Something magical happens while studying Scripture with my children. Something positively magical. The text comes to life. They really get it. I really get it. We grow. Every bit of that is magical. Seeing their little faces light up with the understanding that Jesus Christ is Lord...there's just nothing like it on the planet. Getting to witness that first hand is so amazingly life affirming. Learning something new right along with these life-sized pieces of my heart is an honor and an opportunity unlike any other. Growing together in eternal ways as we grow apart in the temporal, there's hope in that. Real and lasting Hope. Just last week, we were reading in Isaiah and the passage just jumped all over me. We often detour in our Bible time, but the busy mom in me is quieted by the unexpected adventures we'll share. I'm finding that God seldom leaves the message on the page as He places the lessons on our hearts. We are meant to share. We're supposed to explore His Word. That search will never be in vain and His Word will not return empty as we shout and live it out! In Isaiah 11:2, the prophet is sharing some of the coming Messiah's character, as revealed to him by God. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. (NRSV) Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge all in one sentence...was God just itching to use His new thesaurus that day or something? Our God is many, many things--pointlessly redundant isn't one of them. Using my trusty e-sword I found these words each point to specific qualities of Christ; subtle as Jesus, and profound like Him, too. The Hebrew wording God chose represented His Son as One who would conduct Himself wisely, understand perfectly the world around, and know--truly know--the Lord. As "Christians" we're meant to be followers of Christ. Can we follow Him, even here? Absolutely! See that part in the middle there? Those two words, "counsel and might", they say we can. The Hebrew shows us that Our Savior will not only counsel, He gives purpose, too. How wise of Him to know we'd not long follow advice without a greater reason behind it--a purpose! I'll leave you with the real and lasting promise made in that word "might". It won't soon be leaving me. Our Father breathed a word that basically says that Jesus will force the victory--a victory that will last into eternity! We aren't left to our own devices, our own works, our own worth any longer. Jesus is advising us and providing us the victory over circumstance, over sin, and ultimately over death! What does this mean to you today? Provoke One Another 06/03/2010
"And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24, NRSV). Giving consideration in this way doesn't merely suggest that we brainstorm new ways to encourage people, the deeper meaning is to perceive distinctly, to discern clearly how to provoke one another. You really have to know someone's heart and gifts in order to perceive and discern precisely how to best encourage them in their walk. While that makes it seem that we are quite limited in our ability to inspire, it is really quite the opposite. Our Father knows us each so well that He has numbered each and every hair on our head! Seek His wisdom and direction and He will help you push all the right buttons in order to provoke another to love and good deeds. You might not always know just what those buttons are, but the Lord won't let you miss them when you allow Him to do the pushing. Just keep in mind, sometimes you'll be the one who is encouraged by another to do what is right and good. "You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17, MSG). Let's dig further into Hebrews 10:24, taking a closer look at the word "provoke". Several translations have varying words in its place and this alone sheds some light on the deeper meaning implied. Really reflect on the implication of some of the various translations.
When I looked in the Greek text for the original word used and its meaning, I learned that this is the sole scripture in all of the Bible that used this connotation. The word was "paroxusmos", which translates to "contention", meaning a sharpening of the feeling or action, an incitement, and it was only used in this one verse. Doesn't that just speak volumes about the importance placed on this sharpening of one another? It screams of the value in learning that no man is an island and that we all have self-righteous tendencies when left unchecked by other Christ-biased people. It's easier said than done, understood than executed, and better to give than to receive; but this spurring is a real and necessary part of our Christian lives. We need to seek the Lord's help in embracing and relaying it as such. Oh Father, Thank You for the precious gift of each other! Help us to see how to best encourage and sharpen one another while always looking for Your direction and not our own. God, we just ask that You remind us of that time and again. Please work in our lives so that we can incite one another to Your good work. In Christ's name we pray for the wisdom to witness and provoke in the ways that will best reach out to one another. Please also instill in us the ability and willingness to receive Godly sharpening from the people You place in our lives. Amen. Are You Tuned In? {Over at The High Calling} 05/16/2010
Imagine an old AM radio. Static and noise are the most common sounds coming from the speakers, but if we twist the dial to the right spot, we can pick up some worthwhile stations. The best ones encourage us with old familiar voices, and we walk away feeling better than before. It would be great to keep that radio playing all day, but with work and family and life, it isn't possible. Sure, we could try to stream that station on our phones or computers, pop our ear buds in, and go about our day. But life usually requires more attention than that. So we're happy with the time we get to spend tuned in, and we do our best to keep our positive mindset. Then the day happens. There are fires to put out, work to be done, kids to discipline, employees to manage, siblings to chat with, friends and coworkers to lunch with, life to deal with. Before we know it, our mindset has shifted just like the dial on that old radio. We become people of static and noise. Head over to The High Calling to read more on how our work and God fit together! The Good Shepherd 04/23/2010
