Tag: reading God’s Word

On Waiting: Uncertainty and Anxiety

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

I’m waiting with my husband for the time he will be rolled into surgery. It has been a long and stressful morning of preparation for this procedure. Here he is, all scrubbed, poked and prepped for a big “event” (knee replacement, as it happens), but the actual surgery is more than an hour away. This flurry of action followed by a “wait” is unsettling. I feel off-balance. The whole situation makes me think of how our lives are made up of these experiences of hurry and rush followed by the uncertainty and anxiety of a “wait.”

Knowing that we were facing weeks of limited mobility following this surgery made the daily “to-do” list fairly long. But being busy kept the anxiety and uncertainty of the impending operation at bay. But now, sitting in this blank-walled, “other-world,” I have ample time for all sorts of “what ifs” to play out in my head. So—taking a deep breath, I am taking my thoughts in hand and bring them into captivity to Christ.

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raise up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5b

What does Scripture say about waiting? About anxiety? About the outcome in store for me? Waiting for God is a command. He is the Holy Creator. I am a sinful creature. The vast difference between God and me is enough that I must lay my hand on my mouth in reverent silence and submission to Him and His plans.

The future is invisible to our finite eyes, but God sees. Trust Him.

God, the Eternal and Unchangeable One, is never late and never early. His plans are ripening exactly as He purposes and every second of my life, indeed all of human activity is completely under His control. He knows every aspect, every thought and action of every person. Nothing escapes His all-knowing gaze.

I am anxious about the outcome of this surgery. What if Beloved Spouse is crippled, ends up in a coma, or worse yet, were to die? The same truth regarding the power, wisdom and good purposes of God bring comfort. God knows all that will come. He loves me and assures me that everything that come to me is for my good.

What amazing comfort that God will work EVERYTHING to our best. He is so good!

He has told me that all that makes me anxious, causes me fear or prompts concern, should be cast on Him.

At our darkest times, God cares. Tell Him and He will shoulder your troubles.

He is the All-Powerful One. He is able to deal with anything that will come to me. He has promised His Holy Spirit will guide and direct me. The Word of promise to me is that He will provide all I need. So, as I wait, my thoughts are quieted before my wonderful loving Heavenly Father. He has made me His child by His Son, Jesus.

God loves me! Remember the Sunday school song, “Jesus Loves Me.”? It is true. “The Bible tells me so.”

His love and concern for me are vast and eternal.  The eternal God is a dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms.     Deuteronomy 33: 27a

I am able to relax. I am able to wait. The tides of uncertainty may swirl but I can rest and wait in perfect quietness and confidence. God has it all in hand.

QUESTION: What are you waiting for? Does God’s power, sovereignty and love for you help you obediently wait?

P.S. I wrote this post last week and then after I finished writing it, I found this quote today in the daily devotional book Beloved Spouse and I read together each morning. There is a passage of Scripture to read, a very helpful article explaining it and then as a sidebar called Coram Deo (Living before the face of God). This is the quote from May 10.

God offered David many specific encouragements when he was on the run from Saul. The Lord continues to encourage His people today through His Word, which assures us of God’s presence and power. When you need fresh assurance that the Lord is with you, turn to His Word, for its promises of God’s presence, power, and provision are sure.

The magazine is called Tabletalk. It is a monthly publication of Ligonier Ministries. Find it by going to: tabletalkmagazine.com. The subscription cost is quite modest and well worth the getting. They are willing to send you a sample copy if you request it.

AND… God is healing Beloved Spouse very quickly. Praise God!

A piece of calligraphy I did trying to use the lessons in the uncial alphabet and the lesson on how to create Celtic knots.

 

 

Sunshine on My Shoulder

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

February here in my area was very cold and very snowy compared to nearly all previous recorded February weather. As a consequence, today, the first official day of spring, there are large expanses of snow on lawns and fields. Driveways and curbs suffer heaps of grubby, gravelly ice. All these sordid remains of the miseries of winter are fast fading under the onslaught of sunshine—relentless, lovely, blue-sky sunshine. The patter-drip of melted snow in the gutter downspout is background to the cheerful songs of juncos and robins in the throes of spring romance.

Sunshine is so delicious to the soul after so many weeks and months of grayness. I sit facing my big window soaking in the “shine.” I smile at the pleasure of the light and warmth of the sun and as I sit, rather like a turtle on a rock, my mind ranges over the similarity of the sun to Jesus. You may be puzzled at that comparison. Let me elaborate.

