No matter where we are

I was talking to a friend the other day, who mentioned how lonely and out of place she felt in her first year of college.  The parallel to me was unmistakable.  I’m not in my first year of college, but I still often feel lonely and out of place.  Whether is was while I was in Korea, living for a year in a country whose language I did not speak, or struggling through a tough year of graduate studies, I’ve battled many overwhelming experiences. 

But Isaiah 43 gave me such a peace.  It says, “Fear not, for…I have summoned you by name.  You are mine…you are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you…do not be afraid, for I am with you…I will bring your children from the east, and gather you from the west.  I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!,’ and to the south, ‘do not hold them back.’  Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth.”

What a wonderful promise.  Not only does God make it abundantly clear how valuable and special we are to Him; He also lets us know in no uncertain terms that He will be with us, no matter where we are.  No matter if we’re in the town we grew up in, or quite literally on the other side of the world, like I was, He will always be there with us.

Isaiah 43:1-7

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. 4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Jump

Last year my brother Joshua turned 13.  To commemorate the occasion, I wanted to leave him with a verse that really meant something.  So I did some research on Joshua’s biblical namesake.

The Biblical Joshua is such a fascinating figure.  He was Moses’ right-hand man, one of only two Israelite spies who didn’t doubt God’s promises, and thus one of the only people from his generation to make it to the promised land.  It’s easy to remember his incredible feats and faithful reliance on God, and forget about his human insecurities.  But I think it makes his story so much more powerful if we remember them. 

Joshua was not some super-Christian.  He wasn’t immune to the fears and failures that we all face every day.  In the book of Joshua, over and over again we hear God encouraging him, telling him to not be afraid, reminding him that his courage and strength should be found in God alone.  In fact, it could be said that before Joshua’s greatest feat – finally capturing Canaan for the Israelites after years and years of waiting – he faced his greatest fear.  God has spent a lifetime preparing Joshua for what he was about to do…and yet he was still afraid!

Fear, in itself, is neither abnormal nor unholy.  What matters is that you make the jump anyway.  True, abundant life is not found in the ride; it’s found in the jumps, the leaps of faith that we take that allow God to work uninhibited in us and through us.

Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

What driving strangers taught me about grace

I’ve been driving for a medical transport company for a few weeks now – it’s basically a service that takes people to their doctor’s appointments who would otherwise have no way of getting there.  And boy, is it stretching me.  I realized a few days ago, that I had begun developing a sense of bitterness against the people that I was driving.  Never mind the fact that I was being paid to drive them; that if they weren’t around I wouldn’t have a job.  Never mind the fact that my intense distaste for driving wasn’t their fault; in fact, had nothing to do with them.  I still found myself resenting their presence, counting down the minutes until I could drop them off and crank up the radio again.

But then one day, I picked up a man and his wife to take him home.  And I noticed that his neck was bleeding – presumably from some blood that was drawn or something of the sort.  And that’s when it really dawned on me some of what these people were going through.  I finally saw them not just as warm bodies to be transported from point A to point B, but as people.  People with real hopes and dreams and loved ones, who were going through really hard times.  Cancer, diabetes, heart failure, limb amputations, blindness…the people that I drive are going through some of the toughest things imaginable.  And all I could think about was getting them to their appointments as quickly as possible.

But seeing that man’s bleeding neck was like finally waking up after being doused with cold water.  I thought about how much I dread going to the doctor, even for simple, routine check ups.  And then I thought about how much more these people must dread going; because their visits are never routine.  They are frequent, painful, scary, and often life-threatening.  There is nothing simple or routine about going to the doctor for these people.

Kinda paints them in a whole new light, doesn’t it?  In an instant, my passengers went from nuisances to names, from problems to people.  It’s astonishing how my perception of them changed when I was able to see things from their perspective.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that that’s not the only situation in which I judge people without knowing the whole situation.  I do it a lot…probably every day.  We all do.  And that, I have no doubt, breaks the Lord’s heart every time we do it.  He wants us to love on others, to show them His gospel and teach them His good news, pure and simple.  Judgment is reserved for him alone. 

So the next time you find yourself frustrated with someone, take a step back and try to look at things from a different perspective.  From theirs, perhaps.  Or even better, from the Lord’s.  I think that you will find that things look a whole lot different when you are not focused on your own little world. 

