The Shield of Faith

Ephesians 4:16

"In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Okay, I admit. I'm stretching on this one to compare a shield of faith to Chanel sunglasses. But I have a point! Though fun, stylish and quite functional if you get a pair that can also work as a headband, sunglasses are designed to protect your eyes frm the sun's glare. God's shield of faith is designed not only to protect you from Satan's glare, but from the devil's temptations.

Satan is all about some shady business. In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Picture that in your head. I'm gonna guess that most of you have never seen wheat sifted, but have you ever had to drain pasta? After you cook them, you pour them from the pot into a seive, which separates the water from the pasta. Just like the water falls from the seive, Satan has demanded permission to try and let us fall through the holes in our Christian walk. Imagine how easily it is for the water to fall through holes in the seive. We are tempted just as easily to abandon our walk with Christ and fall through the holes that Satan creates. That is why Jesus prayed that our faith would not fail - He doesn't want Satan to get a foothold on us!

Faith is contagious. When our faith doesn't give in, we are an encouragement and strengthen other believers. Just look at the last part of the passage in Luke. Have you ever watched someone be made fun of at school and thought, "I would stick up for them if someone else would." Chances are, someone else was thinking the same thing. You were both just waiting on someone else to respond first. Ask yourself two questions.

1) Have you ever regretted doing the right thing?

2) Most likely, someone who knew you were a Christian watched you sit there and do nothing. Do you think it made them realize that there was something different about you or that Jesus didn't make that much of a difference in your life?

1 Peter 1:5 assures us that we are "protected by the power of God through faith." Okay, now I'm going to ask you to take three minutes to watch the following video. S.M. Lockridge does an amazing job of communicating just how powerful God is. In three and a half minutes, he manages to truly explain, "That's my King!" Click on the following link to watch. Don't worry - I'll wait until you get back. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4

Pretty powerful, huh? And guess what? THAT'S YOUR KING! Not only is He your king, but if you accept Him as the Lord of your life and live the rest of your days for Him, YOU ARE HIS PRINCESS! You can put all of your faith and all of your trust in Him. There is no guessing if everything will turn out okay if you're on God's team. Check out the book of Revelation. We know the end of the story, and God wins. Therefore, we win.

So far, you've put on your belt of truth, your breastplate of righteousness, your shoes of peace, and your shield of faith. Next, we'll add the helment of salvation (And I promise, it won't mess up your hair!)

Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Shoes of Peace

Ephesians 6:15 "And having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace;"





Let me take just a minute to be brutally honest. I'm a distance runner. At least five or six days out of the week, my feet pound the pavement (or the treadmill) for a minimum of 6 to 7 miles at a time. My feet are... well....not my best feature. I think that's why I love pretty shoes - so they can cover up my not-so-pretty feet!

My friend Gabrielle has come up with her top five reasons why shoes are her favorite accessory. (You can check out her awesome blog at http://www.chickchatwithgod.blogspot.com.

1. They never make you look fat.


2. You can buy them on fat days and they actually fit and look good.


3. They are never immodest (toe cleavage doesn’t turn anyone on).


4. They cannot be outgrown and they don’t shrink.


5. They make you feel pretty.

Shoes help prepare us for a specific purpose. Though most men may never understand why it's important for us to have a closet dedicated to shoes alone, WE know that certain shoes serve a certain purpose. The same is true for the shoes God has laid out for us. You can't do His work if you're in the wrong shoes. What if I showed up to run my next race in a pair of heels? Might slow me down a bit. Or what if I coupled an evening gown with my Nike's? That'd be a fashion NO. So be prepared by putting on His shoes to do His work. How? Spend time in the Word. Pray. Serve others. Hang out with Christian friends. All of these things will help you prepare for whatever path God has set for you in life.

