Dirt in the purse

Sometimes the craziest things happen to me! Thursday night, I was laying out my clothes for Friday morning. I had a super-early day and an insanely busy schedule, so I wanted to be sure I could get dressed and out of the house quickly. Because my pants for the next day were brown and my handbag was black, I decided to change purses. Reaching in to the side zipper pocket, anticipating a pen and a tube of lipstick, I was surprised by a handful of dirt instead. Now, I do not mean lint and debris. I mean dirt from the ground. Soil. My side zipper pocket was full of soil. It's not common to reach for a pen and get garden soil instead, so I was astonished. How in the world did this happen? I made a quick purse swap and left the mystery for another day. 

This afternoon, I decided to finish the purse clean out. It turns out my handful of dirt from Thursday evening was just the beginning! There was still nearly a cupful of dirt in the side pocket and almost as much in the bottom of my purse. I like purses, have way too many (collected over years), and change purses often. There might be a little lint in the bottom of my purse, but I have never had soil in my purse, certainly not enough to pot a plant!

How could soil get in my purse? The only ones in my house are Maggie the Wonder Dog, Mamie the Apprentice Wonder Puppy, me, and God. I didn't put dirt in my purse, I didn't see how the dogs could have done it, so I decided to talk with the Lord about it. "I can't see You putting dirt in my purse, Lord, but how did it get there?" I asked. Silence. As the day went on, I would occasionally say, "Really, Lord, what's up with the dirt in the purse? That's very strange." Nothing but silence. Finally, I said, "OK. Is there some kind of lesson in this? Because dirt in the purse is really weird!" About that time, I thought about all the things I carry in that purse. Hair clip, makeup, mirror, breath mints, safety pin, wallet, credit and debit cards, cash and change. Just stuff. As I pondered the purse, I realized that everything in the purse represented things that I keep near and that are important to me  - beauty supplies, money, pens, check book. Nothing really important. 

To God, maybe all of the contents were no more important than dirt. That offends me a  little, until I realize that, from an eternal perspective, none of those things in my purse matter. They don't matter a bit. I will not carry a purse into heaven with me, there will be no need for beauty supplies, and the money will be pointless. In heaven, they use gold to pave the streets. In a way, gold is a little like soil in heaven, so maybe the contents of my purse really do look like dirt to God. 

Let me be clear about this. I am not suggesting that God put dirt in my purse. I don't know how it got in my purse, but I don't think it was God. I do think He helped me see things a little differently. Those things that matter so much to me now will be totally worthless in heaven, including the money I have so carefully stored away.  There will be no need for lipstick or hair clips there, either. 

When we look from the standpoint of eternity at the "stuff" that we consider so important, it looks a lot less important, doesn't it? Take a good long look at the things you consider important enough to keep nearby. Do they have eternal significance?

I'm afraid my purse contents tell a little more about me than I'd like. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it's my purse contents that need to change. Maybe it's me. Perhaps you have a few priority changes to make, too. Well, friends, we might as well get started. There won't be any handbags in heaven.  

  

The Recognition, part 5: surrender

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26 NASB)

As if His words about His own suffering, rejection, and death were not frightening enough, Jesus began to tell His disciples what He expected of them. It sounded as if hard times were coming to them as well. Self-denial, cross-carrying, life-losing. None of that sounded appealing, but Jesus did not make it sound optional.  He did not make it sound optional because it is not optional.  

We begin with the section about following Christ. "If anyone wishes to come after Me," Jesus said. The word translated as "if" is ei and is a conditional participle. If you want to follow indicates a question about it. If we want to follow Jesus, then there is something we will do. This doing is not optional. 

In fact, if we want to follow Jesus, there is something we must do. If we want to follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves. The word translated as "must deny" is arneomai, and means we will disregard our own interests, desires, wants in deference to those of Christ. Arneomai means we submit to Christ in all things. It is the beginning of "not my will, but thine be done". 

