Doggone it!

Over the weekend, I taught at a Women's Retreat at Hidden Acres Christian Camp outside of Dayton, Iowa.  When I was teaching about #WhosTheBoss, I used an illustration that I had gleaned a few years ago (when I was at wit's end with my naughty puppy) from an online dog trainer called Doggy Dan.  As I was going through the list of training rules on Doggy Dan's website, I was struck by how applicable they were to me when I visualized God as the Master and me as...ahem...the dog. 

Read on for the training rules:

1. Feeding: The dog needs to know that you control the food and will give it when he needs it.  

So, how exactly does this relate to me?  I am able to get my own food pretty much anytime I want and sometimes when I don't even need it.  But, when Psalm 145:15-16 says, "The eyes of all look to you,  and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing," I'm fairly certain, God is not just promising to feed us physically.  In fact, Philippians 4:19 tells us that God has promised to supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory.  This means that, in the same way that my dog needs to trust that I will give him his breakfast in the morning and his supper at night, I need to trust that God will give whatever I need whenever I need it.  Trusting God also means that I will choose NOT to worry about what he is or is not going to give..."Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"  (Matthew 6:25-26) . If we could see our future clearly and where each and every situation would take us, we wouldn’t need to trust God or make him Boss.

   

2. Danger: Always remain calm and relaxed and let your dog know that you will protect him in the event of danger.  This way your dog will learn to trust your judgment.  

If my dog chooses to disobey me, distrust me, or generally ignore me, I cannot properly protect him from danger--or give him good things. In the same way, if we have chosen to make God our Master, we are eternally secure; our inheritance sure.  If we truly believe that God is, indeed, sovereign, we will trust his judgment on what is good for us.  Nothing takes God by surprise ever!  When we are undone by tests and trials, it is because we are not fully resting in God's protective care.  First Peter 4:12-13 says, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."  As Christ-followers, we should expect that this life will include suffering, but we can also be assured that our eternity will be full of joy!

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3.  Everything on Your Terms: You should initiate everything. Watch out for attention-getting or space-invading.

Oftentimes, when my dog wants me to pay attention to him, he will put his paws (and his sharp claws) on my leg so I will play with him.  He will continue to do this over and over until I reprimand him.  We do this with God too.  No, we don't have paws, and we don't ask God to "play" with us, but we do enter into his presence with our own agenda and seeking our own glory.  And sometimes, we forget that God is our real Master, and we fill his place with selfish ambition.  When we replace God's glory with our own, or put others/things/experiences on his throne, we are inverting his God-ordained order and operating outside of his boundaries.  Isaiah 46:9 speaks for God and says, "I am God and there is no other.  I am God and there is none like me." Those are the terms God has designed and since he "is in the Heavens, [he] does whatever pleases him." (Psalm 115:3).

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4. The Walk:  Do not move until the lead is loose and your dog is calm.  If your dog is pulling you, turn around.  

Mostly, I don't walk my dog on a leash since we live by the woods where he can freely run.  But, sometimes, when I need to take him somewhere that a leash is required, he tries really hard to be in charge--pulling so hard that he actually cuts off his supply of oxygen.  I am not so unlike my dog.  Guess what? God will choose to accomplish his purposes in spite of us if we, like my dog, think we can walk ourselves.  But, if we remain calm, not "tugging on the lead," then God can accomplish his purposes through us!  Amazing!  When my dog pulls on the rope, he is only hurting himself; when I do the same, I am acting like I know better than God.  I have found a couple of verses that help me remember what my attitude and actions are supposed to look like when I feel my "walk" is not to my liking; Psalm 131:2 "But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content."

But, you know what? Even when we act like our silly pups, we aren't in the "doghouse" with our merciful Master; God still lavishly loves us and wants us show it by letting him lead.  And he tells us that, " In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence " (Ephesians 3:12) because he thinks we are the "pick of the litter!"  

         

Amen and Amen.

“God is too good to be unkind and he’s too wise to be mistaken.  And when we cannot trace his hand, we must trust his heart.”  

