Being Wrong

Well, the world didn't end last weekend. There were countless rapture jokes thrown around last week and a whole new set this week. There is also a really good letter going around to the Christians that believed Camping's prediction. I have one more thought I'd like to add.

God works all things together for the good of those that love Him, including this. It is His great mercy that when His children believe a lie, He doesn't leave us there. He humbles us and shows us the truth. There have been plenty of times in my life where I have believed wrongly and the Lord corrected me. I'm sure there are many more to come. This particular correction involves a lot of public ridicule, and Satan specializes in converting humility to shame. But shame is a lie as well. There is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ. Go on knowing that Christ is refining you, slowly and painfully at times, into the image of His son. By showing you where you believed a lie, He is blessing you with more of Himself. I know because He's doing it in my life, too.

Free To Pursue

At my church they talk about being free to pursue Christ.  They say that since there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), that frees us up to pursue relationship with Him.  That makes some sense to me... if we are in Christ then we are free to pursue Him with all that we have, and even if we make a huge mess of things, even if we fail, we are covered by grace.  But the more I think about that, the less sense it makes.  If I am truly pursuing Christ with all I have, then I will not fail.  He promises that if I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me.  So then... why do I have to be free of the fear of condemnation in order to pursue Him?

Over the past week He has laid on my heart a beautiful analogy of this idea.  I am watching my daughter grow from a baby into a little girl.  She is learning how to communicate her ideas, how to be an adult by mimicking the things we do, how to be independent.  Hopefully, by God's grace, she is also growing in obedience and a desire for righteousness.  None of these things happen quickly, most of them we (Lord willing) will get 18 or so years to teach her.

For a while now, she has been really trying to learn how to jump.  She can't get her feet off the ground,  so she basically starts walking quickly, takes a few funny looking steps, and announces with joy "I'M JUMPING!"  Our response is tremendously important.  We could tell her that no, she did not, in fact, jump.  That her performance did not measure up.  We could tell her she looks ridiculous.  But we would never say such things.  Instead, we clap our hands and say "YAY!".  We jump around like dorks along side her.  Why?  Because we want her to keep doing that step thinking she looks like Spud Webb?  No.  We respond that way because she is making progress.  Because we know that in an environment where she is having fun and is free from condemnation, she will keep trying, keep pursuing her goal, keep improving with each try.  That is how she will learn to jump.

This is what it means to be free to pursue Christ.  I have one day where I have a small victory over my sin.  One time where I die to self and let the Spirit live in me.  One time where I get up early to spend time with the Lord rather than sleeping in.  One time where I respond graciously to my husband instead of being a jerk.  I am falling so far short of Christ's standard for me, yet I pray the spiritual equivalent of "Thank you God, I'm JUMPING!  You gave me strength and I JUMPED!"  The enemy responds with "You didn't jump.  You took two ridiculous looking steps around the coffee table."  But my Abba responds "YAY!!!"  He puts those around me who model jumping more correctly so that through the Spirit's conviction I can learn from them.  He is constantly pushing me towards righteousness so that someday I will not call this jumping.  But there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  I am free to grow into righteousness despite the fact that perfect righteousness is demanded of me by a just God.  I have this freedom because it was purchased for me by Christ on the cross.  I am free to pursue Him.

No Fear

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."  Jeremiah 17:7-8

 i am free of fear not because i know bad times will not befall me.  i am free of fear because i know even bad times will produce good fruit.

I know the plans I have for you...

I am learning to quilt and recently took on a new project.  I picked out my pattern and my fabrics and was excited to get started.  I got home, prewashed, ironed, cut, sewed, and as of yesterday I am looking at just two of the fabrics together and to be honest they look awful.  I have completely lost sight of the big picture and the only thing keeping me sewing this ugly quilt is the fact that I know there is a plan.  I had a vision of what the finished product would look like, there in the fabric store, and I trust that even though I can’t see it today, once I get all the fabrics in in the right proportions, I will have created something beautiful.  This is in contrast to other art projects I have started with no (or at best, a very loosely defined) master plan.  A great percentage of the time, those turn out really badly.

So I am staring at an ugly green and tan square, and find myself praising God that he has a master plan.  Even when I am stuck in the details of earthly things that feel so permanent, even when I can’t see how all around me is working together for my good, even when I don’t understand why I have to go through things that hurt.  He has a plan, he promises that it’s good, and he promises that he will complete it instead of just giving up on this mess of awful looking fabric.  He made sure to write all these things in His word, because He knew I would need to be told, and then reminded over and over and over.

 ¹⁰"For thus says the LORD:^(A) When seventy years are completed for Babylon,^(B) I will visit you,^(C) and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. ^11(D) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare^[a] and not for evil,^(E) to give you a future and a hope. ^12(F) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ^13(G) You will seek me and find me, when you seek me^(H) with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, declares the LORD,^(I) and I will restore your fortunes and^(J) gather you from all the nations and all the places^(K) where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.  –Jeremiah 29:10-14

Hello World

So I have been debating starting a blog for a while now.  I have been wanting a sort of online journal , as a way to share with my family and friends what the Lord is doing in my life.  I want to be upfront that I am making no promises regarding the frequency of the posts here, but my hope is that any who read would glorify the name of Christ because of the good work He is doing in my life.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, 
let the earth hear his voice! 
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, 
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son, 
and give Him the glory, great things He hath done!