It is, of course, easy to hear these words but much harder to do them, because we hardly know what it means to deny ourselves. This is not the kind of self-denial that rejects cake and chooses chicken. This is the kind of self-denial that sacrifices something much desired (but within our grasp) and, instead, uses that time or resource for the Kingdom of God. Rather than renovate a room in our home, we might use that money to provide shelter for a homeless family, and not renovate the room at all. That is a kind of self-denial for Christ. Rather than stay home on a holiday weekend, we and our family might volunteer together at a local soup kitchen. With less affluent resources, we might share our small amount of food with someone who has none, welcoming a relative stranger into our home. We must grasp the things we have with open hands, allowing Jesus to use them as He wishes. 

This denying of self involves much more than money and things, much more than the sacrifice of time or resources. Denying ourselves begins with disregarding our own preference of attitude, as well. Haughtiness, pride, and selfishness must be relinquished in favor of the humility and generosity of Christ. 

There will be no self-denial until it begins in our heart, and there will be no following Christ until self-denial begins. It is a shocking statement, and one we would prefer to reject, isn't it? Read the words of Jesus again.  "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." There is no coming after until there is the denying of self. 

We do well to ask our Lord to shine light on our own attitudes and desires so that we might see ourselves as He sees us. Whose desires reign in our lives? Our own or those of Christ? Do we want to please Him first or ourselves? Oh, dear ones, if we are to follow Jesus, this hard look at ourselves must be done, and then the hard work of relinquishing our desires for His. Following Jesus is the sweetest part of life, but it cannot happen as long as we follow ourselves. Choose this day whom you will serve. Choose well, dear ones. Choose well. 

Friday Night with Friends: Hear God Speak When You Read Your Bible by Aletha Hinthorn

Aletha Hinthorn is a dear friend of mine with a deep walk of faith.  She is the founding director of Come to the Fire women's ministries.  Their vision is to bring the holiness message to women around the world, challenging them to live wholeheartedly for Jesus.  Be sure and stop by her website with the link above.  Her devotional is a perfect accompaniment to the one this morning.  
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Having a notebook and pen beside me as I read my Bible has become one of my ways to say, "Lord, I am expecting to receive something too good to forget when I read today. I want to demonstrate my love for You by caring for wisdom when it comes." If a verse strikes me as one I would like to better understand or I simply like what it says and want it to be lived out in my life, I write it down. 

When the burning bush appeared to Moses, Moses did a significant thing. He "turned aside to see" (Exodus 3:4). The way I "turn aside to see" is to write down a phrase or a verse that I'm interested in. 

When David was giving his son Solomon the instructions for the temple he was to build, he said, "All this the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me" (1 Chronicles 28:19 KJV). I understand this verse to say that as David wrote, the Lord gave him understanding. 

I've discovered that is often the process. New insights come as I write down a verse, perhaps because writing slows me down so I can consider carefully each detail. Recording what I'm reading becomes my way of saying to God, "I'm looking to You to teach me what I should hear You say through this verse today." He responds to this desire.

The simple process of recording what I've read also insures I am more likely to recall those words. One study showed that when we transition from being a passive listener to an active listener by doing something such as writing down what we've learned, our retention changes from 10 percent to 40 percent. 

Dear Lord, help me to carefully protect the treasures You teach me as I read Your Word.

"Wise men lay up knowledge" (Proverbs 10:14).

The recognition, part 4: the shocking surprise

saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day." (Luke 9:22 NASB)

As we read this passage, it seems as if this talk of suffering and death came totally out of the blue. It must have been a shock to the disciples! Can't you imagine them going about their day with Jesus, listening to Him teach, watching Him do miracles, helping with the crowds, talking to the people, not a thought in the world about doom and gloom. Suddenly, they accompany Jesus on a brief prayer retreat, and He begins to talk about dreadful things. "I will suffer, be rejected, be killed," He tells them. They probably looked at each other thinking,"What???"

A quick perusal of Luke's gospel suggests that Jesus "sprang this" on the disciples without warning. A closer look, however, reveals an ongoing discussion that culminated in this pointed exchange. In Luke 5, the Pharisees questioned Jesus about why His disciples did not fast. "Attendants don't fast when the bridegroom is with them, but they will fast when he is taken away," He told them. He was clearly the bridegroom and the disciples were the attendants. No one seemed to notice His comment about "being taken away", but it was clear. 