 'He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls' (1 Peter 2:24-25, NLT). The enemy has a nasty way of twisting matters important to us. Before we've even seen him slithering to and fro in our lives, he's made a mess of things. We've got to stop giving this guy a say. One such matter of import to me is to live honestly. Saying what I believe and living it out loud without filtering the whens and wheres of it all is more to me than all the Cinnamon-Spice-Dunkin'-Donuts-coffee-filled-Mary-Poppins-mugs in the world. I know, I should have warned you to have a seat before spilling them {coffee} beans. Someone should have warned me, too--that desire knocks me on my bottom more often than not. In the past, my pursuit of personal authenticity has led to much heartache. Having a half-working definition of a term I loved blindly, keeping it real really hurt. Anyone I encountered got to have all of me in some way or another. If we were talking, we were friends. If friends, good friends. Good friends well on the way to best. Best friends know each other and want only good for one another. Right? Wrong. The story reads much the same in family and in romantic relationships. If you chose me, I chose you back and we were 100% real with each other. I not only made the mistake of putting all of me out there, I also expected that meant everyone else did the same. Talk about setting myself up for a fall...and another...and another. It took devastation the likes of which I'd never even imagined to shake me from that thinking. And I wouldn't change it for anything. God's power is revealed in our powerless moments. God's power is also revealed when we simply await His arrival after asking Him to show up. I've had quite an attack this week. Which means that Christ has had quite a place to shine! Harsh words spoken in an argument with my husband started it all. I wish I could say those harsh words were all his, but really my own attitude startled me enough to give satan an opening. How could you tear your husband apart verbally while professing to love the Lord in written form? There's no reconciling that wrong. You're living an online faith and not applying it to real life. Hypocrite. The end. The following days were like any other...Bible study, devotional time, homeschooling my little ones, zoo trips and such. Still, there was this double life going on inside of me. You're living a lie and no one is fooled. It's so easy to be with God online, no one really knows you there. You don't have a real life faith in works. Where's your fruit? SonShines, I was ready to run for the hills in shame. I wasn't just believing these lies, I was agreeing with them and denying God's providence and sovereignty. I'd counteract these attacks by acknowledging them as such. Nothing changed. I'd fight them off with words of affirmation. Nothing changed. Finally, I just had to get real with my God. Finally. Shouldn't that be our first stop? I'm such a sheep sometimes...wandering off and waiting for God to find me instead of being still and knowing that my Shepherd is never out of sight if I'd just look around for Him. Thankfully, I'm like a sheep in other ways, and once I prayed for God to show up and handle this attack for me, I saw Him move. And I will follow where He leads, like a good sheep belonging to The Good Shepherd. Just when I had been ready to buy into the devil's accusations, God presented me with opportunities to allow His movement in, on, and through some real life relationships. By using me this week in ways He's been using me all along, our faithful Father showed me that the more I put myself out into the world, the more He will set me apart from it. He'd love to do the same for you.  What Could Be Better? 04/14/2010
 You know, being true to yourself means so much more when you've first died to your self. Your selfish wants and views, dead. Your self-centered approach to life, at the door. No more self-contained existence. All replaced with something, no, Someone more. Someone bigger than your self moves into the space you once occupied and suddenly everything becomes bigger. God dwells within you in ways unimaginable but He will not be contained. God's love knows no bounds nor rims and so your cup overflows. As you seek Godliness and Truth you are given enough to share. Always. Die to your self and you'll find yourself. New. Complete. Overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Overflowing. What could be better?  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:13-15, NIV) Spring is upon us and with it, all sorts of treasures. Christ's death and His resurrection certainly top the list, but all of Spring is wonderful! From the Easter Bunny to the dust bunnies that flee as we embark on our annual projects. Spring cleaning isn't just great for the closets and the attics, it's good for the soul! St. Catherine of Siena stated brilliantly that one should, "Make two homes for thyself: one actual home and another spiritual home which thou art to carry with thee always." So don't polish all the silver and sweep away a few cobwebs and think your Spring cleaning is done! Dig into the dingy bits that linger inside, and cleanse of them, too. Both of your homes need attention! Letting those piles of stress, lust, jealousy, hostility, resentment, self doubt, greed, anger, hurt, and sin build up is fatal. That sort of blockage is the leading cause of Spiritual death. Okay, I made that up, but there aren't any staggering statistics out there to match up with the staggering reality that most of us are neglecting our Spiritual homes. According to Sue Kaufman, when it comes to keeping a house a home, "Our only chance for survival lies in creating our little islands of sanity and order, in making little havens of our homes." I say we apply this to our spirituality as well! After all, we are fighting for our very souls, aren't we? We must keep our judgment sound and our spiritual affairs in order as part of keeping our souls safe. How do we do that? Jesus. Plain and simple. Dear Lord, Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. In your name, Amen {from Psalm 51:7-8} Caffeinated Randomness 03/05/2010
