Prosperity Does Not Equal Godliness

In yesterday's blog post, I wrote about Solomon's prophetic prayer. He prayed that, when Israel went into captivity, they would repent and God would hear and help them. Solomon was the third king of Israel and he married many foreign wives who drew his heart away from God. He ended up worshipping at the altars to the idols.

This morning, I still wondered how this mess came about. Didn't anyone complain? Didn't the priests chastise the king? Where were the Pharisee-types when the people really needed them? Where was Nathan, who confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba? Surely someone could have stood up to Solomon.

But it doesn't seem that they did. 

I wondered why not, until I read two verses that might explain the failure of the people to confront their king about his idolatry.

"And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland." 1 Kings 10:27 nasb

"Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold..." 2 Chronicles 9:12 nasb

Solomon brought immense prosperity to the land, but he also began their plummet into idolatry.He built shrines to the false gods of his foreign wives. He worshipped there himself.

It's easy to equate prosperity with the favor of God, but the two are not synonymous. 

666 talents of gold is equivalent (in today's measures) to 22,660 kg of gold, or 799,307.98 ounces of gold. With gold prices at $1,323 per ounce, the value of the gold that came in to Solomon each year (in 2016 dollars) was $1,057,484,457.54.

People looked at the unprecedented prosperity Solomon achieved, listened to his beautiful words, and deemed him the wisest man alive. They missed one important fact, however. 

Neither our bank account nor our words truly reflect the men or women we are. Only our actions can do that.

Solomon's actions showed that he not only flagrantly disregarded the law of God, but dishonored the Lord with his idolatry.  

No matter how wealthy or wise we are, our life won't count for much if we fill it with sin rather than righteousness.

Today, let's take a close look at our lives. When people see us, is the focus on our finances or our faithfulness, our holdings or our holiness, our words or our righteousness?

We will never please God with the gold we get. We please Him with the love we give.

Let's be sure our lifestyle reflects the faith we say we have.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39 nasb

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Photo above is of a sunrise in Galilee (above the Sea of Galilee)

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: If I Had Only Known
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/if-i-had-only-known.html)

For those doing the Hosea study, the Chapter Four lesson is now live and here's the link: Chapter Four 
(http://lessonsindiscipleship.blogspot.com/2016/05/hosea-chapter-four.html)
#wealth #godliness #priorities

Deathbed Priorities, part two: My own priorities change

I wrote about death bed priorities yesterday. My neighbor is at Hospice House and is slowly dying. It's hard to watch her go and even harder to watch my dear Sam grieve. That sweet man made his wife a priority sixty years ago, and he's kept her a priority every day since. Watching them has caused me to examine my life all over again.

As promised, here's a little bit of history on how my own priorities changed. I didn't really want to write this, but it kept me up part of the night, fretting about it. If I want any sleep tonight, I'd better get with it. (There's more to come tomorrow.) 

When I found out I was expecting Ryan, one of my patients said, "You are about to find out what real love is. In fact, you're about to learn about God's love, too." I smiled and thanked her and secretly thought I knew plenty about love. I'd been in Girls' Auxiliary in my church and memorized a mountain of Scripture. I thought I knew plenty about God's love, too.

Then, I spent five and a half months on bed rest because of my blood pressure. Despite the patients waiting for me in every one of my exam rooms, my ob-gyn told me to go home and stay there until the baby came. I could see the ones in rooms and no more. I was shocked and saddened. It felt a little like all my professional dreams evaporated on the spot, but I did it, because I wanted to protect this tiny child growing inside me more than anything else in the world. 

That little baby was too small for me to see, but he was more important than my career, my dreams, or my life. 

I went to bed.

It was hard. I checked out mountains of books from the library every week and read voraciously. I read every book in my house. There's not much else to do when you're in bed, lying on your left side. I read the Warren Report from beginning to end. I learned more than I wanted to know about Castro and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  

I cried a lot.

I grieved for the life I knew that was slipping away. 

I dreamed of the life that would come, that little baby whose arrival would make all the hard times seem like nothing more than a moment of discomfort.

