Seek Ye First

But seek first the kingdom of God 

and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,

 for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:33-34 ESV

Helloooooooooo, Girlfriends!

Can you hear me across the miles and the expanse of time that has separated us this summer? I certainly hope so because I am longing to connect with you. Having been bogged down with a plethora of moving details, I longed to write but either found no time, energy, or, sadly, inspiration to put into words all that has transpired since early July. My desire to sit at the computer and convey my thoughts battled with a gnawing inside that told me only negativism would pour forth. I convinced myself that the words I would write in the midst of my confusion, stress, and sometimes sadness would dishonor God. So, silence and separation ensued.

Fortunately, I heard a Word from God last weekend that moved me out of my complacency. And, Girlfriends, would you believe those words came through a man? Gasp! I know. A man. But a good man, I will have you know, and his name is Pastor Mark Andreson from Calvary Church in Lemont.

Pastor Mark and his wife/son are moving to Indonesia to work in Christian ministry, bringing light to a dark place in the world. This fact was only recently revealed to our congregation, and last Sunday was Pastor Mark's farewell sermon. As I sat listening to his discourse, I marveled at God's timing and universalism, knowing that His Word, which is so precious to Mark and Kim at this time in their transition, was also penetrating the hearts of others in the audience, especially mine.

Like an arrow, one point in particular shot straight into my soul, and its source is today's key verse. Let me give it to you also from the Good News Bible translation:

Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things. So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.

Is anyone else feeling like God just sat you down in a chair, took your chin in His hand and lifted your face, saying, "Look at me and listen up?" Well, that is exactly what I pictured Him doing to me as I absorbed Pastor Mark's message.

God's voice boomed: "Seek Me first and foremost: in the morning when you rise; in the day as you perform; and in the evening before you close your eyes to rest. I am the Alpha and the Omega; let your life reflect Me."

My heart heard God's reprimands loudly and clearly. I had put my worldly needs first, allowing worry and frustration to rule each day, to the point that I could not do the good works He has prepared for me in advance. (Ephesians 2:10) I could not write to you, my dear Girlfriends, and bring God's Word alive through His power from my fingers on a laptop because my anxious brain committed these hands to hours of internet searches for real estate issues, schools, housing, employment, medical insurance, and a multitude of other items that accompany a relocation. I missed opportunity after opportunity all around me to connect hearts and minds with God's Word because my own heart and mind were so far removed from Him. In essence, even though God has always proven His faithfulness to me, I trusted my ability to coordinate this move more than I trusted His power to put into place everything He already begun when He selected my husband for this new job.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." Do not get me wrong. I am not saying that God did not have tasks for me to complete to make this move, or any of the summer's events, happen. To the contrary, I realize that God assigns us work--I read the Bible and see many examples of God's people laboring hard. But what Pastor Mark so eloquently pointed out is that when we keep our mind on God, His Kingdom, and His righteousness before, during, and after our work, all the things we need are added unto us--and added without the stress and anxiety created by worry. Additionally, we find that we have time along the way to serve the people He places in our paths here and now. In other words, we do not miss today's opportunities because our brain is consumed with thoughts of tomorrow, or next week, or next month. He will give us plenty of people to bless then as well!

So, ladies, I have to give credit for my return to blogging to God first, and then to Pastor Mark for sharing with us God's message to him. I am so excited to write again and be a part of your day, sharing God's love and mine with you. I pray you will hear what the Lord has to speak into your life from today's verses and that you will always seek Him first. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, remembering that our labor is indeed blessed by Him when we focus on His kingdom and His righteousness, not our own glory, fame and fortune.

Finally, I want to pray God's mighty blessing upon the Andreson family, their relocation process, and the work they will do in Indonesia. I am happy to share Pastor Mark's other verses from last Sunday's sermon in hope that you too will find power and rest in Him. Blessings to all!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.1 Peter 5:6-11

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

I Do Not Know

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

Isaiah 55:8-9

Someone At The Door

Aloha, Girlfriends! No, I am not in Hawaii, just dreaming! 

Earlier this week, I did take a short trip and spent the night at my mom's house. As I was sitting in her office typing my blog to you, the doorbell rang. Mom was in the shower, so I answered the door. Two women carrying Bible bags stood smiling at me and began praising Mom's landscaping. From that praise, they prompted me with a question about the anger hanging in the air lately around our cities and whether I knew the cause. I answered them with God's word, stating that He does tell us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). After a slight pause, one lady asked if she could share with me an article addressing this issue, and she handed me the Watchtower magazine. 

Now, I had no interest in the Watchtower or the message of the Jehovah's Witnesses. I warmly accepted her hand-out but informed her that I am a Christian. They nodded, asked about my church, and then the other woman said something that later came back to play over and over in my mind. 

