Email from God, Topic- Married Ladies January 17, 2012

Talking to myself and all my married lady friends out there- What if I told you that God sent me an email and it said that He was going to determine how much we love Him based on how we treat our husbands. Ya I saw that face, I made it to just thinking about it. But when I read God’s Word about the relationship between a man and a wife… Doesn’t it tell is that this is the earthly picture of Christ and His church? That we as wives are supposed to honor and love our husbands as the church honors and loves Christ? Ya ok but I don’t know your husband and well he doesn’t love you like Christ loves the church and he is no spiritual leader so you are off the hook. Uhhh not so much, the Bible actually tells us in 1 Peter 3:1-2 and 1 Corinthians 7:13-17 that even if your husbands is not a believer you are to live before him the love of Christ so that he might be won to Christ through your example. Well there goes that excuse.

So what is the real problem here? We know what the Bible says about wives and marriage but we don’t live it. Why? I believe the trouble is at the core of our relationship with Christ. The truth is that a woman who has truly laid down her life to live for Christ would strive at all costs, fail, get back up and try again, and never give up trying to be the loving honoring wife that God called her to be no matter what that man does or says because she is in love with her God and she has given Him her life and she wants nothing more that to stand before Christ one day and hear ‘Well done….’

I can say that because once a long time ago I considered myself a Christian and yet I had not TRULY laid down my life, I was still living for me and I walked out on my first marriage. My greatest regret is that I turned my back on Christ and trampled the influence He had given me, hurting people along the way. I am so thankful for His mercy and restoration that He gives us so freely when we repent. I know I will make mistakes but I will never do that again no matter what it costs me or what I have to sacrifice.

Disclaimer- If there is abuse or infidelity… That is a whole different story.

1 Peter 3:1-2 NIV- Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of thier wives, when the see the purity and reverence of your lives.

1 Corinthians 7:13-17 MSG- If you are a woman with a husband who is not a believer but he wants to live with you, hold on to him. The unbelieving husband shares to an extent in the holiness of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is likewise touched by the holiness of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be left out; as it is, they also are included in the spiritual purposes of God. On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you’ve got to let him or her go. You don’t have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can. You never know, wife: The way you handle this might bring your husband not only back to you but to God. You never know, husband: The way you handle this might bring your wife not only back to you but to God. And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. Don’t think I’m being harder on you than on the others. I give this same counsel in all the churches.

Used December 5, 2011

Used… It’s interesting to think of this word and how it can describe both a very positive occurence and a very negative one too. God has been hammering me with this word. In the secular world if someone says “he used me” that is quite negative and the person is usually hurt, and mad. It can happen for many different reasons, one can be used for their money or connections etc. However in Christian circles if you over hear someone say “he used me” it could be a very positive thing.

As Christ followers we often pray “lord please use me”. What I am realizing is we may pray those words with all sincerity but we tend to attach a subconscious expectation. We say “use me” but we are always looking for the return investment. If God uses us in someone’s life we expect great appreciation or to gain a friend. If we reach out to someone we expect them to reach back. Or when we sacrificially give to a God honoring cause we start looking for a financial blessing to fall in our laps. What happens when we obediently tithe and then find ourselves with an unexpected bill? Our flesh starts screaming… “WHAT ABOUT ME!! WHAT DO I GET!! I DESERVE…”

Oh Lord forgive me for getting mad or hurt when You use me and I don’t get in return what I was hoping for. Help my heart to be open and willing to give and love without looking for anything in return. You laid down your life to save me and give me life. I deserve nothing, and yet you gave me everything. Help me to spend my life serving You without expecting things from You.

God Chooses Differently October 24, 2011

Why is it that people still question others based on what they see?  In first Samuel God specifically tells us that He doesn’t see as we see.  He does not consider appearances or worldly qualifications.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature,  because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)

God told Saul that He has chosen a son of Jesse to be anointed as the new king.  I love that God allows for us to read the details of how the chosen is revealed.  Jesse had seven sons pass before Saul, starting with the oldest and most qualified and working his way through the others, but never even considering his youngest David.  Obviously David was the most unqualified for this position.

10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. (1Samuel 16:10-13)

I can only imagine what Jesse and his other sons were thinking.  Imagine the conversations they probably had after the anointing.  Do you think that they were mature and respectful of God’s choice?  Or do you think they were frustrated and jealous, talking about how unqualified David was?  How he didn’t deserve it….

In this same way we must learn to respect God’s choices.  He places people in leadership roles as He chooses.  Does that mean that they won’t make mistakes?  Certainly not, we are all human, and destined to make mistakes.  But it does mean that for us to look at someone that has been given a leadership role and say that person is too young, or too old, or not educated enough, or without experience, is wrong.  We must realize in that moment that God can see something in that person’s heart that we cannot see.  And we must trust Him and honor His choice.

