Meanwhile.....

Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers. Acts 12:24 (NLT)

I have always had an adverse reaction to the word meanwhile. Mostly, around cooking. I like to cook (unless I feel like I have to.) I am also not a fancy cook. My food tastes good and is served with lots of love but Martha Stewart I am not. And I am really okay with that.

So when I go and look for a new recipe I want simple. If there are too many steps, I pass. If it has some steps and one of them starts with Meanwhile, I move on. Meanwhile to me means while you are trying to get all this done over here, do this as well. Too many complications makes my brain want to move on. My brain does too many complications by itself without the help of instructions.

The other day though I was thinking about God and how with him there is always a meanwhile.

In Genesis 19:12 it says Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked. “Get them out of this place—your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else.” While the angels were trying to save Lot, they were also trying to save his family.

In Joshua 3:17 it reads ‘Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ God held back the waters of the Jordan so the people could safely cross.

And in Matthew 26:69 the Bible says ‘Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”’ As Peter was protecting himself, Jesus was protecting us.

There are a lot of meanwhiles in the Bible. And there are a lot of meanwhiles in our lives. As we are walking through really difficult situations, God is at work. He is not like me when I give up on a recipe because it has too many steps. No matter how complicated it seems, he is in the middle of it. He sticks with us and keeps at it. We may not see all the meanwhiles in our lives until we get to Heaven but I know when we see them, we will know anew how much we were loved.

Meanwhile God is at work on your behalf to finish the work he started in you. Philippians 1:6

A Minute In It - The Door

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

He replied, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. 25 When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’

28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. 29 And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God. 30 And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then. Luke 13

If we know that we can receive salvation only through Jesus, what does he mean when he says “Work hard to enter the narrow door?”
What do you have to do to be able to walk through the door?

Now read this same passage (below) in the Message.

23-25 A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?”

He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’

26-27 “You’ll protest, ‘But we’ve known you all our lives!’ only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don’t know the first thing about me.’

28-30 “That’s when you’ll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You’ll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God’s kingdom. You’ll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened. This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.”

And again the question, what do you have to do to walk through the narrow door?

Moving Mountains

I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. Matthew 17:20 (NLT)

I often read this passage and wondered if you really could move a mountain if you had enough faith. You know, one minute you are looking at it and the next minute it’s gone…..moved to the right or the left. I had (okay, have) my doubts that I could physically move a mountain.

Recently, I decided to do a fast one day a week. There are three types of fasts. A food fast where you abstain from food totally, a modified food fast where you give up some food like sugar or coffee and a soul fast where you give up something in your life that you do a lot. All of these are done to spend more time in prayer with emphasized dependence on Jesus. I chose not to do a food fast for a lot of reasons that are too complicated to explain here so I do a soul fast. I gave up noise. Noise on my fast days are fasting from social media, TV, radio, audio books or anything that makes noise in my head. I fast for 24 hours each week.

Now that you have the background, when I started the fast I decided to make a list of things I wanted to especially pray for. You know, like when I went to look at Facebook and realized I was fasting so I’d pray. I came up with a list of 10 things that were really important to me. And the thought popped into my head “This is a mountain of things to pray for.” And it was. Each thing on the list are huge God things. God has to move for them to become what he wants them to become. They are all big audacious prayers (BAPs).

I realized as I looked at my mountain that it would take some faith to move them. And I realized that some days my faith was super, duper small…..like a mustard seed. But Jesus said “If your faith is teeny weeny like a mustard seed, you can still apply it to the mountain.” So I do.

I have lovingly come to call my list “The Mountain.” When praying I often say Lord, please move the mountain. And you know what, there has been and is tiny movement on the mountain. The entire mountain has not yet gotten up and moved (maybe that’s because I put some BAPs on there) but there is crumbling here and there. Some things shifted to a different spot. Some parts have fallen away all together. God is at work on my mountain.

I know he’s at work on yours too. Take all of those things that you are staring at that seem so overwhelming and put them on the mountain. Then, apply the tiniest amount of faith and keep at it. Every day pray for the mountain in your life and watch God move it.

You Are Cordially Invited To Invite

Should you be jealous because I am kind to others? Matthew 20:15 (NLT)

The parable of the workers (Matthew 20:1-16) is about a landowner who goes out and invites people to work in his fields. They agree on payment and go off to work. He does out again at various times of the day and does the same. When payment time comes, the folks who worked longer complained that their pay wasn’t fair. The landowner replies that they were given what they were promised.

In our Western society we read this parable and think “Well, that’s not fair.” The workers should have gotten paid their wages according to what they worked. That’s fair. In our world today, there would have been law suits, accusations of discrimination and all sorts of news stories.

But if we put on our Jesus hats, we would have the exact opposite response. We would say “Everyone come! The reward is the same for all! It doesn’t matter if you’ve worked your whole life or just entered into the banquet as the party was ending. Everyone gets to hear ‘Well done good and faithful servant!’”

We would want as many people to be invited as possible. We would be out there in the fields checking to make sure everyone was. I would venture to say that the Kingdom of Heaven is not fair…..really. Everyone who calls on Jesus as their Savior can get in. Doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do. Doesn’t matter if you come in late to the game. Doesn’t matter what you look like, where you are from, what you do or don’t do for a living. The only thing that matters if you say “Yes” to the invitation.

