Know God?

This message, which I heard last Sunday, is an amazing challenge, convicting, inspiring, heart-searching. We claim to know God...but what does that really mean? Even the demons know about Him...are we no better than they?

Please listen to this message, and earnestly pray over your relationship with our Lord. We all have so much to learn....

Weakness

[Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." ~~Matthew 26:40, 41]

I've felt like Peter so many times in this part of His life, willing to serve, but so fragile and weak when it comes down to forcing my will to go through with it. The physical body has so much more power over us than we like to admit; the Word says we must "conquer the body," yet we continue to let it hold sway over us. Even in little things, like flipping on the television instead of going for a walk around the block, eating one more piece of turkey over Thanksgiving dinner instead of listening to our bulging stomachs...sleeping in just a few minutes longer instead of getting up to read God's Word.

I've been there so many times, and it discourages me.

But, thank the Lord that He gives us a way out. "Watch and pray." It still requires discipline however. Therein lies the problem. We can't push past our apathy without Divine Intervention, and we can't have Divine Intervention without prayer. It's a viscious cycle, in some ways, but we get the easy end of it; all we have to do is cry. Cry out to the God who saves us and Who has promised that "no temptation shall be greater than you can bear." If prayer and discipline was something we couldn't handle, we wouldn't have to. But we have that struggle, so obviously, we can handle it, and we can overcome it. We just have to remember that we can only do so with the help of God, not of our own strength, for our flesh is weak. Thank God that He is strong.

Pride in My Heart

I've leaned so much about pride the past few weeks.
I am really such a prideful person; it really is quite disgusting. I want everything to be perfect, even in my drabblings and musings here...I can't have a single mispelling, even in the word "mispelling". It seems as if everything I do has to reflect tons about who I am. I know that subconsciously and consiously, all that I do is to make sure that I look good. I claim that it is so God will get the glory, but in thinking over it, I don't really think that's the case.

I am a proud person.

There. I said it. It's frustrating to even admit that. :{ I don't want to be. I hate even looking at it.

But, I think it's the truth. I'm stuck on myself. I think my desire to write stems from a source of pride. I want people to read my stuff; I want peope to be influenced by what I think and say. The desire, the motivation, is wrong, or tends to be, at least. I want God to use me in great ways, but that's just it: I want Him to use me. I think way too much of myself. I should instead be saying, "LORD, how can You use me? I'm wretched and I don't deserve Your mercy!"

Please, LORD God, help me to be the humble Christian You call us all to be. Make me to see how weak and frail and undeserving I am, and how little I of myself have to offer. Even my writing needs to be seen as a gift from You, not something of my own making or working. Please, LORD, help me to understand what it is You desire of me, no matter what I have to sacrifice to please You. Please, God, make me as Your humble Son. Show me more of You and more of what it means to be Your servant. Help me to deny myself, take up my cross [daily] and follow You, in loving obedience and humility. Amen, LORD God. May it be.

When Leadership Calls You...

I learned something hard today: It isn't always easy to be a leader.

In fact, it's usually rather difficult. You are required to do many things that you may not otherwise be called upon to do. For instance, most leaders must have the ability to guide, or even rebuke, the people under them.

I learned that today, and it's not nearly as easy as it might sound. Especially when you're a Christian, and must deal with all men with love and kindness, and as Christ would.

But Christ did chide His disciples when they needed it. In fact, He even became very harsh with them at certain times, like when they argued over who the greatest of them would be, or when Peter, James, and John slept at the Mount of Olives instead of watching over Him as He asked. It's a difficult and often uncomfortable task, but it is a position that you can learn much from. I have.

New blog!

I've just begun a new personal blog, just for those times when meditation is key. At Meeting Place, I'm seeking to capture the feeling of "alone time" with God, where we can meet with Him and meditate upon His Word and His salvation.

So please, stop by and spend some meditation on God's Word along with me. I'm sure that the Lord will bless both of our efforts, for He has promised that He will!

P.S. I am also still blogging here at PtM. Meeting Place is simply another place to journal. So don't worry; I'm still here! :-)

You're almost there...

[The end of school is in sight...

you're now facing your greatest challenge.]

"My greatest challenge?" you might ask. "I thought that keeping up was the hardest part.... What's this about finishing school?"

My own teacher once compared it to an Olympic marathon runner. The athlete has pushed every single muscle in his body to do its absolute best. He has run 25.5 grueling miles around and around and around the track, numbing both his body and his mind. He has endured countless hours of pain and sweat and tension to make it to this once-in-a-lifetime event.... Now the finish line is just ahead of him. He can see it within a few more yards; victory is almost his.

[What does he do?]

Does he suddenly slow up, answering his body's pleading for rest, before his feet cross the line? Absolutely not. Even though he can't imagine that he has any left, he gathers every last ounce of strength he has and dashes forward once more. The greatest challenge comes when he is 10 feet away from victory, his entire body screaming at him to slow down and take the victory easily. But where is the glory in walking across the finish line? How does "just making it" over enhance his career?

