Created for His Glory

A book I was reading a while back posed the question, "Why is it that when people pursue fulfillment in money and things, fulfillment is elusive?"  My response was "Because it's not true fulfillment for us.  We were made in the image of God, so it stands to reason that HE is where we are designed to find our fulfillment!"

Genesis 1:27 (NIV) says "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."  This doesn't mean that we have the same facial features, the same hair color, et cetera, but rather that we have an eternal soul.  There is more to it than that, but at this point it's something intangible, something that will be revealed when we are finally in Heaven with Him.  "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (I Corinthians 13:12, NIV)  Bottom line: God made us.  "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV)  When He created us, it was more than just our physical bodies.  He gave us souls, emotion, drive and purpose.  His purpose.  "For in him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28a, NIV)

That is how we are created in His image!  We have been created for His purpose, for His glory!  Without Him in our daily life, we are empty.  We try to fill that emptiness with things around us that look pleasing, but it's like trying to fill a strainer with water.  The strainer was not designed to hold water, just like we were not designed to be fulfilled by worldly pursuits.

Dear Preteen Who Keeps Stealing My Hairbrush...

Oh, my child.  My sweet, sweet daughter whom I love.  Why do you continually insist on stealing my hairbrush?

Is it because you don't have one of your own?  No, that's not it... between you and your two sisters, you possess at LEAST five hairbrushes.  Five, not three, because we have extras for traveling and that odd day that one has been misplaced.

Is it because mine is somehow better than yours?  No, that's not it either... two of the aforementioned brushes are identical to mine.

Is it because you mistook mine for yours, since they are the same style of brush?  No, still not it... to get my brush, you have to cross the house and intentionally enter my bathroom to collect my hairbrush from that basket that is its home.

This morning, I had to tame my mane with your father's comb because not only have you apparently lost all five of your hairbrushes, you have now also lost mine in the abyss that you and your sisters call your bedroom.

Time to clean your room, Ladies!

The Name of the LORD...

Following a series of very long days, I wanted little more than to just stay in bed this morning.  When I opened my Bible, I was looking for some motivation and encouragement.  I was led to Proverbs 18:10, which says "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."  How can we be kept safe by just a name?  How can just a name be compared to a strong tower, something that shelters and protects?

In Hebrew culture, your name was more than just what people called you.  Your name defined you.  It explained you.  It was the very essence of your being.  We have an example of that in the book of Ruth. In Ruth 1:18, we hear from Ruth's mother-in-law: "'Don't call me Naomi,' she told them.  'Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.'"  "Naomi" means pleasant, and "Mara" means bitter.  Because she had changed, her name changed as well.  (If you aren't familiar with the story, I encourage you to read the book of Ruth.  It's a quick read, and one of my and my daughters' favorites!)

The name of the LORD is no different.  He is Righteous.  He is Holy.  He is Everlasting.  He is King of kings.  

We are taught early on in our faith not to misuse His name.  It is even demanded in the Ten Commandments!  "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:7)  But do we really understand that fully?  Especially in our culture where your name is little more than just what people call you.  

When we accept Christ, we take on His name.  "Christian" actually means "little Christ."  We have the fish emblems on our cars.  We share all the Scripture posts we see on Facebook.  But do we really take on His name?  Are we really living out the essence, the definition of Jesus Christ?  Do the people around us see the fruit of the Holy Spirit (check out Galatians 5:16-26 for this one), or are we still clinging to our sinful nature?

Misusing the name of the LORD is so much more than using it as a curse or saying it carelessly.  We don't even have to let it cross our lips to misuse it.  We misuse the name of our LORD when we live in a way that misrepresents Him.  When we say or do something that harms another.  When we fail to love those around us.  When we fail to share the gospel message with those around us who are lost and doomed to an eternity in hell.

If I stepped on your toes with this one, don't feel singled out.  I'm just as guilty of misusing the precious name of my LORD as anyone else.  It is my earnest prayer that He will help me be a better representative of who He is, and that He will do the same for you.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

In other words, live life in His name.

Busy Day!

Yesterday was a very busy Friday for us!

Our day started early with Boss-man getting up to help me try out a new breakfast dish.  (Ok, really it was more like me helping him... that man is an AMAZING cook!)  We had homemade cinnamon rolls!  It was actually a lot simpler than I thought it would be, just time consuming.  We made our regular biscuit dough (which for our family is always a double batch!), rolled it out flat, coated it with the filling (mix 1 stick melted butter, 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, and 4 tablespoons cinnamon), rolled it up like a jelly roll, then sliced it into 1-inch buns.  We baked them at 375 F until they started to brown a little on the edges, then spooned a glaze over them.  They were delicious!  We served them on my big pizza platter, and by the time I thought to grab a picture, this is all that was left!

After breakfast, I headed over to the local farmers' market and picked up some sugar snap peas, which were the only thing available when I got there.  Those go in the freezer for me to pull out for stir fry through the year.  When I got back, I tended my own little garden.  I have baby tomatoes now!  On my 16 plants, I counted 22 little green baby tomatoes!  I am beyond giddy about this, since this is my first real garden.  I posted on here last year about trying to start one... yeah, those poor tomato plants never made it to the great outdoors.  This year, I used plants instead of seeds.  I'll get there eventually.  In addition to the tomatoes, I also have 4 jalapeno plants (only one has bloomed so far, and it has the cutest little itty-bitty peppers starting to show up on it!), 8 heads of romaine lettuce (planted 16), and a row of carrots.  I had much grander plans for the garden, but at least I have SOMETHING this year, which is more than any year before.  My goal this year is to prove to myself that I can actually keep something green alive. :)

Friday is "Library Day" for us, so after I finished up in the garden, we went over to the local library for story time.  I picked up a copy of "Growing Up Duggar" and hope to actually get a chance to read it this weekend!  We shall see.