God's shoes bring the Gospel. Turns out there may be hope for me! Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” God declares that our feet are beautiful (no matter how much we run!) if we tell others about Jesus. I'll admit...I used to be afraid of sharing my faith. I didn't want to offend anyone, and I certainly didn't want another reason to be made fun of. But I'll never forget what happened to me in high school. One of my best friends was not a Christian, so I invited her to go with me to church camp. A bunch of our friends were going, so it wasn't hard to convince her that "everyone who was anyone would be there." The first few days, she was sort of hesitant and unsure of what was going on in worship, and then I remember watching her cry during about the third service. She turned to me and told me that she didn't know Jesus and she was afraid she would go to hell. I got one of the counselors to step outside with us, and right there, she accepted Christ. Later that night, she looked at me and said, "Michelle, we've been friends for years. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" From that moment on, I've been afraid NOT to share my faith. I can't imagine any worse guilt than knowing that one of my friends would spend eternity in hell because I never told them.

God's shoes bring peace. In this crazy world, it's almost hard to comprehend what things would be like if life was actually peaceful. But Jesus told us that He would leave peace with us (John 14:27), and Paul wrote that Jesus Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14) through His blood (Colossians 1:20). Peace is defined as a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations. (Think about the girls at school...or even in your church!) Peace is freedom from any strife, dissension, annoyance, distraction, and anxiety. It is a state of tranquillity or serenity. I don't know about you, but most of the time, my world is not like that! Sometimes, I let it get to me, and I get frustrated with all of the conflict. I want to wear a permanent t-shirt that says, "I DON'T DO DRAMA!" But what am I doing to bring about peace? Have I asked God to bear my heart's burdens lately? Have I asked him to purify my thoughts? Sometimes, the simplest things are right in front of us, and we don't even take advantage of the blessings that God is LONGING to give us. Philippians 4:7 reads, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

We are to walk in His shoes. There are so many things in this world that are fake. Most people are just longing for something that is authentic, something that is REAL. When people watch you, do they see Christ, or are they blinded by you? 1 John 2:6 teaches, "Whoever says He lives in Christ must walk as Jesus did." Those are some pretty big shoes to fill... but a high calling and an honor that shouldn't be taken lightly.

So are you ready for a challenge? Give yourself a spiritual pedicure, and share the Gospel this week with someone who needs Jesus. :)

We're going to dig a little deeper in the pile in the closet tomorrow, so be praying over this in preparation...

2 Corinthians 5:7

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

The Breastplate of Righteousness

So God first wants us to reach into our spiritual closet every morning for our belt of truth. And next, He wants us to grab that breastplate of righteousness. Now is anyone out there thinking, "Umm, sorry, Michelle, but I'm afraid I just don't have one of those lying around. Next?" I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

First of all, we should understand what a breastplate actually is. As you can probably guess, it is a piece of ancient armor that protected the breast. Now, I'm just as much of a fashionista as the next princess. I'm not asking you to bust out some rusty piece of metal over that trendy belt of truth. Did you know that a breastplate was also an ornament that covered the breast of the high priest? (Check it out in Exodus 25:7.) The high priest's breastplate was made of embroidered cloth, and set with rows of precious stones. That's why we're going to relate the breastplate to the modern day...

...LONG AND CHUNKY NECKLACE!

You've seen it in the stores, and you love it. If you're like me - the bigger and more obvious (borderline obnoxious) the jewelry, the better. And the cheaper the better doesn't hurt my feelings either! As I started thinking about it, I began to wonder, What would my life be like if I felt the same way about displaying Christ's righteousness as I did showing off my perfectly coordinating jewelry?

BIG Righteousness

What's the big deal about righteousness anyway? Well, to start off with, Psalm 111:3 teaches that "His righteousness endures forever." Hang on. Participation time. Can you think of anything that doesn't have to do with God's righteousness that lasts forever? Hang on. I love to argue (Ask James about our "intense fellowship", haha) ....but I've got nothing. Also, James 5:16 says, "...The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." The passage goes on to recount a story from the life of Elijah. He prayed that it would not rain, andEarth didn't see as much of a DROP for almost three and a half years. Then, the second he prayed it would rain again, it poured! (I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that means God was listening!) You can check out the whole story in I Kings 17.