At last, the day for my C-section finally arrived. Things didn't go like I expected. I felt myself sliding into a deep, black tunnel. There was not a glimmer of light in the darkness. When I heard the anesthesiologist shout, "Get the baby out. I'm losing her," I realized I didn't just think I was dying, I knew I was. I'd heard about the light at the end of the tunnel (whether it's a true thing or not, I don't know). There was not a bit of light in my tunnel. 

I was terrified and I cried out. "I don't want to go to hell. Save me, Jesus." And He did.

I've never been the same.

When the nurse put that beautiful blue-eyed boy in my arms, I understood what my patient had said. I finally knew what love was and, in that moment, I began to understand a parent's love for a child. I wondered, "Does God love me like this?" No. He doesn't, I began to learn. He loves me more. 

It's impossible for me to comprehend that God loves me more than I love Ryan, that He loves Ryan more than I love Ryan. He does, though. The only appropriate response is to love in return.

Learning to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength became a priority and it changed everything. It made me a disciple. Loving my son became a priority. I couldn't save my marriage, but I've loved God and Ryan the best I could, and every other priority took a back seat to those two.

Both my Heavenly Father and my son are more important than my medical practice.

I know people thought I was irresponsible and a little crazy for taking a break from medicine more than once. Think what you want. When a child weeps when the phone rings because he knows his mother will be called away, the thing causing that phone to ring has to go. It did. When a teenaged boy needs his mother to help him through the difficult journey of puberty and his high school years, she has to be there. And I was.

I could have made much more money if I'd spent those years practicing medicine instead of making pottery and writing, but there is no amount of money that would replace the time I'd have lost with my son. I know some people think I could have touched many more lives in medicine than at home, but no life is more important to me than this one life of my son. No heart matters more. 

I set my priorities and I lived accordingly. It hasn't pleased everyone, but it's been worth it.

As we face death, it's common to realize we could have lived differently and probably should have. The wonderful thing about priorities is that, as I've seen over the past few days, it's never too late to change. Why not take a look at your own priorities? What occupies first place in your life? Is that what should occupy first place? 

There's one thing I've learned that has helped keep me on this path. When my priorities are right, everything else falls in place. 

Jesus tried to tell us, but it takes living it to understand."But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matt 6:33 nasb

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Here are the links to the rest of the series: The eternal destination, The Vigil, A Little Help from My Friends, Keeping My Word, and Deathbed Priorities. 

#priorities #disciple #JesusChrist #lifewelllived

10.5.15

Deathbed priorities

After I finished at the Women's Conference at Hope Church yesterday, I stopped by my house to eat and let the dogs out for a few minutes, then hurried (never over the speed limit, of course) on to Hospice House. Sam was sitting by Jamie's bedside with the saddest look I've ever seen. She'd slept most of the morning, so all he'd done for hours was watch the woman with whom he'd shared the last sixty years inch her way toward eternity. 

She woke up while I was there. I offered to feed her and, to my surprise, she ate. We started with chocolate pudding. She thought it was delicious. I'm a fan of chocolate, so that made sense to me. When I removed the lid, the applesauce filled the room with the aroma of apples. It tasted "so good", she said, and I understood that, too.  

I fed her the first bite of pureed peas, and she whispered, "That's good." I like peas, but I don't like pureed peas. The "old Jamie" would never have eaten pureed peas. She would have had plenty to say about them, but it would not have been "that's good". She ate every bite.

Something is different in her. She is staring death in the face as it draws ever closer. The trivial no longer matters. Her priorities have changed and she is changed, too.

Having loved ones near matters. The texture of peas does not.

I wish Jamie had experienced these new priorities sooner. Her life would have been so much more joyful. She'd have had fewer arguments and more laughter. She'd have had more love. More peace.

I don't mean that all Jamie's priorities were wrong. They weren't. She loves Sam and she is a generous woman, loved by many people. She's had a good life.

Jamie, though, is just like the rest of us. She likes what she likes. She wants what she wants. Just as I do. Just as you do.

