Show no partiality

I have been studying through the book of James and this past week I was in the beginning of chapter 2. Read some of these selections from the first 13 verses: 

"My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with god rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?...If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all..." 

Now, up until this point the study I am doing has been over trails, temptation and works...topics that I find very applicable in my life. When I got to this section I had the thought "this will be nice to be reminded of even though I don't struggle with this..." How wrong I was. You see, if I was sitting in church this Sunday and in walks a poorly dressed woman I would never say to her, "you go sit in this corner over here." That would just be flat out mean in my book. But as I continued reading and continued studying, the Lord slowly started showing me areas in my life that I do show partiality. 

I very naturally and instinctively "size up" people by their ability to pick up on social cues, what they're wearing, how they respond to me, where they are in their walk with God, what their interests are....the list goes on and on. I realized that I tend to surround myself with people that I think are more like me, people who are not hard to get to know or people that I consider fun encouraging. Now don't get me wrong- of course we all have our close friends, people that we closely walk through life with. I truly believe that is one of God's greatest blessings in our lives. But the problem that I see in my own life is that it is so easy for me to not branch out befriend someone who I am not naturally attracted to. Do you notice the awkward new person, standing a little ways away from you and your group of friends? Do you welcome the new face and invite them to join you and your friends to wherever you are going? Do you roll your eyes (either outwardly or inwardly) when you find out that THAT person is going to be be coming along to the next social event? (I mean, it would really be so much more fun if it was just you and your good friends!) Do you notice a face stained with tears and ask them if they want to talk about it? Do you take a leap of faith and ask the new girl out for coffee, just so you can hear her story and get to know her better? 

You see, I have been surprised countless times by how wrong I was about someone. My first impressions of people are usually 99.999999% waaaay off. I think about all of the friendships I would have missed out on if I had not given someone a second chance, or stepped out on a limb, or tried for the 246th time to get past someones shell and really get to know them. I think of how many people have done that for me and I am so so grateful (and some of them are now my best friends!). You see, relationships can be hard and they can take a lot of work. Sometimes you will feel like you're making more of an effort than the other person, but at least try and don't easily give up. They might just be someone who is in desperate need of a friend, a listening ear, a gateway that leads them to a deeper relationship with Christ. 

Christ humbled Himself to reach you, now follow His example and do likewise. 

Meekness

As time goes by I am more and more surprised (although I really shouldn’t be) that God continues to teach me the same lessons over and over.  A large part of this is due to my own sinful humanity.  The Holy Spirit graciously reveals truth to me, convicts me of wrongdoing, and encourages growth in my walk, and I think, “Yes!  Thank you for teaching me this! I’m so glad I have learned this!”  But as time passes, I become less and less purposeful in my devotion to retaining as well as implementing what I’ve been taught as Paul exhorts me to do. 

2 Timothy 3:14 - “. . . continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed. . .”

I’m easily distracted from staying on course, and if I am being completely honest, deep down in my heart I foolishly tell myself, “God’s already taught me that.  I don’t need to worry about it anymore.”  Once and done.  Oh, if only.  

So it is with waiting.  I don’t like it.  Actually, I hate waiting.  And I really shouldn’t, because I’m finding that it is through waiting that God refines me, teaches me, encourages me, prepares me, etc.  I often think of waiting as dead time.  But with God, nothing could be farther from the truth.  For Him, waiting is active — it is overflowing with purpose and industry. 

We are all always waiting.  I look back and see how every stage and phase of life so far is simply a time of waiting.  Waiting to get my drivers license.  Waiting to turn 18 and graduate high school.  Waiting to finish college and figure out what & where I would be.  Waiting to see if God would fulfill my desire to find a mate.  Waiting to be married (5 months never seemed so long).  Waiting to see when is God’s timing for us to start a family.  It just goes on and on.  Waiting . . . 

As God has brought me into a new season of waiting, the easy assumption is that He is simply trying to teach me patience. And while this is partly true, I am finding that one of the greater lessons He is seeking to teach and grow in me (yet again) is meekness.  