OBVIOUS Righteousness

When I was in middle school, my youth minister challenged me by asking, "If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" That statement had a great impact on the way I lived my life from that day forward. I wanted to make sure that my walk matched my talk. Note, that doesn't mean that I didn't get made fun of...because I did. That doesn't mean that I didn't ever mess up ...because I did. I'm still a work in progress, and I'm far from perfect, but looking back on every choice I've made, even if it wasn't the cool thing or the popular thing, I've NEVER regretted doing the right (or the righteous) thing. Read your translation of I Peter 3:3-18, then check out this version. I can't put it into better words for you to understand than Eugene H. Peterson's The Message translation:

"If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definately: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all - was put to death and then made alive - to bring us to God."

CHEAP Righteousness

Now, listen to me carefully. By saying that righteousness is cheap, I am in NO WAY saying that righteousness isn't valuable. After all, in order for us to be made righteous, it cost Jesus His life. But it's available to us FOR FREE. No sale rack, no discount...absolutely free, if we simply accept Him as our Lord and Savior and attempt to be more like Him every day. Romans 5:19 says, "For as through the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One, the many will be made righteous." What this means is, even though sin was brought into the world with Adam and Eve and got us in all this trouble, Jesus did it right and got us out of it completely! All we have to do is say "yes" to his gift of salvation and show our "yes" in our actions! That's pretty much the best bargain ever...

Get excited for God's next wardrobe requirement...I mean, honestly. Can a girl ever have too many shoes?! These aren't just any shoes - they are shoes of peace. After all this hard work on becoming righteous, we need something comfortable, right? As you pray about seeking His righteousness in all your thoughts and actions, reflect on the following passage, and get ready to pamper your feet!

Isaiah 32:17-18

"The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."

The Belt of Truth

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've noticed the wide belt trend this season. Belts are everywhere, whether needed or not. (James is consistently baffled when I wear belts he declares are "pointless" because they don't serve the purpose of holding my pants up. No matter how wonderful, there are just some things men don't understand!)

God is ALL ABOUT big belts. In fact, it's the first accessory He tells us to put on. Ephesians 6:14 tells us to "gird our waists in truth." So we pretty much don't use the word gird anymore, but when we did, it had several meanings. First, it means to encircle or bind with a belt or band, so we know which accessory God is talking about. But pay attention to the next definition: to prepare (oneself) for action and to provide or equip, as with power or strength. So by putting on God's belt of truth, we are preparing ourselves to do God's work (action) and being empowered with God's might! You didn't know your belt was so important.

Let's look more at what the Bible tells us about truth...

God tells us to worship Him in truth. John 4:24 says, , "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." This means we can come before God just as we are. No show. No pretending. Just pure, authentic worship to our Father with the intention of showing Him adoration and praising Him for who He is. So when you are worshipping Him, don't pay attention to who's sitting beside you or who might be watching. Focus on the words you are singing to your Eternal Daddy, and make sure that the words that are coming out of your mouth match your genuine thoughts and actions.

We are not the truth. 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." That's exactly right. You mess up. I mess up. We all sin and "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We are more inclined to do the wrong thing than we are the right thing within our own strength. But through Jesus who has declared himself as "The Way, The Truth, and The Life," we can come to the Father through Him alone (John 14:6). So recap. Who is not the truth? You. Me. Who is the truth? Jesus.

The truth will set us free. John 8:31-32 says, "So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in my Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." He reminds us that His Word is truth (Psalm 119:160) , and if we follow His teachings, we will be set free. Okay, that's great. But free from what? Christ paid the price to cover your sins so that you could have everlasting life with God in Heaven. If you don't only read one sentence on this entire blog, read this: Because of what Jesus did on the cross for you and for me, if we simply confess with our mouths that He is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we are free from sin, guilt, and hell in one fatal swoop. (If you don't understand this, PLEASE visit http://www.thekristo.com and e-mail me.)

Next, we're going to talk about putting on the breastplate of righteousness. But take some time first to prepare your heart for His righteousness and reflect on the truth He has shown you today. Read the words of David. Ask yourself if you fit the description of who God desires to live in His house.

LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

In other words...Act right, even when no one is watching. Tell the truth. Don't hurt others with your words or actions, and don't blame others when you don't get your way. Hate evil, and love what is good. Be honest, no matter what. If you do these things, God will never take His hand off of you.

God's Favorite Accessories

We're all familiar with the phrase, "Accessories make the outfit." It's true. Add a pair of heels, a jacket, and big earrings to jeans, and you automatically transform yourself to from school clothes to dress casual. Put on some big sunglasses, carry a large bag with a stuffed yippy dog's head poking out, and you might get followed by the paparazzi. The famous designer Georgio Armani said, "I design for real people. I think of our customers all the time. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothing or accessories that are not practical."

God is into accessories too. In fact, His Word lays out an ensemble that we are to put on every day of our Christian life to protect us. Over the next few days, we will examine the following passage and talk about the appearal God commands us to clothe ourselves in.

Ephesians 6:10-17

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Before we go into WHAT God has called us to wear, let's examine WHY he has called us to put on His spiritual accessories. Remember, God is strong...WAY stronger than we could even imagine being ourselves. But He wants us to have access to His strength. In His power alone can we stand up against Satan's temptations and false teachings.

If you haven't already figured this out, Satan is real. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that "your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." He is very real among us, and he will try and make to stumble to bring dishonor to the name of Jesus Christ. DON'T FALL FOR IT. By putting on God's accessories, you are protecting yourself from Satan's attacks.

More bad news. (We'll get to the good news in a minute.) Satan doesn't work alone. Like most "bad guys," he has a posse, composed of dark angels. You have to be prepared to take on his army, and unfortauntely, there's a lot of them.

Hang on, here's the good news. No matter how many of them there are or how good Satan's temptation sounds, God is ALWAYS stronger and His Words are always sweeter. So seek Him and guard yourself in His protection.

Tomorrow, we're going to examine the the first of God's favorite accessories, the belt, as we seek how to gird our waists in truth.

Spiritual Spankings

You know how sometimes God uses people in your life to tell you exactly what you DON'T want to hear but probably NEED to hear? Yeah, He's put a couple of those into my life -- but a big chunk of my spiritual spankings have come straight from the mouth of my dad. For example, there was once a time when my dad insisted that I acted too much on my own impulses without waiting for God's instruction...however, I know it was God speaking to me through my dad because in order to communicate this message, he used an analogy of two of my favorite things: running and shoes (of which my precious daddy knows little to none about!). My dad (aka God) said, "Your problem is that you take off to run a marathon at a 5K pace and you don't even stop to think about the terrain you will come across or what shoes you should wear - which is why half of the time you end up sprinting in stilettos on quicksand." OUCH!

After that lovely advice, my dad also pointed me to Scripture, where another child received the godly counsel of his father. How would you like for God to descrive you as "a man after My heart, who will do all My will?" Okay, minus that whole man thing, how awesome would that be to have God speak that hightly of you? Well, Acts 13:22 gives that exact description of David from God. So let's take a minute to examine the spiritual spanking He gave to his son, Solomon.

I Chronicles 28:9-10

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act."

*Learn everything you can about God.*
Want to know the best and worst part about being in seminary? The best part is everything that I am learning matters. No more pointless math problems that calculators were designed to do anymore or licking rocks in geology to figure out the difference between limestone and granite (seriously...gross.) And the worst part? Everything that I am learning matters. No more skimming or shrugging off that halfway doing assignments is acceptable. While this can be overwhelming and even frustrating at times (especially around mid-terms and finals), God always shows up to remind me that genuine followers of Christ NEVER stop trying to learn more about their Savior. Last semester before my first round of final exams, I was so humbled by walking into the cafeteria and seeing two of the oldest professors huddled over the Bible, discussing a passage. Here they are, teaching at a seminary, and they are still striving to learn more about their Savior. Spend time in the Word, and treasure the heartbeat of God that He has so graciously given us for daily guidance.