This is very personal for me.  When God called me into ministry I was what many considered too young and under-qualified.  And yet God looked on me and saw something in me, and gave me favor with the leadership.  Through the years that I served in ministry I constantly had to remind myself that God chose me.  Not because of whom I was or what I had done, but because He believed that He could work through me.  Looking back I remember how hard it was to walk that road, facing so many that were not for me.

My prayer is that we would all learn to trust God’s choices.  And that we would support the people that He calls into ministry roles.  They need love and support, and they deserve to be given a chance.

Why Pain? September 28, 2011

I don’t believe that God purposely causes all of the painful circumstances in life, but I do believe He wants to use each one.  By allowing God to use our pain, we find purpose for our suffering and opportunity to take what was bad and use it for good.

I want to share this devotion.  It comes from “Streams in the Desert, Hope for Hurting Hearts” by L.B Cowman.  I read this several years ago and have never forgotten it.  It has proven to be true in my own life.

Essential Training for God’s Divine Ministry of Comfort

Store up comfort.  This was the prophet Isaiah’s mission.  The world is full of hurting and comfortless hearts.  But before you will be competent for this lofty ministry, you must be trained.  And your training is extremely costly, for to make it complete, you too must endure the same afflictions that are wringing countless hearts of tears and blood.  Consequently, your own life becomes the hospital ward where you are taught the divine art of comfort.  You will be wounded so that in the binding up of your wounds by the Great Physician, you may learn how to render first aid to the wounded everywhere. 

Do you wonder why you are having to experience some great sorrow?  Over the next ten years you will find many others afflicted in the same way.  You will then tell them how you suffered and were comforted.  As the story unfolds, God will apply the anesthetic He once used on you to them.  Then in the eager look followed by the gleam of hope that chases the shadow of despair from the soul, you will know why you were afflicted.   And you will bless God for the discipline that filled your life with such a treasure of experience and helpfulness.

God comforts us not to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.

John Henry Jowett

Letting Go September 21, 2011

In my mind I see myself walking down a path holding a precious gift that God has given me, small in size but very valuable.  I am cradling it in my hands, holding it close to my heart.  I am humbled and in awe that God would give me something so precious and that He would trust me with this gift. As I walk along the path the gift glows with a beautiful light and it brings me great blessing and opportunity, allowing me to bless others.  There are some stumbling blocks along the road and I have to hold on tightly to the gift so that I don’t drop it or harm it.  I travel this way for a while.

At some point I begin to think about what I would do if I lost the gift or is someone took it from me, or if God wanted it back one day.  My grip becomes even tighter and I become afraid.  Who am I without the gift?  Sure enough God begins to whisper that my time with the gift is coming to an end.  He is telling me that He has something else for me, a different gift, and that I must let go of the first one before He can give me the next one.  God is gracious and He gives me time, He doesn’t allow anyone to take it from me, and He doesn’t demand it back.  He simply continues to whisper that soon I will need to let it go.

Over the next course of the journey I struggle internally with letting go and the light of the gift begins to dim.  Soon the blessing and opportunity it once brought me has ended and instead the gift becomes heavy. Little by little I begin to loosen my grip on the gift.  It takes a while but eventually I am not gripping the gift at all, I am simply allowing it to rest in my hands.  I know that if I stumble at this point it would fall so I walk carefully.  Eventually I stop and I tell God that I am ready to let go.  “Lord, take it in your timing; I will continue to walk carefully with it until that time comes.”  God speaks to me and tells me exactly how many more steps I will get to take carrying the gift.  He says that He has chosen someone else to carry it for a while and reminds me that He has a different gift for me to carry.

As I walk out these last steps carrying the gift I have mixed emotions.  First I am sad, I will miss the gift and all that it brought to my journey.  But even in the sadness I also feel an excitement begin to stir in my heart.  I think about all of the joy the gift has brought me, and how it is going to bless the next person that carries it.  I begin to think about the next gift that God has for me to carry and I know it will be a blessing too.  I keep walking, carefully, counting each step.  Soon I will say goodbye to the gift, but I have a few more steps left.  I will carry it well to the end, and then I will let it go with joy knowing it will continue to bless others.

Keep Pushing August 22, 2011

When you are pushing forward to serve God and trying wholeheartedly to lay your life down to bring Him glory… you will encounter spiritual warfare.  At times every power of darkness will be fighting against you.  It is when things are calm that you should question your direction, for if you are chasing after God the devil will be chasing after you and trying to stop you.  Don’t give up… keep pushing.

Storms Will Come July 18, 2011

The thing that really stuck with me from our guest speaker yesterday was the way he interpreted Matthew 7:24.  I have heard and read that story hundreds of times throughout my childhood and adult life.  The choice between building your house on the rock or the sand seems to be the point of the parable and I come away thinking… “right, I need to build my life on the foundation of my faith in Christ… got it.” 