In the book of John we read that Jesus declared “I am the Light of the World.” Obviously He isn’t the sun we see in the sky, but rather His Light is truth and reality for all mankind.

Ponder this: the sun is an incredibly powerful element of creation. It pulses with unfathomable energy. Though it is 93 million miles from earth it wields influence in every corner of the globe, every hour of the day. It even displays its glory by sharing its light with the moon. That entrancing silvery light, cold and in the night, is the sun second hand!

As the sun warms the earth it stirs plants to grow, giving each green leaf and blade the energy it needs to grow and flourish. That energy and life makes possible the very air we breathe and provides what we need to nourish our bodies. The fundamentals of our very existence are right there in the light of the sun.

So it is with Jesus. As His Light is shed in our hearts we are made into new creations. We flourish and grow. He and His Word are the very spiritual air we breathe and bread we eat.

 

“Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this, in whose had is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Job 12: 9-10

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the Bread of Life, he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.’

                                                                                                                                                                                               “John 6:35

He lights our life with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides our footsteps and lights our way.

 

reading God’s Word is the way to soak in His True Light

Jesus is the most powerful light – eclipsing the sun. What joy to bask in His love and wisdom. What comfort to have Him as the One who shows me the way to live.

It is my hope and prayer that I would reflect His light just as the moon reflects the sun. The moon, even with its pale reflection of the sun, inspires wonder at its mysterious beauty. I hope that as I live for Jesus that His Light would shine through me so others see His beauty, mystery, and power.

QUESTION: Do you have the True Light of Jesus in your heart and Life? Are you reflecting His light to a dark world?

Satisfied- Not Stuffed – Not Starved

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

What can compare to the wonderful sensation of being satisfied at the end of a delicious meal? One is not still vaguely hungry, nor stuffed to painful misery. Satiety is that “goldilocks place” of being filled “just right.” It is tricky trying to balance our eating so that we hit that spot regularly.

Have you ever eaten at one of those “all-you-can-eat” buffets? I have and there is just something about all that alluring food that I am drawn to eat. And eat. And eat. When I finally come to my senses and push back from the table I am miserably stuffed. A grim pall comes over me as I remember how long this bloated, belly-bursting feeling will take to pass. Why did I do it? What was I thinking?

Or maybe you have had days that were so busy from the moment your feet hit the floor until late afternoon that you didn’t eat. You were so engrossed or entangled that you waited too long to eat. Now you are light-headed, ache-y stomached, raving hungry and grouchy. You are, in my daughter’s made up word, “hangry.” That dreadful place of low-blood sugar induced anger at little or nothing.

Comparison can be made to our spiritual lives. The Holy Scriptures are our necessary spiritual food.

We will starve without a regular diet of reading, hearing and meditating on them. It is difficult to get a good balance on the amount of Scripture we regularly read. We are not like boa constrictors. They devour their prey in one large bite and then go for weeks or months without eating again. Physically and spiritually we need to eat much smaller meals much more often. A binge-eating episode at the buffet is really hard on our physical body. And, although it can seem pretty “holy” to read a long passage or even a whole book of the Bible at one sitting, it is like eating at the buffet. There are times when it is helpful to read a long passage. If you are beginning a study of a particular aspect or book of Scripture, reading for an overview is helpful. But for daily spiritual nourishment, we need to be more moderate.

The opposite approach is also a problem. Taking one small verse (or even a phrase) and considering that adequate spiritual nourishment is rather like eating a single soda cracker and thinking you have the nutrition you need for the day or even the week.  Many Christians think that the single verse at the top of the page of a little devotional book plus the short homily that accompanies it is enough to grow on spiritually. I would challenge that notion. It is entirely too easy to take little bits of Scripture out of context and be badly mislead about what God is communicating. Think of that little story about someone who uses the “point and read” method of daily devotion. She opens the Bible and points to the verse she is going to feed herself on today. It reads: “And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed, and he (Judas) went away and hanged himself.” Matthew 27:5 Well, that isn’t terribly uplifting, so she tries again. “…then Jesus said to him, ‘go and do likewise.’ “ Luke 10:37b It is so easy to misunderstand God if we only listen to a single sentence or two of His Word to us.

Are you being satisfied by what is on your spiritual plate? Will it help nourish your inner man?

May I suggest a way to eat a more satisfying spiritual “meal”?  Get your Bible out. Now open your little devotional booklet. Find today’s verse in the selection in the Bible itself. Go digging for the context by reading the verses that come before and after the one in your devotional. It should be obvious where the paragraph or thought starts and ends.