*Serve Him with wholehearted devotion.*
Have any of your friends ever tried to date two guys at the same time? (I mean, surely, you've never done that yourself! :) How did that work out for her? Chances are, eventually, she realized that it's an impossible situation. Sooner or later, she had to pick one. It's the same way with God. We can't just give Him half of our heart. He wants ALL of us, and it takes every piece of our wholehearted devotion to do His work. He knows it is difficult for us to do on our own, so He offers to do it for us so that we may truly experience life in Christ. Deuteronomy 30:6 teaches, "Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live." Remember, like David, a heart fully devoted to God is ultimately, a heart like His.

*Serve Him with a willing spirit.*
Many selfish motives can get in the way of the willing spirit's intent of bringing pleasure and delight to God. As humans, particularly as FEMALES, we desire for other's approval. Sometimes when you serve others, you just long to hear, "Thank you!" or "Great job!" Or even, "I don't know how we could have done this without you!" But repeat this statement outloud. "IT'S NOT ABOUT ME." That's a hard statement for a selfish creature to admit, but it's true. Reflect on Colossians 3:23-24. "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

*He has given you a job to do and has put you here for a reason. DO IT!*
God gave Solomon the task of building the house for the sanctuary. Are you doing the job that Christ has called you to do? Have you asked Him what His plan is for you? Do you listen when the Holy Spirit speaks to you? You know, that voice that tells you to go and talk to that girl who sits by herself everyday in the cafeteria. Here's a hint. When you hear a voice telling you share Christ or to serve someone for the glory of God, that's the Holy Spirit talking. Satan will NEVER tempt you to share your faith or bring glory to God's kingdom.

God, I pray that you would always give us the thirst for more knowledge of you. Please help us to acknowledge You and give You our whole devotion everyday. Purify our motives for serving you, Father. Make us women after Your own heart, that we would do everything according to your will. Use us in anyway that will bring glory to you. Give us the boldness and courage to do the work you have called us to do. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

One more reason you shouldn't fall in love...

Last week, we talked about why you should BUILD on love instead of falling in love. James and I were discussing this very topic when he made a brilliant statement. He said, "You know what else? If you don't fall IN love, you can't fall OUT of love." How did I miss that?!

Here are some statistics that might surprise you. The Barna Research group did a study a few years back on divorce, and here is what they found: 11% of the adult population is currently divorced. 25% of adults have had at least one divorce during their lifetime. Between 41-43% of married couples today will eventually get divorced. Surprised yet? If you're not, here is one that I bet will get you...

*Divorce rates among conservative Christians were significently higher ,than for other faith groups, including atheists (people who don't believe God exists)
and agnostics (people who don't think we will ever know in this life if there is a God or not).*

Talk about a wake-up call! People who don't even believe that God exists are less likely to get divorced than God's children. That's why we have to be especially careful in our romantic relationships. Satan attacks wherever He can, and right now, it appears he is calling for war on the Christian family.

But remember how we talked about building your relationship on God (who is love) instead? Well, in the same way if you can fall OUT of love after you fall IN love, what happens if you build IN love?

Think about the following statements... The house is built out of bricks. The table is built out of marble. The shelves are built out of wood. The relationship is built out of love. Yeah, I saw your lightbulb go off. Mine did too.

Any way you slice it, you get the same result. Whether you build in love, build on love, or build out of love, you get a solid foundation on Christ that lasts and will protect your future marriage from Satan's grasp.

One of my favorite professors advised me, "If you are looking for a mate, stop. Run after God as fast as you can. As you're running, continually look to your left and your right to see who's running beside you. When you find someone who is consistently running your pace, grab their hand, and chase after God together. Nothing can break that stride."

Take a minute and say a prayer for your future husband. You can even write him a letter (which He will LOVE to read someday) about how you are building your relationship on God's love so that the two of you can chase after Christ together.

On your mark....get set....GO! :)

Ephesians 2:19-22

"So then you are no longer strangers and alients, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."

