Simeon and the Savior

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Paula

“When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God” (Luke 2:22-28).

I read this and I want to be like Simeon. Surely righteous and devout, but also to speak to God with the confidence Simeon had when he praised God regarding the baby Jesus. That baby was exactly what the old gentleman had been waiting for.

He said, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29,30).

When it’s time for me to pass from this earth, I hope these are the words that occupy my mind and heart. I have been blessed to see God’s salvation.

During this advent season, the coming of Christ reminds me there is a wonderful hope for us. We have the promise of God’s glory when we know Jesus personally and trust Him as our Lord and savior. Like Simeon, we yearn to see Christ. We look forward to His return.

One of the secrets to Simeon’s story is this: he listened to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and went to the temple on that particular day. He knew from prior experience that the Spirit would speak and there was a promise in line with his going. He knew he would not die before laying eyes on the Messiah.

As I said, I’m blessed to know Jesus and His salvation.

And like Simeon, I look forward to laying eyes on Him.

Mary

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Paula

A small group of 12-steppers, we talked about how we would handle the holidays. We knew the late-year holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas could prove challenging.

Since some of us were alcohol, drug and food addicts, we knew that the presence of these particular ‘substances’ would be cause for us to be cautious during the next few weeks.

And it wasn’t even Halloween yet.

I shared my own feelings and concerns during the meeting, moved by the Spirit and by what I had heard around the table. As always, however, there was more in my heart and I left the meeting not having expressed it.

But I knew exactly what it was.

It was “anticipation” we were talking about. The real topic was anticipation of the holidays and how they would affect us as recovering people. I also understood that, as recovering Christians, there was more to the anticipation than we had voiced. While we had reasons to be concerned, we also had reasons to rejoice.

I thought of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

I thought of her entering the eighth month of pregnancy. She must have been feeling very much like a woman about to give birth–mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Mentally, she would have been preparing herself for what was ahead in her new role as a mother. We who’ve done that think of all sorts of wonderful possibilities. We begin to prepare. It’s called “nesting.”

Physically, she would have been getting heavier and more awkward in her gait. (Although I find it difficult to visualize her that way.) Her center of gravity would have been a little off. Perhaps she was frustrated trying to fasten her sandals. I wonder if her friends were helping her along with advice and old wives’ tales.

Oh, but spiritually. Let’s go back to the beginning.

Mary was approached by one of God’s messenger angels, Gabriel. He told her she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. He also told her that the child would fulfill prophecy. Gabriel called Him “the Son of the Most High.” “A savior which is Christ the Lord,” is how the angels proclaimed it to shepherds the night of the baby’s birth.

Then Gabriel said, “And you will name him Jesus.”

Can you imagine being a virgin and finding out, not only that you are going to have a child, but also that the baby will be a boy and you already know his name? Furthermore, He will be one of God’s promises? From an angel!

That gives a whole new meaning to “ultra sound.”

Mary must have been experiencing the ultimate in anticipation around the beginning of her eighth month. She was going to be a mother. She was going to have a husband who was also faithful to God to help raise their son.

And that Son would be the promise the world was waiting for.

So I think that we Christians are a little like Mary in a way. We want that day to come so we can celebrate the wonder of Jesus’ birth; the birth of a Savior who still lives.

He still lives to fulfill another of God’s promises and we know that God is faithful. He promised His Son to Mary and to generations to come. He promised Jesus would save us from our sins. He promised His Son would return.

Those are promises that can keep us from obsessing about the holidays. They’re promises of hope.

Because of God’s plan, we have abundant life here and now. Because of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, we can have life in eternity with Him. How much power can anything less than Him really have over us, if we trust in God today and let Him take care of our tomorrows?

After all, He promised He would.

Cookie Cutter Christians

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Paula

An acquaintance of mine said when she first began her walk with God that she didn’t seem to fit the same mold as the women at church. She was grateful that they were patient with her as she grew more spiritually mature, but still believed she would never be quite like them.

That’s probably a good thing. I’m quite sure that God planned ahead of time for that.

Her remarks got me thinking about my own ability to relate to other Christians. My thoughts turned to trying to figure out why we’re all so different. While a sincere heart change and character growth are what we’re after, I don’t believe God wants cookie cutter Christians.

He wants us to be exactly who we are; what he created us to be. Naturally, if we come to him with severe character defects, his Spirit will work in us to change us into people who exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23).

