Scripture: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12-13
Many of you do not know me or my story, but I am a 31 year old single girl who has waited a very long time for God’s provision in a husband. Now I stand on the brink of stepping into that blessed covenant we call marriage with the man God has chosen for me. While this is a joyous occasion, any who have planned a wedding know it can be a most stressful time leading up to the big day. Tensions run high between family members and bride and groom as the Refiner’s fire purges those idols that have long lain, unbeknownst to us, in our hearts. It’s a strange time of many mixed and extreme emotions and is made even more poignant in my situation by the fact that I am marrying an English gentleman to settle in his native land. Planning a wedding in itself is stressful, but meshing two different cultures adds a whole new level of compromise and tension and joy and celebration. Needless to say, this process has been one of much growth and discovery seasoned by many trials.
What has become clear to me through this process is that just because we are following God and obeying him, we are not guaranteed a life of ease and bliss. Things are not going to go just as we imagined them in our minds or just as we have dreamt they would be. I think I had been mislead to believe that if I followed God and walked in obedience that things would be as I desired. I believed this was what Christians called being “blessed”. However, if we read in the Bible, we see that being blessed does not always equate happiness and ease in life. One quick read through of the Sermon on the Mount shoots down that idea. Jesus himself says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven….blessed are those who mourn….blessed are those who are persecuted….blessed is you when people insult you….” (Matthew 5:3-11). You call that being blessed???!!! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be the ultimate pessimist or cynic by sharing all of this. I’m just seeking to establish within myself a Biblical perspective on my life and a true understanding of what it means to be blessed.
I recently was reminded of a verse that is quite familiar to me but, for whatever reason, hit me from a different angle the other day. It’s 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” What hit me was the line “…think it not strange.” I have noticed in myself lately that when something doesn’t go as planned or hoped, my initial response is one of surprise. I find myself asking the question, “Why is this happening to me? I’ve been obedient in seeking and following God’s will! Why would this be going wrong?” I think it strange that I’m experiencing a fiery trial. Who wouldn’t have the same reaction? All of us probably often have similar responses in the midst of a trial. Our initial reaction is to ask why and think it strange.
I was meditating on all of this on my way in to work the other morning, which takes me on a route through a national forest. I was noticing the trees along the way and how they have burn marks half way up their trunks, and I remembered that near this time every year they conduct prescribed burns throughout the forest. I generally expect to see fire and smell smoke on my commutes to and from work every year in early spring. I do not think it strange when I come upon that in the forest, as one might expect me to, because I know that this is the season assigned for prescribed burnings. However, one might be surprised to come across such a scene and be alarmed if they were not aware of the particular season and that there are forestry agents nearby supervising the entire process. I wonder how many phone calls 911 receives that time of year from alarmed motorists in the forest?!
Doesn’t this paint a startling picture for us, though? As believers, we have been “prescribed” fiery trials. We mustn’t think it strange when we experience them. In fact, the Bible commands us to rejoice in them! We should actually feel honored because we are partakers in Christ’s sufferings! As 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 says, “[we are] always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” This is exciting news! When we face these fiery trials, it is to make manifest the life of Jesus in our bodies! Our ultimate end and joy is not found in everything working out according to plan but in the life of Jesus being revealed in our hearts.
A beautiful wedding is much to be desired, but a beautiful Bride of Christ is so much more! I’m sure that my wedding day will be one of celebration and joy and, more importantly, blessed by God. And that blessing, whatever form it may come in, is what my heart longs for more than anything.
Micki Creasman
Clinton, SC
Prayer: Great Bridegroom, Help us realize the trials we are facing are simply grooming us for the great wedding day in which you will return to bring us home with you! Help us to allow these trials to make us beautiful in your sight. AMEN
Prayer Tip: Visualize your self standing before God dressed for a wedding. Imagine how He looks at you in all your wedding day frock. He loves you much more than any mere mortal can.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Scaly Skin
Scripture: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1
Did you realize that all animals, at regular intervals shed their skin? Humans do it less obviously than say snakes who get rid of their skin in one large piece. Humans actually get a new skin surface about every 28 days or so. There are other species like crabs for instance that move out of their shells and find bigger shells as they grow. Humans do that too, but we call that shopping for a more comfortable size. Ha! Ha!
