Illuminated

And He illuminated their minds so they would comprehend the scriptures.    Luke 24:45

Yes – this is one of my absolute favourite verses.  Ever heard of the saying “the minds eye” or "having a light-bulb moment"?  When a place is illuminated is become bright and filled with light.  That is what I saw when I read this verse as a new Christian.

Darkness replaced by light.  

Truly comprehending the scriptures with the guidance of the Holy Spirit – what a gift!  

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It reminds me of a pivotal time in my journey with God when the scriptures became more alive than they ever had been.  To me – seeing our faith lived out in everyday life is real and beautiful.  It has always been the small things that carry great weight.  The smallest answered prayers seem more powerful because God heard and God cared enough to hear them despite the billion people on earth with all of theirs – it didn’t matter….

He heard.

I can think of so many personal stories, small (big) moments and God orchestrated encounters I have personally experienced along the way –but there is one that still gives me goose bumps…

One night after church Rick and I were about to make our weekly trip back to the Gold Coast.  We were newly married, running a youth ministry in Logan city and both working & living on the coast. I was pregnant with our first child & we had just taken in a new Christian who was moving into our unit with her young son. We were in the front and she was in the back with her son.

It was raining steadily, and we had the radio on – chatting about the service.  We were about halfway to the coast when the car hit gravel & started to leave the road. Rick tried to correct it but the car ended up spinning around so we were driving 90km backwards next to cars (who were driving in the right direction) and slowly veering off the road into the middle ditch.  It all happened in slow motion.

We ended up landing in the middle ditch of the highway sideways & backwards so the force of impact sent us into our seats rather than forwards.  The doors flew open and in pitch darkness a heap of mud splattered over us all.  Our new flatmate was in shock with her leg stuck in the mud.  Her young son was unharmed – we later discovered his seatbelt wasn’t on when the accident happened. The car was a write-off.

Rick ran to get help and we sat in the dark, covered in mud, dazed but just with a few bruises and scratches.  The ambulance & tow truck came and we eventually were able to head home – soon in our warm beds, safe & alive.

About 8am the next morning I received a phone call from one of my best friends – who lived in England.  We hadn’t told her anything, but she started the call with “Jen, what happened – are you ok?”  I told her about the crash & that we were all ok and she started to Praise God. 

It turned out that at the precise time we had our accident she was on her knees (on the other side of the world) interceding for us both.  She didn’t know what happened – but she was in tune with the Holy Spirit enough to be obedient and pray God would intervene in whatever we were facing.  He told her to pray for us at the exact time we needed prayer – and she heard. 

Praise God that her mind had been illuminated with His word.  Praise God she was obedient to His voice.   

When you read the word He gives you ears to hear & eyes to see.  He illuminates (one translation is ‘reveals’) the Word to us so we see clearly when before we were blind.

Life makes more sense because we are eternally minded.   We become more receptive to His voice.

There are a billion stories of His goodness and faithfulness despite great obstacles and impossibilities – this is just one of them.  I call this His divine, unexpected and Holy Spirit inspired intervention.

I'd like to think that when it comes to the race (of life) I am running I can see clearly what is ahead of me.  That the obstacles ahead of me would also be illuminated, and my path would be lit up so brightly that even when I do trip -  I wouldn’t go off track.   My prayer is that I would see clearly and not stumble in the dark without sight or understanding.

I'd like to think that my eyes would be opened to His will and to the God ordained moments (like praying for someone) that each day holds.

Let’s pray that this week we seek Him above all else – and that our minds would be illuminated with His word.

But the path of the just is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until it reaches its full strength and glory in the perfect day.   Proverbs 4:18

Tripping through life

This weeks devotion touches on a universal quandary - being yourself!

This has been one of my hardest life lessons.  To be your authentic self is hard when the flaws seem so obvious. The silly thing is most people don’t notice yours – they are too busy focussed on their own.

Growing up I had knobbly knees and was as uncoordinated as they come.  I was painfully shy as a child & tried my hardest to fit in at school – but when I started to get publicly bullied by a teacher I lost a lot of confidence.  To this day I despise name calling!

