The Gains Made By Grace

“All the grace and compassion you’ve shown is above and beyond what anyone could ask for.”

I’m not a nice teacher every day. Some days I’m a sword, but some days I’m a salve. Some days are grueling tests of my patience. Some days are gracious displays of kindness. But one thing the Lord reminded me of today through one of my students is that we are shaped far more by our recognition of undeserved grace, than by conscience-crushing discipline. The narrow way is indeed curbed by God’s laws and His expectations of our obedience to them, but the road itself is paved with mercy. 

As the vessels of the Father and Son on earth, we are called to embody their character. To be immovable against the encroachment of sin, yet merciful to those in bondage to it. We are called to be both sword and salve, both convicting and compassionate. Yet unfortunately, as creatures of habit, we tend to react to our surroundings and treat others accordingly. Far too often, we treat others based on how they treat us. Far too often, we react to their brokenness and immaturity in kind.

Jesus said that at the time of the end, when wickedness increases, “the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Which means that Satan will do everything in his power to ensure that the love of Christ will not endure in us. He will buffet us with senseless violence, with macabre spectacles of the full potential of human wickedness and brokenness, and with the mocking and derision of those both outside of our spiritual encampment and those within our own spiritual encampment when we speak of love instead of retaliation. 

So we must not flinch at the enemy’s advances, but rather hold onto Jesus Christ’s promise that “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

(Eph 6:13-15) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

(Matt 24:10-13) At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

(John 13:34,35) A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Stand Your Ground

Lessons from a momma duck:  Stand your ground. 

A couple weeks ago while I was mowing, I found a momma duck sitting on a nest. As I neared her nest, I figured at some point the sound and terror of my mower would cause her to flee in fear. My mower is huge, loud, and surely terrifying to a little ol’ duck. Each pass I made around her nest, I got closer and closer. But each pass I made, she just sat quietly and watched. The last pass I made was within a foot of her nest, and that momma duck never even flinched. 

I marveled at the steel resolve of the little momma duck and whispered, “Lord, make me like that.” No doubt, the little momma duck felt terror at the size and sound of the metal beast that kept making its way toward her. She was outmatched and outgunned— no chance that little momma duck could take on a John Deere lawn tractor to protect her eggs. But none of that mattered to her. No matter how close I got or how certain it seemed that she was about to be overcome by the beast, she stood her ground. 

Paul tells us at Ephesians Chapter 6 that we are to put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, we may stand our ground. Then, after “having done everything, to stand.” No matter how close the enemy gets, no matter how certain it is that we may be overcome by the beast, Paul tells us to “stand firm.”

O Lord, when we feel outmatched and outgunned by the enemy, may we we remember this lesson from the momma duck and the words of Paul, “…stand your ground…and after having done everything…stand..”

(John 14:1,27) Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me… Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

(Ps 27:1-3) The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread? When the wicked came upon me to devour me, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell. Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust.

(Rev 12:11 NLT) And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

Solitary Sandbar

Sometimes my emotions want to carry me out, far away from shore on a low tide of feelings. 

If we do that, then we become stranded on a sandbar all alone. Away from the shore. Away from the encouragement and wisdom of others. Isolated and turned inward, no food, no fresh water, just the gritty, irritating sand encrusting  every surface and working its way into every conceivable breach. Until we find ourselves focused only our irritation and isolation and every perception that has been rubbed raw. 

James, the brother of Christ, instructs us to “..consider it all joy… when you encounter various trials..” Personally, I find it much easier to simply endure a trial, rather than find joy in it. Amy Carmichael states that by God’s grace we can rise to endurance, but to count it all joy, “That is different.”

The truth is, those who do not belong to Christ can endure through trial. It is not our enduring through trial which sets a follower of Christ apart. It is our enduring trial while “considering it all joy” which delineates those who are in Christ from those who are not. The Lord is not after our endurance, He is after our faith. Because the “testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have itsperfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:3,4)

O Lord, keep the high tide of joy in our minds and hearts …and keep us off the sandbar. 

(Heb 6:11,12) We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

(Rom 5:2-5) And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

(Ps 42:6-8) O my God, my soul despairs within me. Therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—even from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

Shown And Shone

We mustn’t ask ourselves, “What will people think?” We must ask ourselves, “Will Christ be glorified?”

There have been many times I have been tempted to not share a part of my spiritual journey for fear of what people may think. There have also been many times when I’ve shared a certain thing, and it was misunderstood or misinterpreted, and I was tempted to further explain myself or defend myself. The enemy is always seeking a foothold, whether it be to dissuade us at the outset or discourage us after-the-fact. 