The problem comes when those things we like and want assume a higher place in our priorities than they should. 

Maybe you've never had a problem with priorities, but I have. Maybe you've never preferred something so much that nothing else would do, but I have. I've wanted it, and worked hard until I got it. It turned out, though, that getting the thing I most preferred never made an eternal difference. 

Only Jesus can do that.

It's easy to forget that priorities determine how we live our lives. They direct our every step. The things that matter most to us, in the end, shape the course of our years and our families, even our careers. When work is more of a priority than family, our spouses and children suffer. When financial security is more important than our faith, everything else in our lives takes a back seat.

Priorities matter, and we would do well to get them in order now, rather than on our deathbeds. 

What does a changed priority matter if we wait until our last few days to change it? Not much. It doesn't improve the quality of our lives or the lives of our family or the world around us. 

If we want a life that matters, we need to start living that life now. 

Love more. Laugh often. Spend less. Give freely. Reach out to all you encounter, the most beautiful and the most unlovely, for all of us walk a treacherous and difficult path through this life.

Today, take a look at the life you are living, at the priorities that drive you. Is this how you want to step into eternity? Is there something that needs to change?  Then change it. 

Stop waiting and start living.

Jesus had some suggestions about lives lived well, and He summed it up in two sentences we'd do well to emulate. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt. 22:37-40)

That's enough for now. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about how my priorities changed. For today, let's ask ourselves, "On my deathbed, will I be glad I've lived my life this way?" If not, it's time to change. (we'll talk about that tomorrow, too.)

Thanks for joining me on this journey through life. I'm glad to be sharing it with you. Let's live it well.
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Here's the links to the other stories in this series:  The eternal destination, The Vigil, A Little Help from My Friends, and Keeping My Word. 

#deathbedpriorities #priorities #Jesusisallthatmatters #disciple

How to avoid a shipwreck

Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3 NASB)

In yesterday's post, we looked at the word "beware". The word translated as "beware" is prosechō and is the same word used to describe the action of bringing a ship into dry land safely. It caused me to wonder about the dangers of bringing a ship to land, which ultimately led me to the top 50 causes of loss of ships. The list was so interesting that I thought you might enjoy a little detour to see it. 

Dr. E. Lee Spence, writing about shipwrecks, published a list of the 50 top causes of loss of ships. (you can read the entire list with the link below.)
Causes of the loss of ships at sea, by wreck or otherwise

1. Short complement of men.
2. Deficiency of materials and stores.
3. Deficiency of water and provisions.
4. Bad materials — anchors, chains, boats, spars, sails, cordage, etc.
5. Bad quality of water and provisions.
6. Teetotality — coffee instead of rum, etc.
7. Bad condition of the ship from age, want of repairs, caulking, and looking properly to.
8. Bad construction of the ship, out of trim, cranky, etc.
9. Incapacity of masters and others.
10. Presence of captain’s wives, and other women

Of the top ten causes of shipwreck, four are essentially due to not taking care of the ship and the equipment needed. (bad materials, bad quality, bad construction, bad condition). Four more are due to inadequate supplies (too few men, stores, provisions, and masters). 

Shipwrecks are bad business, and I want no part of it. I've seen lives that are "shipwrecked", and it's a heartbreaking sight.  I want no part of that, either.

How do we avoid shipwrecking our lives? If we want to navigate the treacherous waters of life safely, we must attend our lives in the same way that a captain attends his/her ship. We need to begin with truth, and make quality decisions based on that truth. We also need to take care of the "ship", or, in this illustration, take care of our bodies with adequate rest, exercise, and a healthy diet. 

We are more than physical beings, however. We are body, mind, and soul. Our minds need to be occupied, as does our soul. Experts recommend "mind tasks" such as crossword puzzles and math games to keep the mind sharp. I enjoy games, but prefer a life-long quest for learning to keep my mind sharp. My effort to learn the skills needed for writing fiction is just one example of that. "You're never too old to learn something new" is my motto.