[Are you satisfied with just "making it" through?]

Are you content to just ease over the finish line at the end of the school year? "I'll just make sure that I get a passing grade.... I won't study as hard for those last few tests. I mean, there's only one or two more months left anyway...."

I know this is the hard part of the year. You are burned. out. with schoolwork. Procrastination and rest are your friends. The temptation is so hard to resist...and many of us don't. Just get through it; don't strive for excellence ... don't finish with a great victory. Be content with just finishing.

Its a hard thing. But God calls us to do it. So do it in obedience to God. Do it for His glory. Do it for your "good testimony" before men. Don't be content to "survive" the last weeks of school. The end is just in sight, your victory is just around the bend. So take hold of it; seize it; do it with "all your might."

Do Hard Things.

Different Angle

Originally posted on Veronika's personal blog, this post has been slightly redone and reworded for clarity and readability. We hope you enjoy and are inspired! ~~Veronika and Katie Marie

Have you ever noticed how things look different when seen from a new perspective, a different angle? Situations you thought you knew all the details of are quickly changed, and you can’t make heads or tails of it.

I’m referring to close-up pictures. Remember those snapshots in childrens’ books that ask you to guess what the object is in real life? Erasers, a cup, wood shavings, items like that? Once, some friends and I took a digital camera and started taking random shots of objects in my house: lamps, baskets, suitcases, all sorts of things. Sadly, although we were familiar with all of the objects, figuring out what they were wasn’t very easy. We were very embarassed when – in our haste – we’d discover how the porcelain sink somehow looked exactly like that curtain from downstairs!

Too often, we do the same thing with the people crossing our path. How many times have you come to a conclusion, and then discovered – too late – that you were entirely wrong, and that the people involved were hurt? Admit it, it’s happened more often than you’d like to say, right?

There was once a very wise, knowledgeable man way back when who adressed this same issue. He left us some godly advice: “He that answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him…” (Prov. 18:13). Paraphrasing it, we could say: “He that makes assumptions before he knows all the details is a fool….” Solomon was warning us of the simple foolishness and danger in letting assumptions get in the way of our relationships; too many have been ripped apart because of such assumptions. Sometimes, scars are never healed and friends are lost forever, all because those involved never took the time to look at the “picture” from the other person’s perspective.

Like the snapshots, it sometimes doesn’t make sense when a person reacts completely different from the way we expect, We can’t understand their motivations and decisions… that is, until we turn the picture around and look at it from a different angle. In doing so, we give them the benefit of the doubt, which often saves the relationship as well. Don’t “answer a matter before you hear (or see) it”!

So next time you’re ready to get angry at someone, stop and think! Put yourself in their shoes, and look from their perspective. Doing so will remind you that they’re human too. The way their life has been shaped makes them think and say things different, even contrary, to how you may think. Remember how our Lord would have treated them: with patience, love and courtesy. We are all formed from the dust, thus, we are all capable of making errors in judgement. Be understanding and forgiving in your response, and you will save yourself and your friends much pain.

A Personal Psalm

To every child of God who feels that Life is sometimes too great a challenge: May you find God's peace to be all that you need.

Even when I feel too drained and mentally exhausted to tackle one more thing, my Father is still there beside me, holding my hand and showing His mercy. I can't feel Him, I can't see Him, but I know He is there, helping me get through another day.

I feel so bewildered, not wanting or caring about anything in the world right now. I don't want anything to happen today; I don't even want to do anything today, except find comfort for my downtrodden soul. Where can I find that comfort, that peace that my heart so desperately needs?

Turning to the Word of God, I find my Heavenly Father. He knows my frame...He remembers I am but dust. He knows my sorrows and fears, my discomforts and my unfulfilled dreams; He knows how I can best please Him, and how to reveal His ways to me. He knows every hair on my head, every beat of my heart; He can and will lead me to the Farther Shore. How can I find anything but comfort in His presence?

Oh Lord, help me to place my hope and trust in You; be my confidence and my steadfast aid, my shield, and the one in whom I delight. Show me Your unquencheable love; grant me Your peace which does surpass all understanding. Bestow it to all of Your children who need Your comfort this day. Show us Your loving kindness, and renew our hearts in love to You. Be our precious Shepherd, and lead us by Your grace to Your kingdom. Amen

A Meditation for this Thanksgiving

A Day in the Life of...

Imagine that you're a Protestant pilgrim. You live in a one- roomed log house with your rather large family of eight, plus all of your aunts, uncles and ornery little cousins. The nights are freezing; even with all that body heat, it's still difficult to fall asleep. By the time you do manage to drift off, the baby is awake, crying frantically for Mother's touch. Then it's dawn. You're up again before the sun is over the tree line, chopping wood, feeding chickens, washing dozens of bundles of clothing.... Life is busy, and hard. There's also that constant tension over the "natives" living in the forest, the ones that worship nature. They've been watching your town from the surrounding hills. Are they going to attack?

