Firmly Grounded Changes

The normal type of discussion found here at Firmly Grounded will be changing for an indefinite period as my faith is being challenged in new ways. My son, Justin, has just entered Navy Basic and I will be focusing my journaling in that direction for now.

So, to begin, this is Day 2 since he left. Yesterday was very difficult for me. I am currently in shock. To think that 2 days ago, my son was my dependant and now I can't even send him a letter. I won't hear from him at all for the next 2-3 weeks. I have no idea how he is doing and I miss him so much.

My faith will have to be firmly grounded in the Word of Truth to get us through this. So many changes are taking place at home. We are now a military family. That changes a lot more than I realized...and it's a much bigger sacrifice than I ever understood before now.

I have to adjust to him not being there when I say goodnight...and his empty room. I have to adjust to having only one child at home to look after and I have to learn how to help her cope with being an only child. She misses her brother too.

I must stand firm on the promises of God.

So, now, I need to be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Justin,

We are in this together. We fight the greatest battle within. We are both warriors.

Love,
Mom

Apology

This is just a quick note to apologize to my "many" readers for not posting anything recently. I am just swamped these days with many life changes while trying to graduate from college and work full-time. I hope to have something new soon.

We Are Living in the Meantime

I have been reading "The Jesus I Never Knew" by Philip Yancey. This was a required reading from my New Testament class. We were only required to read a portion of the book but it's so good that I have continued to read it. I highly recommend it!

Recently, in reading about the Ascension, my eyes were opened to yet another paradox of the Bible. According to Yancey, we are living in the meantime. This is the centuries long time that we currently live in…the time when God appears to be absent. (How's that for a play on words?) To the contrary, God is not absent at all. He is ever present in the unlikely disguise of the sick, the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and the prisoners. He is the single mom, the elderly in the nursing homes, the grieving daughter, the man dying with cancer, and so many more.

The one thing I found powerfully intriguing is when Yancey writes, "Since we cannot express our love by doing anything to profit God directly, God wants us to do something profitable for the poor, who have been delegated the task of receiving Christian love." ….Amazing Grace.

I found it curious that he used the word "task" when referring to the receiving of Christian love. A task is defined as a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person; duty. It is also defined as a matter of considerable labor or difficulty. So, according to Yancey, receiving Christian love is a duty of which involves considerable labor or difficulty.

Here's the paradox. In the world we live it makes sense that giving would be the task and receiving would be the blessing, right? But, in the Christian realm, the blessing is the giving and the receiving is the difficult part.

Blessed are the meek, and the poor. I see this in a different light.

It is more blessed to give than to receive. I understand!

To give sacrificially to the poor and needy is to encounter God's presence during the "meantime" while we wait for Christ's triumphant return. To receive is a blessing because the one who is receiving has been delegated that difficult task in order that God's presence might be known. It is an opportunity to allow others to receive the blessing of service to Christ. This sure sheds a new light to the question, "How can a loving God allow suffering?" It is our suffering that draws us to depend on Him. It is through reaching out through the hurting of others that Christians can have a personal encounter with God. Is this the good spoken of in Romans 8:28?

"God has designated the poor to be His receivers." – Philip Yancey

Today's Shot of flavor:

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me" - Jesus

Peace Be Still

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I am seeking answers for many decisions that I need to make in this life. I am unsure of so many things right now. The only thing I'm really sure of is that God has placed me on this planet to worship Him and to be a witness to His glory so that the lost might come to know Him. It's my responsibility to go into the entire world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the "meantime" I am supposed to trust Him with the plans for my life. All of these things that I am unsure of, He knows the answers for. He has a plan and a purpose that will unfold in His time. So, while I wait…it's imperative that I be still and let go of my concerns…lifting them up to the only One who really knows what to do with them. His burden is light and mine is so heavy. He wants to carry that load for me. So, why is it so hard to let go and trust? Why do I focus on the waves in the storm instead of the peace resting in the bottom of the boat? He alone can speak peace into the chaos of life. In order to have peace, I must rely on the Peace Speaker. I have to stop watching the storm. I have to trust that He already knows the outcome of my circumstances and He is in control of it all.