I had (and still have) no sense of direction and often trip over my feet!  I have walked into so many walls (& doors!!) it’s not funny – bumped my head a thousand times, fallen out of a ski lift, fallen down public stairways and given myself concussion at the doctors surgery where I worked (20 years ago – obviously not now!).  I have walked into a plant stand outside Woolies & cut my head open - not to mention setting off alarms in many public places (you know - Aldi, Westfield etc) 

I could go on – but you get the picture – VERY accident prone!

And while battling this “condition” throughout my life I then battled the comparison trap – I would watch someone else who appeared perfect who NEVER did or appeared to say anything embarrassing (certainly never tripping over or walking into doors) and longed to be more like them.

I longed to be more normal – more together & sophisticated… whatever that was.

The pastors wife at a church I used to go to had the most beautiful style and wore stilettos.  I used to gaze at her gliding up the stairs to the church foyer on a Sunday morning wishing I could walk with such ease.  I on the other hand resembled a circus act trying to stay upright wearing anything higher than clogs – the trauma, & the blisters, were just not worth it!

The worst times were when something humiliating happened I would beat myself up for days and vow never to let that to happen again.  I would go to great lengths to avoid a similar situation instead of embracing the moment and accept the fact that this is just a part of life.  The world will still turn & the only person dwelling on that moment was me.

The pursuit of perfection will crush you if you don’t add a huge dose of grace in the mix – and that was something I lacked. I had grace for everyone else except myself – the recipe for internal disaster.

When you trip over you have two choices – stay down in the muck on the ground or get back up, dust off your grazed knees, and take another step forward. 

I remember joking with Rick one day when we were lounge-hunting and we were about to walk through the doors of A Mart.  I was talking about how I was the Uptown Girl because it was one of my favourite songs – and as I said Girl I tripped over my feet & stumbled into the store – definitely not very sophisticated!   He still occasionally calls me his Uptown Girl - & we have a good laugh.

Learning to be uniquely, beautifully you is embracing everything about you (good, bad & ugly) and accepting you for you.  It is laughing at the crazy moments and knowing it is only through Him that we find perfection.  Without His grace we don’t stand a chance.  

Without Him and his unswerving, unwavering grace that overlooks my worst ‘bad & ugly” I wouldn’t be able to get up again, but I know He promises that if I just do what He asks (get up) then He will make the way clear for me to move forward again – and again.

There’s a verse that I love that echo’s this principle of getting up.  It’s pretty self-explanatory.

Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up.    Prov 24:16

Whatever you do – get back up again.  Don’t forfeit the race of life. 

The most devastating decision anyone can make is to disqualify themselves from the race.  Some are more competitive and race faster, & some have turned their race into a graceful waltz, but whatever beat you dance to just keep moving forward.  If you trip over your feet (and we all do) don’t be the one to decide you have destroyed all your chances.

Life isn’t a game where the dice is rolled and your fate, or your value, is forever determined by another hand. God has the ultimate say when it comes to His creation.  You are His child – a Kings Kid – and that’s how you will forever be seen in your Creators eyes.

Just stay in the race.

And if you’re anything like me – when you trip over, whatever that trip looks like – decide now that you will always get up again, and again and again.

More than seven times.

Not that we are sufficiently qualified in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency and qualifications come from God.     2Cor 3:5

Inexpressible Joy

‘Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not even see Him now, you believe and trust in Him and greatly rejoice and delight with inexpressible and glorious joy’

1 Peter 1:8

My life verse. 

I was sitting on my bed on the night I gave my heart to God as a sensitive, openhearted yet quite mixed up young girl.    Life had already taken a number of unexpected twists & turns by the time I had reached sixteen and I knew without doubt I was headed in the wrong direction.  The only reason I wasn’t taking drugs with my group of friends in the Valley was because I had promised Mum I wouldn’t.  That didn’t stop me doing other things behind my parents back, but I knew if I went down that path I may not ever come back.

A song came out around the same time as I made my decision that night to live for Him: ‘Jesus lover of my Soul’.  It spoke to me in the deepest way because I knew He literally took me from the miry clay and placed me on a rock higher than anywhere I had been before.

Anyway back to that night.  After a huge meeting at church (now Citipointe Brisbane) I came home with my head buzzing. I tried to pray but couldn’t.  I stared out my window at a million stars and wondered where God was. I had just promised my heart & soul to what felt like an untouchable stranger. 