But God created us with unique talents and personalities. His purpose for us in his redemptive plan means he’ll use those talents and personalities for his own purposes. He refines our personalities, but he doesn’t change them.

For example, the apostle Peter was obviously an impulsive sort of guy. He seemed to act and speak sometimes without thinking first. Jesus even rebuked him for it at one point.

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men'”(Matthew 16:23).

Yet Jesus knew the potential in Peter and chose him to be the “rock” on which the Church would be built. Peter’s impulsiveness was refined into a boldness which was used to preach the Gospel, winning many people to faith in Christ.

Being handpicked for a purpose is true of everyone who chooses to believe and follow Jesus.

Isn’t it great knowing that God can use even your personality to serve the kingdom?

My observations have seen God using people who are shy and people who are bubbly and enthusiastic conversationalists. I watch as both introverts and extroverts take on ministry and glorify God. Some of us are stoic; others more laid back.

I admit there are times when I meet someone whose personality seems to jive perfectly with mine. Still, there are plenty of differences in us to make our individual service unique and to keep the relationship we have refreshing.

God knows that we need the connections of those similarities. He also knows that our world would be boring if we were cut from cookie cutters or poured from the same mold.

That’s why God celebrates that there’s only one you. You can celebrate it as well.

Digging Into The Bible

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Paula

Over the years I’ve sat in many small groups of people studying the Bible in some fashion. Every group included at least one person who was unfamiliar with scripture and had no regular Bible reading plan.

I’ve always been passionate about helping people read and understand the Bible better. The reason for my passion is because I know if they keep reading, they’ll get to know God better. They’ll get to know Jesus, his Son. Over time, they’ll even begin to appreciate the Holy Spirit’s role in their lives.

We all enjoy forming relationships in a small group and that’s important. But I believe the small group experience will be enriched when people also form a growing relationship with God. To someone new to it all, even talking about a relationship with God can be confusing.

I understand that because I had questions too. I was too proud to ask them so for a long time I stayed ignorant about a lot of things God wanted me to know and do. Pretty much like I did everything, I relied on myself. I thank God for some good people who gently taught me that I didn’t know it all. Often, I didn’t even know what I thought I knew.

If you know what I mean.

Today, I love to hear people speak up and ask questions referring to things they don’t understand about God or the Bible. It inspires me, knowing that they want the enlightenment scripture can bring. More than just trying to answer questions, however, I like to point them to Christ by encouraging them to dig into the Bible themselves.

In these cases “Where do I start?” is a common question.

Not a list of Ten Ways to Get to Know Your Bible

Rather than being clever and offering a quick fix and a list, here’s a Bible reading plan that doesn’t take much time. It’s pretty comprehensive, covering some significant stories and points in scripture. Even better, it just may give a person with lots of questions enough of a taste to want more. The result of completing the forty days might be that an individual–maybe you–begins a daily Bible reading routine.

Seasoned readers of the Bible might also give the forty-day plan a try. If how you’re doing it now has become a little stale (and it can; don’t feel guilty about that), go ahead and stop how you’re doing it. Reading passages which are seemingly unrelated might put some kick in your relationship with Christ as well. You can always return to the method you were previously engaged in.

God comes near when we draw near to him. Reading the Bible, meditating on what we read and praying for understanding open us up to hear his voice. And that’s something all of us often ask about.

“How do I hear God speak to me personally?”