Today's shot of flavor

Known to God from eternity are all His works. –Acts 15:18

Here's an extra kick...in my next post, I will elaborate more on the "meantime"

Unforgiveness

This blog is one in which I risk being transparent. Recent events in my life have caused me to see a place in my heart that can become very dark very quickly. This is the place where I find jealousy, envy and selfishness that quickly turns bitter. It's the place that makes me see the reality of my humanness and my need for a merciful, loving Savior. I feel justified in my sin...even entitled to hold a grudge. I spend my days thinking of reasons why I have a right to feel this way...how I have been treated so thoughtlessly, carelessly, judgementally, or without any consideration at all. (I am not speaking of one particular incident here). I have been shafted, mistreated, treated unfairly, or rudely and I AM ENTITLED TO WALLOW AND HOLD A BITTER GRUDGE!!!! So there you have it....transparency. I am human. I am a sinner....and I am forgiven. So, why do I struggle to forgive?

During my devotion time, I read a book called Power Prayers to Start Your Day by Donna K. Maltese. In it she writes, "It has been said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the offender to die". I never looked at it like that before and it helped me see my attitude in a much different light.

Unforgiveness does nothing to the offender and accomplishes nothing positive at all...ever. It only eats away at the human soul like a cancer. Normally I am quick to forgive those who offend me, but this one particular time I was really caught off guard and knocked for a loop! I was swallowed up by envy and jealousy so quickly that I didn't even see it coming and I'm still working hard to overcome. God is so patient and so good. I am so blessed that He still loves me and gently chastises me back into His grace.

Maltese goes on futher to say, "When you release the wrongdoer from your wrath, you cut a malignant tumor out of your own life. You set a prisoner free...and discover that the prisoner you freed was yourself."

There have been many times I have granted forgiveness to those who have offended me ...without batting an eye. I can let things go and give them to God. Why is this time so much harder? Is it because of the value of the treasure I stood to lose? Maybe that's what makes a difference. One thing I know I've learned is that any treasure I have been given is a gift from God. I need not worship the treasure over the Giver and that is what I have been doing. I am the one in need of forgiveness and grace. I have chosen to turn from God in my wasted efforts to hold tight to the gift He gave me and call it MINE MINE MINE! May He have mercy on me.

For today's shot of flavor...I'm making this one a double:

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins- Mark 11:25 NIV

People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. - Proverbs 28:13 NLT

Amputation

Flavor Shot for Today:

Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of His body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much would we? Romans 12:4-5 The Message

It is not uncommon to hear a message of encouragment geared towards those who don't feel like they have a significant part in the body. Some people think that because they don't have one of the "noticable" gifts or because they are not great theologians, they have no place in the body. Their function is not necessary and the church will survive just fine without them. The Word of God tells us that the body needs every part to function right. This is often a message preached to encourage those who feel insignificant to take their place no matter how "big" or "small" it may appear to be. It is necessary for God's purpose.

When one part of the body is hurting, the rest of the body suffers. Our bodies react to injuries. It is part of the body's natural function for blood to rush to an injury. Blood cells and mucus to work together to fight off a cold. Nobody has to tell the body to do this. It just does. It's natural. Shouldn't it be that way in the body of Christ? Natural instinct to rush to the part that is sick or hurting...instead of cutting it off?

Sometimes a part of the human body becomes amputated. For the rest of the life of that body, the rest of its parts will have to adjust. The body cannot heal the part that has been removed because it is severed and cannot function anymore.

We learn in church that we are all needed in order for the body to funciton properly. What if that member of the body is sick and the body says, "You are too much work, I don't need you...go away"?

Are we, the body of Christ, inflicting further injury to already wounded body parts so that they don't function properly anymore? Are we chopping off our own fingers and toes?

A Job Well Done

I read something interesting in my daily devotion today.

"We are not saved by good works but for good works."

It is common for Christians to point out to others that it is by grace we are saved through faith alone...not by anything we have done. If we are to boast, it should be in the One who deems us worthy...not in ourselves. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Nothing. Mankind is and will always be unworthy of the grace of God bestowed on us by the sacrifice of His One and Only Begotten.

So, since we don't have to do anything to receive the gift of salvation, then does that mean we can get saved and go back to a selfish lifestyle? Does it mean we can sin because we know that we are forgiven? I don't think so. There is evidence that a person has been saved and that's not it! The evidence I speak of is what the Bible refers to as fruit. The fruit is produced through how we work out our faith. Our good works bring forth the fruit of the Spirit for all the world to see.

Good works produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. The motivation to do good works comes from God through the Holy Spirit. Our works are the visual display of an unseen faith. We are saved for good works, not by them. The work we do as Christians is a testimony to the world of Whose we are.

Today's shot of flavor:

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. - Eph. 2:10