I stared at the ceiling of my bedroom and all of a sudden felt hopeless.  I wished I could see Jesus in real life to cement my belief – a tangible confirmation that my decision wasn’t based on an emotional response.   I wondered how I could even begin this journey when I was already questioning the basics, and my prayers seemed like words spinning in the air.

Then I grabbed my Bible and opened it up, with a simple prayer that I meant.

“God – help me know you”

I opened up to 1 Peter and the verse above came alive. I read it over and over, and it dawned on me – this is what faith is!  Believing when you don’t see who you believe in.   Loving the One who loved me first.  Trusting because you know He has the answers.

When you finally see that you are loved beyond measure, created with a purpose and have an eternal destiny, there are a lot of reasons to rejoice & delight. 

One translation of Joy is “an awareness of God’s grace” 

WOW!  It is the awareness that He gave all so we could have all that brings us to our knees and gives us inexpressible joy.  I didn’t deserve His gift of eternity that night – yet every day His grace is there waiting for me just as it is waiting for you.

That night, 30 years ago, He heard all the words I thought had fallen to the floor, & He has heard all of my prayers since then.  He has answered them in ways I could never have imagined & given me above and beyond what I could ever thought possible.

This verse helped cement my belief system, and I went to sleep that night with a peace I hadn’t experienced before.  

I believed.

“Jesus, lover of my soul
Jesus, I will never let You go
You've taken me from the miry clay
You've set my feet upon the rock
And now, I know

I love You, I need You
Though my world may fall
I'll never let You go
My Saviour, my closest friend
I will worship You until the very end”

Better than Diamonds

“The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.

The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.

The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.

The directions of God are plain & easy on the eyes.

God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.

The decisions of God are accurate down to the ninth degree.

God’s Word is better than a diamond … better than a diamond set between emeralds.

You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring … better than red, ripe strawberries.”

Psalm 19:7-10  TMB

This is one of those devotions where I just want to send you the whole Bible.  The above translation is so poetic, so beautiful – that I feel any further words don’t do it justice… 

I looked up my old bible for the same verse and there it is highlighted (in red) with one word scribbled in pen next to it – ‘learn’!  It was written a long time ago – yet the message still stands & applies directly to my life right now – and yes it is a good one to learn!

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the word 'treasure' & what God says about it, & from the small amount of research I’ve done (Bible Gateway, YouVersion etc J)  there’s literally a treasure trove of incredible revelations on this word alone. 

Treasure is very important to God – because it’s connected to our heart.

The name of our women’s conference this year is ‘Diamonds’ so we’re going to be on this theme for a while – a good thing!  

Diamonds are forged from the blackest coal – from the most unlikely, unassuming substances to one of the world’s greatest treasures.  I have one on my finger.  I love it not because it’s a huge rock to show off – but because of the love it represents.  It’s symbolic & a possession of great value & beauty. 

Diamonds relate to royalty, riches and restoration.  They sparkle & they're strong.  Those who possess them take the greatest care because of their immeasurable value.  Yet we read that ‘God’s word is better than a diamond’.  In my old translation – “more to be desired are they than gold”.

And then there’s an amazing verse in 2 Corinthians 4:7 - “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

He is our treasure.  Better than diamonds & gold (and strawberries of course!) is our magnificent Saviour.  We are so rich because we have Him!

How wonderful that each of us are vessels (insufficient, earthen & very human vessels) containing the most powerful treasure in the universe - greater than anything the world has to offer.

It’s hard to fathom.

It’s one of those great mysteries of heaven that boggle the mind.

There’s a DVD I watched years ago called ‘Indescribable’ which was, ironically enough, an attempt to describe the wonders of the solar system and how everything led back to the wonder & revelation of our Creator.  I remember thinking how absurd it seemed to NOT believe in a Creator.

When we have the riches & the power of His truth in our heart - when the blinders of our eyes fall away and we meet our wonderful Saviour - then we will experience riches that last longer than jewels and treasured stones.

We discover Jesus - the jewel of heaven. 

We discover God’s word - life contained in every priceless word.