And since Jesus has asked us all to extend the invitation, we should be out there in the fields, on the streets, where ever we live, work and play being disciples. We should be inviting people in and when they say “I can’t I haven’t ___________________ (fill in the blank), let them know that all are welcome. Let them know that there is no entrance fee. Let them know how kind Jesus is to anyone that wants to come in.

And then, treat them like you mean it. Today, put on your Jesus hat and start inviting. And remember the Kingdom of Heaven is about not about who is first….it’s really about who is last.

Anticipating Your Answer

I will climb up to my watchtower
    and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says
Habakkuk 2:1 (NLT)

Prayer can be so complicated can’t it? On one hand we know that we should pray but then we ask ourselves Why do I need to pray if God already knows everything? What’s the point if he has a plan? An outcome? And then, sometimes we pray and we don’t really get an answer…..for a long time. Did God even hear me?

Habakkuk had the same questions. Throughout his book he talks about it. See if some of his questions and God’s answers don’t mimic what we experience.

In the first chapter Habakkuk asks “How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen!” And God responds I am doing something! “For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” Basically, he is saying just because you can’t see it yet, that doesn’t mean I am not working.

Habakkuk ponders what God says and then complains that maybe God’s plan is too much. Are you going to kill us? Wait! (Maybe this is why God doesn’t tell us his plans in advance.)

Habakkuk then understands that God always answers. And he says that he is going to wait for God’s answer. He is going to anticipate it with his actions (2:1).

And finally, Habakkuk realizes that God is always there. He is always at work for his people. He begins to praise God and worship him.

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights. (3:18-19)

So many times we question God and his way. Prayer is not so we can get what we want. Prayer is so we can draw close and experience God. It is so we can get a small glimpse of who he is. He does answer our prayers. Sometimes not the way we want or in the timing we want but he always answers. The true gift is in knowing that he will and learning just a little more about him every time we lift our hearts toward him.

Out Loud Shouts!

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

We’ve all had them. The Whispers. You know, that little voice in your head that says things that you shouldn’t or don’t want to hear? The thoughts that sometimes shock you because it popped into your head. Maybe it made you think “Where did that come from?” I get them a lot. I swear that I think someone else has taken up residence in my mind and they interfere at the worst times. Oh wait, there is someone trying to get into my mind. Satan.

He uses all sorts of methods to throw me off balance. He’ll tell me how horrible I am. He’ll tell me that I can’t do anything right or that I am going to fail. He’ll say terrible things about people. He’ll plant the seed of anxiety and worry and try to get it to grow. If those things don’t work, he’ll try to tell me how great I am and that I deserve better and he’ll try to direct me off of God’s path.

I’ve developed some techniques to deal with him. I’ll share them with you but you should really develop your own because he speaks to each one of us differently.

When I’m going through a tough time and he whispers that it’s hopeless and he wants me to believe I am not going to make it through what I am walking through, I ROAR. Out loud and at the top of my lungs. I do this to remind myself that the Lion of Judah has already conquered the lion seeking people to devour. Battle is over. My Lion won.

When I’m being told how great I am and how what I did was amazing and I start thinking that I am all that, I shout “Glory Be!” Out loud at the top of my lungs. This reminds me that all glory and honor go to God, not me.

When I feel I am in a battle and I need to fight, I do a little boxing thing with my hands to signify that I am fighting back with Jesus. The first time I did this was in the car and my husband looked over at me. I said “Sorry, I was…” He said “I knew what you were doing.”

But most of the time I pray. When a judgmental thought about someone pops into my head, I say “That was not nice” and I ask God to forgive me and I pray for me and the person. When negative thoughts about how this is going to work out enter in, I tell God I trust in his plan. When I am not sure which way to go and thoughts of staying in bed all day seem inviting, I ask him for the courage to face the unknown.

Our thoughts are so powerful. They determine so much about how our day, our week, our life is going to go. The Bible says to take them captive. Hold them where you want them. Satan uses them to steal your joy, kill you spirit and destroy your life. Don’t let him. Fight back with the very tool he is using against you. Return the whispers he puts in your heart with an Out Loud Shout!

A Minute In It - Relax!

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

22-24 He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. Luke 12:22-34 (MSG)

What are you preoccupied with?
What do you want to get?
Do you spend as much time thinking about giving?
What draws you away from God’s plan into the weeds of your own?
What would happen if we trusted that God had the perfect plan?

When Will I Know?

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” Exodus 3:12 (NLT)

God was telling Moses that he wanted him to go and help free the people of Israel from Egypt. Moses was questioning these instructions (not sure I blame him). And God said to him “You’ll know it was me who sent you when you are finished with the task.”

I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound comforting to me. Can I get a sign in advance? How do I know this is you and not something I ate last night? But this wasn’t the first or the last time God did this.

So many times in the Bible God told people to do things and they didn’t have a sign. They often didn’t know how it was going to turn out until after the fact. Heck, sometimes they never got to witness the outcome of their willingness to follow God’s directions.

Abraham didn’t know what would happen when he went to sacrifice Isaac.
Elijah didn’t know what would happen after 3 years of drought.
The disciples didn’t know the church they started would grow like it did.
Paul didn’t know that his life of service would result in letters to the church that would encourage it for eternity.

We don’t know. We don’t know why God tells us to do things that sometimes just don’t make sense. We don’t know the ramifications of obedience.

This week, when you hear that still small voice and your first reaction is to think “No way! That’s nuts!” maybe you should pause and ask “Lord, is that you?” Then, when you figure out that it is, obey him. You never know how God is going to show up and oh, the amazing things you will experience when he does!