Meekness has the idea of being gentle, humble, and submissive. Meekness recognizes that it has much to learn and sees waiting times as an opportunity to be taught and to grow.  This is why James tells us to “put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word” (James 1:21).  Without a meek spirit, I am prone to respond to times of waiting in sin because I fail to see my need to learn.  I don’t know everything.  In fact, I am in desperate need to be continuously taught and challenged.  And when I am meek, I will be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19) which helps me to be all the more open to correction. 

Meekness also eagerly casts its reliance and dependence on our sovereign Lord.  It understands and trusts that His ways are best.  

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  

Romans 11:33b “How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

When I am meek, I don’t compare what God is doing in my life to what He is doing in another’s.  I’m content with knowing His purposes for me are good and His timing is perfect.  I trust and place my full dependence on His wisdom and care.  

John Piper writes, “Meekness begins when we put our trust in God.  Then, because we trust Him, we commit our way to Him.  We roll onto Him our anxieties, our frustrations, our plans, our relationships, our jobs, our health.  And then we patiently wait for the Lord,  We trust His timing and his power and grace to work things out in the best way for His glory and for our good.” 

At its core, meekness takes its eyes off of self and makes God the center.  Waiting becomes burdensome and frustrating when I am focusing on me — how I feel, what I think should be done, how difficult this is for me, how long is this going to take, etc.  Conversely, meekness readily acknowledges it neediness . . . for teaching, for correction, for growth, and for Christ.   

I need this time of waiting.  And one of the most encouraging things about waiting times as a believer is that it is productive, not pointless.  For every one thing I can see God doing in my life, I am confident there are many, many more things He is doing that I cannot see.  There are no such things as dead time, fluff, and busy work with God.  It all has meaning.  It all has purpose.  

Missionary Jim Elliot once said, “Wherever you are, be all there.”  With the help of the Holy Spirit, I am seeking to do just that.  To be all here in this time of waiting, learning, trusting, and resting in Him.  I covet your prayers as I pursue meekness to His glory!

Elisabeth

Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right

(Click to here to listen)

Whate’er my God ordains is right: 

His holy will abideth; 

I will be still whate’er he doth; 

And follow where he guideth. 

He is my God: though dark my road. 

He holds me that I shall not fall. 

And so to him I leave it all, 

He holds me that I shall not fall. 

Whate’er my God ordains is right: 

He never will deceive me. 

He leads me by the proper path; 

I know he will not leave me. 

I take, content, what he hath sent. 

His hand can turn my griefs away, 

And patiently I wait his day, 

His hand can turn my griefs away. 

Whate’er my God ordains is right, 

Though now this cup, in drinking, 

May bitter seem to my faint heart, 

I take it all, unshrinking. 

My God is true; each morn anew. 

Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart, 

And pain and sorrow shall depart, 

Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart. 

Whate’er my God ordains is right. 

Here shall my stand be taken. 

Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, 

Yet am I not forsaken. 

My Father’s care is round me there. 

He holds me that I shall not fall, 

And so to him I leave it all, 

He holds me that I shall not fall.  

- S. Rodigast

Having a Heart of Gratitude

“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

One thing that I have learned over the years is that life is full of surprises. I am always amazed at how quickly our circumstances can change, especially when we least expect it. Growing up I did not like change. I was the child that would cry when my mom would decide to suddenly rearrange the furniture in the house because I liked things just the way they were. So you can imagine my devastation when my parents told me at age 13 that our family would be moving to another city. Little did I know that just a year after that move we would move again and then I would move three more times after that in just a matter of five years. It was then that God began doing a work in my heart to teach me that my joy is not dependent on my circumstances but rather on Him. Through God’s love and grace in my life I am continually learning the lesson to give thanks in everything because we know that in all things God is at work for our good (Romans 8:28).