We discover the Holy Spirit - eternal treasure contained in human vessels.

Eternal riches are just that - indescribable.

Nothing in this world can offer more than eternity does - and when we face Him and decide that we will become whatever He wants us to be the most amazing miracle begins to happen.

We begin to transform into the priceless jewel He created us to be all along.

Seeds

Thousands of seeds stored in a mountain.

I had never heard of it before.  Then I discovered last week that the Norwegian government has invested approx. 9 million USD into a seed bank that has been forged into a mountain in the Arctic Circle off the Norwegian coast.  It stores hundreds of thousands of the worlds’ most treasured seeds.  Countries from all over the world send their finest to this bank to be stored in case of a global catastrophe.   

Its life at grass roots level – literally. 

The fact that there are a hundred thousand seeds stored in a mountain in the Arctic (425 feet INSIDE the mountain) is what drew my attention.

You see – it’s the mountains in our lives that can cause the greatest roadblocks & derail us.  They can seem so catastrophic and unmoving that it is sometimes hard to see anything good that can come from them.  The anxiety, the fear and the thought that ‘no one has been in a situation like mine’ often makes it hard to see past the mountain.

But what if the mountain is actually a necessary storehouse for the seeds of our future.  What if it is there to propel us to our destiny?

Have you ever heard of the term “failing forward”?  It is often life’s failures, and the outcome of our mountain journeys that determine where we will step next, and in which direction.  Without them – we could not achieve our life’s purpose.

In any case – we can never avoid uphill.  It’s great coasting along – but that’s not what life is all about.  It’s about the journey in its entirety.

Have a think about the seeds God has stored up for you – quite possibly contained in your next mountain of seeming impossibility.

If you decide to face it and keep moving forward you will give Him every opportunity to open doors (vaults?) that before have never been opened.  The thing is – when it’s your vault, He holds the key. 

He is the master key holder of the greatest seed storehouse (of your life) and every seed He has for you is like no other.  Just like the seeds sent from all directions of the earth to this remote vault on the Arctic coastline. 

Yet the seeds held within the mountains of our life hold greater treasure.

Remember this when you are thinking of the mountains you are facing right now.  Imagine the fruit from a hundred thousand seeds once they are released from its vault.   And then speak this verse to your mountain:

“Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed & be cast into the sea’ & does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”   Mark 11:24

I think it’s the “not doubt in his heart” part that we can stumble in – I know I do.  I know God can do it – but can I?  Reasoning is the enemy of faith, and it’s when we try to work it out - excluding His divine intervention - that we start to doubt in our heart that He will do what He said he would do.

Allow Him to orchestrate your path & the seeds for your future will be released at the appointed time - priceless, uniquely yours, and ready to grow.

There’s one more verse that God gave me when we moved up North five years ago – it re-assured me when we were moving to ‘where the mountains are’ and I knew that He would stay in control no matter what. 

“…You shall go out with joy & be led forth with peace, the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”   Is 55:12

Nothing like a word from God to hold you fast when the storms are raging.  But He keeps His promises – and He promises that the seeds He planted within you will bear fruit – great fruit.

“It’s not a question of how big or small the actual seed or beginning is: it’s the potential within the seed & what God ultimately intends for it that matters.”  Bobbie Houston

Learning to Cast

Sometimes we read verses and agree with them and think they are THE BEST and (in my case) are worthy of a yellow highlighter – but applying them to our lives and changing is not as simple.

Here’s a few that arrest me every time, are powerful & weighty yet I often find hard to fulfil…

"Cast your burden on the Lord (releasing the weight of it) & He will sustain you; He will never allow the (consistently) righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall or fail)" Ps 55:22

Notice it starts with an action on our part – “Cast your burden”

The Hebrew meaning of cast translates into “to throw, hurl or fling”.  Imagine the force needed to fling a heavy discus into the air – it takes strength and effort to physically fling it far, far away from you.  That’s the type of casting needed to remove the burden you have been carrying so that it’s ultimately removed from your life.