A NEW Theme Song...Miss Dependent

Let's get real here. Sometimes, it's really fun to drive down the road singing good ole "Girl Power" tunes. You know what I'm talking about...basically anything by Destiny's Child or Ashlee Simpson. (FYI - for some awesome Christian girl tunes, check out http://www.barlowgirl.com and listen to "The Anthem.") Not to mention, a personal favorite - "Miss Independent" by the one of two REAL American Idols, Kelly Clarkson (and the other being Carrie Underwood, of course).

No matter how much fun it may be, sometimes, it's a dangerous concept to even joke about being able to do everything on our own power. I know I can't do anything without God. But WITH God, my options are limitless if I stop trying to do it on my power and rely on His power. It's taken me every bit of 22 years to realize that, and I still struggle with it. I usually have to try it my way, fail, and THEN turn to God, which is obviously where I should have started to save time, stress, etc.

This is exactly opposite of what the world deems as success. Imagine if your new boss said, "In order to work effectively here, I need you to completely depend on me for everything and not do anything on your own." Not likely. But imagine what would happen if Jesus had gone with the definitions of worldly sucess for hiring his disciples. Perhaps it would have even looked a little something like this...

Memo
To: Jesus, Son of Joseph
The Woodcrafter’s Carpenter Shop
Nazareth 25922
From: Jordan Management Company
Re: Candidates for Management

Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests, and we have not only run the results through our computers, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocation aptitude consultant.

It is the opinion of the staff that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocation aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capacity.

We have summarized the findings of your study below:

Simon Peter is emotional, unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no quality of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interests above Company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We believe it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been black-listed by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus definitely have radical leanings. Additionally, they both registered high scores on the manic depressive scale.

However, one of the candidates shows great potential. He’s a man of ability and resourcefulness; he is a great networker; has a keen business mind; and has strong contacts in influential circles. He’s highly motivated, very ambitious and adept with financial matters. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your Controller and Chief Operating Officer. All the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you the utmost success in your new venture.

From the world's perspective, Judas, the one who betrayed our Savior, showed the most potential. The rest of the disciples that were thought of as "uneducated nobodies" were the ones that continued God's work. God wants to use people that will bring Him glory and not be focused on personal gain. When God chooses to use people that you doesn't expect, the only possible explanation for their good works is that He is living in them.

So don't get caught up in trying to be successful in this world. It can lead to too many dangers. But that is NOT AN EXCUSE TO BE LAZY. Let God be successful through you. Pray about being open and willing to God's plan for your life. Ask Him to challenge you and use you in a way that will bring Him glory. Then, get ready. You're in for an exciting ride.

Matthew 19:26

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible,

but with God all things are possible.”

S.H.A.M.P.O.O.

Last night, James and I went to his boss' house for a night to just reflect on God - an informal time of worship and sharing. As I sat there singing songs about surrender to the cross and His majesty, I couldn't help but feel guilty. I am always SO busy studying in seminary, SO busy working in the admissions office to help students know where they can come to learn more about Him, SO busy studying my Sunday school lesson for my 8th grade girls, or SO busy working on some other ministry project. Plus, who can forget Christian fellowship (aka - a Jesus word for hanging out with my godly boyfriend and friends)?

Michelle, those seem like good things. Why would you feel guilty? Because I couldn't tell you the last time that I honestly just came before Him, recognized His presence, and stood in awe of who He is.

It reminded me of a great acronym for simplifying your life that I read years ago in Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt by Karen Scalf Linamen (a must-read for any Christian female who loves to laugh and tends to get stressed out).

When you think of management, what words come to mind? I'm sure guys think of climbing the corporate ladder and success, but not me. I think about every shampoo commercial's promise: manageable hair. I mean, get real. Does that even exist? So in an attempt to make shampoo's promise real since no bottle will ever accomplish it, let's look at 7 ways you can simplify your life with S.H.A.M.P.O.O.

1) Seize the day.

Focus on today. Learn from what happened yesterday, ask for forgiveness if neccessary, forgive yourself (a step we women sometimes forget), and MOVE ON. Yesterday happened, and you can't change it. In the same way, you can't stress about the future. Matthew 6:34 says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

2) Have a garage sale.

