Working

I've been pondering what work will I be doing in Heaven. Our service to Him now will be evaluated to help determine how we'll serve Him on New Earth (Heaven). It thrills me to wonder, what does God think I do well here on earth so that He'll have me doing it to serve Him in Heaven? Much insight can be earned from Jesus' parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11-27. First, as an amazing notice of foreshadowing, notice Jesus tells this parable to the crowds as they walked toward Jerusalem right before his triumphant entry (Palm Sunday). He says, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return." (v.12) How many times have I overlooked how much that foreshadows? Jesus, leaves the splendor of heaven enters earth to receive a kingdom, has left for a time and will return."Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Engage in business until I come.'" (v.13). He calls those of us who are his children and entrusts to us talents, money, time..and says work until I come back."But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'" (v. 14) Just think, five days after Jesus shares this parable, the crowd yells "Crucify Him," (Luke 23:21.) And it is true today, when people who he loves and calls to himself reject him.When the king (Jesus) returns to his kingdom, he demands to know what his servants did with their minas. He commended the servants that worked and used their gifts. He condemned the one that did not. "'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." (v. 26) I want to think that I am using the talents, gifts, money, and things God has entrusted me with here on this earth so that when I get to Heaven, I will be entrusted with more. The more I serve Him now, the greater my capacity will be to serve Him in Heaven.
So, I think about the work God has given to me now. It isn't glamorous. Important, but not glamorized in our day: driving to practice and lessons, cleaning, cooking, teaching, nursing, discipling, book-keeping, organizer, back-rubber... Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." But if I am put on this fallen earth to work as preparation for our work in the New Earth (Heaven) then I really am working for the Lord. It makes me smile to think that as I'm scrubbing down the refrigerator again that I am working for the Lord and in preparation for my work in Heaven. (Although, surely, kids in Heaven won't leave sticky fingerprints all over...)
I will not soon forget a recent experience with the boisterous one. Walking through Menards, drooling over the coming displays of seeds and such, I am excited for a new growing season. I used the moment to sharing with the boisterous one how I hope that when I get to heaven, I get to work in the garden. Maybe I'll even have my own vineyard. In talking about Heaven recently, she has not been sure she's so excited about it but I'd like to think my enthusiasm has been contagious as she has now changed her mind and decided maybe she'd like to be helping me with gardening in heaven. Until that glorious day, I'll be working for the Lord here on earth.

Heaven-our home already!

I can't wait for Heaven! Since Micah's mortal death, I have been intrigued to know more about Heaven. I am reading Heaven  by Randy Alcorn and have been learning much! What cuts me to the heart and what God has taught me multiple times in the past months is that it starts now. Heaven isn't just our future home it's our home already! In Community Bible Study's lessons on 1 John, I realized this fall that a believer's eternal life begins when we receive the Son (believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, God's one and only Son, come down from heaven as a man). This point of belief in Jesus as the God become man is the beginning of eternal life.

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:11-12

It doesn't say, "believe now and then when your mortal body dies you'll have eternal life." It says you have it when you believe.

Paul says in Colossians 3:3, "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Notice that died is past tense, meaning my sinful nature has died and that is hidden is present tense. I am in Christ right now. It's Ephesians 2:6 that really blows my mind,

..even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Notice again that raised is past tense. Because we were forgiven in Christ's work on the cross, we were raised up and were seated with Christ. We're already there. Our kingdom is already in Heaven. Notice the writer of Hebrews 12:22-23 uses past tense again

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

God has already brought us into eternal life. I need to start living like that!

Never bored

The past three years have been marked by great spiritual growth and depth in my walk with Jesus. I have experienced other seasons in my life when I experienced spiritual growth, but those times have been just that: seasons. There was a beginning and an end. Secretly, in the back of my mind, I confess that I have fretted that this intimate "honeymoon"with Jesus with eventually end as the newness of marriage does shortly after the honeymoon. Before marriage, everything the engineer did was amazing, brilliant and wonderful and even after the ceremony, I just couldn't get enough of him. Then I began to notice his annoying (to me) habits and began to get bored with the same old routine. I have prayed against this stale, bored, stagnant relationship with Jesus. (Maybe I should pray against that in my marriage as well, however, not the point of my message here.)
What amazes me more and more every day I spend time with God, is that I keep finding out more about Him. I am constantly thanking Him for revealing to me more of the mysteries of Christ (Colossians 1:26). I know myself well and I know that when I get bored with something, I cease to do it anymore. Oh, I don't want to get bored seeking Him. This week, while reading Randy Alcorn's book Heaven, I read,

There will always be more to see when we look at God, because his infinite character can never be exhausted. We could--and will--spend countless millennia exploring the depths of God's being and be no closer to seeing it all than when we first started. This is the magnificence of God.. (pg. 179)

I am so thankful to serve such a big God that can never be put in a box and never have all figured out. I will seek Him and He will be fresh every day!

Glimpse

Last weekend, my parents spent the night. My dad is a morning bird...I guess this apple didn't fall far from that tree. When the rain (of all things in December in Minnesota) woke me up and I heard rustling downstairs at 5am, I decided, well, I can always sleep, but I can't always visit with dad. So, with the coffee brewed, just the two of us cozied in next to the fireplace for an early morning chat.
After they had left and our home returned to normal, I began to reflect on the experience of that early morning chat. I love listening to my dad, hearing her perpective, thoughts, his heart. I can't hardly explain it, but I just love being in his presence. A day later, sitting in my spot gazing out the window, conversing with my heavenly, perfect Dad, I realize that I was given a gift. A gift to see a glimpse of what my heavenly Father is like. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:12, ^"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully..." Enjoying a relationship with my earthly father, is a glimpse of how I will enjoy my heavenly Father's presence when I finally get home. Not only does it give me a faint image of my Heavenly Father, it fills my heart with joy because I've been blessed with a good relationship and godly earthly dad. I can't begin to fathom how awesome heaven will be.