The eye of the hurricane

I had a strange dream last night.  The fact that I had a dream in the first place is in itself a bit off – I hardly ever dream – but the actual content of it was even more bizarre.  I dreamt that I was with my 80+ year-old grandmother (don’t ask me why), and we got hit by a hurricane.  Three hurricanes actually, right in a row; each one more devastating than the last.  Never mind the fact that I live in a landlocked area that hasn’t ever been hit by even one hurricane in my entire lifetime; in my dream it made perfect sense. 

But anyway, I digress.  The first two hurricanes that came through, I was panicked and frantic, trying to figure out how to survive the catastrophe.  But when the third hurricane hit, I followed a different tactic.  I prayed the entire time, asking God to get me through it.  And it’s strange, because it all happened within a dream, but I remember feeling such a peace, knowing that God was there and looking out for me.  It was as if I had found the eye of the hurricane, that tiny circle of solace in the middle of the storm.  

After I woke up, I did some pondering and praying about that night.  I dream so rarely, that whenever I do I generally figure that there’s something that God wants to teach me, and I had better pay attention.  And I realized that, while God promises to always be with us, He has never promised that things will be easy.  Sometimes, in fact, He may even allow you to be brought to a place of desperation.  But He does this not to harm you, but because He loves you and wants you to trust in and depend on Him more fully.  Even if that means allowing you to go through terrible storms.  Don't assume you know the whole picture.  Regardless of how hopeless things may seem at the time, in the end, God WILL protect you and see you through.  

Job 1:21-22
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”  In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Who are you to say no?

Lately, when people have asked me how I'm doing, I haven't really known what to say to them.  On the one hand, I'm not super stressed or overwhelmed with life; I actually feel on top of things for the first time this whole semester.  

But on the other hand, I'm just so weary.  It's almost as if I don't feel worthy to accept the rest that God has freely given me.  Like I feel guilt if everything in my life is going well, after such a long string of bad.  And so, when people ask me how I'm doing, I've caught myself on more than one occasion feeling the need to search for (or at least elaborate on) the bad stuff.  

Perhaps that why Hebrews 4 hit me so hard today.  Verse 1 says, "therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stand, let us becareful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it."  

All this time, I had been thinking, "who am I to live in God's rest?"  Like I somehow didn't deserve to rest in Him.  But really...who am I not to?  He has given me, He has given all of us, rest as a gift; He has commanded that we walk in it.  Resting is not just a matter of convenience or comfort - it's a commandment.  Refusing to do so is just as disobedient as thievery or deceitfulness.  Woah.  Kinda puts resting into a whole new perspective, doesn't it?  

So the next time you start to think that you're not worthy of the gifts that God has given you - or even that you simply don't have time to rest - just stop right there.  If God has given it to you, if He has commanded that you rest...then who are you to say otherwise?  He did not command us to observe the Sabbath for His benefit, but for ours.  So rather than focusing on reasons why you shouldn't or can't accept God's goodness, try just focusing on and meditating in his goodness, His goodness that gives sorely needed rest to weary souls.  

Hebrews 4:1-11

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” 6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

The ashes remain

 I went to an Ash Wednesday service at my church recently.  It was a very solemn, spiritual time – there were candle, and scripture readings, and communion, and overall a general feeling of holiness that permeated the entire service. 

But the most striking part of the evening didn’t hit me until after I had left the building and returned home.  In Biblical times, Ash Wednesday was so named because it was literally a day when the Israelites put ashes on their heads, to symbolize mourning and repentance.  It was  a day that symbolized the beginning of Lent, a period of 40 days that was meant for God’s people to commune with Him and grow closer to Him.  To remind us of this, my church had put out a literal bowl of ashes, to be used for people who were seeking the same closeness to God that His people experienced in Bible times. 

So I had a friend rub ashes on my forehead.  I kept them on me the entire evening, but when I returned home I naturally wanted to wash them off.  And that is where the most memorable part of the evening lies for me.  Those ashes…would not wash off.  I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed – I must have scrubbed for nearly 20 minutes, until my whole forehead was red and irritated.  But those ashes would not be removed.  It took several days’ worth of scrubbing before I could fully remove all of their traces from my face.

I wonder if that can, in some way, be looked at as a symbol of how God wants to be in our lives, what He wants to teach us throughout the period of Lent and beyond.  He doesn’t want His presence to be something that we can wash off at a moment’s notice.  He doesn’t want to simply be like an article of clothing or accessory, easily removable and interchangeable with something else.  He wants to stay with us.  Just as the ashes stayed with me, He wants to be with us day in and day out.  When we wake up, when we lie down, and every moment in between…He wants to be there.  During this period of Lent, don’t settle for God the accessory.  Make him an integral part of your life.  Don’t simply rub Him on superficially, to be washed away whenever you feel like it.

