Nuggets

Today has been a day of nugget discoveries. You can go along on your day to day routine and everything can be the same ol' same ol'. But every now and then, you have a day where you hear something that you can relate to, or something happens that sparks your brain into deeper thought. That happened today and I would like to get it all down before it's forgotten!

Here's the first nugget:
When you think about the word team, think about what it stands for. Together Everyone Achieves More. It is not about one person having a crew under him or her trying to get them to get a job done. It is about everyone ebbing and flowing with the common goal in mind, using their strengths and abilities to bring benefit to all, both within the group and beyond. This takes trust and relationship. It takes work. But is a better way than going it alone. TEAM.

The next nugget:
This nugget has to do with worry. At my church, last weekend's message was about worry. This is certainly something we all battle during these unstable times. Today, I heard another brief message which confronted the topic. I will give my take on what I heard. Let's start with the Scriptures:
Prov 15:15 "All the days of the oppressed are wretched; but a cheerful heart has a continual feast."
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you; not as the world gives give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
John 16:33 "These things have I spoken unto you, so that in Me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world."

What does this have to do with worry? Your heart and mind will not be peaceful when you are worrying. We have the ability to capture our thoughts and determine what we will entertain in our thoughts. What is thought about most will be evidenced in our speech. How often are we saying things that agree with what God's Word says? How often are our words opposite of what the Word says? I know, these are tough, eye-opening questions and if I apologize to anyone who may have been receivers of any destructive words from my mouth. Let's take it one step further. If our words go so far as to be agreeing with those of the devil, why would we want to believe them, since he is the father of lies? Hmm.

"But I can't control my thoughts.", you may say. Really? What if your pastor, or someone, who is very important to you and who you wish to impress knocks at your door? My guess is, suddenly, you would be able to pull yourself together, wouldn't you? You may even muster up a "God is good" or a "praise the Lord" in a conversation with them. You can take control of your thoughts. Don't pull that destructive excuse on yourself.

There is a close bond between worry and fear. Fear will not help you in a situation. It will bring on a flurry of thoughts that can escort you down a path of destruction. Have you ever worked out a scenario over and over in your mind? One that usually doesn't even come to pass? I have done this very thing many times. Worry causes such activity. Here's what hit me most - we worry because we fear that a situation will not pan out the way we want it to. Worry is selfish. Worry breaks down relationships. Worry is not of God.

Jesus clearly stated that His peace is superior to the way that the world offers peace. I found it interesting (and I never thought about) that Jesus points out that the world offers peace, although it is a counterfeit version of true peace. The world can be at peace when everybody is getting what they want or having their way. This peace is contingent on selfishness and from the beginning of time it has not delivered. Thank God He offers His true peace to us as a gift! If we believe God, and that what He says is true, then we can find and walk in peace in any situation that comes at us in this life. Hallelujah!

The final nugget to share:
I was talking to my boss today. She was saying that it is just crazy that the financial world is still in such a fragile state. Banks are still failing. Stocks are still dropping. Everyone is tightening the purse strings. The "stimulous package" is a crap shoot. Our conclusion was that we cannot place our security in something that is like smoke - here today, gone tomorrow. All you can do is do your best, do it with wisdom, and not place your faith in such things.

This discussion reminded me of such an important lesson taught by Jesus. You are probably thinking about it too:
Matthew 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Pretty interesting that this message was laid as a foundation to the next point in His message which had to do with overcoming anxiety. I don't think that was an accident. If we are consumed with the status and stability of our pocketbook, then we have set ourselves up for many more woes. You cannot worship both God and money. You just can't.

I really hope that something I have written today helps someone who needs it. I know that these nuggets have meant alot to me!
God's Highest Good to You!

Matters of the Heart - The Book of Mark

The book of Mark has alot of reference about the condition of the heart. Jesus wasn't kidding around when He spoke to people. He had plenty to say about the heart.

Chapter one: we find Him starting His ministry, picking out his team, performing miraculous acts. Touching people's hearts.