In Luke 6, an account of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turned to the disciples and said some very worrisome words. "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23 NASB). Oddly enough, these prophetic words didn't seem to raise any eyebrows, but when Jesus spoke of His death in Luke 9, He was confirming and expanding lessons He had already begun to teach them, and He would soon become even more specific and detailed. 

Why does this matter? What difference does it make if Jesus had hinted at His death before or just threw it at them all at once? We don't have the benefit of Jesus in the flesh now. Instead, we have that still, small voice of the Spirit who speaks to us and instructs us. It is important to understand that Voice and not be led astray by our own vain imaginings. The Spirit of God will never contradict Scripture. If what we think we hear does not line up with Scripture, it is not likely to be from God. 

In addition, we see here that Jesus began with a brief mention of being "taken away", followed by discussion about persecution of the disciples, before He broached the subject of his death. Because He had already established a pattern, the disciples were not hearing this talk of hard times to come for the first time.

One of the ways the Spirit works is by whispering words of direction to us, then gradually increasing the intensity over time. When He finally breaks through our defenses, bystanders may view our response as sudden, but we can look back and see that He has been hard at work with us for quite some time. This is one of the reasons journaling is so helpful. When you record your impressions of how God has spoken to you, it is easy to look back and see God at work in your life over time. 

The Spirit of God speaks to all of us. It is only the ones who choose to hear who will interact with the most High God. Even those who have walked closely with the Lord may struggle with this, but remember that we serve a God who is consistent. He is consistent with His Word and consistent over time. Most importantly, even in hard times, He is consistent. He does what He has said He will do and He is consistent in repeating it, which is why knowing the Word of God is vital for recognizing His Spirit speaking. For the disciples, recognizing Jesus as Messiah was critical. Now, we must be sure we can recognize the Spirit of God. Understanding how He works and knowing Scripture are a critical part of that.  

Whether or not you know Jesus is the first question that must be answered. For us to continue in relationship with our Lord, however, we must also be able to recognize His Spirit. Do you know that Still Small Voice when it calls you?  He is calling, so open your Bible, get still, and listen. How will you answer when He calls your name?

Second Chances

Health insurance companies have discovered that healthy behavior on the part of their customers results in lowered overall insurance payments, and are actively encouraging healthy habits. My insurance company is no exception. They give "points" for a variety of things ranging from exercise to getting a flu shot to decreasing your waist size. The points translate to a higher wellness rebate at the end of the year. To help with the process, they offer an app that syncs with my wrist-band step meter. 

Recently, they offered extra points for signing up to do a two-week step challenge and I enrolled. Frankly, I thought I was doing pretty well, getting 10,000 steps most days. The front-runners, however, were getting an insane number of steps. The person in 1st place had 279,710 steps after 3.5 days, which was just under twice my total steps for 14 days. I was shocked! It turns out I'm not nearly as active as I thought.

About the time the challenge was winding down, the company announced a second step-challenge. To be honest, I thought, "Why bother?" In the interest of earning more points, though, I finally signed up for round two. This time, I joined the "team for fun" team and decided to see how well I could do. I've gotten 20,000 steps in most days. At the end of round one, I finished 1,983rd. I have no idea how big the field was, but I wasn't last. On round two, I'm ranked 1st on my team and 324th overall. Admittedly, 324th is not the same as first place, but it is amazingly better than 1,983rd, and it shows significant improvement. I'm really glad for the second challenge that gave me a second chance. 

Second chances are wonderful things, aren't they? Whether it's in a step-challenge, a relationship, or at work, getting another chance to make things right is worth pursuing. It's a kind of grace, this second-chance opportunity. In case you've forgotten, grace, unmerited favor, is simply God not giving us what we deserve. When we do wrong and deserve judgment, God offers forgiveness and a second chance. How precious that second, and third, and fourth chance should be, but do we value it enough to take advantage of the opportunity? Even though we will never be perfect on this side of eternity, we can all do better than we have so far. The grace of God gives us that opportunity.  