Micah 6:6-8

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.     

Valentine's Day

When you hear the term "Valentine's day," what do you think?  Do you think of giggly girls, wondering what their boyfriends are going to do for them?  Do you think of paranoid boys, who are worried about screwing everything up?  Do you think of singles, who wax and wane about "single's awareness day," sadly wondering when the day will come that they get to celebrate with someone, languishing in a sea of singleness and self-pity?  Do you think of chocolate, and flowers, red hearts and pink balloons and overpriced stuffed animals?

I must confess, that I myself find Valentine's Day highly over-commercialized.  While chocolate or flowers (or even something more creative!) are a nice sentiment, they lose a lot of their specialness when the only reason they’ve been given is because the mass media says that it’s the “thing to do.”  If you have to be told on a specific day in February by a trite Hallmark card and overstuffed teddy bear that someone loves you, there is, in my opinion, something not quite right about your relationship in the first place. 

It’s interesting, however, how the connotation changes when you add a “saint” on the beginning of the holiday.  There’s a big difference between “Valentine’s day” and “Saint Valentine’s day.”  Saint Valentine, the person that the holiday was named after, was a real person.  While not much is definitively known about his life, it's amazing to me how my perspective changes when I think of "Valentine" as a living, breathing person, rather than an over-commercialized holiday.  

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for showing affection to people you love.  But it just seems to me that people have forgotten that being in a relationship is not the summation of life.  Being "in love" is not the only goal for people to strive for.  And romantic love is not the only type of love.  There are friends, family, classmates, colleagues, lonely people on the street or in the elevator, who are all looking for love.  

So the next year, when Valentine’s day rolls around, take the time to show love to someone you don't usually pay attention to on Valentine's Day.  Make an effort to call your family, or to send a card to your friend, or whatever springs to mind...be creative about it!  At the very least, do something to make a stranger smile.  Oh yeah…and then surprise your sweetheart and celebrate Valentine’s Day on some random day in the middle of April :).  

Where truth begins

In America, the South has a bit of a reputation.  There are actually many things associated with the South - some good, some bad - but what I am specifically referring to is the concept of "Southern hospitality" and politeness.  Of course there is a point where this is a wonderful thing - a large portion of southerners are legitimately kind and friendly and polite and hospitable.  But there is another side to Southern hospitality.  Many people in the South have a tendency to feign politeness to someone's face, and then turn around and bad-mouth them behind their back.   

I, however, although I was raised in the South, was not born there, and do not consider myself a southerner, and thus have always found this concept a bit difficult to grasp.  I've never understood the unwillingness to be honest with people.  Personally, I would much rather know someone dislikes me, than to think we're on good terms and then find out later that they've been gossiping about me without my knowledge.  My preferences in this matter, however, have often gotten me into trouble, and so it's a delicate balance that I am constantly trying to strike between honesty and tact, bluntness and prudence.  

But honesty with others does not begin with them.  Truth is not an outward expression of its own right. Honesty begins with yourself.  Truth with others is an outward expression of an inner condition.  Speaking the truth in love begins with speaking the truth to yourself.  So I challenge you to ask yourself....in what areas of your life might you be lying to yourself?  It doesn't have to be a glaring inconsistency.  It could be something seemingly small and insignificant.  But God doesn't want any strongholds in our lives - even the small and insignificant ones.  Let Him illuminate the dark places; let Him speak truth into your life, so that you in turn can go and speak it to others.  

Acts 5:1-10

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Physical tongues and spiritual tongues

There's this concept in "Christian-ese" called love languages.  It was originally coined by a man named Gary Chapman, who wrote a book called "The Five Love Languages."  He says that everyone speaks at least 1 of 5 love languages - words of encouragement, acts of service, quality time, physical touch, and gifts.  Many people speak more than one language, but almost everyone has a dominant one, a language that speaks to them more than the others do.

My love language is, and always has been, gift-giving.  It's how I both give and receive affection.  I love spending on people that I care about, investing creativity and money and time to give them something that speaks to them.  The problem is, no one in my life is a gift-giver.  It was something I really struggled with as a little girl - I constantly felt unloved, because no one in my life knew how to speak my language, nor I theirs.  As time went on, I learned to be more understanding, and to appreciate the efforts that people do make, however small they may be.  But there's always a bit of a hole, a noticeable gap, a tangible emptiness where I want to be spoken to in my own language, and frequently am not.