Chapter two: It didn't take long for the religious leaders of the day to take notice of Him. They began to constantly question Jesus in order to trap Him in His words. When He answered them, He challenged the condition of their hearts.

Chapter three: Jesus goes to the temple where a man with a paralyzed hand was being shunned. There is pressure for him to be healed on the Sabbath, but Jesus saw through their plot and addressed the hardness of their hearts.

Chapter four: The familiar story of the seed being sown. It may not say it directly, but we do understand that the seed of the Word will grow in a tender heart.

Chapter six: The disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea during a storm. He calmes the waves and gets on the ship with them. They were astonished but "their hearts had become dull and lost the power to understand".

Chapter seven: There were strict rules about what you could and could not eat. Traditions of religion did not determine who was unclean. He addressed the condition of the heart.

Chapter eight: Jesus and His team were travelling by boat. There wasn't enough food brought along for them to eat. Even though He had fed multitudes with little, they had already forgotten about it. Jesus addressed the hardness of their hearts.

Chapter nine: A boy is possessed and his dad cries out to Jesus for help. He also admits that his faith is there but unbelief also exists. These things are seated in your heart.

Chapter ten: Jesus was asked about divorce. There were laws in place that would give permission to divorce over a burnt dinner. Putting away a partner over petty matters is wrong. Instead, He addressed the issue of their hearts.

Chapter ten: The rich, young ruler asked Jesus about getting into the Kingdom. When he admitted to keeping the law of the prophets, Jesus asked him to reflect on his heart. Could he give up all his wealth and not rely on the things of this world to save him? It is a reflection of the heart...an analyzation of where his true dependance was.

Chapter eleven: Most importantly, forgiveness is the topic of the moment. If we cannot forgive, then the matter of our spiritual forgiveness is in danger. This is a matter of the heart's condition.

Do you believe in Jesus? You are no better than the demons who believe in Him and tremble. Have you reflected on your heart's condition? Have you forgiven others? What do you rely on for your salvation? In these times, we are concerned about the prices of things, the status of our jobs, the sources of our incomes, the future of our finances. If this is the focus of the heart, where does our love for our God fit in that? We are to examine the reflections of our heart.

Willingness - Pt 1

We all know people who are willing to jump in and participate in things. Sometimes the purpose is quite casual and other times it is for a very important cause. Being willing can be an admirable trait. This does mean you are setting yourself up for the opportunity to succeed, to fumble through, or even, but hopefully not, to fail in what you are doing. When we say "I'm in on this", we ultimately don't know what the path will bring.

There were many who said "I'm in on this" throughout the Bible. Read this passage - Mark 1:1-9

You gotta love the Book of Mark. It is from a regular man's view. The shortest gospel book is straight up. Real talk for real people. We are going to look at John the Baptist for this post.

You don't find it here, but in Luke 1, John's parents, Elizabeth and Zacharias, were described as childless and past their time of being able to conceive. They were God fearing people - rock solid believers of their day - Zacharias was a priest in the Temple. They had told God "I'm in on this". John was miraculously conceived and born into this Godly home. His parents were full of the Spirit of God and prophesied. John grew up a PK.

At some point in his life, John decided to say "I'm in on this" to God. It had to come to that - no one could decide it for him. It was prophesied of John that he was to be a prophet of the Highest, preparing His way, imparting the knowledge of Salvation... Wow! What an honor! What a calling! What a ministry!

Dare I say that I think that John's "ministry" did not go the way he imagined it would. Yes, he was willing, but did he envision life in the desert, eating bugs and bee jelly, wearing camel hair clothing and looking like a wild man? His spirit grew strong and he cried out for people to repent and be baptised, but many thought he was kind of scary, or maybe on the nutty side. This was not how the religion of the day looked or acted.

How long was this to go on? When would the time come for him to proclaim the way of the Lord? Well, it did come...and it is covered in Mark 1:1-9. All that preparation in his life leading up to such a brief moment in time - the water baptism of the Christ. How long did that take? Maybe 5 minutes? The next time you hear about John is in Mark 6 which recounts how he had been taken prisoner and killed at King Herod's command.