Declutter your environment to give you time to enjoy things in life. You know that pile of clothes that you've tripped over in your room a hundred times and never picked up because they are SOO last season and you wouldn't be caught dead wearing them anyway? Take them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. You'll be serving others AND you won't risk taking another nose dive into your dresser.

3) Abandon unrealistic expectations.

NEWS FLASH! I hate to break it to you, but you're not perfect. You're going to mess up. Oh, and in other news, you are the only one who expects you to be perfect. The secret's out, and everyone knows you're not perfect. So quit trying to be someone you're not, admit when you're wrong, learn from your mistakes, and press on. (Oh, and by the way...as I am typing this, God is completely spiritually dead-legging me because He knows I need this lesson more than anyone else reading this.)

4) Minister to others.

If you reach out to someone, not only will you impact their life, but it will also help you get perspective on your own life. If you go and serve a meal at a soup kitchen, sometimes it helps you realize that maybe it's not such a big deal that your mom is SO unfair by taking your cell phone away... even though you sent 50 more text messages than your plan allowed. If you take the focus off of you and onto someone else, your life will make more sense.

5) Prioritize on paper.

At the beginning of the day, make a list of the things IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE that you need to do that day. Do #1 on the list first. When #1 is complete, go to #2 and so on. You will be amazed at how much time you waste by deciding what you should do next.

6) Obtain help when you need it.

Admitting that you need help does not make you weak. It makes you human. If you get into a situation and you're not sure how you can get out, ASK FOR HELP. Let me be more clear. For example, no matter what you do...you cannot be two places at once. If you tell one friend you're going to come and watch her soccer game, you cannot also watch your little brother while your parents go to a party for your dad's work. But maybe you could ask your parents for permission to take your little brother to the game instead of disappointing your friend or bailing on your parents.

7) Observe moral principles.

Do the right thing. Sounds easy enough...but yet, it's not. And even if we do try to do the right thing, does that mean that life will always be easy and great? Of course not. BUT if you do try to always do what you know you should do, at least you can have peace that you did your best. Making bonehead decisions only gives you added stress to the stressful situations that you can't avoid.

So here are the 7 Principles again along with a question you can ask yourself when you get stressed out to help you keep your life as simple as possible...

SEIZE THE DAY. Will this matter 10 years from now?

HAVE A GARAGE SALE. Where will I store this?

ABANDON UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. Why am I doing this?

MINISTER TO OTHERS. Am I being selfish in doing this?

PRIORITIZE ON PAPER. What can I remove from my schedule to do this?

OBTAIN HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT. Is there an easier way of doing this?

OBSERVE MORAL PRINCIPLES. Is this the best choice for me?

So there you have it. As for manageable hair, I'm not sure shampoo will ever deliver. But who knew S.H.A.M.P.O.O. could produce a manageable life? Someone should call Mr. Paul Mitchell and tell him to change his slogan...

Sometime today, after you've made the commitment to attempt to simplify your life, make time to get alone with God. Thank Him for who He is and what He's done in your life. Listen to what He has to say to you, and do what He says.

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Since when does a fairytale have to have a rock?

You can find the world's biggest rock in Australia. Mount Augustus stands 2,815 feet above the surounding plain, 3,625 feet above sea level and covers 29,794,749 miles. Umm...that's a pretty big rock. Think you could move it? Shake it? Break it? Doubtful. (And if you can, I'm really thankful that there are computer screens between us!)

So imagine the God of the universe as a Rock. From what I can gather, His idea of a rock is something like, ya know, MARS. So compared to Him, I'm thinking Mount Augustus is not even a pebble. I wouldn't dream of trying to move that Rock.

So... let's recap what we have so far. It's dumb to have a weak foundation like Mr. Dude and his sand because his house fell the first time the wind blew. Instead, we should build our house on a rock with Mr. Right, so no matter what happens, the house will remain standing.

Relationships should be the same way. Instead of basing our relationship on a foundation of superficial things that can easily crumble, our relationship should be based on God, the only thing in this life that is unchanging and unmovable.

Okay, Michelle. I'm totally confused. I mean, where does the love part come in? If I trade falling in love for building on God, isn't something still missing?