I was reading in Acts today about the day of Pentecost, how God breathed into His people and allowed them to start speaking in other tongues.  I know that this passage is talking about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, of actually speaking literal languages that you have never learned before to use them to minister to others.  But I wonder if it can't be used in reference to other types of languages, as well.  "Love languages," for example.

The Bible says that the people were amazed and in awe when they heard the apostles speaking to them in their own tongues.  In my own small way, I can relate to what they were feeling.  I imagine how I would feel if someone in my life all of a sudden started speaking my love language to me, when they had never been able to do so in the past.  I picture my shock, my delight, my excitement.  It's nothing short of miraculous to have something like that happen, and when it does, it blesses the recipient like few things can.

When the Holy Spirit visits us, it's not just spiritual tongues that He gives us.  God wants us to be able to minister to people's physical needs as well as their spiritual ones.  I can't tell you how many times over the past few weeks I've followed the Holy Spirit's prompting and done something for someone that I thought fairly small and insignificant, and it turned out to be exactly what they needed.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not discounting spiritual gifts and prayer.  But sometimes, we really just need a word of encouragement, a meal and a sympathetic ear, or a good old-fashioned hug.  Don't neglect the physical for the spiritual.  Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and let Him teach you how to speak whatever language is needed.

Acts 2:1-11

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

Community

I've started going to a new church since moving back to America.  One of the things that they really emphasize is the importance of community.  But not just community, in the sense of having lots of big church potlucks or tailgates or outings around town.  They stress Biblical community - a large group of believers gathering to worship, smaller groups of believers gathering together for encouragement and comfort, and even smaller discipleship groups, where you really get down to the nitty gritty details of spiritual growth and accountability.

I've never known community like this before.  The kind of community where people call each other up and pray with them on the phone on a regular basis.  The kind of community in which it's a rare week, indeed, when an unexpected meeting of believers and subsequent spontaneous worship of the Lord does not happen.  The kind of community that doesn't see it as unusual to have people encouraging and keeping each other accountable, but rather as the rule.

We are meant to be in communities that encourage us.  But what does that mean?  Merriam Webster defines encouragement as "giving help or inspiration" to another person.  But God intends it to be so much more than that.  The Greek word for encouragement is symparakaleo, which means "to call upon or exhort and the same time or together; to strengthen or comfort with others."  Sure, helping other people out is a part of encouraging them.  But Biblical, Christian encouragement is meant to be much more than that.  It's a vibrant give and take, an active expression of Christ's love in a tangible way to the people in your life.

It's important to remember, too, that it goes both ways.  God does not expect you to always be giving, always be strong, always be encouraging, without ever needing to be on the receiving end.  Encouragement means to exhort together, at the same time.  It means to keep each other accountable, to be honest and open with each, to admit to your flaws, and to be loved in spite of them.  That's true community.  That's Biblical community.  Is that what your life looks like?

Romans 1:8-12

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Blessed

It's amazing the differing interpretations that can result when there is a mistranslation in play.  I know this full well from my time studying languages.  I can't count how many times I learned a word in the classroom, memorized it, thought I knew it, and then used it or heard it in the "real world" and realized that it had a totally different connotation or definition from what I had thought.

And then, of course, there are words for which a translation simply doesn't exist, like the Indonesian word jayus, which is roughly translated as "as joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh," or the Scottish word tartle, which more or less means "the act of hesitating while you're introducing someone because you've forgotten their name."  Words like that throw a whole new level of confusion into the mix.

The Bible is like that, too.  We read the Bible so often in our native tongue, that sometimes it is hard to remember that it wasn't written in that language (unless, of course, you're reading it in Greek or Hebrew).  There are so many nuances, so many hidden meanings that are lost in translation.  The Beatitudes, which means "the blessings," in Matthew 5 are a good example of that.

I was always taught that the Beatitudes were a prescriptive list, something that should be aspired to in order to be blessed.  But the Beatitudes are descriptive, not prescriptive.  "Poor in spirit," which many people take to mean humble, is better translated as worthless or spiritually bankrupt.  Surely God is not telling us that we should strive for spiritual bankruptcy in order to receive His kingdom.  It's equally unlikely that a loving God would not actually want us to mourn, even if we do know that we will be comforted.  Even the rest of the Beatitudes, while not necessarily bad, are not attributes greatly prized by the rest of the world - things like meekness, mercy, and peacemaking are often considered weak, characteristic of doormats, of people who are easy to take advantage of.