A Suggested Forty-Day Bible Reading Plan

Day 1: Genesis chapters 1-2 (The Creation Account)
Day 2: Genesis chapter 3 (The Beginning of Sin)
Day 3: Genesis chapters 15, 17:15-27 (God’s covenant with Abraham)
Day 4: Genesis chapter 21:1-7; chapter 22 (God’s faithfulness and Abrahams faith)
Day 5: Exodus chapters 3-4 (God Calls Moses to deliver His people)
Day 6: Exodus 6 (The Ten Commandments)
Day 7 Joshua 1 (Conquering the Promised Land)
Day 8 1 Samuel 16-17 (David and Goliath)
Day 9: 1 Kings chapters 3; 8:1-9; 9 (King Solomon’s wisdom and the Temple)
Day 10 1 Kings 18 (The prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal)
Day 11: 2 Kings 25 (The Siege of Jerusalem and the Exile of Judah)
Day 12: Daniel 2-3 (Daniel in Babylon: The fiery furnace)
Day 13: Ezra 3 (Rebuilding the temple)
Day 14: Isaiah chapters 9, 53, 61 (Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah)
Day 15: Luke chapters 1-2 (The birth of Jesus)
Day 16: John 1:1-18 (Who Jesus Is)
Day 17: Luke 4:14-44 (Jesus begins his ministry)
Day 18: Matthew 5-6 (The core of Jesus’ teaching)
day 19: John 3 (God’s Love for the world)
Day 20: John 5 (Jesus’ Miracles and Authority)
Day 21: John 11 (Jesus’ Power Over Death)
Day 22: John 15 (The Christian Life Defined)
Day 23: John 17 (Jesus’ High Priestly prayer)
Day 24: Matthew 26-27 (The arrest and crucifixion of Jesus)
Day 25: John 20 (The resurrection of Jesus)
Day 26: Luke 24 (The ascension of Jesus )
Day 27: Acts 2 (The coming of The Holy Spirit)
Day 28 Acts 9 (The conversion of Saul)
Day 29 Acts 16 (The Gospel spreads to Europe)
Day 30 Acts 26 (Paul’s defense of the Christian Faith)
Day 31: Romans 3 (Justification by faith alone)
Day 32: Romans 7-8 (The battle with sin; Life in the Spirit)
Day 33: 1 Corinthians 13 (The way of Love)
Day 34: 1 Corinthians 15 (The power of the resurrection)
Day 35: Galatians 5 (Freedom in Christ)
Day 36: Ephesians 6 (The whole armor of God)
Day 37: Philippians 1:18-2:18 (Christ’s example for us)
Day 38: Colossians 3:1-17 (Putting on the new self)
Day 39: James 1 (Pure religion)
Day 40: Revelation 21-22 (The New Heaven and the New Earth)

Ten Things I Believe

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Paula

In 1990, just for fun, I came up with a list of “Things I Like.” Not surprisingly, ‘a nice cup of tea’ and ‘telling a joke well’ made the list.

Before the year was over, I’d considered that list and decided I needed to write another list of “Things I Need” (relationally). What I learned about writing and reviewing that list over time was that I was the one mostly responsible for making sure my relational needs were met. If I looked at it any other way, I felt like a victim.

Now, somewhat belatedly, I’m convinced another list is in order. A more important list, and probably not complete, I name “Things I Believe.” After all, I’m a Believer.

For what’s it’s worth, here it is. And the only items on the list I could say are in order of importance are perhaps #1 and #2.

1. I believe everything God said about Himself in scripture.

2. I believe everything Jesus said about Himself and that I am, because of my belief, now crucified with Him, reconciled to God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and will spend eternity with Him when He returns.

3. I believe there is a purpose in my life and that this purpose is to please God, however He defines His pleasure.

4. I believe the various experiences of my life–trials and joys, no matter when they happened–God is even now using to further His kingdom.

5. I believe in the intrinsic value of every human being.

6. I believe in the power of prayer.

7. I believe God speaks to people in a variety of ways and His purpose for speaking is for His glory to be shown in the world.

8. I believe there is an enemy in the world named Satan and that it is possible to be deceived by him as well as it is possible to stand against him with the power of God’s word and prayer.

9. I believe that there is a cost in loving as God commanded, but as we risk according to God’s definition of love, our relationships with Him become deeper. We are healed and our relationships with others become healthier.

10. I believe that my beliefs can and will affect my behavior.

Bonus belief: I believe that Numbers 1 and 2 are the basic foundation for the rest of the beliefs listed.

Questions For God

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Paula

When I was a teenager, I began to have some doubts about my faith. Whenever I would say something even closely resembling such a thing, my mother would say, “Don’t question God, Paula.”

Now that my doubts have been cleared up, I have great faith in God and trust him with everything. However, that journey to complete trust wasn’t down an easy road. Most of the time I discovered his faithfulness through difficult times.

Something else I discovered through becoming familiar with scripture is that there is a difference between questioning God and asking him questions. Questioning him, in my opinion, displays an attitude based on a lack of trust. Asking questions is based on an honest search for God’s heart.