Recently the Lord has allowed a trial into our family’s lives with the changes regarding Cooper’s job. It has brought about many uncertainties and questions but we realize that it is just another opportunity for us to trust God. My thanksgiving in all circumstances whether good or bad is a response to the trustworthiness of God. I know that God is sovereign, wise, and good and that I can trust Him so therefore I can have thanksgiving in whatever circumstance comes my way. The Lord has been faithful to teach me that in every circumstance (whether big or small) I can choose to respond in two ways: I can whine and complain and be in despair or I can worship. I can’t worship without giving thanks. Sometimes it is easy for me to remember to trust God and be thankful in the big things but what about when my two year old spills all his juice on the floor right after I mopped or when I work hard to get everyone dressed, fed, and out of the house by a certain time and the baby spits up all over me as soon as we walk out the door. As silly as it may sound these too are opportunities for me to trust that God has allowed this in my life and to give thanks. I can be thankful that I have a two year old to clean up after and what if God allowed that baby to spit up on me so that we would avoid being in a car accident by just being 5 minutes later. We don’t always see the big picture and therefore we must remember that God does and He works all things together for His glory and our good.

In his gospel, Luke tells the story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus (Luke 17:11-19). In the story all ten of the lepers cried out to be healed and all ten were healed by the power of Christ but only one came back to Jesus to thank Him. How often are we like the other nine lepers who asked for God’s help but are forgetful to give Him thanks? Our problem is deeper than just forgetfulness but we have a spirit of ingratitude because of the sinful nature within us. We must cultivate a new spirit of gratitude, which the Holy Spirit has given us at the time of our salvation. So we are to remember that we must give thanks in all circumstances, both the good and the bad. In his book “Trusting God” Jerry Bridges writes,

“To derive the fullest comfort and encouragement from Romans 8:28- and thus to give thanks in all circumstances- we must realize that God is at work in a preactive, not reactive, fashion. That is, God does not just respond to an adversity in our lives to make the best of a bad situation. He knows before He initiates or permits the adversity exactly how He will use it for our good.”

I find it comforting knowing that whatever God allows into my life is under the control of His sovereign hand.

Ultimately my gratitude begins with the undeserved grace of God in my life through Jesus Christ. Is the gratitude that flows out of my life as abounding as the grace that has flowed into my life? I can choose gratitude in all things because of what Christ did for me on the cross. My life is not my own and I desire more than anything to glorify God with my life and this begins with choosing gratitude for the circumstances He allows me to face. I know that through these circumstances He is forming me to be more like Him if I allow Him too. Sadly, I fail so often at being thankful in all things, especially when something doesn’t go my way or is difficult. However, I am thankful that God’s mercies are new each morning and I pray that each day I would choose to glorify God by having a heart of gratitude for every little and big thing that He allows into my life. It is through this heart of gratitude that I will find true joy!

How about you? Are you thankful for the circumstances that God has allowed you to be in right now? Whether you are in the most wonderful or difficult of circumstances remember to give thanks to God. He loves you and has allowed you to be in the place you are in because it is ultimately for your good and His glory. Trust Him because He cares for you.
I will leave you with the words of Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her book “Choosing Gratitude”:

“Over time choosing gratitude means choosing joy. But that choice doesn’t come without effort and intentionality. It’s a choice that requires constantly renewing my mind with the truth of God’s Word, setting my heart to savor God and His gifts, and disciplining my tongue to speak words that reflect His goodness and grace- until a grateful spirit becomes my reflexive response to all of life.”

Thankful for the work God is doing in my heart through my circumstances! Love you all!

Brooke

"Oh How I Need You"

My dear sisters,

I have spent the majority of the past two years in Louisville, Kentucky studying at Boyce College. To be honest, these have been the hardest, yet most joy-filled, years of my life. God has stretched me physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually in more ways than I think I could even remember to recount. God has been teaching me a lot, but one over-arching lesson (even this past semester) has been God showing me my ever present need for his grace and strength -- no mater how much I desire to be strong and self-reliant.

As I have undergone the various joys and trials of these years apart from you, I have held on to the promise that the same God who had already demonstrated his great grace toward me, through calling me to saving faith in Jesus Christ, would himself "restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish" me (1 Pet. 5:10).