The Beatitudes are not telling us what we should do to become blessed by God.  They are reminding us that we are blessed by God.  No matter what we have done in our past, despite our spiritual bankruptcy, even if we are mourning, regardless of our pain or frustrations - despite it all, we are still blessed, for God is good and has chosen to bless us, even when we don't deserve it.

If Jesus were speaking to us today, perhaps His Beatitudes would sound something like this (I borrowed this from my pastor; it's too good to not share!) :

Blessed are the unemployed, those who feel without purpose, 

for you are invited to participate in the greatest redemptive story ever told.  

Blessed are the addicted, who have struggled with sin and are caught in a web of flesh and lies, 

for in this place prisoners are set free.  

Blessed are the skeptics, the doubters, the wanderers, 

for your questions have answers and you can be satisfied.  

Blessed are the lonely.  You're invited to join a family 

that has more brothers and more sisters than stars in the sky.  

Blessed are those ashamed that someone might see your true face, 

for now your true face reflects the righteousness of Christ.  Hide no longer.  

Blessed are the homeless, blessed are the CEOs, 

blessed are those struggling to make rent next month, 

blessed are those tempted to put their trust in a huge bank account, 

for though your current state will fade away, you serve a God of abundance, 

and He has more than you will ever need.  

Blessed are those who made a bad decision last night.  

Rejoice, for today is the day the Lord has made, and His mercies are new every day.  

Blessed are the sexually broken, for in this kingdom you can be made whole.  

Blessed are those seen only as objects to be used, to be abused, to be discarded; 

by the grace of God you have a worth and a value 

that goes deeper than anything you could have imagined.  

Blessed are the insecure.  Security is yours - eternal security that can never be shaken.  

Blessed are the unattractive in the world's eyes, for you are beautiful.  

Blessed are the attractive in the world's eyes.  

You don't have to worry about growing old and losing your looks, 

for you have a value that can never fade.  

Blessed are you, sons and daughters, despite your sin, despite your rebellion, despite your fear, despite your insecurity, despite your disobedience.  All are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven has come near to you.  

Matthew 5:1-12

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Grasping at sand

When I was a little girl, I loved playing with sand.  I could sit for hours, making big piles, little piles, random designs, sand castles....it didn't really matter what I was making, as long as I had my sand.  I would squish it between my toes, drizzle it over my clothes, or watch it trickle slowly between my fingers.  I know it sounds bizarre, but sand had almost become a part of me.

In a way, sand can be seen as an analogy for how we live our spiritual lives, too.  It represents everything that we love, everything that we want to keep - our dreams, our hopes, our desires, our futures.  It represents things that we love so dearly, that we're so desperate to keep, that we will do anything to not lose them.  And so we clench our fists tightly in a ball, determined to hold onto those things that have become so precious to us.

But what happened to me in the playground as a child, happens in the spiritual realm, as well.  The tighter you clench your fists in determination to hold on to what you treasure, the more of it you will lose.  We stand there, watching all of our hopes and dreams slowly trickling out of our clutching hands, and we wonder in frustration what we are doing wrong.

What we don't realize, or so often forget, is that God wants to give us the desires of our heart.  But first we have to give our desires up to Him.  He wants to give us a new life, a new body, a new spirit.  He wants to give us new dreams, a new future, even better than what we had envisioned for ourselves.  But first we must unclench our fists.  We must open our hands and give to God everything that we are so desperately trying to do on our own.  Only then can you truly live in the freedom and blessings that God wants to give you.  Before you do that, you're just grasping at sand.

Romans 8:1-13

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Tearing through the roof

I have struggled for years with chronic back pain, probably due to a combination of scoliosis, poor posture, and stress.  It's not something I enjoy, of course; but it is something that I have learned to live with, and I don't really even think about it much anymore.  It's just  become a part of who I am.

But anyway, some friends of mine heard about my back pain, and decided that they wanted to pray over me and ask the Lord to heal me.  So we met together on campus in the middle of the day, and just read the Bible and talked and prayed together.  It was really a special time.

One of the passages that we read was from Luke 5, in which Jesus healed the paralytic.  As I was sitting there reading this story with my friends, something seemed to almost jump off of the page to me - the incredible faith of the paralytic's friends.

This man had probably lived with his paralysis for many years.  It's likely (or at least highly plausible) that he, like me, had learned to live with his disability.  It's not that he didn't have faith in God; it's more along the lines that he had just come to accept that this was his lot in life.  In fact, he actually did show faith in Jesus when he immediately obeyed Jesus' command to stand up, take up his mat, and go home.