Using the two verses I just noted, here is what I mean. Open your Bible to Matthew 27. Find verse 5 and then “back up” until you come to where the thought begins. Verse 1 starts to tell this part of the story. Begin reading there and it will be obvious that you should read until verse 10. When you have read that amount, there is much to consider that will feed you spiritually. Now try the verse in Luke 10. If you “back up” to verse 30 and read through verse 37, you will have a really nutritious spiritual “meal.” This amount of reading can be very satisfying without leaving you starved or stuffed.

QUESTION: What are your spiritual eating habits?

Are you feeding on God’s Word in a way that nourishes your soul or are you starving and spiritually anorexic?

Will you commit to reading more substantial portions of Scripture? I pray that you will be well-fed and spiritually robust because of your diet of God’s Word.

Black Hole of January

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Today I have been soaking in the exquisite blue-sky, biting cold, snow-laden day from the comfort of a warm house. The joy of a cup of coffee in a patch of sun and silence makes my heart pour over with joy. It seems strange to love this harsh beauty all around me. Ordinarily January is a hard month for me. There is the let down after the whirl and excitement of holidays. The glum gray weather and short daylight conspire to drag my heart down. It is so easy to just push my nose into a book, or let my eyes glaze over staring at a home improvement re-run, or mindlessly tap keys to play a computer game. I shrug off the nudges of conscience that urge me to get that project done, or get busy in my studio again now that there is time to work. I slouch my way through the days with a niggling undercurrent of embarrassment at my sloth and indolence.

Thankfully, God doesn’t let His kids wallow and wander too long or too far. A few days ago, in the gray gloom of despair, I prayed and asked for relief. His Spirit gently nudged me to bring my trouble to Him.

“Casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.”

So, almost reluctantly (to my shame—there is a perverse delight in being miserable sometimes, isn’t there?) I took out my Bible and got on my knees. I asked for help to break out of the miserable hole in which I found myself.

“Here I am, God. I feel like a slug. I have gained too many pounds eating mindlessly during the holidays. I have been lazing around building bad habits that are dragging me down and ruining my witness for You. I have procrastinated on several major projects and now I am in a state of immobile misery. Help me! Stir me up to want to do what I should. Create in me a desire for the things that honor and delight You. I can’t do this on my own. I even know that in my old self I don’t want to ‘straighten up.’ Please help me.”

My prayer was not terribly eloquent. Not fancy. But from my miserable heart to His kind and listening ear, Jesus stood at the Throne of the Father and interceded for me. And, Faithful Father! He sent out His Holy Spirit to come along side and work in me.

God isn’t like the fairy godmother in Cinderella, just waving a magic wand and making everything wonderful and “sparkly.” Rather,  He stirred up my soul in almost indiscernible steps at first. A song  heard here, the word of a friend there. The verse I read that morning. An unexpected invitation rendered. A reminding thought of an opportunity nearly passed by because of my recent indifference. And, in answer to my pitiful prayer, He began stirring in my heart, creating the desire and the will to do what needed to be done

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6

Today, especially, I have reason to sing. The Holy Spirit, truly a Comforter, the gift of Jesus to His own, has worked in my heart and mind. I am refreshed, changed and recharged. I know it is His work because in my own strength I most certainly would not have pulled out of my emotional, spiritual and artistic black hole.  So, here, today, God has jolted me with this glorious day that begs my soul to sing. As the Psalmist says,  He is Good and does good. Psalm 119:68  I will praise Him for all His wonderful works which He has made known to me.

Question:

Are you bumbling around in despair? Are you struggling with winter gloom? Will you call on God to help you?

Perplexing Political Problems

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

There are two people running for the highest office in our land. I am utterly horrified at the criminal activities and immoral stances of the one, and the boastful, careless and immoral behaviors of the other. How can I as a Christian, in good conscience vote for either one? I am perplexed. There is no parallel in Scripture for the situation that faces our nation. But I believe we can know what to do in November and today, and tomorrow and the next day.  Here is how I think that is possible.

First: pray for wisdom (James 1:5).  This requires spending time reading His Word.  You need to read in other places than Daniel and Revelation in an effort to “know the times and the seasons” Act 1:7 to the exclusion of seeking to “know Jesus” 2 Peter 1:3. You need to read other places than just a verse or two that accompanies a daily devotional booklet. (That is like eating one saltine cracker in the morning and thinking it will suffice for all your nutritional needs for the day.)  You need a well-rounded understanding of who God is and what His thoughts are. That requires time and diligent effort. Read Isaiah 55:6-13 for a powerful encouragement. This passage will give you some helpful perspective.

