He Chose Us Anyway

Psalm 139:1-6

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise;  you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.  You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

In my estimation, one of the most amazing things about God’s grace is that He knew what he was getting when he saved us.  He knew the mess we would make of friendships, the times that we would be less than “salt and light” at work, and the millions of other ways that we would choose our own way over His, to our own detriment.  But he chose us anyway!

God has searched your heart and knows you and he (still) passionately wants you to engage in a relationship with Him.  He’s not like people you have met before that like you at first but turn away as soon as they find out that thing about you that you think makes you unlovable.  He already knows about that thing, AND LOVES YOU.  He asks only that we come to Him and he will take care of the rest, no cleaning up required, He’s already taken care of that.

He has made us for relationship with Him and all our efforts to fill that need with other things (or people) never satisfy.  Come to the One who already knows you and loves you, He’s waiting with arms wide open.

-Renee Moreland

This week (from Andrea):
How will God’s complete knowledge of you change how you perceive yourself and how you relate to others?

Radiant's First Shift at The Source

Embrace. Equip. Empower.

Those words that describe the mission of The Source for Women also sound familiar in the ears of the Radiant Life Bible Study Class at Houston’s First Baptist Church because we have taken them on as our focus as well.  In fact, our class began at the beginning of this year as an effort to embrace women where they are, equip them with the love, hope, and power found in the Word of God and empower them to live their lives fearlessly for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom.  

Even in the early planning stages, before the class met for the first time, a partnership with the Source was already on our hearts.  With such identical purposes, we felt that adopting a shift at The Source would be a wonderful opportunity to put feet to this vision and we were not disappointed.  

On the day of our first shift, from beginning with prayer and devotion with Ms. Galatha to holding the hand of a young mother with Sarah and praying, we were overwhelmed at the impact that this ministry is having and will have on the community.  We were also fortunate enough to see a client come in and be blessed with items from the material assistance room.

We are all so thankful that The Source has allowed us to come alongside and serve in some small way for this amazing work that is most definitely impacting the community for Life and the Gospel.  We look forward to future shifts where we can again be blessed by witnessing a one-day snapshot of the difference that The Source for Women is making every single day.

A big thank you to all the ladies who volunteered. For upcoming Radiant volunteer opportunities at the Source, contact Susie Reynolds.

Boundary Lines

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage" ~Psalm 16:5-6

I learned a little something about boundaries last week.  I recently adopted a dog and overall he is a GOOD dog.  He is house trained, he listens to the word "No," and he is just generally not a loud dog (which I appreciate a LOT early in the morning).  However, I had to be reminded the hard way that he is still a puppy, still only a year old, and still has a lot to learn and mature into.

I thought I would do him a favor and leave him on the patio while I was at work, you know give him some room to stretch his legs so he wouldn't be stuck in a small kennel all day long.  I wanted to give him freedom, I wanted to let him have more space, extend the boundary lines if you will.  Then the storms rolled in…

You see in Houston we have a saying, "if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes and it will change." And so it did.  I probably should have known it was going to be stormy and I probably also should have known that shepherd dogs do not like storms, but I didn't.  I thought the sun umbrella I put up would be enough to shelter him but Rex (that is his name) didn't have the same reasoning.  The storms freaked him out so much he dug up 2 heavy stepping stones and 2 brick garden borders, ripped up the bottom of my fence, and escaped into my neighbor's patio losing his collar in the process.  This wouldn't be as impressive if it weren’t for the fact that Rex only has 3 functional legs…he was bound and determined to find a safe place and landed himself in a strange garden.  Lucky for me he was back on my patio by the time I got home (I guess he didn't like it over there?), I was able to reach the collar with a ladder and a rake, and my neighbor didn't have any damage that warranted fixing (he ate some bushes…oy vey).  

The Damage

Needless to say I went through every emotion in the spectrum.  Joyful he was ok, angry at the damage, concerned that he wrecked my neighbor's property, and terrified of our future together.  Could I handle a dog?  Am I just a bad owner?  Lots of tears flowed and when the tears subsided there was laughter.  "He's a puppy," my dad reminded me, "he might just have to be in the kennel for a while."  

Rex needed boundaries and I needed to give them to him.  Not only that, the boundaries of a kennel would be good for him and my property, the home I have made before he came along.  He won't be kenneled while I am at work forever.  Eventually he will be allowed to stay out on the patio again, but that will come with maturity.  