But it was the faith of his friends who were instrumental in bringing him (literally!) to healing.  It was the faith of his friends who brought him on the pallet to Jesus in the first place.  And it was the faith of his friends who, when they found that they could not enter the house because of the crowds, literally tore the roof off of the house in their zeal to see their friend healed.  

Is there someone in your life who needs healing?  Maybe someone who has struggled with something for so long that it has almost become a part of them?  Have they prayed for healing and for release, to no avail?  It doesn't have to be something physical - God can bring about all types of healing, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.  But perhaps the reason that they are still waiting on God to move it not because of a lack of faith on their part, but rather on yours.

God made us for community.  He made us to bear each other's burdens.  He made us to take care of and look out for each other.  Like the paralytic's friends, He wants us to bring to Him those who do not have the strength to do so themselves.  Who in your life is needing you to help them tear through the roof and lay themselves at the feet of Jesus?

Luke 5:17-26

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?²⁴ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.²⁶ Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Persistence

It's finally November!  To me, the onset of November has always symbolized one thing - Thanksgiving!  There are many things about early November that I've always enjoyed.  I love the change of weather, the fall decorations, the anticipation of celebrating both Christmas and my 3 little siblings' birthdays; but most of all, at the beginning of November, the excitement that looms most in my mind is that of Thanksgiving.

Every holiday, in my opinion, has its own magic, and Thanksgiving is no exception.  The fun times spent with my mother cooking yummy things all day, the delicious smells that permeate the house, the relaxing and happy atmosphere, the sight of my entire family all together again; Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart, indeed.

I thought it fitting, as I was waxing nostalgic about the holiday, to look up its origins.  I was surprised by what I found.  While the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, it would be hundreds of years later before it was observed by every state in the nation.  This was largely due to the efforts of one woman, Sarah Josepha Hale.  She campaigned and wrote letters to politicians - including 5 spearate presidents - trying to make it an official holiday, for nearly forty years!  She finally succeeded under President Lincoln's administration.

Can you imagine?  Spending 40 years working for something you believe in, and not seeing any results until the end?  What if she had stopped writing letters after 5 years, or 10, or 20?  November might be a very different month in America.  Her persistence is inspiring to me, to say the least.

I wonder if we would be that persistent in going after the things that God has placed on our hearts.  Of course we know in our heads that God will never leave us, and that He is always working behind the scenes for our good.  And, in many cases, we also know that God has called us to do something in particular, too.  But we want it done on our timetable, and if it doesn't happen within that particular timeframe, so often we give up, assuming that we must have misheard God, or maybe He just changed His mind and didn't tell us.

But God is not a God of confusion.  He will not lead you wandering around with no direction.  Even when the Israelites were in the desert, they had the pillars of cloud and fire to tell them exactly where they needed to go.  So if you are feeling discouraged, if you are feeling like what God has called you to do will never happen, take heart!  Remember that He is always with you, He will always guide you, He will always take care of you; sometimes it just takes a lot of persistence and patience to see the results!

Deuteronomy 29:1-6

These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. 2 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders. 4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. 5 Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. 6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God.”
  

Freedom in Christ

Growing up, I had a very set notion of what "freedom in Christ" meant.  In my mind, it was applied on more of an ad hoc basis - God had forgiven you for whatever sins you had committed in the past, and would forgive you for whatever future sins you might also commit.  Some people even took this a step further, and looked at the concept of "freedom in Christ" as more of a get-out-of-jail-free card - "I can do anything I want," they rationalized, "because I know that God will always forgive me."  Perhaps that ideology was what the church had taught me, perhaps that was a product of myself, but that was where I was, regardless.

But the Lord meant for us to have such a greater freedom than that.  He meant for us to have freedom from our diseases.  He meant for us to have freedom from sorrow.  He meant for us to have freedom from condemnation.  He even meant for us to have freedom from sin, not just forgiveness of it.

How do we have freedom from sin?  We get it from the renewing of our mind, as He talks about in Romans 12:2.  Freedom in Christ means that we no longer want to "toe the line" between godly and ungodly behavior.  It means that He has given us a new heart, a new mind, a new desire for Him and His precepts.  It means that we now have the Holy Spirit living within us, who can prick our conscience even before we sin.  It means that we have Him as a guide to our lives, so that we no longer have to worry about whether we are making the right choices or not.