Wisdom doesn’t come in one “ahha!” moment that is a specific answer once-and-for-all solution. Gaining wisdom is a lifelong process. But God has promised to lead those who keep seeking Him. No time spent reading His Word is wasted. EVER!

Seek the LORD while He may be found...

Second: realize we live in a time that, to us, looks utterly out of control. But God is still sovereign and is working out His plan. He says in His Word that He will deal with boasters, liars, and wicked people of every kind. Read the first 5 Psalms. This is a short but very comforting read!

Third: don’t throw up your hands and just fatalistically say, “I can’t do anything about the political mess and God is going to rapture me out of here and I won’t have to deal with it anyway…” That is not what Scripture says about the end times… but that is another conversation altogether.

Fourth: remember we are not given directions now for our actions in November. We must keep thinking, keep praying, and keep reading. We must keep expecting God to lead us because He has promised over and over to show us the way to walk. When the time comes, the Spirit will superintend our decision. In the meantime, we need to walk quietly with our God. We need to walk in the Light He has given. We need to keep reading and seeking to know Him because He is our wisdom. He is our Peace. He is our Shepherd. His being our Good Shepherd is His promise to lead us in the perfect path at the perfect time. He knows! We don’t. Trust Him.

Keep asking for wisdom. Keep seeking to know Jesus and then trust God to guide your thinking. He is faithful and will give the wisdom, reveal Himself to you and lead you in the way you should go.

Salting Their Oats

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Have you ever wondered what the saying, “salting the oats” means? If you have been around horses, you know they are obstinate. Given their size, people aren’t able to physically force horses to do their bidding, but must rely on training and techniques that gain the desired results. Sometimes a horse needs to drink water to be ready for work that Rancher Man knows is coming. But, being a “dumb animal” it has no desire to drink just then. Rancher Man has a wise method of encouraging his equine partner to drink the water he needs. He salts the oats the horse is eager to eat. Aha! Salt creates thirst and now, with a full belly and well hydrated the horse and Rancher Man are ready for the day’s work. 4540643316_ee9759e11c_o
We want our children to know and love Jesus, but are not sure how to stir up that desire in them. May I suggest one method to help you lead your little ones to the Living Water and experience the joy of their drinking deeply?

I’ve recently returned from visits with my eight grandchildren and their parents. My son’s family has begun a valuable practice of daily hearing Daddy read a chapter of the Bible after dinner, before anyone is dismissed from the table. This simple method of intentional “oat salting” could easily be adapted by most families. Let me give you a picture of what this looked like.
While we visited, on two successive evenings Daddy read from I Samuel (Chapters 5 and 6) about the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines.

To recap the story for you: When the Ark is put in the temple of the false god, Dagon, God causes the Philistines’ beloved god to fall on its face and after a second fall which resulted in the statue’s dismemberment, the residents of Ashdod are distraught. Their panic escalates when there is an outbreak of tumors all through the land. To try to end their troubles they rid themselves of the Ark by placing it on a cart drawn by two cows which have never been yoked for pulling before. Their calves are locked up away from them and the Philistines watch to see where the cart will go. Its supernaturally direct route to the land of God’s people sends the clear message that they have tangled with the one True God.

After reading the chapter, Daddy asked a few simple questions to the children and gave some plain explanations of Philistine idolatry helped them understand the significance of the idol’s “face plants” at the hand of Almighty God. The short reading and talking session ended with a suspense building question: “I wonder what the Philistines will do with this troublesome Ark of the Covenant?”
Night two was started with a short re-cap of the previous night’s reading. After the next chapter was read, a discussion (primarily between adults and older children) ensued about cows and calves, the dynamic of a cow finding a nursing calf, and what a yoke is and how an animal would ordinarily react at the first use of it. All of this led to a clear awareness of the supernatural intervention of the True God.

It is wonderful that this family is hearing God’s Word—unadorned—each day. It only takes a few minutes and the questions and talk that follow help each child learn the skills of processing what has been read and heard. Deeper conversation began between the adults and older children and although the younger ones probably didn’t understand much of the dialogue, they are being shown a model of spiritual fellowship around Scripture. This “salting the oats” creates a thirst for the Living Water and will develop spiritual depth in children who are not only versed in Bible stories, but trained in the truths they are meant to convey.

What will you do to intentionally help your children love and understand the Word of God?

Photo attribution:

Photo by Andrew Wilkinson, no alterations

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

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