Most important, however, is taking care of our souls. Bible study and Scripture memory are essential, but they are not enough. All the Bible studies in the world will not help me navigate the perils of life if I don't apply the lessons I learn. Paul, in his letter to Timothy, said that the purpose of study is to handle the word of truth accurately. Our goals should be that of a workman who wants to please his employer. In the case of disciples of Christ, we should aim to please God by how we use His Word.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB)

Taking care of body, mind, and soul is an almost daunting task, but none of it is optional if we want to have the abundant life Christ came to give us. (John 10:10) It can be done, no matter our age or education or economics. 

Ship captains keep their eye on the goal. A successful journey is only accomplished when the ship returns to harbor. In the same way, the success of our lives is only determined at the end, when we successfully reach our eternal destination. If we want to reach our goal, we must be diligent to care for our ship (body, mind, and soul) and make sure we are traveling in the direction of the destination we most desire to reach. 

Pleasing God. In eternity, it's all that matters. 

The Jet Fuel Day

The Jet Fuel Day
Ryan had just returned to school after missing two days with strep. throat.
We had gotten all his assignments while he was out, or so we thought. Unfortunately, there was a 118-question language paper that had to be completed and he had started the week way behind. He had so much other homework to complete that he had been up until eleven p.m. finishing. After that, he had a speech to write for the public speaking competition the next night. We finally turned out the lights at midnight.
We were both tired after too little sleep and were rehearsing the day’s “to-do” list as we drove to school. I felt more like 100 years old than a youthful 48. There were clearly more things to do than hours in the day. Every single item on my list was pressing. There were articles to complete, fences to mend, manure to scoop, clothes to wash and iron. Ryan’s list was not much better. Everything had to be completed by 5:15 p.m. so that we could make it to the public speaking competition. I was feeling harried already. 
Ryan started laughing. “You know what we need, Mom?” he said. “Help?” I replied. “No, we need a pair of jet-fuel tanks! It’ll take rocket fuel for us to go fast enough to finish this list.” He laughed again. “Are you sure you have to do all that today?” I assured him I did. It all had to be done, and done right away. Everything on MY list was VERY IMPORTANT. “I don’t know, Mom, that’s an awfully long list.” Ryan was skeptical.

 His words echoed in my heart as I drove back home. I felt awful from the lack of sleep and could see that it was going to be a miserable day. After I finished feeding animals and cleaning the barn, I headed to the house. As I walked upstairs to change my muddy clothes, I remembered what Ryan had said. There was a lot to do, but it didn’t really have to be done today.

I sat down with the list. One article had to be completed then, but not all six. The manure was already scooped, and the fences just needed to be started. I would never be able to finish them in one day anyway. There were some clothes that had to be washed and ironed today, but it wasn’t necessary to do all of them. By the time I finished, the list was achievable.

Finally, I did the only thing that made any sense at all. I took a nap. I slept soundly for an hour and a half and awakened feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. The new list was completed early and I had time to spare. I wasn’t fussy or in a hurry when Ryan came home from school. I was nearly as peaceful as he was, despite having to move quickly to avoid rushing.
As I made my do-list the next morning, I thought about how much smoother my day had been when I set realistic goals and didn’t try to push my body past what it was reasonable to expect. Life is much more pleasant when we balance our expectations with realistic possibility, especially where our bodies are concerned.
Are you running at the speed of sound and wondering why you never get everything done? Do you feel awful but don’t know why? Are you fussy and overwhelmed? Are you rushing to do what matters most in the Kingdom, or just trying to complete a list? Maybe you are trying to do what is impossible to accomplish. Perhaps you need to pare down and slow down. Take a serious look at your life and your priorities. Treat your body with the same consideration you would an expensive sports car – give it adequate fuel, appropriate maintenance, and a reasonable driving schedule. Put the things that are truly important on the top of your list, and everything else will take their proper place. You’ll be surprised how much fuller your life will become, and how much more enjoyable.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life...
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 5:25,33 NASB 

 

A matter of priority (Luke 8:7,14)

Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.