Here & then gone

I've learned a bit about gratitude this past year. And I'd like to think that I see things to be grateful for which a year ago may have escaped me. Unfortunately, it is easy for me to be stuck in a rut and ungrateful, pessimistic. A grouch really.
This past week, waking as usually, to what the boisterous one has coined my "own time" and setting a pot of coffee, I see the thin, sliver of a crescent moon gorgeously illuminated and nestled into passing clouds. I saw this beauty as a gift, "Thanks God for this gorgeous sight! It is beautiful! You are so crafty!" I continued with setting the coffee to drip and snuggled into my chair with a blanket, continuing conversation with my Maker. Glancing out the window, I see that it's gone. The gorgeous sliver of a crescent moon is now diffused light behind puffy clouds. What struck me was that I realized it was a gift when I could see it. Imagine my obliviousness and loss had I not purposely stopped to thank God for that gift.
Contemplating more, I'm sure there are many gifts that He gives that I don't see: little feet kicking me at night, stinky golden head breath in the morning, golden heads fighting and arguing again, opportunities to snuggle, teach or impart wisdom. Oh, I am so foolish! James said in 4:14, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Just like I didn't know that three minutes after I saw the crescent moon, it would be out of my sight, I don't know which of the gifts He's given to me will be gone tomorrow, or in a minute for that matter.
My thoughts and prayers weep for my dear sister. I know she saw her precious Micah as a gift. A gift on loan from God. And now her gift is out of sight. My heart aches even though we don't mourn like those who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Pressing on, I will strive to "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances, give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

See

Just finished a book called, The Uncommon Woman by Susie Larson. I really enjoyed my time with her book and Scripture in hand (highlighter and pencil too.) One of many truths, that was revealed to me vividly as I studied was really stopping to look at Matthew 5:8:

Blessed be the pure in heart for they will see God.

Parked in the middle of the beatitudes, I'm not sure I've ever really given this one thought. The point Susie made is that when we have pure hearts, we can see God...at work in others.
One of my many struggles is judging others. I feel horrible confessing that. (Remembering the truth of Proverbs 28:13, "Whoever covers his sins will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.") So I do confess this and forsake this attitude and action of mine. What I have come to realize it that when I judge others, I am simply not sure of my own standing with God. I am loved my God beyond measure, He thinks of my constantly, He never lets go of my hand. When I see myself this way (solid and grounded in Christ), I am able to see others as Christ sees them and Christ in them. I am able to Christ at work in their lives. I am able to love them because I can begin to grasp just how much I am loved.

The more I think about this truth, the more it makes sense to me when I read other scripture. I John 2:10 says,

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

I am pure in heart when I love others and am standing in His Light. So when I'm in this state (abiding with Him, loving others, in the Light), I can see God and I abide in His presence, His Light, so there is little chance for me to stumble into sin because I'm not groping around around in the dark.
Even in Luke 6:28, "bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you," I see that if my immediate response to personal attacks is to fall on my face in prayer for those who use and abuse me, then I will be purifying my heart and I will see God at work in their lives and mine.
As a mom, my golden heads driving me batty, whether being disobedient or just annoying, I find myself asking God to purify my heart so I can see Him at work in them.
I hope this challenges others in some way, so that they too will think about how having a pure heart will allow them to see God.

Makes me

I've wrestled with this post for a while. I often find myself thinking I am so inadequate to write anything that might be beneficial to the reader. However, I will press on knowing that God called me to write.
In Psalm 23, a commonly quoted and often memorized psalm, a question came to me that I've never had before. In past perusing of this psalm, I've always pictured God leading me through green pastures, but recently in verse 2, I notice the phrase, "He makes me to lie down," and I wonder, what did David mean? Does he mean that God will make me by force to lie down in green pastures or does it mean that God made me by design with the need to lie down in green pastures? So, I study.
I don't actually have much experience in studying Hebrew. It seems complex to me, a trite bit intimidating. But I'll attempt to relay what I've come to understand. First off, the Hebrew for to make lay down is rabats and is repeated twice consecutively in Psalm 23:2. Here's what I found online in regards to repeated words in scripture that I found interesting.

In the Jewish understanding of Scripture, there is no such thing as repetition for its own sake.  That is, if a word or phrase is repeated, there is something new being conveyed; it is not simply the same thing said over again for emphasis (which can be eliminated without losing anything). Therefore, Jewish scholars search repeating elements more closely to discover what is different between the two (or more) cases, and what God was saying in each occurrence.

Because I'm not a Hebrew scholar, I couldn't see a difference in the two cases, a bit frustrating to me, but maybe God will show me an answer to that later. I did find that rabats is an active verb and causative verb, meaning that God actively causes me to lie down. I am given a cross reference of Ezekiel 34:14-15:

I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. "I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the Lord God.

 I also found Zephaniah 3:13 as a cross reference that was enlightening to me:

The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths, for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.

I am so thankful that God is the Good Shepherd choosing to cause me lie to down not in dark, terrifying valleys but in green pastures (think abundant life to the full) where I can rest with no one to make me tremble. How fitting the David says in verse one, "I shall not want." Neither will I.