James' exhortation to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds," has echoed often in my heart (Jas. 1:2). However, it was the resulting maturity these trials produce that captivated me: "the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (Jas. 1:3-4).

What believer would not want to experience these marks of maturity in the Lord -- whatever the cost?

However, I had begun to make these marks of maturity an idol. If I am suffering, am I not entitled to grow, be strong, and lack nothing? I wanted to grow and mature, but my desire to be more like Jesus for God's glory was warping into a desire to be more like Jesus for my own glory.

To desire to grow into mature, Christ-likeness is a good and right desire. We are commanded to "leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity..." (Heb. 6:1-12). However, good desires can so easily become idols in our life that overshadow the desire for the Lord Himself.

You see, all of my circumstances had only made me realize anew how very needy and weak I am -- this was good, sweet, and true. God so graciously opens our eyes to see the reality of who we are -- we are weak and needy for a Savior, desperate and hopeless apart from his mercy and grace. But, humans don't like to feel weak and dependent. I prayed for God to grow and strengthen me. I wanted to grow, and maybe then I would not feel so needy and weak for once. Then I would be wise and better able to counsel and have just the right word to speak...

But God kept tugging at my heart and showing me over and over again that I would never outgrow my need for the Lord. Never would godly maturity result in a strength independent from Jesus, rather a growing dependence on Jesus.

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

Apart from the Vine (Jesus), the branches do not receive the nutrients and strength to bear fruit. The branch is utterly dependent on the vine, and is only the conduit of the life-giving nutrients that produce fruit.

God has been showing me that my strength and confidence lie not in achieving some level of spiritual maturity or feeling more capable for the tasks before me. Rather, my confidence is in God through Jesus Christ. My sufficiency and ability to obey the Lord and faithfully do all that he has given me to do comes not from myself but from God by the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:4-6).

As Paul encourages the church at Corinth in his second letter, he highlights the extreme hardship and weakness he and his colleagues have endured for the sake of the gospel. He speaks in vivid pictures of "being given over to death for Jesus' sake," numerous beatings, ship wrecks, persecutions, and a "thorn in the flesh." In all of this he calls believers to not lose heart, as they feel their weakness clearly in the daunting opposition of the kingdom of the enemy. He writes, "but we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Cor. 4:7). Yes, they were weak as clay pots, but they were entrusted with the gospel to show that the strength that bore them up , grew, and preserved them through various trials was not their own but God's.

If our very weakness is what magnifies the power of God, shouldn't we embrace our weakness so that God's power may be displayed all the more? Paul says that is exactly what we are to do.

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." 2 Corinthians 11:30

Like Paul, we may become frustrated with our weakness, hardships, and trials -- whatever they are. But, for  the sake of making much of Christ, we are to be content in those things that uncomfortably show our weakness: "For when I am weak, then I am strong." How could that possibly be so? Jesus says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." So, boast in your weakness so that you may gain the power of Christ -- not for self-exultation but for Christ-exultation.

The joy of suffering is not that we need God less, but perhaps that we see our need for him more and experience more of his power to supply grace in the ever increasing weakness uncovered by the consuming fire. The daily pressures of this life serve to push us towards to one who is sufficient for our ever present need.

I will always be weak. I will always need Jesus to strengthen me and give me the grace to grow in Him. God keeps me in my weakness, because he desires that I continually abide in his power and his grace. 

It is only God who supplies the sufficient means for life and ministry. Wherever you are in life, in whatever season, confess your weakness and constant need of the Savior. If you have sought to find your confidence and strength in any other means apart from God, ask the Lord for his forgiving and transforming grace. He is faithful and just to forgive (Jn. 1:9), and in him lies all the grace and strength to abound in every good work (2 Cor. 9:8).

May the gospel grow sweeter as we see more clearly our weakness in light of the riches of Christ's grace and power, which are made more visible in weak yet willing vessels.

In Christ,

Michaela

These songs have been a helpful reminder of the sweetness of abiding in Jesus!

"Oh How I Need You" by All Sons and Daughters

"Lord I Need You" by Matt Maher