see Him encouraging us to engage in a similar act to this ever-popular game of Sardines.  Let’s look at today’s Scripture together found in Hosea 10:12.

 

Sow for yourselves righteousness,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes

and showers righteousness on you.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ho 10:12

 

As I’ve spent time wading thru the intense dialog in Hosea, I am encouraged by this verse.  I encourage you to read through Hosea this week; I think you will find that your reading will make this verse come alive.  We are in the tenth chapter of Hosea, and it has been a long journey here.  God’s people have become wicked, rebellious and arrogant.  They no longer obey, and have broken their covenant with God.  In the previous chapters and in chapter ten, Hosea is communicating the word of the Lord to God’s children, and it is not a pleasant message.  They are learning about the wrath of God that is about to take place because of their disobedience.  But tucked into this grim passage is one verse of hope!  Even though they have been disobedient, even wicked, God calls them back.  He offers a promise to them:  If you sow righteousness, then you will reap unfailing love!  God never gives up on His people.  He has to discipline them, but even in the midst of telling them that they are about to be taken into captivity by Assyria, there is still hope.  He uses a very clear word picture in His plea for their hearts. 

“Sow for yourselves righteousness” Sowing or planting is an active verb.  It is something you and I have control over.  Here God is asking His children (you and me) to do something.  He says plant righteousness.  In other words, be active and intentional in the way you live.  Pursue a right relationship with God and with man.  This is our responsibility!  This is our call. 

God is amazing that He often includes a promise with His instruction.  Here He says if you pursue a right relationship with Him and with His children, then you will reap the fruit of unfailing love.  Couldn’t we all use an extra dose of unfailing love?  I would love to be able to love others as God loves them, and I would love for others to love me the same way.  It is possible.  This passage is a doable passage.  It is not a lofty ideal, but a practical how-to guide.  If we desire to love unfailingly, we can begin by pursuing a right way of living with others and with God.  Is that encouraging to anyone!?!?!  I love it!!!

The next part of the Word picture is actually the first step in the process.  Here’s how it breaks down.  If we want unfailing love, then we must pursue righteousness.  But before we can pursue righteousness, we must “break up the unplowed ground,” in other words, “REPENT.”  If you have ever planted anything, you know you don’t just walk outside and throw some seeds on the ground.  First you have to prepare the ground, break it up so that it is soft and ready for roots to grow.  Spiritually, we can’t just jump into the act of right living.  First we must deal with the reality of our sin.  We must repent.  We must have a change of mind…we must turn 180 degrees away from our sin and walk in a new direction toward God our Father.  Repentance is the first step to sowing righteousness and reaping unfailing love.

As we keep reading we realize that we can’t wait for the right time to come along to make changes in our lives, but rather the time is NOW!!  God’s children are told, “It is time to seek the Lord, until he come and showers righteousness on you.”  NOW is the time!  Don’t wait for tomorrow to come, or until you get back to church on Sunday.  Make the choice today to deal with sin and to pursue righteousness.  Seek the Lord.  Not just today, but just like His word says, seek Him “until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”  As you prepare your heart and deal with will, and as you begin to pursue a life of right living, HE will show up in mighty way and rain down His unfailing love on you! Amen?!?!  You are His precious child, and He longs to shower His righteousness on you!

Just like we sought out the “it” person in Sardine’s many years ago, let us commit to seeking the Lord, and let us do it TODAY!!!  To begin, let’s take time to reflect on these questions:

What sin do I need to deal with in my life? 

What choices can I intentionally make today that move me forward in my pursuit of righteousness?

What practical steps can I take today to seek the Lord?

As you honestly answer these questions, take time to write a letter to your heavenly Father, expressing your heart’s desire to Him, and asking Him to reveal the sin in your life that you might deal with it and pursue righteousness.

 

God,
You are so amazing to allow us to have a personal relationship with you.  Lord, I pray today You will begin to reveal areas of sin that we need to turn from.  I pray that as You reveal those areas, we will repent, not next week, not in a month or a year, but today!  And that today, we will pursue a right relationship with You knowing that You will fulfill Your promise and rain down righteousness and unfailing love on us.  Thank you for being a God of unfailing love.  Let us press on to know You that we may look more and more like You each day and that the world will see Jesus in us and be drawn to You. 

In your amazingly awesome name we pray!  Amen.