 On Spiritual Activity SonShines, I just have to share a passage I read last night from The Me I Want To Be. John Ortberg addresses a very real struggle so many of us face with feelings of guilt and obligation in regards to our spiritual activities. Mothers, teachers, coaches, mentors, ministry leaders, writers, nurses, doctors, and any number of nurturing roles such as these all share another common bond. We often feel that we are less than devout when we can't set aside an hour here or two there for deep quiet in the presence of our Lord. I'd even venture to say that some of us beat ourselves up about not having the heart that another sister or brother might have for waking up before the sun in order to ensure that quiet soaking in God's glory. Here's what Ortberg says on the matter, take it to heart and take it with you in all of life's moments! "Comparison kills spiritual growth. A mother with three preschool-age children hears her pastor talk about loving God so much that he is up very early every morning to spend an hour of quiet with him. She would love an hour of quiet at any time, but her children simply will not cooperate. What she takes away is that she ought to be doing the same thing, and so she does spirituality by comparison, living under the cloud of guilt. It never occurs to her that the love she expresses to her children might "count" as a spiritual activity." The love you express as you nurture from within the love of Christ is a spiritual activity! Taking Jesus by the hand and introducing every moment, every interaction, every person you encounter to the Truth, the Life and the Way is the very sort of living in the Presence that we must all strive for...not an hour each morning, but a way of living! Keep up The Good Work! ***I want to just add a little note here to be sure to encourage everyone to start your day with Jesus no matter what time that day may begin. I know how much more freely I receive the ongoing direction of the Lord when I've made a point to spend even just 5-10 minutes just kicking it with Christ! Please don't leave here thinking you should leave that time behind! Instead, know that it's the spirit of simply delighting in the presence of God that should drive you to your knees first thing in the morning, not a comparison to what another Christian's morning walk may consist of.*** {added after publishing} On Lamentations I am so looking forward to our time exploring this section of God's Word! I'm just as eager to share the journey with you as I am to get to the other side with a bit more knowledge, wisdom, and security in Christ Jesus! We are in for some deep conversation, some solid soul searching, and some serious laughter, I'm sure! I hope you'll come by Monday as we kick things off in the newest seven days adventure! Everyone who participates in the full seven days will be entered to win a special little something that I'll be revealing soon! {hint::it's wired, it's whimsical, it's bound to be gorgeous} On Compliments I Can't Deny Each of you dear readers who reached out in love to nominate this blog as one of your favorites, I just want you to know that your compliment is one I won't ever attempt to disprove! Our heavenly Father is at the very root of each word I share here and it is His glory and my honor to be among the top 10 daily reads, and the top 100 Christian Women's Blogs of 2009! I'll save the Oscar-esque speech and waterworks, but to say thank you just doesn't fit the bill. I'm touched and honored and humbled and fueled and rambling in true caffeinated randomness fashion!  {Head over to read from the other 99+ awesome ladies writing for Christ!}  On the Threshing Floor 02/24/2010
 "A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them" (Proverbs 20:26, NIV). God is building a Kingdom the likes of which this world would have us never see. Don't despair, Sonshines, we've got a mighty God and He's using the very same world and all of its opposition to bring that Kingdom to completion. You've got to love the poetic justice of our Lord! Like grain on the threshing floor, we're in the midst of one tumultuous sifting. Life is a tool designed specifically to stomp the stalk from the kernels. Separating the sin from the sinner is a process perfected by our perfect God. We can rest easy as the world crushes us because we know that our Father uses this crushing to set us free from our sin. Wondrously, at the end of the day whole and usable grain remains and the stalk is broken and worthless on the floor. There we lie, with the fragments of our sin. Uprooted, smashed, naked before the King of kings. On the threshing floor. No longer rooted and drawing false nourishment, we have died to this world. Now the winnowing of the Spirit begins. Time and again we will be cast into the wind in order that the broken bits of sin that try to hide us from the Lord may be carried away leaving us to rest on the floor at the foot of the throne of God. In the end that is all that will remain. King of kings and the whole and useful grains He's grown, handpicked, freed, and sifted. God is building what the world can't tear down. Do not despair. On your mark...get set...go! 02/22/2010
