Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.”’ Ezekiel 11:16

I stumbled across this verse as I was reading this morning and was really struck by the phrase “yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” The Hebrew word for sanctuary also means “sacred place” or “holy place.” God was judging Israel for its sin and had scattered His people among foreigners, yet God still was a sanctuary for them right in the midst of where they were.

Jesus is still doing that very same thing for us today. No matter where we are, through our faith in Jesus, God has planted in us His Holy Spirit who resides in each one of us. Are you a missionary living in a foreign land? God will be your holy place. Are you traveling for work this week? God will be your sanctuary of refreshment. Are you trying to survive in a hostile work environment? God is your familiar refuge. Are you living out your calling in your busy home with little children on your hip or teens coming and going? God is your oasis of peace. Perhaps you’re in your golden years. God is your inspiration for serving others.

No matter where your corner of the world is, remember that God is your sanctuary, your holy place, your home. Nestle your heart in Him and draw from His well of love and security as you serve others today in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pray on!

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this week, I wanted to look at some of the verses in the love chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. These verses are wonderful for us to aspire to. Lest we become discouraged of ever being able to live up to the standard that God gives us in these verses, however, I wanted to take a look at what these verses could look like in the real nitty-gritty details of life. I know that we all have times where we fail in trying to keep this high standard of love; after all, Jesus was the only One who ever loved completely unselfishly, but let’s look at some possible ways we could live out each verse.

Love is patient, love is kind.

• I will keep my voice in a kind tone when disciplining my children.
• I will not talk in a sarcastic manner to my spouse.
• I will listen with my full attention.

Love does not envy, does not boast, is not proud.

• I will be content with my house, with my furniture, with my clothes.
• I will not boast about all my children’s latest accomplishments to everyone within hearing.
• I will try to maintain a humble spirit when I do get something new or take that next vacation.
• I will regularly count my blessings.

 Love is not rude; it is not self-seeking.

• I will control my temper when I am driving.
• I will be courteous to slow checkout-lane clerks.
• I will wait my turn in the exit lanes of the highway and not speed up, hoping to wedge myself in at the last second so that I don’t have to wait in the long exit line.

 Love is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs.

• If my spouse responds crankily to me, I will attempt to keep my temper.
• I will not remember everything my spouse or children have ever done to hurt me. I will not hold grudges. What if God did this to me?
• I will strive to have a good relationship with my in-laws.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

• I will speak the truth in love to my family and remember to show them the same grace that I would want extended to myself.
• I will be truthful in my conduct at work, including how I spend my time there. Am I wasting time on Facebook or personal e-mail?

Love always protects, always trusts,always hopes, always perseveres.

• I will choose the decision that aligns itself with God’s word. I will remember to honor my family and not speak badly about them.
• I will not lose hope in God’s ability to work in every situation with myself, my family and my friends.
• I will persevere in prayer.
•  I will remember that God loves me.

Love never fails.

• God’s love never fails. SO, I will extend grace to others and myself when people fail and disappoint me, or when I disappoint myself.

Do any of these verses speak to your heart? What are some ideas you could share with us on living out the love verses from I Corinthians 13?

Happy Valentine’s Day, and pray on!

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Recently I attended a prayer retreat with the prayer team at my church. For the first hour we met to discuss a book we had been reading, and then we split up to spend the rest of the time in solitude with God. We were free to go into the chapel, into private rooms, or we could also wander the grounds outside. I headed out into the sunshine, deciding between a trail through the woods, the flower gardens, a prayer labyrinth or the stations of the cross.

My feet led me down a trail into the woods, a cool, peaceful refuge from the heat of the summer day. I settled on a bench and quieted myself, tuning into my surroundings and the Lord. Birds called back and forth to each other and a light breeze ruffled my hair. A ray of sunshine penetrated the trees and landed on me, warming my skin. “Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful place,” I prayed. “Help me to hear you clearly today.”

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Then I felt it. The irritating bite of a mosquito. I slapped it away and refocused my thoughts on God. Zing. Another bite. And then another. I snapped my eyes open to see mosquitos swarming around me. Flies soon joined the mosquitoes. Under the bench I saw beetles and a centipede. Uggh! So much for focusing clearly on God. Sheepishly I remembered that before I left that morning, I had slathered on peach lotion. Good grief! The sun was warming my skin, broadcasting the peach scent on the morning breeze to every nearby insect.

I was going to have to move along and find a spot free from pesky insects. I gathered my things when the thought hit me: “Isn’t this what our lives as Christ-followers are to be like?”

The Scent of Jesus

The more we become like Jesus, the more we will emanate the scent and lusciousness of Jesus to everyone, just like a ripe piece of fruit advertises its scent to all who walk by—people and mosquitoes alike. We may sometimes feel that we attract the wrong kind of attention—people antagonistic to our faith may frequently cross our paths. If you’re a person who always seems to be attracting antagonistic or needy people, maybe it’s because you’re doing something right, and they’re being drawn in by the Jesus they sense in you. As God gives you the opportunity, you can then point them to Jesus.