I remembered back to the life I had when I first came back to Church, there were a lot of boundaries I had to live within because of my past, because I was "new" again to living a life that reflected Christ.  I had to re-learn everything; I had to start out at the infant stage again.  But I didn't have boundaries because I was being punished.  Remember I was in Christ as a believer and therefore not condemned (Romans 8:1), I was free (Galatians 5:1). The boundaries I had been given through convictions from God were to strengthen me, remind me of who I was in Christ and the power that came with.  I had to mature, I had to grow up in my faith, and God used those boundaries to protect me and lead me.  

The amazing thing is some of those boundaries have changed and moved.  But I remember His protection and the purpose for those boundaries when they were initially set and it makes me all the more grateful of God's work in my life and increases my desire to obey His commands and submit to Him with my whole life.

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage" ~Psalm 16:5-6

Think on that verse for a minute...  What a glorious thought, pleasant places, a goodly heritage.  What a promise! To know that God has placed specific boundaries for our good, that are good for us, and that are specific to us.  Don't look on His boundary lines as restrictions, but as guard walls from things you are not mature enough to handle yet.  Let Him show you how good He is within the kennel (so to speak) so that when you are put out on the patio, given room to stretch your legs, you remember His faithfulness in providing for you, honor His creation around you, and give Him glory in your obedience to His commands.

Katey Hight
My blog: http://sneakersandphylacteries.blogspot.com/

And just for fun, this is my sweet Rex :)

Significance or Sameness

Do you ever look around at your life and wonder why God still has you in the place that you are?  Whether it be with work, relationship status, or ministry, we can find ourselves looking around asking, “ok, now what?”  When we look around and compare ourselves to everyone else, we see people changing jobs, getting married, and deciding to move to Africa, but we just seem to be called to stay on the same path and keep on going.

What God has called you to do and the ways you serve out your purpose on this earth do not have to look like anyone else’s.  In fact, significance and sameness do not often coexist.  Your faithfulness to remain and be led by the Holy Spirit in your workplace may be far more impactful in the lives of those around you than running off to the next big thing.

What may look like a time of stale drudgery from the outside could be the work of God to mold and shape you into the beautiful creation that He has made you to be and prepare you for things to come.

Ephesians 2:10- For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

As Andrea discussed in Sunday’s lesson, both Paul and Moses experienced times where absolutely nothing changed (Mo in the wilderness, and Paul in Arabia) but God was doing a great work in their lives and honing their skills for even greater impact and significance.

We are also daily being discipled by the world regarding how we should spend our time, talent, and treasure.  Our culture both yells and whispers what we should value, work for, and prioritize.  But the world has a completely different trajectory in mind for us than God does.  (There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death (Prov. 14:12).  Instead of listening to the constant barrage of suggestions from the world, what kind of an impact could we make for the kingdom and the flourishing of everyone around us if we tried something different?  What if we listened to the Word of God instead of trying to be like everyone else?  Could we perhaps live lives of eternal significance?  We have a choice before us each day, are we going to choose significance or sameness?

Romans 12:2- Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Challenge for the Week:

At the end of this week, ask yourself 3 questions (courtesy of Andrea Kim):

1. What kingdom impact did the Lord do THROUGH me this week?

2. What kingdom impact did the Lord make ON ME this week?

3. Am I closer to Jesus than I was last week?

-Renee Moreland

Compared to What?

From an early age, we have constantly compared things all day every day.  And let’s face it, as women the thing we compare the most is ourselves to each other.  But why?

We compare because we have an inherent need to know that we are worth something.  We need to know that we are valuable to someone.  In the world’s economy, something’s worth can only be determined by comparison to something else.  So we compare and compare until we are simultaneously proud and disgusted with ourselves.  It’s exhausting and drains our lives of the meaning and purpose we were meant to walk in.

In God’s economy, however, each member of the human race is equally and immeasurably valuable, so valuable in fact, that Christ himself left heaven to come save us from ourselves.  In His view, your successful mentor at work and a starving child in Rwanda have EXACTLY the same value because they are made in His Image.  As much as we would NEVER admit it out loud, the fact that everyone around you is equally valuable may rub your pride the wrong way, we all want to be special.  But the truth of the matter is that YOU ARE, we are are all unique with God-given differences and personalities that allow us the to be special, but of equal, unfathomable value to the Lord. (Psalm 139: 13-16)  Aligning ourselves to this view of humanity frees us from thinking everyone is our competition. 

The blessings and successes of others do not diminish our value or our God-given purpose on this earth, our value is found in Christ alone.