Consider the areas in which you have performed in less than stellar ways, the times you've failed. Did you just give up or did you give it another try with a firm commitment to doing better the second time around? Let's thank God for the gift of second chances, and be sure we take advantage of them when they come our way. We can do better, we should do better, and with God's grace, we will. 

The Recognition, part 3: The Secret

But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day." (Luke 9:21-22 NASB)

In the preceding verses, Jesus had been discussing the question of His true identity with the twelve. They all agreed that most people thought He was either John the Baptizer or one of the prophets who had come back to life. Peter, however, made his great confession of faith. "You are the Christ," he said. Just as He did with Jairus earlier in this chapter, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone. Actually, He did a little more than say not to tell. He warned them. The word here is epitimaō, and is often used to indicate a rebuke. He was deadly serious with them. There would be a time for telling people He was the Christ, leading them to recognize Him, but that time was not yet. 

Jesus went on to explain what was ahead. Suffering. Rejection. Death. Afterwards, he told them, He would be raised up on the third day. The word translated as "raised up" is egeirō, and can mean raised from sitting, raised from sleep, or raised from death. What must the disciples have thought as He began to talk about the future? 

They had just watched Him heal a chronically ill woman when she touched the fringe of his garment and bring a girl who had died back to life. Their discipleship, thus far, had been filled with the miraculous. There had been some controversy, but no real suffering. His popularity was increasing; the crowds were growing. Even the chief synagogue official had fallen down at His feet and invited Jesus to help his dying daughter. It looked as if Jesus was well on His way. 

Jesus did not mince words with them. His had been an exciting, and very popular, ministry, but things were about to change. Hard days were coming. These disciples were not naive. They were His closest followers. If hard times were coming to Jesus, hard times were coming to them all. Hard times were coming to them all, that is, if they stayed. 

It would have been easy to walk away at this point. Peter could simply have said, "I signed up to follow a wonder-working preacher, not a suffering, defeated martyr. I'm out of here."  It would have been easy for them to think, "Dying doesn't help anyone! I'm not doing this!" In our time, they might well have quietly walked away. What is truly remarkable is that all twelve men stayed, despite His warning, all the way to the end. (The actions of Judas Iscariot are a discussion for another time.) 

As followers of Christ, we need to recognize that Jesus has not promised us an "easy ride" or a "prosperity gospel".  He has, in fact, promised us hard times and difficulties.  With that possibility in mind, we must consider our committment to Christ. Are we willing to follow "no matter what"? We in the United States experience nothing of true persecution. We have never yet been told to renounce our faith as armed terrorists threaten to slaughter our children if we do not. We have not been asked to die for the cause of Christ, yet, all too often, we find it agonizingly difficult to simply live for Him. If we are not willing to lay down our lives for Jesus in a figurative sense in our daily lives, would we lay down our lives in a literal one? 

Those disciples found that following Jesus was worth any price, and we do well to count the cost and examine our own commitment to Him, without hesitation or reservation. When we are willing to die rather than renounce our faith, we will find that the living for Him becomes much easier. Dying to self is not optional, and it must be done anew every single day. 

Lessons from the Battlefield, part 21: Motivation

Ezra 3:3 “So they set up the altar on its foundation, for they were terrified because of the peoples of the land.”

Because of their sin, the people of Israel had been taken into captivity. Just as

God had said, they remained in captivity for seventy years, and just as God had said, Cyrus released the exiles to return home if they desired. On their return to Israel, the people committed themselves to repairing and restoring the temple. They began by building an altar and reinstituting sacrifices. 

After all God had done for them, you would think that love would motivate their sacrifices. You might even think that fear of this God who had once again demonstrated His ability to deliver would be a motivator for obedience. Not so. These returning captives built the altar

“because they were terrified of the people around them.” They were not obeying because of their great love for their Lord. They were not obeying because they feared the God who had delivered them. They were obeying because they were afraid of the people around them. They simply wanted what God could do for them and the insurance of His protection from the people around them. There was nothing of love or relationship in their service. 

There are many reasons for service to God. Sometimes we attend church services, give our time and our money, and serve in a variety of ways because it is how we were reared and we've always done it. Sometimes our motivation for service is the community standing it affords. Serving God can easily become more about habit than about love or relationship, and periodically we should do a motivation check. Why do we do the things we do for the Kingdom of God? Does love motivate our service?