That’s what happened to Jesus. Everywhere He went, people flocked to him. And He loved them all—the tax collectors, the adulterers, the lepers, the little children. All the people groups that society said were outcasts or unimportant, Jesus took the time to love and bring life to.

God impressed upon me that day how important it is for us as Christ-followers to have patience, grace and love with everyone we meet. He allowed me to see that at many different stages in my life, I myself have been a “mosquito” to a believer—and may even be right now!

I think through this little analogy God was telling me we need to expect the mosquitoes in life, and that if we don’t have any, then maybe that’s the real problem, because that means we don’t smell any different from anyone else in the world.

What do you think?

Pray on!

Forest image courtesy of the following:

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you have days or months or maybe your life (!) where you feel scattered and fragmented, pulled in 100 different directions?

Perhaps the last thing you feel is complete, like you have life under control.

Well, that’s because in reality, we don’t! But I know someone who does, and He has the perfect promise for us.

I love the verse in Colossians 2: 10 that says ” and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” What does the word complete mean? In the Greek  pleroo, it means “to make full, to abound, to be liberally supplied, to fill to the top, to carry out some undertaking.” Notice it doesn’t say perfect!

What this means to me is that in the midst of my scattered, fragmented life, Jesus has made me complete for what He is calling me to right now.

Right now I possess everything I need to step out and do what He wants me to do. I don’t have any excuses. Gulp. Maybe like me you’ve heard God calling you to start something, but you’re waiting for someone with far more wisdom and gifts to step up. Maybe you’re waiting until … your kids are grown, you get that degree, you’re in shape or your health is better.

The truth is that if God has put a call on your heart, then He’s waiting for you to get started now. Yes, there are times for waiting and resting and learning, but if you feel that continual nudge to do something, then you need to step out and be obedient. He’s made you complete where you are for what He has you to do, and He will provide for your lack with resources and other people as you’re obedient to Him.

I’m there myself today. I’ve felt a nudge to be involved in an outreach ministry that I’ve kept putting off. I know it’s time. What’s on your heart today? Let’s take that step together.

Pray on!

You knock on the door of my heart until Your knuckles bleed;

I’m in the corner trying to drown out the noise.

I know I’m in trouble; it’s You I need.

But the deceiver still holds me, and I am his toy.

I cannot escape this hole I’ve dug; it’s now much too deep.

But You are standing there and let down a rope;

I grab hold and climb, but fall for it’s too steep.

And I am now, only now, beginning to lose hope.

I become content with the person I am;

No longer do I need You in my perfect life.

Across the river that flows into my soul, I build a dam

So that without You near me, I will not feel strife.

You plead and you cry for me to come back,

But still I reject with a turn of my face.

I can still feel Your presence, or the presence I lack,

So my feeling turns to total disgrace.

How can You plead and how can You cry?

I have been nothing but someone you should throw away.

But You came to this earth, You came to die

So that I may enter Your glorious realm, on my last day.

You do not care where I have been, or what I have done.

You only care about what is deep inside.

Never will You give up on me, till victory is won.

And I deceive myself when I think I can hide.

My heart starts to break like waves on a shore.

With one mighty flash You destroy the dam.

You forget about knocking; You break down the door.

Into my heart is where You now stand.

A fork in the road. Which way should I take?

The left hand is narrow, the right wide and strong.

If I do choose the narrow, again I may break.

But You will always be there, to help me along.

Photo by Federico Stevanin Old Door http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Garden_and_Exterior_g157-Old_Door_p3078.html

Logan is a high school student in Indiana.

I was reading a Grace Livingston Hill book recently (old-fashioned fiction stories). In her book one of her characters is wondering about how prayer works. The character had recently come through a dangerous situation safely, and after a friend told her he had been praying for her, she was wondering if that friend’s prayers could have specifically worked to help keep her safe. This is what the character was thinking.

“Was prayer perhaps like the radio, just as sounds were stored up in the air, so perhaps prayers were hovering about on their way to and from God?”

What an interesting way this is of looking at prayer! I love the visual this put into my mind of millions of prayers floating around in the air on their way to the throne of God. Romans 8:26-28 tells us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, so we know that prayers are also directed to us from heaven. It’s a two-way street of prayers on a heavenly highway!

This quote on prayer from a fictional character really started me thinking about how God may use our prayers. I wonder if the prayers that are prayed on our behalf are at some point hovering around us in a hedge of protection. When we pray for our children or spouse, do those prayers envelop them as they go about their days? As we pray for other countries, do those prayers gather forces with the prayers others have prayed to “cushion” that country?

What must the heavenly airwaves look like with all the prayers of the saints?

I wish we could see it. What do you think?

Pray on!