But before we are tempted to think that we are all just super awesome in every way, it’s important to remember that our value has nothing to do with anything we’ve ever done.  Even on our best day, we come nowhere close to holy and are all at the mercy of God’s kindness (Rom. 3:23).  God showed this kindness by Christ’s death on the cross and the transferring of his righteousness to our accounts.

So let’s quit comparing.  Let’s pray this week for God to give us eyes to see ourselves and others as He sees us.

Challenge this week:

Believe that God has enough blessings and resources for you irrespective of the performance, behaviors and worthiness of others.


-Renee Moreland

The Blessing of Obedience

In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that He has come so that we can experience a full life. Some translations say an “abundant” life. The Greek word used here actually means “super-abundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); exceedingly; beyond measure.”

If you talk to most Christians today, though, sadly you’ll find that very few of them would describe their lives as truly abundant. Blessed? Sure. More fulfilled than someone who doesn’t know Jesus? I certainly hope so. But super-abundant? Overflowing? Extravagant? …Not as often as we’d like.
But why is that? What causes the disconnect? And more importantly, what’s the key to experiencing a super-abundant life?

The answer is simple – obedience.

Now, please notice, I said “simple,” not “easy.” Even as believers, the sinful nature wars with the Spirit inside of us (Romans 7&8), so we don’t always choose God’s way. Our free will rears its ugly head and we choose to do things our own way. It happens so often that I’m afraid we begin to accept it as just part of what it means to be human. And maybe it is, but we’re also told that as believers in Christ we’re new creations (2 Cor. 5:17), so we know it doesn’t have to be that way.

But, how does this struggle with the sinful nature prevent us from experiencing the super-abundant life Jesus promised us?

Well, because God is a gentleman. Since He’s the one who gave us free will in the first place, it makes sense that He doesn’t choose to override it in order to make sure we respond to Him in obedience. He doesn’t force anyone to accept Christ’s payment for their sins and receive salvation, and He also doesn’t override free will and force believers to choose the path He wants for them either.

Not only is God a gentleman, He’s also a loving Father. Jesus sets an example for us in Mark 14 by calling God “Abba,” a Hebrew word that can be translated as “daddy.” Paul tells us in Romans 8:15 and again in Galatians 4:6 that we have the privilege of addressing God in this way as well. It’s beautiful and it’s intimate.

But we need to be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that because God is loving that He is also a permissive, lenient parent. Permissive parents are extremely attentive to their children, but they lack rules and discipline. That is not the case with our Abba Father at all. Is He gracious? Yes! Merciful? Yes! Lenient? Absolutely not!

It’s an important distinction to make because although God has allowed us the free will to choose to be disobedient, the blessings of the abundant life come through obedience. If we staunchly refuse to submit to His way of doing things, if we persist in trying to live life on our terms, we can’t get mad at God when aren’t experiencing the blessings of the super-abundant life Jesus talked about.

How many times have my conversations with God sounded something like this?

“Father, I need Your help. My finances are a mess and I need You to provide me with more money.”
“I know your needs, my child, and I’ve promised to provide for them. What I want you to do right now is cut back on what you’re spending and also use some of the money I’m already providing you with to bless other people.”
“I really don’t think that’s going to work for me, God. I’m going to go ahead and keep spending my money exactly the way I have been and exactly the way I want to, but I really need You to send me more of it anyway, OK?”

“Father, I’m feeling really anxious and stressed out right now. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I need You to work everything out for me.”
“I’ve promised you that I will never leave you or forsake you. To help with the anxiety about the future, though, get in my word and you’ll be reminded of all the times I’ve come through for my people in miraculous ways in the past. Start memorizing scripture verses so you can use my word as the spiritual sword it’s meant to be and build up your shield of faith to stand against those fearful and anxious thoughts.”
“Sorry, God, I really don’t have time to get into your word. My schedule is really busy and my favorite show is on TV right now. But why don’t you just go ahead and take away the anxiety anyway?”

“Father, I really want You to bring me a husband. I’m tired of being single.”
“You need to trust that my plan for you is best, whether that includes a husband or not. While you’re single, you can begin to learn your true value by drawing close to me and letting me shape you into the woman I want you to be. That way, if and when I bring you a husband, I can use the two of you as a team to bring me glory and further my kingdom.”
“That sounds great and all, but honestly, I just want the husband. In fact, just so you know, that’s basically all I’m going to talk to You about until You bring him to me.”