I look at people in the Bible as examples. King David asked questions in many of his psalms. The story of Job, a man God described as “blameless and upright” is full of questions he would like to ask God. The prophets, especially Jeremiah, had questions for God. Jeremiah wrote a whole “letter” to God full of lamentations. Mary asked Gabriel how God would accomplish the virgin birth.

Jesus wasn’t questioning his Father when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to have the cup removed. He was lamenting what he would face in the crucifixion.

Often, it’s in this state of lament that we find ourselves asking hard questions of our Maker.

Examining these instances of lament–whoever it is in scripture–the people involved do the same thing. They often describe the situation to God. They ask their questions. Then they turn from the questions to praising God for what he’s done in the past. They tell him how much they trust him.

Looking back, I believe my doubts were simply a case of wanting some questions answered. I was an immature Christian and needed to have those answers.

Doubt isn’t inherently a bad thing. If our doubts lead us to ask questions and those questions lead us to sound belief, they can create a closer relationship with the Lord.

Doubt accompanied by the questioning attitude, however, can lead to a hard heart. That inevitably causes distance from God.

When we come to God with questions we may not always get an answer. Or the answer we hope for. But we’ll be drawing closer to him, remembering our dependence on him and remaining teachable by his Spirit.

Dear heavenly Father, help me to remember that there are people who, whether Christians or not, have sincere questions they need answered. Remind me that I still come to you with my own. Give me the ability to extend grace and not judge someone’s lack of faith because they have questions. I pray that all who seek you with all of our hearts–even through our questions–will find you as you have promised we will.

What Do We Have To Sing About?

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Paula

Praise and worship in the form of hymns and contemporary music are a long-honored tradition in Christian churches. Whatever style of singing a church offers, the purpose is always the same: to glorify God.

We worship him for who he is and praise him for what he does.

Ever notice there are specific themes in the songs? Here are just a few.

Salvation The greatest gift of God is his Son, Jesus and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. God gave his Son to die for us and we praise him for giving with immeasurable love. Without salvation, we cannot approach God. Through our faith in Jesus, we have him as our go-between.

Dependence We wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything of value or eternal purpose without God. We are weak and tend to wander, but with God’s power and our willingness to surrender to him, all things are possible.

Evangelism Christ has given us a mission to make disciples. With so many who haven’t heard the gospel, it’s a big responsibility. It’s an individual responsibility. “I love to tell the story of Jesus and his love” is a great attitude to have. Even better to put it into a loving action.

Suffering We all go through trials, but God provides strength to get through them even if he doesn’t remove them. We don’t praise God for the trials. However, lifting up his name as our source of strength is good for us. It helps us to remember his faithfulness.

Holiness In John’s revelation, he describes a scene in which creatures sing “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” God is holy; we recognize this and worship as they did. Our own holiness is another topic of many songs. God said because he is holy, we must be as well. Again, we can do it only with his power working in us.

The Holy Spirit When we sing “open the eyes of my heart,” we’re asking the Holy Spirit to help us see spiritual truth. We humbly ask for his aid because we can block God’s word through various means. Even standing in church with the body of believers all around us, it can be difficult not to let our attention go elsewhere. The Holy Spirit desires our hearts be open to receiving God’s truth and bearing fruit.

Peace and Joy Two things Jesus said he gives to us which are not of this world. His peace. His joy. When we’re worshiping God for who he is, we can’t help feeling the peace and joy he gives. Acknowledging all of his attributes–from his holiness, justice and sovereignty to his mercy, love and forgiveness–we know we have a God and Savior who can bring peace and joy no matter what’s happening in our lives.

Love We sing about God’s love for us and we sing about our love for him. The former is praise, the latter is worship.

Gratitude Being always thankful to God is another excellent way to worship him. Gratitude doesn’t have to be sung, but when voices are lifted up to praise God with our mouth saying, “Hallelujah!” God hears and is exalted.

We have many things to sing about when it comes to our Father in heaven. Don’t have a great singing voice in your own opinion? Be assured that God doesn’t see it that way. He gave you that voice.

So lift it up in worship. Bless His holy name.

Why I Go To Church

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Paula

In a recent post, I talked about Why I Don’t Go To Church. Today is a good day to tell you Why I Do Go To Church.

To Worship God
During the week, I have my private times of meeting with the Lord. But on the day I go to church, it’s a different venue. The atmosphere creates in me a desire to worship God for who he is and to praise his works in a corporate setting.