Depends on how you define love. 1 John 4:8 says, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." So we don't fall in love. We BUILD on love. A lasting romantic relationship is not between two people, but three: God the Rock, Mr. Right, and you.

So you can start your relationship with your future husband RIGHT NOW by falling in love with God and and building your relationship on a rock. And you will live happily ever after.

Psalm 16:8

"I have set the LORD always before me;

Because He is at my right hand,

I shall not be moved."

Falling vs. Building

I remember the first time I ever heard this parable that Jesus taught of the wise man who built his house upon a rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand. In all of my six-year-old wisdom, I came home from church and told my mom that we studied The Three Little Pigs in Sunday School...but the preacher must have gone too long in big church because my teacher had to leave out one of the pigs..

Since we talked about falling yesterday, let's look about what was wrong with the foolish man's house. I can just picture this dingy surfer dude getting the bright idea that He could construct his crib on the sand - loose fine pieces of rock that are unstable, change with the tide, and can be blown away with a light breeze. Bright idea, dude.

But do we do the same thing if we fall in love? Is that relationship built on things that are unstable, like how AMAZING their blue eyes (or tinted contacts) are? Or things that can change, like emotion? (You know you've heard the excuse, "The magic's just not there anymore.") If a relationship is not build on a firm foundation, commitment can be shifted as easily as sand.

Enter Prince Charming. He's got it all together - he's prepared and has a plan AND a purpose. It is not an uption for his house (aka, the relationship in our case) to fall. He's a builder.

Yesterday, we looked at 10 things we associate with falling. Let's take a minute and think about building.

1) To join parts to create something better (i.e. turning buttons and material into a new jacket!)
2) To establish or strengthen (like building a business)
3) To base or found (such as building a relationship on trust)
4) To increase in intensity (You know how Kelly Clarkson songs always builds on the 3rd verse)
5) To praise or compliment (Like when your best friend builds you up to give you the courage to go talk to that really cute guy in your English class.)

So the wise man is buiding something that is stronger and better than before. In a storm with heavy floods and harsh winds, his house remains secure.

Sounds like Prince Charming has the potential to be Mr. Right, while our gnarly surfer dude has missed his chance of even being Mr. Right NOW.

But what exactly is a rock that a relationship should be built on? Stay tuned...

Isaiah 26:4

"Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord,

we have an everlasting Rock."

"But...I just want to FALL in love! Right?"

Even in the days when most boys were gross, I still wanted to fall in love. Between Prince Eric of The Little Mermaid to Randy on Home Improvement and Zach on Saved by the Bell, I knew my Prince Charming had to be out there somewhere. I remember dreaming of the day when I would meet him and how we would fall in love. You know, he would come in riding on a white horse, save the day (and me, of course), and we would live happily ever after. Yep. Falling in love is the way to go. Or is it?

But just for a minute, let's think about the things we associate with falling...
1) Descending to a lower place (what happens when you trip over that pile of clothes in your bedroom...)
2) Pain (...and what you experience if your knee lands on something sharp in the middle of the pile)
3) Losing control/balance (Hey, nobody said walking in heels was easy!)
4) Lack of support (Have you seen how SKINNY stilettos are?!)
5) To be overthrown (like a city under attack)
6) Losing animation in expression (You know...when your smile disappears if you get bad news)
7) Embarassment (Especially if you've ever fallen UP the stairs - it takes talent.)
8) Disagreeing to the point of ending a relationship (Ever had a "falling out" with your so-called BFF?)
9) To come to nothing (like when your plans fall through)
10) Something that is deficient or lacking (Falling short of what is expected of you)

Do you still want to FALL in love? I know I don't. None of those things sound like much fun to me.

But Michelle, don't you want to get married and experience the romance that God intended for us? Of course I do! I rush out to buy the latest Nicholas Sparks book the day it comes out and watch chick flicks like anyone. But God hasn't taught us anywhere to FALL in love.

Read the following passage and ask God to speak to you. Tomorow, we'll discuss what God teaches us about love.

Matthew 7:24-27

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”