I see several important lessons in John's life and in his example of his willingness. These are soul-searching, motive-analyzing questions:
1 - Time is needed to prepare for service to God. What's my priority - am I still willing?
2 - It doesn't matter how much time a work lasts. Each is an integral position that someone must fill. Few missions will cover a lifetime, most of them are for short seasons. Is my pride in the way - am I still willing?
3 - It won't always make sense how God is going to accomplish His purpose through you but He sees the big picture and you can trust Him. Where's my faith - am I still willing?
4 - There will be people who won't understand what you do for Him. They may make fun of you or even hate you for what you are doing. What do I believe - am I still willing?
5 - The ultimate sacrifice may be in your future. You could die because of your commitment to your God. Do I desire God's truth and righteousness to prevail - am I still willing?

There will be more posts on this topic. Maybe the next one will be about Ruth.

The Tree

This isn't about the beautiful colors of fall, or about a Stampin' Up stamp set, or about my dead maple with the mushrooms growing on it in my back yard. It is about a verse that has been kicking around in my mind for the last few months.

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." ~Psalm 1:3

I foresee a study on The Tree in my future! What are these words telling you?

Matters of the Heart - part 5 of ?

Jeremiah was the prophet of God during some of the most difficult times in the Old Testament. Jerusalem fell and the Hebrews were in a period of exile to the Babylonian empire. It seemed that anything that could go wrong did go wrong. Ever been there?

His messages during these disruptive times were full of passion, belief, and conviction. We find a very interesting form of the word heart in many of his messages. Look at chapter 9 verse 8, "Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit; with his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets an ambush." The word used here is qereb (keh' reb) and it means nearest part, center, midst, inward thoughts.

This word is used all through the Old Testament, but not always as the word heart. It is the same word used when Sarah was told that she would bear a child but "laughed within herself". It was used when Joshua was told by God that "there is an accursed thing in the midst of Israel". It's form spoke of the wisdom of Solomon - "they saw the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment". It is also used when speaking of the inward parts of the sacrificial animals that were burnt for an offering to God. Interesting.

I found two forms of the word heart in Psalm 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. The first word for heart is Leb, which we went over in part 2 of this study. The second one, spirit, is qereb. This is interesting, because we think that if our heart is right, then we are good to go. Well, there is always more to attain when you are a Christ follower. Allowing Christ to hold the center of your heart is definately step one. We still need more work though. We can speak the Word and declare peace, but still have the ability to harbor disbelief and deceit within our spirit.

The all-consuming fire of God's holiness will continue to burn, whether we have anything to offer to it or not. Allow Him to cleanse and renew every part of you, even down to the inward thoughts. Give Him your sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. He loves you to the deepest level - to qereb. How far will we go with qereb?

Matters of the Heart - part 4 of ?

Let's get back to what the Word says about the heart.

The next form of the word heart we find in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word Sekviy (sek-vee) which means observant, i.e. the mind.

Of all places to find this word, we see it in the book of Job, chapter 38 and verse 36 "...who has put wisdom in the innermost part, or given understanding to the heart?" It is worth the 2 minutes it would take to read the entire chapter to get a proper context of what is being said here. Basically, Job was having some conversations with God and in chapter 38, God began to give a list of questions to Job as to what man has done, compared to what He has done. God began to prove His omniscience and man's ignorance, in comparison to it.

Keep in mind that Job had lost practically everything at the beginning of the book. He was being tested and tried, and in the end he came out with the right attitude over the test. At the end, he was restored with even more than what he started out with. But in the mean time, if anyone might develop a misunderstanding over observations, it would be Job.

Our natural thinking would question the difficulties and losses that Job faced. Our observations of the seemingly unfair and downright horrific scenario that Job endured would definitely shake our faith's strength. It would cause us to wonder if this was because of something we had done wrong, or question why God would not stop it, temper it, or allow it at all.