 I love being awe struck by our awesome God! My time in devotion this morning was filled with the earth shattering awesomeness that is the very hope of Christ. With very few words, the Son of Man is able to rip us out of the grubby little hands of this fallen world and that will never cease to amaze me. Aren't you every bit as astonished each time Jesus delivers you from a stronghold that would choke the Life right out of you if allowed to keep its grip? As I read the Scripture surrounding an old familiar promise, the Living Word brought new life to a passage I thought I had all figured out. Being so completely humbled in my wisdom is always a welcomed treat, even though such humbling in life often brings battles with pride, being proved wrong by God is a beautiful gift! He never makes us look foolish in revealing our lacking wisdom. "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NRSV). If you know the power of this passage, then you have already learned the importance of giving your heavy heart to the Lord for the kind of lasting peace only Christ can bring. I'm praising God with you for such huge mercies, SonShines! Like so many stand alone verses, I've read this truth time and again, but today God invited me to keep reading. I'm so glad He did, because I need the next verse like I need air at this point in my life. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29, NRSV). I am a girl that needs a lot of directions if you're going to lead me to water, no matter how plagued with thirst I might be. "Come to me" is great, but we have an all over the place kind of Savior and sometimes knowing a landmark or two to look for along the way makes all the difference in getting us where we're going. Thankfully, Jesus didn't assume we'd find our way with the simply profound direction of that first verse. Christ, as is His nature, lays it all out for us. "Take my yoke upon you," He says. Christ is the ultimate beam of balance, and that's just what His yoke is, ladies. If we are to find true and lasting rest, we must first pick up that beam of Hope that will balance our lives in His favor. Taking the servitude lived out in Christ Jesus and carrying it upon our shoulders is the only way we'll ever get out from under the weight of the world. Next, Jesus tells us to learn from Him. Short of knowing the Son, truly knowing His motives and His very nature, we will never know our Father. Christ is The Way, so unless we're looking to Him for direction, we'll never find the way to the rest we've been promised. His direction comes from the countless interactions shared in Scripture; it comes from seeing how Jesus handled the sticky situations that we each face in some form. Learning from Christ doesn't stop there! We can read all about Who the Messiah was and is and ever will be in every syllable of Scripture. He's given us a road map to spiritual security that is hidden in the wonder of His coming, arrival, sacrifice, resurrection, ascension, and the legacy of love passed on throughout time. Jesus is still showing us how to come to Him and that will continue until the perfect time comes for His return! While pointing to the endless ways in which we can learn from Him, Jesus also reveals a couple of ways to get started. Pointing out His gentle and humble nature is like placing a neon arrow Heavenward. Taking on the characteristics of Christ is the way to find that rest we're after! In tangible ways, humility and gentleness change our lives from ones of conflict to ones of rest. Sidestepping pride and aggression, we're free to run the race before us. We're running toward a deep and real rest that won't threaten to bail on us at the first sign of trouble. I want flames to shoot from my sassy shoes as I fly past the world and fall to my knees at the foot of the throne of God! Something tells me you want that, too. Runners, are you on your mark? Set those eyes on Jesus and go! What's In Your Coffee? 01/26/2010
 Curled up in my bed, laptop and coffee in hand, God decided it was time to drop some knowledge on me. There, swimming around in my cold coffee, I found a bit of wisdom and a rabbit trail of thought waiting for me. Just as I sunk into coziness, I went to sip said coffee and realized that a touch up just wouldn't do. If you follow me on twitter, you might have read this seemingly random bit I posted. At some point you've gotta stop touching up your coffee and just pour a new cup. I think my coffee is hinting at something... It seemed random to me, too, at first. I never seem to recognize the work of the Lord right away. As I resolved to roll out of bed for the refill, I realized what the Lord had splashed into my sad little cup of something that started out so good. I mean, Dunkin Donuts Breakfast Blend with a splash of Cinnamon Bun creamer--so divine. Cold Dunkin Donuts Breakfast Blend with a splash of Cinnamon Bun creamer, not so much. It was clear that a touch up just wouldn't do any good that would last to the last drop. In that moment, God found a way to make my coffee truly Divine. Hinting at the frustrations I've been coming up against in my writing and in my life, the Lord was calling me to stop trying to top things off and hope the band-aid makes things all better. As a sweet sister in Christ put it, "God wants us to give up what we already have so He can give us something fresh.. and abundant". Wow. Here, I just thought I was going to hide in bed and continue feeling invisible and frustrated. I don't know what it all means just yet, but clearly my Father wants me to stop primping and adding and pruning and shuffling and topping off the ways I minister and mingle and meander in this world. He's telling me to stop assuming what I have will get better if I just add more to it. Another cup of coffee just as scrumptious as the one before it is what I need to be reaching for! What is our Lord handing you today? |  
© 2006-2010,
Victoria Bierman Jenkins. All rights reserved. ...just a sec...   a few of my posts
   Categorized Chaos
All                           |
Let the Son Shine--All Content by Let the Son Shine is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