The Apostle Paul wrote sobering words about our service, saying that our works will be tried by fire. Only those that remain will merit a reward. 

Read his words here: 

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15 NASB)

Dear ones, let us so order our heart and our motivations that the service we render is done with a pure heart of love and surrender to our Lord.  May we render works that stand the test of fire and yield a harvest of fruit that lasts. 

The recognition, part 2: what do you say?

And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:20 NASB)

In this passage, Jesus was near Caesarea Philippi, where He had gone to pray. The twelve had accompanied Him and He had asked them what people said about Him. Then, He asked them a simple but profound question. "Who do you say that I am?"  Only Peter answered. He was frequently the spokesman for the group, and he answered rightly with clear insight into Jesus. The odd thing is that only Peter answered. What about Philip, who described Jesus to Nathanael as "the one of whom Moses and the prophets wrote"? (John 1:45) What about James and John, who, with Peter, were part of the inner circle? Why didn't they say anything? 

Peter did well when he confessed that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the Living God, (Matt 16:16) but why did no one else make a confession that day? Perhaps they all silently concurred with Peter, quietly nodding their agreement, but it seems unexpected that only Peter made a verbal confession. 

We must decide for ourselves the answer to the question of "Who is Jesus?" but we also have to confess Him for ourselves. No one can speak for us, not our parents, our pastor, or our dearest friends. We must speak for ourselves, and confess our faith in Jesus for ourselves. Why? Why can't we just nod along in agreement? Our Lord was very clear on this matter. "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32 NASB) The confession of Jesus on our behalf in eternity begins with our confession of Him now, so it is important for us to know what we believe in order to speak it. 

What is it that you believe about Jesus? How quick are you to speak that faith? If we believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God sent to take away the sin of the world, why do we not tell all who will listen?  A perishing world is desperate for faith and hope, and we know the One they need. Friends, let's share Jesus with them. 

Speak up. 

Speak out. 

Say what you believe. 

No one can do it but you. 

Lessons from the battlefield, part 20:

From 2 Chronicles 36:22-23

In the first year of Cyrus’ reign in Persia, God told him to build a temple in

Jerusalem and send the Jews home. This was the most unlikely thing in the world. A new king has more to worry about than building a religious temple in another country, and he certainly wants to preserve his skilled labor force. If our new president started his term by building a temple in the Middle East, we’d be more than a little upset. God, however, delights in doing the MOST unlikely. He delights in the unpredictable and unexpected. 

Years before, God had said He would use his servant Cyrus, but who could believe His “servant Cyrus” would turn out to be the king of an enemy nation? God had also told them that their captivity would last seventy years, but many were surprised when the end of captivity finally came. Right on time, God’s unexpected servant King Cyrus sent the children of Israel back to their homeland and financed their temple’s reconstruction. God did what He said He would do, exactly when He said He would do it. He was faithful to His Word.

Our wonderful, amazing Lord, delights in doing things in an unpredictable, unexpected way so that we will know without a doubt that every blessing came only from Him. Is there something about which you have been praying? Why not ask God to intervene in such an unexpected way that it will be clear the blessing came straight from Him. Pray that He will move in a way that only He could do. There is no greater fun than seeing God do something extraordinary! 

The Recognition: the crowd's view

And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?" They answered and said, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again." And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:18-20 NASB)

We are moving into a passage that deals with recognizing the diety of Christ. From Mark's gospel, we know that Jesus and the disciples were near Cesarea Philippi. For those who are familiar with the geography of Israel, it should be noted that this is not Caesarea Maritima, the seaside city built by Herod the Great on the Mediteranian. Caesarea Philippi was a town located 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, in a region dedicated to worship of the Greek god of desolate places, Pan.  

Jesus had gone with His disciples to pray. To be more precise, the verse above suggests that Jesus had gone to pray and His disciples had gone along with Him. While they were there in that solitary place, He began to question them. "What are people saying about me?" He asked. Jesus was not doing a publicity check. He was about to lead them to a profound insight. "What are they saying? Who do they think I am?"  