While Miss P napped after lunch, the big three sat down to do their school work.  After that Boss-man and I went out in the yard to clean up the jungle in front of our house a bit.  We ended up doing more than just "a bit."

A rake, a broom, a shovel, a scoop, pruning shears, a hedge trimmer, and a reciprocating saw later, my front yard looks nicer than it has in the three years we've lived here!  We took down three shrubs, two small trees that had grown up where they weren't supposed to, and an evergreen ground cover that the previous owners had planted right in front of the house that was overtaking my walk.  It took about five contractor-size trash bags to clean up all the vines and brush and such that we raked and trimmed and pruned.  There were also several stones lining where the walk comes off of the driveway that we pulled out.  I want to put an arch over the walk instead and plant grapes to go over it.  Eventually, gradually, I intend to start practicing permaculture on our property.

After cleaning up from a dinner of cheesy hashbrown casserole, fried okra, and corn, we went back out in the yard.  This time, though, it was with blankets.  All six of us were lined up, lying on blankets, watching the stars.  Miss P was so adorable!  She was snuggled in between her sisters, sucking her thumb and ready to go to sleep.  She didn't, of course, and after about five minutes of lying down was up and walking all around us, bringing her daddy and me clover blossoms.  We saw a couple of "shooting stars" and talked about comet tails and asteroid belts.  There were a few lightning bugs out, and we even spotted a bat!  At one point, Boss-man went inside and came back out with his tablet so we could use an app he has for locating things in the night sky.  The kids were beyond excited when they realized that the red "star" they'd noticed was actually Mars!

Yesterday was one of those days when I was hard-pressed to believe that the breakfast of homemade cinnamon buns had actually happened on the same day.  All in all though, it was a wonderful day of family togetherness.

Biscuits!

Here, have a morning dose of cute!

Miss P woke up just as I was starting to make biscuits this morning, and in typical independent 2-year-old fashion, desperately wanted to help...

She did a pretty good job, too! :)

Hilarem datorem diligit Deus

Hilarem datorem diligit Deus

That, sadly, is one of the very few phrases I remember from the Latin course I took in high school.  At least it’s not something silly like “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.”  Oh wait, that was from typing.  Anyway...

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying before: “God loves a cheerful giver.”  It is actually (no surprise here) from a passage in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 about generous giving (the last phrase of verse 7, to be precise).  While this passage is primarily considered to be about monetary gifts, I say that it is really so much more than that!

Is money the only thing we ever give?  No!  We give so much more, whether we realize it or not!  We give our time, we give our resources, and we give our experience, just to name a few.  When we go to church and teach a class or help in the nursery or work on the sound board or even make a pot of coffee, we are giving.  When we go out in the community and volunteer our time at a hospital or nursing home, we are giving.  When we are standing in line at the grocery store with an overflowing buggy and let the tired and harried looking young woman who walks up behind us with a baby on her hip and two more children behind her take her one pack of diapers and check out ahead of us, we are giving.

WHAT we give is not the point.  HOW we give it is.  If we do it with neon lights, making sure that everybody sees what a great thing we’re doing, then we are doing it to honor ourselves.  It is not truly intended to help the other person, but to make ourselves look good.  When we seek to honor ourselves, there is no space left to honor God.

Another name for this “giving” is “service.”  When we give of ourselves, we are serving.  This service how we show God’s love to those around us, sometimes without even saying a word.

So get out there, look at those around you at home, at church, and in the community, and ask yourself, “What would God have me do to serve this person?”

Do it quietly.

Do it with joy.

Competence?

“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”  -2 Corinthians 3:5 (NIV)

                “Our competence comes from God.”  Our abilities are not our own.  The things I am good at, those traits that make me uniquely “me,” did not come from me!  They were placed in me by God.  Some, my abilities and talents, were wired in at conception.  Others, my spiritual gifts, came about when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and was filled with the Holy Spirit (hence, “spirit”ual gifts).  Bottom line, they came from God, not me! (smile!!)

                This thought fills me with so much joy that I can hardly contain it!

                If they had come about by my own doing, I would have reason to boast.  I would be prideful.  I would have reason to look down on other people because they can’t do what I can do.  Then I would look at the people who can do things I can’t and feel inferior.  I would ask myself, “What’s wrong with me that I can’t do what they can do?”

                Because these competencies are from God, though, and not my own doing, HE is the one in Whom I can boast!  There is nothing that I can do on my own.  When a plan comes together beautifully, it's not me at all: it's God!  My passions, the concepts and causes that drive me, are my passions because God has a plan for it.  Those things that I do well, I do them that well because He has a purpose for it.  Those things that I am mediocre at, despite attempts to improve, He has a purpose for it.  When I DO improve in an area, guess what... it's God!  And those things that I CAN’T do at all?  You guessed it!  God has a plan and a purpose in my inability as well as in my ability!

                “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (James 1:16-18, NIV)

                Does this mean that EVERYTHING about us is good, and from God?  No.

                “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, faction and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  (Galatians 5:19-21, NIV)

                Yes, we were “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God, for His purposes (Psalm 139).  However, we were born into a fallen, sinful world and the consequences of sin are our eternal inheritance unless we commit our lives to following Jesus.

                When we give ourselves, our lives, our abilities to God, He will turn them around and use them for the purposes He has always had for them.  I find so much joy in the fact that the One who sees the outcome has given me my passions, talents, and spiritual gifts, and that it is with HIS competence that I walk through this life.