My sister forwarded these pictures to me that her brother-in-law made. Photos courtesy of Bobby Burch.
Here is this scaly reptile lying in one of the loveliest and softest of God’s creation. What a stark contrast. It struck me in such a way that I had to explore the very idea of this contrast.
I discovered that animals get really grumpy prior to shedding their skin. They will also stop eating as well. The lizard will actually rub itself up against a rock to free itself of its skin or soak in water to help the process along. I also found that there are problem sheds that can cause serious threats to the animal. If the old skin remains then the blood supply can be cut off to that toe or tail and cause it to become deformed or even die!
O my, now the contrast is even more defined as we look at our hearts and lives as humans. The scripture from Romans suggests that we must shed those sins that encumber or entangle us. Let’s view them as skins. They restrict us from growing in Christ. That unconfessed sin is keeping us from growing. Unless we break free of it then we are stuck in the old skin.
When I examined the photos above I thought to myself the lizard seems so relaxed and comfortable. He is unaware of how funny he looks and stands out among the lovely red rose. This must surely be the way we look in the palm of God’s hand. We rest comfortably there and then he asks us to shed that sin, so that we look more like him and we want to wiggle out of that safe place. However if we choose to escape the discomfort of growth we stay trapped in the old skin.
There is no way we can grow in Christ and stay the same! Like this lizard we are only a reptile among roses if we do not conform to God’s will for our lives. Perhaps you are stuck in an old skin. There even may be something in your life that is rubbing you the wrong way to try and free you. Seek God this week about those things that have you entangled. Shed your old skin and step into a new life looking more like a flower in God’s garden. Ask yourself, is this how I look in the palm of God’s hand?
Leslie Stephens
Winchester, TN
Prayer: Great Creator, I know you designed me in your image. Help me to shed those things that make me less like you, so that I can step into the skin of Christ. Amen
Prayer Tip: Without daily repentance, we may find ourselves comfortable in our sin.
Hebrews 12:1
Did you realize that all animals, at regular intervals shed their skin? Humans do it less obviously than say snakes who get rid of their skin in one large piece. Humans actually get a new skin surface about every 28 days or so. There are other species like crabs for instance that move out of their shells and find bigger shells as they grow. Humans do that too, but we call that shopping for a more comfortable size. Ha! Ha!
My sister forwarded these pictures to me that her brother-in-law made. Photos courtesy of Bobby Burch.
Here is this scaly reptile lying in one of the loveliest and softest of God’s creation. What a stark contrast. It struck me in such a way that I had to explore the very idea of this contrast.
I discovered that animals get really grumpy prior to shedding their skin. They will also stop eating as well. The lizard will actually rub itself up against a rock to free itself of its skin or soak in water to help the process along. I also found that there are problem sheds that can cause serious threats to the animal. If the old skin remains then the blood supply can be cut off to that toe or tail and cause it to become deformed or even die!
O my, now the contrast is even more defined as we look at our hearts and lives as humans. The scripture from Romans suggests that we must shed those sins that encumber or entangle us. Let’s view them as skins. They restrict us from growing in Christ. That unconfessed sin is keeping us from growing. Unless we break free of it then we are stuck in the old skin.
When I examined the photos above I thought to myself the lizard seems so relaxed and comfortable. He is unaware of how funny he looks and stands out among the lovely red rose. This must surely be the way we look in the palm of God’s hand. We rest comfortably there and then he asks us to shed that sin, so that we look more like him and we want to wiggle out of that safe place. However if we choose to escape the discomfort of growth we stay trapped in the old skin.
There is no way we can grow in Christ and stay the same! Like this lizard we are only a reptile among roses if we do not conform to God’s will for our lives. Perhaps you are stuck in an old skin. There even may be something in your life that is rubbing you the wrong way to try and free you. Seek God this week about those things that have you entangled. Shed your old skin and step into a new life looking more like a flower in God’s garden. Ask yourself, is this how I look in the palm of God’s hand?
Leslie Stephens
Winchester, TN
Prayer: Great Creator, I know you designed me in your image. Help me to shed those things that make me less like you, so that I can step into the skin of Christ. Amen
Prayer Tip: Without daily repentance, we may find ourselves comfortable in our sin.
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