God never wanted the law to condemn us.  He wanted it to show us the path to true freedom - faith in Jesus Christ.  No one is perfect.  But because of the freedom that Christ has given us, we don't have to be.  He's constantly making us more and more like Him every single day.

Galatians 3:7-29

7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Purifying the water

What do you think of when you think of salt water?  Perhaps you think of the beach, of friend and sand and fun in the sun.  Maybe it's the cynic in me, or possibly too many science courses, but when I think of salt water I think of many of its more negative properties.  Salt water is corrosive and leaves many undesirable mineral buildups.  It is unfit to drink, and requires filtration through expensive purification systems in order to become usable for drinking or washing.  It can sometimes leave a slimy film on one's skin if bathed in, and is difficult to remove with normal soaps.  Salt and water combined is not really a very desirable combination.

Our lives can be thought of as saltwater, in a way.  The water is our life the way it is supposed to be - clean, pure, unadulterated.  But then all this salt, all of this other yucky stuff, gets added to the mix and clouds up the picture.  The salt can symbolize many things - our past, our insecurities, our mistakes, our regrets, our flaws - but whatever it symbolizes, the point is that it has made our lives not as pure or as healthy as they could be.

If you look at salt and water separately, however, you see a very different picture. In the Bible, we see many uses of salt.  It was used as a preserver, and as a way to flavor and season bland foods.  It was sometimes given as an offering to the Lord at the temple.  Even to this day, it is eaten in many cultures as a sign of friendship.  In other words, salt by itself is a very good thing.  

You may feel like your life is just a pool of saltwater, murky and cloudy and unfit for anything good.  Your past failures and insecurities may seem so impossibly insurmountable and overwhelming, that there's no way you do ever do something useful for God's kindgom.  But God wants to separate the salt from the water in your life.  He wants to give you a new lease on life, one in which even your flaws and failures can be used to give light to others and to showcase His power in your life.

In 2 Kings 2, we even see an instance of God actually using salt to heal diseased water.  What a beautiful picture of redemption.  Not only does God heal the water - He does it by making it salt water. God doesn't expect you to come to Him without a past, without hurts, without things that you can't imagine ever overcoming.  He just wants you to come to Him.  He can purify you.  He can make you new.  He can take your murky saltwater, and turn it into cleansing water and healing salt.  Will you let Him?

2 Kings 2:19-22

19 The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” 20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” 22 And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken. 

Taking stock

My some friends of mine did an interesting experiment a few weeks ago.  They told everyone to pray and bring whatever cooking ingredient they felt the Lord was prompting them to bring, and then made something out of the resulting hodgepodge of foods.  It was a fun night, and really quite a riot to see the stuff people brought, as well as the ending concoction.  It wasn't nearly as toxic as it could have been - we all got there, took stock of our inventory, and made what we could with what we had.

It's easy to do the same thing with our own lives.  We look at what the Lord has given us, take stock of our talents and deficiencies, and then make an assessment of what we could do with what we have for God's kingdom.  The problem is, in our eyes we almost always come up short.  So often we excuse ourselves from God's greater vision, because we don't think that we have enough to work with.  Paralyzed by insecurities, we sit back and allow the enemy to neutralize our abilities and the effect that they could have on eternity.

But focusing on what we lack makes us forget about God's all-sufficiency.  It makes us forget that what we have - whatever it may be - is more than enough for God.  God has a history of using people who have little to give.  He used Moses' simple staff to part the Red Sea.  He used 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed thousands of people.  He used a jar of oil to save a widow and her sons from destitution and slavery.

The next time that you take stock of your life, don't convince yourself that you don't have what you need to be used by God.  God can use anything and everything.  Ask God what it is that you have right now, and be obedient with that.  Instead of saying, "I can't," start asking God to use what you have right now.  Your greatest weakness may be God's greatest opportunity.

1 Kings 4:1-7

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” 2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” 3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” 5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

Something worse, something better

I have an A-type personality, a very analytical mind.  I'm always considering my options, thinking about future choices, trying to pick the best choice for both the long run and short-run.  I'm constantly weighing pros and cons, making "what-if" contingencies and scenarios in my mind.

In all honestly, I probably do that too much.  There's a point when you really need to just let go and live, and that's something that God is teaching me more about daily.  But that's not the point that I'm trying to make today.  I was reading in John 5, about the crippled man that Jesus healed at the pool of Bethesda, and something that Jesus said really struck me.  "Stop sinning," He said, "or something worse may happen to you."