"What I love about the Jehovah's Witnesses is that my mother grew up under Hitler in Nazi Germany. When she came to the US with so many questions, their Bible answered every single question for her. Then she passed it on to me." 

Hmmmm, really? EVERYTHING? She read the Jehovah's Witnesses bible and suddenly knew everything and had no more questions? (By the way, their bible is called the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. The men who "translated" it had little or no knowledge of either Greek or Hebrew.) Sorry, not buying that line. But we will come back to that in a minute.

To make the story short, I seized the opportunity of having two women at my mom's door to witness to them. I asked the first woman if she had a pen, which she did, and a piece of paper, which she opened up in a notebook. I took the pen and notebook from her and wrote "www.girlfriendmoments.blogspot.com" and told her that, since she shared with me, I would like to also share with her. I let her know that I write a Christian blog for women. I also mentioned that I agreed with her that God should be the source of our knowledge, not Google, not your neighbor, not necessarily even your pastor. 

For we are told in Jeremiah 29:12-14, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity." 

I highly doubt they will ever read my blog, but I am grateful God gave me the opportunity to cross paths with them that day. For one, perhaps God planted a seed of change that will bring them to the Truth. But more importantly, because the second woman's comments spoke to my heart about an issue that was already dwelling there. 

Seek and Find Me

The blog I was writing that day the doorbell rang was called The Story. (You can read it in the archives on the leftside of my page if you missed it.) The Story is God's Story, the Bible (correctly translated Hebrew/Greek to English), rearranged in chronological order. If you remember, I told you that Emily, Jordan, and I are reading this Bible out loud together. What I did not tell you is how arduously slow this reading is going! I am sure this is no surprise for those of you who know my son very well. "Deep thinker" does not even begin to describe Jordan! 

Remember that three year old phase when you were convinced that the only word your child knew was "Why"? Yeah, well, I don't think my son ever outgrew that stage. Therein lies the blessing and the curse! Inquisitive, reflective, and analytical, Jordan rarely accepts anything for its surface value. (Wonder where he got that gene?) Hence, reading aloud to him has always been a long process requiring a enormous block of time. Now, we all know that I am a mom with nothing else to do all day, so naturally I am delighted by my little investigator. (Yes, that is sarcasm.)

Seriously, though, reading the Bible challenges me to introspection. Reading the Bible with Jordan stretches me further, traversing topics that demand observation, reflection, explanation, and interpretation. When I presume to know the answer to his question, I explain to him, only to find myself on a walk later wondering if I actually gave the correct information. I find myself returning to the Bible, seeking and pursuing the truth in a way I can share with my children. Funny thing about seeking, I always find something. Many times, one question leads me to another and the pursuit of answer reveals an entirely new yet related certainty; hence, as God tells us you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.(Jer 29 above)

I Do Not Know 

But what about the times when I seek and I cannot find the answer? When I knock and the door is not opened? Is it acceptable for me to tell my children, "I do not know?" Does not having every answer crumble my faith and demote God to a lesser being, or negate His existence at all? Is that not the argument atheists and other non-believers, by the power of Satan, want to use against us? And what about supposed believers, like the Jehovah's Witnesses who visited me? She told me that her religion and her Bible have all the answers. I have a problem with both kinds of thinking.

As stated in today's key verse, God tells us (His) thoughts are not (our) thoughts, neither are (our) ways (His) ways. Actually, His ways higher than (our) ways and (His) thoughts than (our) thoughts. Seeking and finding Him does not mean we become like God, that we know all His answers. Instead, we find our way into His abiding love that reveals knowledge and wisdom according to His measure.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:17

I am quite frankly comfortable with that thought. After all, was that not Eve and Adam's problem in the Garden, wanting to be like God, to have all that knowledge from the tree? Look what a disaster that turned out to be for all of humanity! I want God to be God, and humans to be humans. I do not desire to know all that He knows for many reasons, but really for one major point. 

I have found that when I think I know everything there is to know about a subject, or even a major portion of it, I stop pursuing. I am no longer consumed with the desire to learn more or to spend time on the topic. I move on to something else interesting. Let me ask, have you ever had that experience? Perhaps the subject was academic in nature, but what about people? Yes, people, created in God's image. How many spouses stop pursuing one another once they have been together a long time, once they have achieved great familiarity, once they "know everything" about each other? Can you imagine if that were the case with our Lord and Savior?