~Charles Spurgeon

Oblivion

“Satan tries to lull us with the sweet smell and steady thrum of worldliness.” 

-from Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild by Mary Kassian

Like the constant dripping of a leaky faucet, we are steadily inundated with the images, the suggestions, the lies of this world. 

drip.drip.drip.drip.

Over and over, we expose ourselves to selfish thinking, greed, pride and immorality. 

drip.drip.drip.drip.

Again and again, images that offend our Father come before our eyes. Because we have not intentionally chosen the way of the Holy, the way of the world becomes our default.

drip.drip.drip.drip.

Because we are undisciplined, lazy, and satisfied with just existing, we neglect the Glory of God by our forgetfulness.

drip.drip.drip.drip.

With our unfocused eyes and desire for ease, we think it too hard to pursue our Creator.

drip.drip.drip.drip.

We use the health, the money, the power He gives to esteem ourselves.

drip.drip.drip.drip.

The charms of this world dangle in front of our eyes, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, numbing, convincing.

drip.drip.drip.drip.

Deceiving.

drip.drip.drip.drip.

Congratulating ourselves on our independence and self-reliance, we neglect the only thing that can truly make us whole. 

drip.drip.drip.drip.

Forgiveness and redemption through the Blood of the Lamb.

drip.drip.drip.drip.

“My son, pay attention to what I say;
   listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
   keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
   and health to a man’s whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart,
   for it is the wellspring of life.
Put away perversity from your mouth;
   keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
   fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet
   and take only ways that are firm.
Do not swerve to the right or the left;
   keep your foot from evil.”

Proverbs 4:20-27

More Than You Can Imagine!

This weekend, I have the privilege of speaking at a local women's retreat about the unfathomable nature of the glory of God.  I posted this piece four years ago but decided to re-post to remind me to that God, my Father, is truly more than I can imagine!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine. According to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen!”
Ephesians 3:20-21

Last summer my family hiked the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain.  (You can read about our adventures starting here)  Many of the cities we traversed had massive, old cathedrals at their centers.  These ornate, burgeoning structures were literally awe-inspiring.  It was not difficult to see what had captured the imaginations of these ancient artisans; on every available edifice you could find paintings of creation, biblical battles, and Mary the mother of Jesus.  And in numerous alcoves along these massive walls stood statues depicting the apostles, the prophets, and Jesus Himself in various scenes.  All one had to do was look upward towards the ceiling to see the entire story of the Bible unfolding before their eyes. It was if the brushstrokes of the painters purposed to draw your eyes heavenward in reverence.  The story of God captivated these devout people of old.  Does it still capture us today?

I don’t think so.

I think, today, that we are wowed by the glitz and the glare and the general glamour of everything that sparkles.  The story of God has been put on the shelf.

But, we get excited about CrossFit.

And March Madness.

And politics. Especially when an election year is approaching.

We are passionate about vaccinations. Or lack of them.

And GMOs.

And homeschooling.

And public schooling.

And grass fed beef.

We consume ourselves with perfect parties for our one year olds.

And social media.

And furniture from IKEA.

But we are no longer awed by THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE WHO SPOKE EVERYTHING INTO BEING.

Does this seem strange to you?

The Westminster Catechism can assist us with this.  It asks the question, “What is chief end of man? (or in today's language, "What is our purpose?) And to help us, it also answers and tells us, “To glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

So…if we are supposed to be glorifying God, but yet we are fascinated with everything but God and, in fact, we think that God is outdated, archaic, even distant, then we are neither ENJOYING HIM nor GLORIFYING HIM.

That means we are not fulfilling our purpose.  Do you understand the problem here? The problem is that WE ARE WASTING OUR TIME!

In Romans 1:21, Paul says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  Do you see the irony?  This is like us.  We know God.  We don’t glorify him when our minds are occupied with everything but him.  We don’t give thanks to him because we don’t meditate on the grace he has given.