I share details of my walk with the Lord to bear witness to His life-changing power (Rev 12:11). But even before I began sharing about my relationship with Christ, the enemy tried to convince me that the journey wasn’t needed. For years I was an alcoholic and so much of my life and identity was wrapped up in that lifestyle. The enemy tried to convince me that I wasn’t “that bad.” Then he tried to convince me that the changes I needed to make were too many and too much, and that it would cause a total upheaval in my life. “You’re not that bad”…. “You’re too bad to be fixed”— he was wrong about both. But he was right about the upheaval. 

Beloved family, I share this because I long for unity in the mind of Christ among us. And the mind of Christ will never say, “What will people think?” It will never say, “You aren’t that bad.” And it will never say, “You’re too bad to be fixed.” But it will say, “Will Christ be glorified?” Will Christ be shown and manifested in you? Will His glory and holiness and meekness and steadfastness be shone through you? Indeed, such showing and shining will cause upheaval, but do not fear. You will be held in the palm of His hand. 

O Lord, may You be both shown and shone through all You have sown in us. 

(Matt 5:14,15) You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 

(Rom 8:18,19) I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

(John 10:28,29) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

Driven By Whim Or Wisdom?

“I pray that we will not be a people driven by whim, but by wisdom.”

I don’t think most of us realize how much of our daily decisions are driven by whim. Over the years, the Lord has shown me the unfortunate reality that an entire ministry can be built upon whim and driven by impulse. None of us are immune to this subtle deception, because the enemy who usually works this type of deception is ourself. We are very good at convincing ourselves. 

Paul was superbly educated in Scripture and zealous for God, but all of it was misguided, destructive, and vain, until he had a personal encounter with the One he claimed to serve but did not know. It all came crashing down the day he traveled the road to Damascus, full of his own purpose in God based on whim and impulse. Paul came face-to-face with the God he had convinced himself he was serving and asked, “Who are you…?”

Those three words should stand as an everlasting sentinel between those who merely preach the Lord, and those who truly know Him. Those three words should remind us that when Jesus responded to Paul, saying, “I am Jesus..”, Paul’s humble response was, “What would You have me do?” I find myself wondering if it was the first time he finally asked for God’s input…with a willing heart to receive it. 

O Lord, may we have the humility needed to always ask, “What would You have me do?”… and may we have a willing heart to receive Your response. 

(1 Sam 23:1,2) Now it was reported to David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and looting the threshing floors.”So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?”

(1 Sam 30:7,8) Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”

(2 Sam 2:1) It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.”

(2 Sam 5:18,19) Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

Introduction To Sheep Handling

“I learned we should never beat the sheep, but must feed them if we want them to follow.”— Liu Zhenying (aka Brother Yun)

As I read through “The Heavenly Man,” the life story of Brother Yun, I am awestruck at the level of suffering and abuse this man endured for the sake of Jesus Christ. At one point in his life, he was sentenced to 4 years in prison at hard labor— just one of many imprisonment terms he would endure. While serving his sentence, he was tasked with sheep herding for a short while. Even while serving prison time for the Lord, he had a teachable spirit and sought to find the Lord speaking through whatever circumstance he endured. In this case, he learned that sheep are not driven, they are led. 

At John Chapter 6, we are told that Jesus performed many miracles around Galilee, including multiplying the fishes and loaves. The next day, throngs of people sought Him out on either side of the lake. When they finally found Him, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were satisfied.” 

Jesus had satisfied a deep need within the people, that nothing else had ever filled. Yes, Jesus gave testament to Who He was as Messiah through the many miracles He performed. But miracles are not food, and the people were hungry. They were spiritually starving, and you don’t meet the need of spiritually starving people with aggression. You meet their need by giving them the spiritual food that can only be found in Jesus Christ. 

Because we don’t beat sheep, we feed them. 

(John 10:27,28) My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

(John 6:51,57) I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh… Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

(John 10:7-9) So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters in by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and will go out and will find pasture.”

**(Accompanying photo from the Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board pdf, “Understanding Sheep Behavior,” released by the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan, Inc.) 

The Cost To Know Him

“We are not good with You because we preach You, we are good with You because we know You.”