Really?  What could be worse than what had already happened to the man?  He had been an invalid for 38 years.  For 38 years, he had been forced to watch as countless others were healed in the pools of Bethesda, while he sat on the edge, unable to get into the waters because he had no one to help him in.

The wheels of my analytical mind starting turning.  What could possibly be worse than that?  Forced to take a backseat in your own life for almost 4 decades, while the rest of the world literally passed you by.  To me, that seems like the worst fate on this earth imaginable.

But Jesus wasn't making a statement about life on this earth.  He was making a spiritual statement.  Some may say that Jesus' words may be interpreted to mean that we deserve whatever bad things happen to us because of the sins that we have committed.  But I think it's saying something else.  What's worth than a life without legs and mobility?  A life without Jesus.  Why would the man's life have been worse if he had kept sinning?  Because he would have been without Jesus.  No matter what you may be going through, it can always get worse if you don't have Jesus in your life.  But don't let that get you down...because if you DO have Jesus, it can - and will - always get better.

John 5:1-15

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Good enough

Have you ever avoided something because you felt that you weren't good enough?  Avoided going to college or taking a particularly difficult class because you weren't smart enough, slathered on the makeup and sexy clothes because you weren't pretty enough, refused to enter a contest because you weren't talented enough?  Have you ever not spoken to someone about Jesus because you weren't a good enough public speaker, or declined an invitation to teach or preach because you weren't godly enough?

We've all done that.  We've all told ourselves, at one time in our lives or perhaps many times, that we're not _______ enough - fill in the blank with any positive adjective that applies.  But at the root of it all, is the feeling that we are not good enough, the feeling that we are in some way inadequate or deficient, and therefore unqualified to do big things for Christ.

This is one of the devil's most colossal lies of our time.  He has somehow convinced an entire generation that they are not good enough for God's kingdom, when God's word clearly says the opposite.  When God created man and woman in the garden of Eden, He said that it was "very good."  In Christ, you are more than enough, you are a conqueror - and God has equipped you to accomplish everything that He has called you to do.

Somehow we've gotten it into our heads that we have to be perfect before we can be used by God, that we have to have our lives together before we can serve His kingdom.  But by believing that, we have effectively neutralized our entire lives.  We will never have it all together - we will always be imperfect people in an imperfect world.

But God doesn't call us because we are particularly gifted, or talented, or intelligent, or articulate, or even godly.  He calls us because we are willing to be obedient and follow His lead.  God doesn't call the qualified.  He qualifies the called.  So whatever your insecurity may be, whatever lie the enemy has convinced you of - I'm not a good student, I'm not a good Christian, I'm not a good wife, I'm not a good father, I'm not a good cook, I'm not a good friend - whatever the lie may be, lay it down at the feet of Jesus.  The only thing you need to be good enough is a new birth and life in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:10-16

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

The look of royalty

When I was younger, I was obsessed with the stories of Sherlock Holmes, the great detective. His powers of deduction and ability to infer so much from just the smallest things always fascinated me.  I could spend hours and hours reading about his marvelous exploits.  I especially enjoyed how he was able to tell so much about people from their appearance.

He could tell a governess from the small blot of ink that her mischievous charge had splattered behind her ear, or a widow from the tiny band of paler skin on her left ring finger from where her wedding band used to lie.  He could tell a war veteran by his slight limp, or a writer from the smudge of ink on the palm of his hand.  His powers of observation and deduction were truly remarkable, and always left me fascinated and entranced, regardless of the fact that they were fictional accounts.

Ever since reading the tales of Sherlock Holmes, I have started analyzing people myself, trying to figure out what I can about them.  Usually my observance leads to more questions than answers, but every now and then I make a successful deduction.  I can, for example, generally pick a dancer out of a crowd by the way they walk, or a cook by the way they analyze ingredients before purchasing.

I wonder, then, what it is that sets us as Christians apart?  How would Sherlock Holmes, if he were analyzing us, be able to tell that we are children of the Most High God?  The Bible calls us children of God, joint heirs in His kindgom.  But we are not "royal" in the traditional sense of the word.

Instead of walking proudly, God has called us to love sacrificially.  Rather than dressing in purple and fine linen, like the kings of Biblical times did, God asks us to clothe ourselves in humility.  In lieu of being served, He has called us to serve.  This is our gift.  He has made us joint-heirs with Him, and that legacy of humility and service is our glorious inheritance in Him.  So when you look at your life, when others observe your actions in your day-to-day, ask yourself....do you have the look of royalty about you?

Ephesians 3:2-13

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.