We need to stop.  We just need to STOP.  And we need to look long and lovingly on the majesty of God.  We become what we behold.  I don’t want my thinking to be futile or my heart to be darkened by distraction.  I want to behold the holiness of my Savior. And I want to become like him.

The focal point of our interests has become OURSELVES--selfie anyone?—but we need to focus on the One that actually is God, not on those things that have become our “gods”.  When we place anything in the spot that God should inhabit, that thing is our idol.  God commands we aren’t to have any of those…but I do, don’t you?  Because I get wrapped up in the here and now and forget that it’s only a vapor.  But what I really need to do is look up, like our fathers of old, and remember that the old, old story is not about me.

IT’S REALLY ALL ABOUT HIM.

Friends, please listen.  I plead.  It’s foolish to run after other fulfillment.  God knows what is best for us.  It’s Himself.  And He’s already given everything we need.  Let’s be captivated by his lavish love and caught up in his grace. 

He is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.  He’s already done it.  It’s called salvation—when he took our sin and gave us his righteousness—remember? 

Think about it. Let it capture your imagination.

It’s awesome. And mind blowing.

He’s just that kind of God.

GET EXCITED!


Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 
Colossians 3:2

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. 

Psalm 84:10

#LavishLove

Guess what?  God loves you. And He loves you lavishly.

You need to believe this.

Why?  Because beliefs determine feelings.  It’s true.  #preachit

People throughout history have believed wrong things. These wrong beliefs, in turn, led to wrong feelings.  These wrong feelings produced dishonor, disunity, and disorder. Sincere feelings do not guarantee honorable activity:

Let’s start at the very beginning…

Think Eve. Or Hitler. Or Jim Jones.  How about Osama Bin Laden? #howboutyou

Or how about in literature?  Romeo and Juliet? Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, feels distraught and kills himself.

How about in everyday life?  Do you ever believe something that isn’t true?  Sometimes I believe my husband doesn’t care about me, so I feel like he’s not a good guy.  But that’s not true.  He is a good guy and has my best in mind.  I must believe the truth.  Because my beliefs determine my feelings. #feelingslie

It’s like that with God, you know.  You don’t feel his lavish love for you because you don’t truly believe He’s good.  You don’t fully trust He’s got your best in mind.  You can pin as many “Jesus thinks I’m a princess” memes on your Pinterest board as you want, but until you think rightly about God, you will not feel treasured.  #truth

So, what will change us?  What will help us believe what is actually true?  Choosing to use that transformed mind the Lord has so graciously given you (Romans 12:2) and making your feelings align with the powerful Truth of God.  When you say, “I have faith in you God,” you are saying, in essence, “My belief is based in what you say is true, God.”  That’s why it is so important to have a Biblically-based worldview.  Much of what you see, hear, even feel, in this world is a lie, but what you read in the Bible is truth. #allthetime

When you have solid theology, it primes your mind to think rightly.  Good books that challenge your thinking and make you have a broader view of God are belief-building.  When God gets bigger in your mind, you hunger for more of Him.  AW Tozer says “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”  If you feed truth into your mind, your believing will be accurate and your feelings will follow. #itsscriptural

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  Luke 6:45

That’s why God makes such a big deal about faith in the Bible.  Faith defined is complete trust and confidence in someone or something.  That’s why, when Mary and Martha believed Jesus was too late to help their now-dead brother, Lazarus, they felt grief stricken and hopeless.  But Jesus showed up, said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? (Matt 11:40)  God shows His glory to us when we surrender our wrong beliefs to Him. #hesamazing

Want to know HOW God loves you?  Read the Bible.

Want to know WHY God loves you?  Read the Bible. (Spoiler: It’s not because you’re so great)

God has no needs.  He doesn’t love us out of need.  People have needs.  People love out of need.  People have trouble loving other people when those people don’t meet their needs.  God is not a person. #hallelujah

Here’s the scoop guys; God is able to meet ALL your needs according to his riches in glory (Phil 4:9).  But, you don’t believe that do you?  You think someone with skin  here on the earth will be able to meet all of your needs. That is wrong thinking, and it is leading to wrong feeling.  If you believe rightly that God is your need-meeter, feelings of contentedness will follow.  Spiritual laws are no different than natural ones.  If something is true (gravity always pulls me downward), it is always true. It doesn’t matter if you believe it. #trusthim

What can you do to feel loved by God? 