I served in a church for 7 years as the women’s minister. I left the organized church in 2019 bitter, hurt, angry, and frustrated. Nothing turned out like I expected. In fact, it seemed like everything had fallen apart. A year later, I graduated from Bible college with highest honors and I remember chuckling to myself, thinking, “All this for what, Lord?” I felt useless. Purposeless. But right around that time, I started to have an inexplicable urge to go out to my barn every day to pray. 

Day after day, I went out to that barn. I wrestled with a lot of things out there, but mostly with myself. More than once I lamented to God, “I worked so hard to do what You asked, and now all I’m doing is sitting in a dirty barn every day.” What I didn’t understand at the time, was that there is a difference between preaching Christ and knowing Christ. When I served in the church, I could preach Christ up one side of that barn and down another. But one day, God let all that come crashing down and called me out to a barn, because He wanted me to know Him. The truth was, the Lord wasn’t asking me to preach, He was asking me to be in relationship with Him. 

Throughout that year in the barn, I grew in personal knowledge of the living God. My religion met its maker, my Scripture knowledge met its inspirer. My failures became my salvation from both dead religion and the vanity of self-motivated service. When the Lord would share a particularly deep spiritual truth with me, I would write it on the barn wall. And one of those truths was a reminder to myself that we aren’t right with God because we preach Him, we’re right with God because we know Him. 

Oh Father, increase our desire to know You… and grant us the grace to be willing to pay the cost.

(Matt 16:24,25) Then Jesus said His to disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

(Phil 3:10,11 AMP) For my determined purpose is that I may know Him ; that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving, recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection, which it exerts over believers, and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness, even to His death, in the hope that if possible, I may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts me out from among the dead even while in the body.

(Prov 2:3-5) …if you cry for discernment and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

A Word To The Gardeners

“…souls cannot be hustled.”— Amy Carmichael

I planted a garden this year, and the Lord has been ministering to me greatly through it. There have been mornings when I stand at my window and look out at it, and the Spirit reminds me that I cannot watch it grow in real time. I cannot perceive any change or growth, no matter how long I stand there and stare at it. Even so, it does grow. 

I planted this garden, and I water it and I weed it, but I do not make it grow. I cannot hurry the growth of this garden. I cannot stand out amongst my plants and will them to grow faster. I can give them water and I can keep the weeds from choking them out, but I cannot produce the life that is in them, nor can I increase that life or determine it’s limit. I cannot hustle this garden. I can only tend to it patiently, as a force that lies completely outside of myself causes it’s growth. 

In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells us that the seed which falls in good soil will “bear fruit with patient steadfastness.” The writer of Hebrews says, “..you have need of patient endurance” to receive what was promised. More often than not, I have focused on my “doing in faithfulness” rather than my “waiting in patience.” Not realizing that sometimes, our “doing in faithfulness” is to “wait in patience.” This is God’s word to the gardeners: “You cannot hustle souls, you have need of patient endurance.” 

Thankfully Paul tells us, “..God will supply all your needs” in Christ Jesus. 

(Rom 15:4-6) For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Cor 3:7) So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

(Prov 16:32) Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

The Tent That Stood

I came across a tent one day

While crossing the desert sands

Crumpled and rumpled 

Folded and worn 

It lay and did not stand 

I stood and thought of all the ways

That tent could benefit me

Pitched and stretched 

Rigid and taught

Shading me entirely 

I picked it up and got to work

Smoothing out all the creases

Pulled and pressed

Flattened and tamed

Binding all the pieces 

“You are tearing me apart!”

It wept and cried as I worked 

As I yanked 

And I pushed 

And I lengthened each cord 

And I stretched it beyond limit 

“You will rend me unto death!”

It moaned and sighed at at my craft 

As I combed 

And I brushed 

And inspected each stitch 

And removed the dirt within it 

I picked it up and set it right 

Gathering cords and ropes 

Pegged and staked 

Anchored and moored

A shelter for all hopes 

I stood and thought of all the ways 

Multudes would be covered 

Soothed and calmed

Guarded and safe

Shade for every brother 

I came across a tent one day 

While crossing the desert way

Large and broad 

Grounded and strong 

It stood and did not lay 

(Isaiah 54:2,3) Enlarge the site of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back. Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes in deep. For you will spread out to the right and left; your descendants will dispossess the nations and inhabit the desolate cities.

(Ex 33:7-14) Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it at a distance outside the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting, and anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp…As Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance, and the LORD would speak with Moses…face to face, as one speaks to a friend…Moses said to the LORD,…”If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”…The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Foundation Of Faith

Sometimes the Lord has to make a wreck of our faith to teach us about faith. 