This reminds me of the song Blessed Be Your Name which says "You give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be Your name!". Can we come to the place where our natural observations will not cause our faith and trust in God to waver? Consider Who it is that you are believing in. God will not be moved! We can still our minds, pull back from the observations, and remember that God knows what He's doing even though we don't have full understanding during moments of trial.

Matters of the Heart. Part 3 of ?

Let's take a look at another verse that speaks of a matter of the heart.

Here's the picture: Saul has been chasing after David to kill him, but winds up dying with three of his sons. David gets word of Saul's death and mourns him. Not long afterwards, David is proclaimed king over Judah. The house of Saul gets weaker and David's house became stronger. However, one of the commanders of Saul's army was gaining strength. He gathered 20 men and they came to David's house. David put out a feast for the men. Here's how Abner responded to David:

2 Samuel 3:21 Abner said to David, "Let me arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may be king over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

The word for heart in this verse is nephesh (neh'-fesh) which means an appetite, lust, pleasure.

Notice that this word is proclaimed by a man to a man. This is a purely self centered statement. There are 10 more verses which use this word. They are: Exodus 23:9; Leviticus 26:16; Deuteronomy 24:15; I Samuel 2:33; Proverbs 23:7; Proverbs 28:25; Lamentations 3:51 Ezekiel 25:6; Ezekiel 25:15 and Ezekiel 27:31.

I encourage you to take a few moments and read each of these ten verses.

Let's think about what we read and ask ourselves some questions. Does the knowledge of the meaning for the word heart (or in some versions, soul) make more sense in these verses? Is there one that seems to jump out at you? How can we become more Christ-like by reading these verses with the correct interpretation?

Matters of the heart . Part 2 of ?

To be completely honest with you, I thought I would find about 15 or 20 different meanings for the word "heart" in the concordance. I found several but not that many. Let's go over each, one by one.

The most common use of the word heart is the Hebrew word Leb (pronounced layb). It is used widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; the center of anything.

See it in some verses. Here is the first time it is written: in Genesis 6:5-6. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. We are certainly made in God's image, we even have the same "heart". Only man's heart is corrupted by sin; God's heart is perfect.

A story about a man's heart that I find especially interesting is in Exodus. It starts in chapter 7 and verse 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. Since mankind has a free will and the means to make his or her own decisions, then why would God do this to the heart of Pharaoh? It sounds like Pharaoh didn't have a will in this situation. Like he was a puppet being made to do that which God wanted. This isn't the case. God knew the heart of Pharaoh. He knew his will and intellect. He knew what was in the center of Pharaoh's intentions. Pharaoh was going to be a key player in God's means of doing His work in Egypt and freeing His people.

Here's where it becomes interesting. When Moses spoke to Pharaoh, it was God speaking to him according to Exodus 7:1. The words from God, the demands of God, and the acts of God were causing Pharaoh to resist that which God wanted from him. Hardened is defined as: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore. Pharaoh made a choice, God hardened his heart. Or shall we say it another way - Pharaoh's heart was hardened because God's presence invaded his way of life.

Our feelings, will and intellect are such important parts of our life - this is our center. We have been given a free will that can decide as to what we are going to do with God. Sometimes He makes a move in our life or needs to bring about a change. Sometimes His ways are not what we want to have happen, or make us have to get out of our place of comfort. What will you do with God? Will you be open to Him, or will He harden you?

Matters of the heart. Part 1 of ?

Let's talk about the heart.

I guess a good place to start would be to define it. I know we all think of the heart as that muscle in a body that makes our blood flow. Dictionary.com describes it in these ways:

1. As an organ: "a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation..." Of course, this is only one of several descriptions.
2. We also see the word as a description of our personality: "the center of the total personality, esp. with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion".
3. There is a place where we act on our surrounding circumstances: "a capacity for sympathy".
4. Or how about a zeal or passion: "spirit, courage, or enthusiasm".
5. The last definition I will present is: "the vital or essential part; core".

Interesting how we can have one word, but yet it has so many very different meanings. Understanding the real meaning behind the word will bring meaningful understanding when we dig and properly define it in Scripture. We will look at some biblical definitions for the word heart next time.