All the answers indicated that He was believed to be either John the Baptist or one of the ancient prophets come back to life. Not one of the answers they gave that day suggested people thought He was a heretic or a crazy man. The religious leaders were disturbed by Him and His words and they accused Him of heresy, but the general populace understood that He was not just an ordinary man.  They weren't quite sure who He was, but they clearly understood that His presence had significance, and that He was a man of religious importance. 

Jesus heard all the answers, then He brought the disciples to the turning point. "But who do you say that I am?" He asked. Jesus was drawing a line in the sand. "You know what people say, but what do you say?"  He wanted them to understand for themselves who He was, not just follow along with the crowd. Some of them had come to Him on the recommendation of John the Baptizer, some had come at the urging of one of the other disciples, and some had joined Jesus when He called them from their work. Now, they were being asked to choose for themselves. What did they say?

It was Peter who spoke. It was almost always Peter who spoke, perhaps as the de facto leader of the twelve. According to Matthew, he replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. Peter had recognized that He was not just human. He was, as the Son of God, also diety. Peter recognized, too, that, as God made flesh, He was also the promised Messiah and the fulfillment of all prophecy. He was the Promised One. 

These twelve men had spent a lifetime hearing about the Coming One, and likely expected a military ruler who would overthrow the Romans and restore the Kingdom to power and greatness. Jesus spoke of turning the other cheek, and commended the widow who gave her last mite. It was hard to imagine this Man leading a military revolution.  Peter's confession revealed an important fact. He was choosing truth over expectation. Jesus was not what people had expected, but He was exactly what we needed and Peter understood that. 

There is a great difference between our expectations of God's blessings and the reality of them. Those of us living in an affluent society have a tendency to expect more affluence, more ease, more recognizable blessings as we follow Christ. Those expectations, though, do not necessarily line up with His teachings. Sometimes He leads us to desert times of less rather than more, and we find even greater blessings in that place of less. We would do well to examine our own expectations about Christ, about faith, about discipleship. Are we expecting a "prosperity gospel" walk of faith or do we recognize that we follow the Suffering Servant Messiah who laid down His life for the sin of the world? We base our manner of following on our understanding of the One we follow, thus it is vital that our expectations of Who Jesus is be replaced by reality. 

Take a close look at both your expectations of Christ and the reality of Him. Look again at the promises He has given. The One who said, "Take heart, I have overcome the world," was the same One who also said, "In this world you will have trouble." He did not promise to help us avoid difficulty. He promised to help us through. He did not promise the results we expected in our difficulty. He promised to take that difficulty and bring something good from it. 

Like Peter, let reality replace expectation and confess with him, "You, Jesus, are the promised Messiah and my God." 

Fence Building

I am a fanatic about fences, and I don't mind admitting it. I want the barbed wire tight, the posts straight, and every strand level. Just so you know, there is never, ever a reason to secure barbed wire with baling string. Why would anyone even consider such an option? 

This morning, I did my usual routine of feeding livestock, writing, and opening the park. I was headed to take a shower when It occurred to me that the plants still needed to be moved to the greenhouse. That big project was almost done when Betsy, Ryan's first show heifer and a magnificent animal, came up to the fence and started bawling. She was clearly very unhappy. It turned out that a large dead tree had fallen on the fence, driven one of the fence posts completely into the ground (a few inches still showing) and totally leveled the fence. As a result, Custard, Ryan's big Charolais cross, had stepped through the gap and was in the yard. Betsy was "telling on her"!  

After moving the cows to the round pen, I went back to examine the fence. There was a tree down that needed to be moved, fencing wire to separate, and an entire stretch of fencing to be repaired. A closer look revealed that someone had used baling string to connect the wire to the posts. I was not happy.  In addition, some of the wire did not have clips attaching it to the posts. Maybe the impact of the tree knocked those clips right off. Maybe. But I doubt it. 

The condition of the fence was so totally pitiful that I decided the only thing to do was take down the entire section, reseat my posts, and restring the wire, and I gathered my tools to get started. It was a terrible mess and the job looked way too big, but I did what I always do. "Lord, I can't tell where to start. Please help me!" 