So much of our faith tends to be based on emotion. Many of us build our faith on what we can see and what we feel, rather than what God says about Himself. We build with the framework of emotion on the sands of circumstance, and when the circumstances are agreeable and good, our faith feels secure. But when God pulls out the pin holding it all together, our construct of circumstance-based faith begins to fall apart. 

As I continue to read through my stack of novels about the lives of different missionaries, I keep coming face-to-face with my own need for a greater faith— one that is not based on anything other than what God says about Himself. I need a faith that cannot be mustered nor maintained by human emotion. I need a faith that has no impetus in anything human at all. A faith not earned, but given. A faith not imagined, but lived. 

Austin-Sparks states that Christ must be known through experience, rather than through information— “The only way to know Him is by… being wrecked upon Him…so He brings us to a place of helplessness in order that we might discover our resource in Him.” A faith that endures is a faith that is tested. It is a faith that is not defined by circumstance. It is a faith that may be dashed upon the rocks of tribulation over and over, yet not found wanting. Because it is a faith that has found both its resource and strength in the Lord Himself. 

O Father in heaven, may we have such a faith. 

(Matt 21:42-44) Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

(Rom 12:13) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.

(1 Pet 1:8,9) Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

(Rom 4:19-21) Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Seeds Sown In Faith

“Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.” (Mark 4:27)

As I prayed over my lunch today, I asked that the Lord bless the hands that prepared it and served it, and that they would come to know, love, and serve the Lord, in Jesus’ name. Since this food is leftovers, the thought entered my mind that I had already prayed over this food once and that I didn’t need to pray over it again. Then another thought entered my mind that there can never be “too many prayers.” So yesterday and today, a cook and a waitress at Kelly’s Country Cookin’ were prayed for, simply because they did their job. 

I probably won’t know what the effect or fruit of those prayers will ever be. I thought about that as I sat in chapel at the school today, before I ever prayed over my lunch. I was making copies in the front office and the Lord told me to go sit in chapel and pray while a student was being baptized. I sat in the back and prayed for the pastor, the school, and two students in particular who won’t be back next year. Two students whom I will likely never know what effect or fruit my prayers for them will ever be. 

One thing that the Lord has been ministering to me lately is that all seeds are planted in faith. We do not plant seeds because we see any immediate effect or measurable result. Some seeds take longer to germinate than others. Some seeds grow large plants and some seeds grow small plants. Some seeds grow only ornamental plants— plants just for show. And some seeds grow plants that bear fruit— plants that nourish and build up something else. 

Either way, seeds are planted in faith that at some point, they will rise up and change the landscape. 

(1 Cor 3:5-7) …the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

(1 Thess 5:16-18) Rejoice always. Pray unceasingly. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

(Heb 6:7,8) When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.

God’s Side

“When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.”— Oswald Chambers

The difficult task for believers is not that of preaching truth. Most believers are quite capable of vocalizing unsolicited truth. The difficult task for believers is to preach the truth without acrimony or rancor. The difficult task is to speak truth in a way that is completely severed from our personal opinions. This severing must be so, because if we preach a truth that just so happens to line up with our personal opinion, we bring people face to face with ourselves rather than God.

This does not mean that our personal opinions won’t or mustn’t align with God’s truth. In fact, as we go on with the Lord, there should be an ever-increasing giving-over-of-self to the mind and heart of the Lord. But we must learn how to preach God’s truth in a way that is never validated by our own opinion. To do so is to subtly portray ourselves as right, and others as wrong. We must remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: “..my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”

Right before Joshua invaded Jericho, the angelic commander of the Lord’s army appeared. When Joshua saw him, he asked, “Are you for us or our enemies?” And the angel answered, “Neither.” He then told Joshua to take off his shoes “for the place where you are standing is holy.” He drew Joshua’s mind away from the “us vs. them” perspective and put it on God’s perspective— God is on God’s side and He alone is holy. The angel of the Lord brought Joshua face to face with God’s holiness and reminded Joshua where he stood in light of that. 

O Lord, we confess our need to be humbled by your Spirit and taught Your ways. May acrimony and rancor be cast away from us, and may we be filled with that which is “peace-loving, gentle, impartial, and sincere.”

(James 3:17) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

(Joshua 5:13-15) Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” And he replied, “Neither, I have now come as Commander of the LORD’s army.” Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?” The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

(Matt 5:3-11) Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are the gentle… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… Blessed are the merciful… Blessed are the pure in heart… Blessed are the peacemakers… Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness… Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.