1. Believe that God loves you #hediedinyourplace

2. Stop trying to prove your worth by what you do #youwillneverbegoodenough

3. Believe that you are saved by His grace #freegift

4.  Trust Him enough to give up control #yourlifeisnotyourown

5.  Surrender your identity. Your worth is not in what you do, but in what He has already done #itisfinished

Believe Him!  Enjoy Him!  Let Him Love you Lavishly!

#andlovehimback

#withallyourheartmindandsoul

 And I pray, that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19

I Exam

Recently, a very special family friend passed away.  This re-post of an entry from 8 years ago is my tribute to Roger:

When I was in elementary school in Clinton, Minnesota, in Mrs. DeGroet’s second grade class, I couldn’t see the blackboard.  So Mrs. D. moved me to the front row and she told my parents.
My parents then took me to an optometrist friend of theirs who lived in Montevideo, Minnesota (a town from which we had moved just a few years earlier) who told them I needed glasses.  This was no surprise.

Being the fashion aficionado that I was at 7, I chose the ultra cool rosewood colored aviator frames and I was lookin’ fine!

But, let’s back up a little;  beings’ (this a word that my father uses.  I think this is how you spell it, although he always pronounces it “beans”) this was my first experience at the eye doctor, I remember it very well.  As my little self sat in the big chair, Roger, the doctor, put this awkward looking contraption in front of my face.  It had lots of little circles of lenses surrounding each eyehole and I was supposed to look through it, so look through it I did.  Those of you with glasses know what I am talking about.

As I looked through the monster face, Roger asked me which lens looked better; 1 or 2; 3 or 4?  He did this over and over, again and again with lots of different lens combinations as I peered through at an alphabet chart on the wall.  It all seemed very strange to me.

When I was done with this clear and cloudy game, and when Roger seemed satisfied with my answers, I got to go out to the “glasses room” and try on mom-styles, librarian-styles, Elton John-styles, and finally, my chosen aviators.  But since the whole ‘Pearl Vision Express’ idea was not a reality yet, I had to leave my adorable frames there until my lenses arrived a few weeks later.  I was crushed since I thought I looked at least 9 in my new specs and I wanted to wear them home.
When the lenses did arrive to the Optometrist's, and when they were placed into my chosen frames, Mom and Dad and I took another trip to Montevideo to pick them up. I was thrilled!
On the car ride home in my new glasses, I could see clearly! I had no idea that I had not been seeing well, so when I put these beauties on and saw individual blades of grass and trees made up of many leaves—not just a big green mass, I was totally awed!  In my excitement, I talked all the way home about all the things I was now “seeing”.  My world had totally changed and I understood it so much better.

I tell you this long drawn out story to illustrate a point:

Sometimes I think that we are so used to seeing things the way that the world sees them—the way that the Devil warps them with his lens--that we aren’t even aware that our vision is clouded.  It is only when we go to the Word of God and put on His “glasses” of Truth and Beauty that we can see the way we ought to live.  When we see our situation through Satan’s lens, circumstances at times seem hopeless and unbearable.  But when viewed through the lens of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we see hope and the opportunity of growing to be more like Him through our trials.

Sometimes, I also think that we need to do little ‘vision’ tests with ourselves to make sure our ‘prescription’ is still up to date.  We need to ask ourselves, “Which kind of music helps me think more lovely things?  1 or 2?  “Are the thoughts going through my brain right now wholesome (3) or unwholesome (4)?  Do the people I spend my time with make God look clearer or foggier?
When we spend time in the presence of the Lord, our vision becomes His vision and we begin to see things more and more clearly—things we never saw before!  The renewed mind that God promises us becomes the filter through which we see everything.  Then we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good and pleasing and perfect will.

And then we will really be lookin’ FINE!

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23