After a survey of the rubble, it was clear that the tree had to be moved. I was trying to decide how to move it and thought, "Roll it".  Much to my surprise, I reached down, lifted that big log, gave it a twisting shove, and it rolled right down the hill. Thankfully, only one strand of wire was broken and It just so happened that there was one turnbuckle in the tool box to repair it. Before I knew it, I had reseated the posts, figured out how to use my come-along (to tighten the wire), taken all the wire loose, repaired the break, restrung the wire, and secured it to the posts (with the appropriate fencing clips). 

It was amazing that all that work was accomplished so quickly, but what was even more amazing was that the fence was tight and straight. More than a decade ago, a dear friend realized how lacking I was in basic farming skills and undertook to teach me. He and his family  taught me how to set a post, string wire, and build a fence, among many other things. How they stood dealing with such a prissy diva is beyond me, but they were instrumental in God's work of transformation that changed a diva into a woman a little more like what God has intended. I'm still easily overwhelmed by the scope of the farm work, but I'm much quicker to think, "Maybe I can do this" and to give it a try. The investment they made in my life has yielded an incredible result and my new straight fence is just one of the many benefits of their efforts. 

Now, lest you think that I have become a fantastic farmer, remember that my fence was in a mess before the tree fell, and I didn't know it. I am a fanatic about wanting the fences to be right, but I have not been a fanatic about checking them or repairing them myself. That's because I have, once again, let busyness take over, and the farm, the pastures, the fences, and I don't know what else yet, have gotten away from me. The good news is that the investment in me was not wasted, I do know how to fix fences, and the farm work will get done in the same manner the fence was repaired today. One step at a time and with the help of God. 

Are you investing in the life of someone? It is easy to get frustrated when that effort you've expended seems to have no yield or be totally wasted. Take heart. Investments in the Kingdom of God are never wasted, even when the part of the Kingdom you're investing in is a too-busy, prissy woman like me. In the blink of an eye, a tree can fall, fence wire can break, and priorities can be not only shifted but also corrected. 

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; (Matthew 6:20 NASB)

You may not be able to tell it right now from looking at my pastures, but before too long, I'm hoping it becomes clear that the investment in my life was not just worth it, but is bearing fruit that lasts. 

The Journey, part 30: recognition

And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?" They answered and said, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again." And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:18-20 NASB)

In a series that began with the apostles' journey of obedience, the traditional stopping point would be when those apostles returned from their travels and gave their report to Jesus. The miracle of the loaves and fish was included in our study of the journey because of one very important point. That event demonstrated the vital truth that no miracle was possible without the blessing of God, but with His blessing, no miracle was impossible. 

This verse is another natural transition point. The narrative changes here from an account of the miraculous feeding of the multitude to a discussion of whom Jesus was believed to be, and is another point before which the study of the journey of obedience might end. This passage is included because it contains a question we all must answer.

"Who do you say that I am," Jesus asked Peter. It is a question we are compelled to consider. Is He just a religious zealot? Is He a madman with delusions of grandeur? If those are true, then we must not follow Him, for He is not God. If, instead, He IS the Son of God, the Christ, the Promised Messiah, then we dare not follow Him. If His claims that He died as a sacrifice to pay our penalty for sin are true, if He was resurrected to demonstrate His power over sin and death and set us free, then a decision to follow Him is the most important decision we can ever make. If we choose to stake our eternal destiny to the claims of Jesus, then we must also stake our present life to Him as well. 

If, like Peter, we believe that He is the Christ, then we will follow, as the disciples did, in a journey of obedience that changes everything. Decisions must then be based on His will and not our own. Our sin must be relinquished and purification and sanctification must become our goal. If Jesus is who He claims to be, and if we choose to follow Him, then we cannot remain the same. Our following must lead to transformation into the very image of Christ. 

 "But who do you say that I am?"  This is the question we must answer. It is the question on which our lives, our eternity, depend. Consider well, dear ones, and be certain that you have joined your life with the only One who holds the present and the future in His nail-scarred hands. 

Haiku #4

Justice with mercy

Righteous Redeemer and King

Holy is The Lord