For a bit of trivial information – the longest known discus throw was in Germany in 1986 at a whopping 74.80 metres!  It spun & flew for ages until it literally was out of sight.  Better to think about this record then our own attempts at throwing things sometimes – like discus’s. :)

Then there’s the promise - “He will sustain you”

Do we really believe He will – or do we strive and coerce and reason our way around the burden (that is supposed to be far away from sight) rather than just trusting that He will sustain us so that we will not be moved until He is ready for us to be moved?

I love the amount of times “consistently righteous” is mentioned in the Amplified bible – SO many!  Although we don’t always get it right our heart needs to be determined to stay the course; remaining faithful, no matter what, and seeking His righteousness.

It really is all about the issues of the heart. 

Now flip to the New Testament to 1 Peter for this powerful, weighty verse that says so much.

Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once & for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately & cares about you watchfully.  1 Peter 5:8

There it is again – casting it ALL away so that He is in charge of our cares (ALL of them) and not us.  I have literally had to get on my knees so many times and asked God to get back in the drivers seat of my life.   How easy it is to grab the steering wheel and try to navigate around hostile territory without even asking Him if we're driving in the right direction!  We are on our own trip destined for potholes, detours & breakdowns without Him at the wheel.

He cares so much about you - affectionately & watchfully.

He cares more about you than you do. 

I am ending this with the Message translation of Psalm 55:22-23   It’s just so good!

“Pile your troubles on Gods shoulders – he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.

He’ll never let good people topple into ruin.  

But You, God, will throw the others into a muddy bog, cut the lifespan of assassins & traitors in half.

And I trust in You.”

There’s that word again – trust.  We need to trust God that He means what He said.  His Word is as real today as it was when it was written.   It is His signature over the earth.

Trust Him, cast your cares on Him, and He will sustain you.

He promised.

True Beauty

But Let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible & unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which (is not anxious or wrought up, but) is very precious in the sight of God.  1Peter 3:4

What is a person like underneath their appearance? When the mask, layers & barriers come down – who does God see, and who do we see?  How can we really know the state of someone else’s heart, or even our own? 

Joyce Meyer says of this verse:

“When we do not attempt to know the ‘’hidden man of the heart” we make a mistake in one of two ways.. 1) we approve of someone because they appear to be something they are not or 2) we disapprove of someone because of some outward appearance or action, when that person is actually a wonderful person on the inside.”

The great thing is that God does not judge by appearance only – and neither should we.

There is nothing wrong at all with outward adorning, as long as it is balanced with more focussed inward adorning.  Our inner person carries a fragrance that heaven adores and will grace us with a lasting beauty when our youth fades away. 

There are some women in my life who have such dignity & grace around their lives who become more beautiful as they age, and they all have one thing in common – an unswerving devotion and trust in Jesus - despite the adversities of their lives.  Throughout the many seasons of life they have come through with a spirit that is so very precious to God, and worthy of great admiration.

They have placed importance on developing their inner selves and it then is reflected outwardly.

I recently read about the life of Ruth Graham - who was married to well known evangelist Billy Graham.  The article started with, "Everyone who knew Ruth Bell Graham knew that she loved Jesus and she loved people."  What a statement!

Could I be as bold to ask - what statement would you want said of you when the world is reflecting on your life well lived? Would they remember your true beauty? 

 I hope & pray they will.

The article continued..  "In her writing, speaking & simple acts of kindness - to neighbours, friends & anyone who needed a lift - she demonstrated the grace & mercy of the Saviour she first met when she was a little girl in China..."  She grew up in a home that modelled true faith in God & authentic Christianity.   Her faith was real & she gave out of who she was - becoming a rock for one of the worlds greatest heroes in the faith.  

In God's eyes - we are royalty.  We are his princesses. 

One of my favourite, highlighted verses is in Isaiah 62:3  "You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God."

I love the meaning of diadem - "jewelled crown".   And even better - "the authority or dignity symbolized by a crown" 

You are precious, beautiful, priceless, unique and without comparison.   There is no doubt.

There's another highlight in 1Peter 3 (The Message)

"Summing up:  Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.   That's for all of you - no exceptions.  No retaliation.  No sharp-tongued sarcasm.  

Instead, bless - that's your job, to bless.  You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing."

It's not the prettiest verse, but it's one of those verses you need to read again & again so it permanently resides in your heart - cultivating warmth, love, compassion, humility...

And beauty.