Let's change the scenario a little. It's 1945. You haven't heard from your father in over 4 months. Your older brother is getting antsy himself; he and Mother are awake long into the night, arguing over his volunteering for the military. School is hard to concentrate on, because it seems that everyone is talking about the long list of casualties from the recent combat. Your father could be one of them; surely he's all right, isn't he? You can't do anything to comfort your family; you're always in the way, Mother worries over your falling grades, the younger ones are moody and irritable.... Will life never be the same?

Let's try one more. It's 2006. Society is changing. Untrustworthy leaders rule the land. Peer pressure in school and the workplace increases. Families are becoming more estranged than ever before. Christians are the minority. You fight your way through the thick fog of a sex- and smut-filled society each day, filthy language from those around you plays in your head, you feel so small and disconnected from God.... What is there to be thankful for?


A Common Misconception

"I have it the worst. No one else knows what I'm going through ... it's never been this hard for anyone, ever." Ever felt that way before? We all have at some point. Life just seems so overwhelming, and it is, of our own strength. But the fact is, history is brimming with examples of people who have had it far worse than we have. Where one person's story seems desperate and beyond hope, the next person's is even worse. Even the Bible is full of testaments to the harsh realities of life's trials and difficulties. Everyone suffers; it's a fact of life.

"Wonderful. Now the entire world is a just a suffering mass of people struggling to get through life. How comforting." Well, frankly, you're right. There's not much comfort there. Sure, it helps to know that there are people who can encourage and sympathize with you because they've been there, but it brings little remedy. But ... we have been promised "a peace that surpasses all understanding." That peace comes from the Maker and Sustainer of all who inhabit this earth.

Perhaps this Thanksgiving, instead of focusing on your trials, and what you don't have, look instead to what you do: You have God's steadfast promise that He will never leave you nor forsake you! He will grant you that comforting peace that only His children know! You have His everlasting love to call your own!

A Glorious Truth

In this turbulent and hectic world, we can hardly rely on our own selves to fulfill our promises to each other. But this promise of peace has the credibility of the One who cannot lie, and who cherishes us as much as He does His Son! This is a comfort to dwell upon, is it not? Knowing that these trials and difficulties are but for a time, let us "press on" toward the crown of victory, to the One who has promised us eternal, joy-filled life with Him!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and give honor to God!

Living the Mystery

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it…. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown." 1 Corinthians 9:25

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory…" 1st Timothy 3:16

The Common Bond:
Picture an athlete and a private detective. From most perspectives, they have very, very little to do with one another. One spends his time working out in a gym, sweating and straining his muscles to achieve success, while the other puzzles over the bizarre to shed light on things that have been enveloped in darkness for long whiles. But both have one thing in common: passion. Each will do whatever is necessary to fulfill their goals. They each have a prize, a reward for completing their tasks; the athlete, the knowledge that he conquered his body and subdued his weakness; the sleuth, an awarding self-satisfaction for bringing criminals to justice and bringing comfort to families that have been torn apart.

The Riches Bestowed:
We each have a prize. As the apostle Paul surmises, we have an even better prize awaiting us at the finish line. As athletes, we must pursue it, ever running towards it. As searchers, we have a great mystery to solve, a Divine puzzle to study and analyze. Bringing the two together, we have a great and wondrous God to search for and ponder, to run toward and love, to pursue and take hold on. How blessed are we?!

The mysteries of Him and His Truth stretch so far beyond our human understanding. Yet, even with our finite minds, the rays of light we do glean shine so brightly! How can we help but continue to study, seek out and pursue the amazing riches that lay beneath the great mystery of Christ and His Godliness?

Our Goal:
We do not claim to be experts. Even as we sit at the feet of our Master, we are taking in the vastness of the richess of Christ. Our vision is to share the thoughts and lessons we learn – that we may in any small way help you also see the beauty of God and His mystery of Godliness.
By sharing what is on our hearts, we hope that you will see practical and applicable ways to take what you read here and become an active pursuer and searcher through the Scriptures. It is our prayer that by reading this blog, you too will be challenged to take up the call, that you too will become more fervent in your pursuit of heavenly things, that you, with God’s help, will live the mystery of Godliness. Onward, Christian soldiers!

Your Fellow Seekers:
Pursuing the Mystery is blogged by Veronika and Katie Marie. We are desiring to serve Christ with our lives, but also to encourage others in the Way.

God willing, we will post at least once a week. Though our focus is primarily on spiritually-minded writing, we may occasionally have more “spur of the moment” posts on something that strikes us in the news, politics, etc. If so, our regular updates will still be posted on schedule [Lord willing!].

Please contact us if you have any ideas or ways that we can improve the site! We’d love to hear from you! Email us at: withoutcontroversy@gmail.com.

Enjoy, and to God be the glory!

Your sisters in Christ,
Veronika and Katie Marie