The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. (Luke 8:7, 14 NASB)

The outcome for this seed was sad, sad. The seed fell in fertile soil and grew. It had everything it needed, but thorns were growing around it. Jesus compared those thorn plants to "worries, riches, pleasures of life". Thorns are distractions, and significant ones, that do require attention but are allowed to take priority in our lives. When the pursuit of riches or pleasure is allowed to become more important and of higher priority than the pursuit of holiness, no fruit is produced. No godly fruit, that is. When the worries of life, valid though they may be, are allowed to take priority and focus over faith, there will be no spiritual fruit. 

There is no doubt that responsibilities, finances, and relaxation are all important areas of our lives and demand considerable attention. Jesus was not implying that they should be neglected. He was teaching that those areas, when allowed to crowd out the pursuit of holiness, can choke our faith and stop all growth, preventing any fruit-bearing. How tragic! The goal of the Christian life is maturity and fruit. Disordered priorities can completely halt our progress!  

What you might not realize (unless you have some experience with weeds and thorns) is that the growing seedling can easily be overlooked in the midst of the thorns. If the thorns and weeds are dealt with from the beginning, the growing plant will be healthier and grow much faster. The really nice part of dealing with thorns and weeds is that, once all the weeds are dealt with initially, a constant vigilance will allow any additional weeds to be removed quickly and before injury to the plant develops. 

Do you have thorns that are choking your growth? If you are not sure, do a survey of the fruit in your life. If you are not bearing fruit (making a difference in the Kingdom of God), perhaps you have some "thorns" with which you need to deal. It's a matter of priority. Make sure yours are priorities that matter. 

Pray today that we and our loved ones will recognize those thorns in our heart that crowd out growth in our Christian walk and that, seeing, we will deal decisively with our priorities in order to become the mature men and women of faith we were saved to become. 

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Today is the deadline to volunteer for "eight days of hope" and help build homes for Tupelo's tornado victims. Their website is www.eightdaysofhope.com

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Link to last night's post is here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/06/working-together-denim-chair.html

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The Struggle With Words

The deal with guest bloggers is generally that they write for each other. When Dr. Leap and I talked about guest blogs, it included me doing one for him. I fully intended to do that, and had a topic in mind from the start. I knew part of the words I would write. 

Usually, it takes me about 30-45 minutes in the morning and about that much time in the evenings. If I have a starting point, I just start typing and quit when I get to the end. The post with the most-ever views was written with great passion in under 15 minutes. I usually scan it for typos and hit post. As crazy as it sounds, much of the time the first time I've actually read what I've written is after it posts. I know that's a little risky, but it's how I do it. 

Well, that's how I usually do it. The blog for Dr. Leap has been an insurmountable task for me. I couldn't seem to get it right. Yesterday, I worked on it all afternoon. I sent countless drafts to my sister, who kept texting back, "This sounds nothing like you. Why are you writing like this?"  She was right. Dr. Leap is a marvelously insightful writer with a beautiful and eloquent style. I wish I wrote like him. It turns out, I can write like him, but it doesn't fit at all with what I needed to say. Every draft I sent to my sister got nearly same reply. "Better but not quite there."

This morning, I sat down with the article and started praying. "Lord, You gave me this topic. What's wrong with this article?" The answer I heard in my heart was instant and painful. What was wrong was that I was trying to please Dr. Leap and his readers rather than the Holy One. Well, no wonder I couldn't write!  I invited The Lord to fix it, and in just a few minutes the article was on its way. 

The devotional this morning immediately followed. When I wrote, "For today, pray that we and our loved ones would be filled with such a holy fear that our greatest desire is to please Our Lord, that One who is the Lover of our soul," it was exactly what I needed to hear.  It was quick confirmation that my struggle with the article was all about pride and a jumble of priorities, but it seems we've got it straightened out now. 

I sent this final draft to my sister, who replied, "That one is it!!" and I think she's right. When Dr. Leap posts it, I will blog the link so you can read what God has given. I hope He speaks to you through what has been written, just as He did to me.