The scripture is clear that the house built on the rock is still standing after the storm, but the house built on the sand is washed away.  What I never really thought about, until our guest speaker pointed it out, was that the STORM STILL CAME.  The house built on the rock did not have a DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE it only had a DIFFERENT RESULT.  In fact the sentence describing what happened to the house on the rock is identical to the one describing what happened to the house on the sand… except for the last part.  See for yourself:

House on the rock: ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

House on the sand: ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

What a great reminder that as a Christian we are not exempt from hard times.  The promise is that if we make Christ our foundation we will still be standing when the storm is over.  He will not let it destroy us.  Praise Him in the storm, it will be over soon, and He will carry you through.

Microwave Prayers June 28, 2011

A couple of days ago I was getting hungry and decided to  have one of those microwavable lean cuisine meals.  I got the box out of the freezer, walked right up to the microwave and punched in the amount of time it needed, pushed start and walked away.  When I came back a few minutes later, the meal was still frozen!  What had gone wrong?  Well that was easy to figure out… I had never actually put the meal in the microwave. HA!  Ok so that didn’t actually happen… but it was a very vivid analogy that God gave me.  His still small voice was saying… you see the meal has to actually spend time IN the microwave in order to be changed.  May sound simple… and silly… but I think we do this very thing with our prayer life.  Let me explain…

So many times we come before God with our petitions, prayers, and grievances.  We beg Him to move on our behalf, to change a situation, heal our broken hearts, or build our faith.  The problem is once we have announced our requests we promptly walk away and go back to life.  We forget to actually spend time with God… allowing Him to work within us and change us.  Spending time with God is not equivalent to praying for something.  Think about your prayer life and what you consider your “time with God”, does it revolve around you making requests?  Dont get me wrong, we HAVE TO PRAY and REQUEST if we want to see God move on our behalf.  Matthew 7:7 tells us to ask, seek, and knock.  My point is that the “asking” should only be part of the time we spend with God.  There should also be seeking, and knocking.

For me, the past 3 years have been a little crazy.  Somewhere between being a new mom, a wife, and a working in full-time ministry I got caught up.   I never stopped praying and asking God for help and I never stopped reading my Bible, although there were certainly days that I didn’t, but the real problem was that I would open up the Word, read my chapter, stop and pray for God to do something and move on.  I was checking off the God box on my “to do” list. 

Only recently have I found my way back to really seeking God, spending time praising Him, thanking Him, and giving Him time so that He can shape me.  Have I suddenly become less busy?? NO WAY… I wish!!  The truth is that I realized that I cannot be productive or have joy any other way. I NEED God to get me through the day, to help me be worth something to the people in my life.  Otherwise I will just drain those around me and never be able to be the friend, mom, and wife that God has called me to be.

My Purpose in Cartoon September 21, 2010

I came across the below email that I sent to a few friends around three years ago with the above cartoon… the words that I wrote are still true today…

From: Gingerlyn Wallace [mailto:gwallace@pinelake.org]
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 8:55 AM
Subject: Cartoon Message

Look at this!  How true this is of how I feel about what God has called me to do… that is me, the beat up little man who foolishly opened the door to temptation only to have my life torn to shreds by sin.  Now that I have learned my lesson and God has put my life back together I stand on the outside of the door of temptation and try with all that I have within me to warn others not to make the same mistakes that I did.  Sometimes people have to find out for themselves, but I will still try… because I know how bad it hurts.  I wish their was a way to give people a peep hole into the destruction and misery that awaits but all we can do is show them our scars…

If God is who He says He is… September 9, 2010

If God is who He says He is… Many times I have heard people start a sentence this way followed with the pain and hurt that they are experiencing…

…single and longing to be married, childless and longing to be a mom, loosing a loved one and longing for a healing, unsuccessful and longing to find purpose, broke and longing for financial freedom…

The list goes on and on.  If God cared, if He really was there, then He would fix our problems and give us what we want right?  I mean that is what God is there for… He is the great big wizard in the sky sitting around waiting to fulfill all of our hopes and dreams, right?

Wrong

Just like with any relationship here on Earth, in order to have a relationship with God, we have to care about what He cares about.  It can’t just be about us and what we want from Him.  We have to get to know Him, and spend time with Him.  When we do that we will learn that God does answer prayers, He does still do miracles, but ONLY when it is according to His Will.

The best way to get to know God, and to try to understand His Will is by spending time in His Word.  That’s right… the Bible.  These days it is easier than ever to read the Bible.  We can pull it up online, or down load the Bible app on our phones.  There is no reason why we can’t find time in our day to read His Word.  In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus is talking about how we can rely on Him to provide for us.  The one prerequisite that He gives us for this provision is found in verse 33.  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  We simply need to seek Him, FIRST, before we seek what we want, or what we need.

The truth is that we will never fully understand God’s Will, or why He answers some prayers, and others He doesn’t.  But I have found one thing to be true, seeking God, and laying down my own hopes and dreams to follow His, is the only way to find true fulfillment in this world.