I do not know everything about God, and I cannot completely answer many of my own or my son's questions about His revealed Word. Yet, these deficiencies do not impede my faith, instead they embolden it. I love the Lord. I believe in Him and who He says He is. I am encouraged by the fruit generated by His Presence in my family. I have witnessed His faithfulness and constantly observe the results of His promises. Consequently, I hunger and thirst for Him like a craving that is never satisfied. I want to know Him more and more. I yearn to spend time with God, in conversation and relationship, listening as He reveals to me little by little the Truth that increases my freedom and my faith incrementally. The more He unveils, the greater my desire to turn to His Word daily, for courage, insight, and direction. 

So, I continue to read aloud with my kids from the Bible. They continue to ask questions. I pray and then I answer. Often we stand in the kitchen until midnight, going back and forth in deliberation. Sometimes my answer is a plain, "I do not know," but you can bet my faith says, "But God knows, and I trust Him." I hope my kids do too! 

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Proverbs 3:5-7

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Proverbs 3:1-2

Forgiveness

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Forgiveness.

As He does when I am supposed to pay attention, God has been repeating this word throughout my week. I attended a church in St Louis over the weekend, and I will bet you can guess the topic of the sermon: Forgiveness. I listened, nodded my head, but felt no conviction. Then, I turned on the radio in the car to hear Sanctus Real singing, "Well the past is playing with my head and failure knocks me down again-I’m reminded of the wrong that I have said and done, And that devil just won't let me forget..." (lyrics to Forgiven) OK, God, is there something you are trying to tell me here? My ears are tuned. Finally, I opened an unknown email only to discover the author is a former schoolmate who divulged that I had caused her pain years ago. Forgiveness just became incredibly personal.

Forgiveness.

 I have heard this word from the time I was a small child, reciting the Lord's prayer: "...forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us..." (Matthew 6:12) From my mom, I was taught that I was to ask for forgiveness (tell your sister you are sorry) as well as extend it (tell your sister 'it's ok'.) Yes, that is a silly example, but isn't that how it all starts? From your own experiences, which do you think has been harder? Seeking forgiveness? Offering forgiveness?


I forgive you.

As a woman who survived a Nazi death camp, after watching both her father and sister die, Corrie Ten Boom wrote, "“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.” (Clippings from My Notebook.) Can you imagine the depths of her soul to which she traveled to find her forgiveness for those men who caused her unfathomable pain? Have you been, or are you now trying, to get to that place in your own heart?

Luke 6:37 (NIV) instructs us "...Forgive, and you will be forgiven." We know the will of God is that we forgive one another as our key verse for today states. The application of our knowledge seems often to be the sticking point. 

Today, Girlfriends, I pray you will open your hand and grasp that key that Jesus offers you, and then do as Corrie ten Boom says: Unlock the door of resentment, take of the handcuffs of hatred. Extend your forgiveness and be set free. By not doing so, you are in effect allowing that person's words or actions to hold you hostage. Don't think you can bring yourself to it?

Well, Corrie ten Boom found herself in that exact position in a church in Munich in 1947 when approached by a guard from the camp where she had been held, where her sister had died. The man walked up to her, held out his hand, and told her that he had become a Christian. He knew his sins had been forgiven by God, but he asked her, "Will you forgive me?"

Of this experience, Corrie wrote, "“Even as the angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him....Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness....And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself.” (The Hiding Place) Corrie ten Boom forgave him right then.

Will you forgive me?

We don't have the advantage of also reading the thoughts of the guard Corrie forgave that day. Yet, I ask, can you empathize with him? What courage did he muster to ask forgiveness of a woman whose dignity he stole? To whose sister's death he contributed? Of whose life he forever altered? Furthermore, from what pit of hellish control by Satan had he escaped to seek and discover for himself the life-saving forgiveness of our Lord and Savior? Have you visited such a place on your life's journey? I pray, my Girlfriends, that you have sought and received God's forgiveness through repentance. He will wash you clean; your sins will be cast to the bottom of the sea. If you have not come before Him, I pray you will do so now. 

Finally, like this guard, do you need to seek forgiveness from someone you have sinned against? Yes, God forgives you. In return for His loving kindness, set your pride aside and apologize to your earthly brothers and sisters whom you've wounded. Perhaps they will forgive you; maybe they will not. Pray to the Lord and release to Him what only He can do. 

As for me, I responded to that email I received. I sincerely apologized for any pain I caused and asked to be forgiven. I was not a Christian as a teen, and I confess to selfish, jealous behavior. My soul knows God has forgiven me; I can only pray this person will too. But I also have another prayer, which is for God to work on any unforgiveness I am holding tightly in my heart. That email, and the desire to be forgiven for something I honestly regret, reaffirmed the peace and love forgiveness fosters. Am I robbing someone of that experience today? Are you? Girlfriends, let us all pray: to release others, and to be released ourselves, from sin--past, present, and future. Amen.

May the peace of Christ be with you all!