As An Act of Obedience
Jesus showed us that he meant for us to be a body of believers when he welcomed everyone to come to him. Certainly, he had a few people who were in his inner circle, as I do, but he also ministered to and taught multitudes at one time.

To Fellowship With Believers
Besides being able to meet one on one with my best Christian friends, at church I’m able to greet those who don’t live close by. The ones whom I wouldn’t see unless we both made a point of going to church. I don’t know everyone who attends, but I’m meeting more of them all the time. We often discuss things we might not get a chance to talk about if we didn’t see each other weekly. They help me; I help them. I know that in the midst of this congregation, we’re loved, prayed for and supported. Many times, we know each other’s messes and successes.

To Serve
The ways in which I serve are not up-front like some. But what I do is a service to someone. I never know when what I’ve done will help plant a seed for an individual who’s looking to go deeper in his or her relationship with God.

To Hear Spirit-Filled Teaching
I need to hear the full counsel of God taught to me. Aside from my own Bible study and small group study, my pastor can open scripture to me in supernatural ways when he allows God to use him. Then, if I take that home and apply the wisdom to my life, my desire to worship, to obey, to be in community, and to serve have also served a purpose.

Most of the reasons I go to church should be, first of all, outward focused. I do get a lot from going to church. But in the body where I attend, faith, love and acceptance are flourishing. I believe it’s for the benefit of everyone who walks through the doors.

Why would I not want to go to church?

When The Enemy Weasels In

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Paula

“Around, around the cobbler’s bench, the monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey thought ‘twas all in fun. POP! goes the weasel.”

As I turned the crank on my grandson’s jack-in-the-box, it played that familiar song. Like a little kid who had never played with such a toy, I was startled when the clown popped out of the lid. My daughter-in-law had been watching and laughed.

“You always know he’s coming,” she said, “but somehow he always surprises you.”

Yes, I had been caught, but I think it’s a natural thing. The little guy does seem to spring out of nowhere. I guess that’s the point.

Later, I thought of how Satan, the enemy, works the same way. I’m just going along, when all of a sudden I realize there’s something wrong. That haunting melody of lies is playing in my head and I feel out of sorts.

Everything seems to be falling apart. I can’t concentrate when I pray. My best Christian friends are getting on my nerves. My confidence is flagging.

Oh… I get it…I’m under spiritual attack.

The Bible says we should “Be self-controlled and alert.(our) enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It’s possible for me to let my guard down with Satan taking full advantage of the situation. Sometimes by the time I recognize the culprit he’s already pounced, robbing me of joy and peace.

Jesus told his followers that the enemy is a murderer and a liar. Lying is his native tongue. What is he killing and with what does he try to accomplish the kill? Here are a few of the taunts he’ll use as ammunition:

• You’re inadequate (as a Christian, mother, husband, employee, etc.)
• God can’t forgive that sin
• People are out to get you
• It’s okay to indulge this one time
• Your attempts to succeed will fail

Recognizing the lies means the difference between victory and defeat. Knowing the difference between his condemning voice and Holy Spirit conviction is key.

Those in Christ Jesus are no longer condemned but live under grace. God examines our hearts and we can turn to him to discover truth to any message we suspect may be a lie. We don’t need to go looking for the enemy under every rock, but we ought to be aware of his schemes. If we recognize that we’re truly under attack, we stand firm and claim truth. We can also call on a trusted friend to stand with us in prayer.

In addition, there’s no substitute for wearing our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:13-18).

If the enemy is toying with you, like the little clown did who jumped up at me, slam down the lid and walk away. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Satan needs to be reminded that we know he’s a liar. He knows that he is powerless when we live in the power of Jesus Christ.

That Elusive “Calling”

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Paula

God’s call often starts with curiosity. Curiosity leads to interest,

interest to information, then you get understanding.

Then understanding will lead to the meaning of what he is asking of you.

God will give you the assurance that this thing

is a real possibility for you.

Then you share your assurance with others,

look into the Bible, and pray for the Holy Spirit’s leading.

It will become conviction if, of course,

God wants this for you. Conviction will bring you to commitment.

Then there is no retreat unless of course, you decide to disobey.

Some do. Those that do not, receive what has been promised.

Taken from “Gateway to Joy” with Elisabeth Elliot

The Fruitful Life

Tag Archives: Holy Spirit