Now, of course, I’d never actually voice my responses the way I have here, but we all know that actions speak louder than words! I hate to think how many times I’ve robbed myself of experiencing an abundant life full of peace, joy, and intimacy with God all because of my stubborn insistence on doing things my way. How many doors have remained nailed shut to me because I refused to step out in obedience and trust my Heavenly Father with the results?

And what about you? Odds are I’m not alone in this struggle. Take a quick heart check. Is there some area of your spiritual life where you’re stubbornly refusing to do things God’s way and yet you’re angry with Him for not working things out according to your plans? What would it look like if right this moment you decided to walk in obedience and surrender to His leading? What doors might God be waiting to open for you if you’ll just trust Him and be obedient?

Now, please don’t think I’m promoting obedience as a formula for getting God to do what you want Him to do. God is not a big genie in the sky just waiting to grant our wishes when we rub His bottle the right way. Obedience’s partner in this process is surrender, and specifically the surrendering of our will to His. The abundant life isn’t achieved when we convince God to get on board with our agenda for our lives, but instead when we surrender our agenda and submit to His plans for us.

The super-abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10 is available to every believer. It’s not just reserved for a few special “super Christians.” God longs to shower extravagant blessings on His children, but surrender and obedience are essential to the process. The blessings may not take a form that we expect, but we can be certain blessings will come. Our Heavenly Father always honors obedience.

-Nita DeBorde

     

Before You Speak

This past week I was preparing for our mid-week Bible study and the Lord placed on my heart a couple of hard concepts and a perplexing question:

1. You will speak what is in your heart (Matthew 12:34)
2. Your heart is deceitful and cannot be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9)
3. Well then, how do I control my speech?!

There must be a way! Can we tame it, teach it to be better? James 3 says that no person can do this...well that is a bit discouraging, and yet we are called to, as believers in Christ, have speech that honors Him and encourages one another (Colossian 4:6, Ephesians 4:29).

Gossip

I know from personal experience that one thing all humans struggle with is gossip, speaking about other people when they are not present. It is often passing comments but even small words hold weighty thoughts and emotions. Do we ever question the impact of our words not just on the subject but also on the person we are speaking to? Have you ever wondered if your speech about others effects how the person you're speaking to sees you? How often are we found to be hypocrites by silly, thoughtless speech? During the study another convicting passage came up...

Careless Words

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned." (Jesus) 
~Matthew 12:36-37

Uhhh...YIKES! Can anyone say ouch?! EVERY CARLESS WORD...I don't know about you but I would be in a lot of trouble if it were not for Jesus' saving grace. However, that does not exempt me from being responsible for my speech on this side of my salvation story! We do not have a free pass as believers to say what we want, we are called to a higher standard, called to be a witness and example of Christ in this world.

You may have heard the old phrases "preach the Gospel and if you have to, say something" or "actions speak louder than words." Both have valid points, but don't miss the fact that in order for the Gospel to be heard it must first be spoken AND words can quickly damage any witness you have made with someone who doesn't know the grace and mercy of Christ. Your speech, your tongue, is powerful and can be amazingly destructive and, unfortunately, untamable on our own.

So again I ask, what can we do?!

The Tongue and The Heart

How do we solve this problem of "the tongue?" If our speech comes from the overflow of our heart and our heart is untrustworthy, can we get a new heart? Can it be replaced? Made new?

YES!!!!

"And I will give them a new heart to know Me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." ~Jeremiah 24:7
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." ~2 Corinthians 5:17

Praise God for His provision, He has made a way for us! Let us receive as those IN CHRIST the gift of a new heart, a new creation. He has also given us tools to fill ourselves with His thoughts, focus on higher and better things, to crowd out the "old self" so there is no room for it to control speech any more. He also will also help us in guarding our mouths if we ask Him (I suggest really praying over Psalm 141 if you struggle with speech as I do).

I'll end with a useful acronym that hopefully will applicable for you...

Before you speak:

• T - is this true? (Philippians 4:8)
• H - is this helpful? (Ephesians 4:29)
• I - is this inspiring? (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• N - is this necessary? (Proverbs 17:27)
• K - is this kind? (Colossians 4:6)

I hope this encourages you to know that even though it seems so hopeless to try to restrain your tongue on your own, the Lord has the power to change you and sanctify you to be more like Himself each day! Keep going and don't be discouraged when you stumble, get back up and finish the race He has prepared for you.

-Katey Hight

Check out Sneakers & Phylacteries for more from Katey!