Author: Jodie

A Touch

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Matthew 9:18-26

18 As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”

19 So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. 20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, 21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

I’m sure you ladies understand how frustrating it is when you spend valuable time painting 10 fingernails and 10 toes and the polish begins to chip off in a day or two! Personally, I strongly dislike seeing bare nail exposed, so in an effort to keep my nails beautiful a little while longer, I pull out the bottle of polish and lightly touch the broken areas with the brush.

The woman with the issue of blood wanted the same thing from Jesus: just a touch to heal her broken body. She believed if she could just brush against the hem of His robe, her health would be restored.

The good news is: through the power of the Holy Spirit I too am able to reach out and touch my Savior’s robe to be healed physically, emotionally or spiritually!!! In fact, He wants me to keep seeking Him -and asking.

Matthew 7:7-11

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Does that mean that everything I ask for will be answered with a “daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well?” Not necessarily, because I may not always ask with the right motivation.

James 4:3-10

3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

4 You adulterers![a] Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?[b] 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud
but favors the humble.”[c]

7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

BUT, when I humble myself before Him, as this woman did, and my will matches His will and my faith meets His promises, He WILL paint the areas that are broken with vivid color, restoring them to their intended beauty.

Isaiah 61

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
  to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
 and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.[a]

2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
 that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,[b]
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

3 To all who mourn in Israel,[c]
 he will give a crown of beauty for ashes…..

Steak

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1 Corinthians 3:1-3

3 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people.[b] I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life.[c] 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

During Sunday’s sermon, our pastor made a statement that struck me. Although I’ve heard the concept taught several times before, it never resonated in my soul like it did yesterday. I cannot quote him exactly, but the gist of what he was communicating is this: preachers & teachers were never designed to feed meat to the people…what is delivered is regurgitated milk.

It reminded me of myself years ago when I was a nursing mom. I’d eat a meal, my body would digest the nutrients I needed to survive and then it would produce enough milk to sustain our babies. Now imagine if I was STILL breast-feeding our 14, 12, 10 and 7 year old. Good grief! Practically, they could survive on their mother’s milk, but they would never grow to be strong, much less able to feed themselves- or others.

Unfortunately, the church of America is doing a poor job of weaning the infants among us. Instead of making disciples, preachers and teachers continue breastfeeding their young through the power of the internet, cable tv, books, podcasts, blogs… we even fill arenas and nurse 1,000’s of babies at a time. Sadly, a lot of those infants that consume milk from multiple breasts never learn to eat solid food on their own.

Why?

The short answer is, they just don’t feel like it. They know that chewing on the meat of God’s Word requires time, attention, surrender and a whole lot of effort.

Our son recently announced that he hates steak. He says it’s too hard to chew. Even though he loves the flavor and it fills his growing body, he refuses to eat it anymore. Instead, he just eats salad and a baked potato (because, in this household, you eat what is served, or you don’t eat!).

All of us, in one way or another refuse to eat steak in certain areas of our lives. Today I didn’t particularly want to chew on the verses that pertain to coveting my “neighbor’s” stuff. It would have been much easier for me to listen to someone else regurgitate how they conquered the sin of envy than to open the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to correct me.

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

If you’ve been living on milk for a while I want to encourage you, my friend, to pick up your Bible and chew on some steak. When you do, your body, soul & spirit will be nourished and strengthened -and you will be able to run the race that God has set before you (because you can’t do it on salad and baked potato alone!)

Hebrews 12:1

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Many Parts

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1 Corinthians 12:12-31

12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[a] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[b]

14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:

first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.

29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.

But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

I have had the privilege of being a part of several local bodies of Christ since I became a follower. Some bodies functioned very effectively Advancing His Kingdom. Some, unfortunately, decapitated the head and as a result, every other part began to die due to the lack of blood flow.

With these experiences in mind, when Doug and I started a ministry that was designed to support many local churches, I hoped to remain humbly submitted to the head and never say to an eye or a foot “I don’t need you.” Years later, I wish I could emphatically state that that’s always been the case, but I can’t. I am still a sinner, saved by grace…and I am still learning what it means to be a loving part of the body of Christ.

In my very short journey of being a disciple and “ministry leader”, I’ve realized that one of the most difficult aspects of being seen and heard is that hidden parts sometimes mistakenly think that I am more important. Given enough praise and acknowledgement for my function, I may be tempted to think that I can operate the entire body on my own. As that pride seeps further down into my soul, I might even begin to believe (albeit subconsciously) that I am the head and that my gifts, skills and leadership abilities are the sole reason for any advancement. Eventually, though, the less honorable parts will grow tired of my pompous attitude and of being ignored and they will cut themselves off from me- and perhaps even the entire body. As a result of my unexamined sin, serious injuries can occur, and if not dealt with quickly, the body will bleed out…

Fortunately, I’ve also realized that when those self-gratifying thoughts begin to rummage through my mind I can call 911 and the Holy Spirit will rush me to the ER. There, as I lay myself out on a gurney before the Great Physician He is able to show me an x-ray of my heart….and I am moved to repent. Then, as He submerges me in His healing antiseptic grace, I am once again able to know that His Son is the only rightful head of the church and ALL His children are crucial parts of His body.

Great Wealth

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1 Timothy 6:2-10

Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. 3 Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. 4 Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. 5 These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.

6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

I grew up in a stereotypical affluent city in Southern California. Many of the kids I went to school with came from wealthy families who lived in huge houses (they were mansions to me), drove top of the line cars and wore every name brand item that hung on the rack. Unbeknownst to me, my dad made pretty good money back in those days, but like many kids in America, I felt neglected because my parents refused to give me everything my little greedy heart desired. Still, I always had enough food and plenty of clothing…

25 years later, Doug & I are now the parents who are trying to train our children (Proverbs 22:6) to be content.  Fortunately, God’s Word provides all the answers we need. Unfortunately, however, there is much division among biblical teachers & preachers in regards to how God’s truth is to be applied. According to some, we, God’s children are heirs in His Kingdom; therefore, we should have faith for wealth, health and prosperity (just to name a few). Because, after all, God loves His children and wants to bless us…right?

According to Matthew 7:7-11, God DOES love us and wants to give us good gifts, but these gifts are of His Spirit, not treasures that are temporal (Matthew 6:19-21).

So what if all this great wealth is a test for His children, instead of a platform for an inspirational teaching about the accrual of treasure?

Imagine if we, His heirs chose to worship Him by giving 10% to the church to Advance His Kingdom in our communities, nation and throughout the world. Imagine if we also gave above the tithe to others whom God has prompted us to serve. Imagine if we were good stewards and spent less than the numbers on our paycheck each month.  Imagine if we saved for the future. Imagine if we paid cash for big purchases instead of accruing a larger balance on our credit cards. Imagine if we stopped comparing our lives to the Jones’ (whoever they are) in the Kingdom and in the world and choose to be content with what God has given us!

How could those few things change the world for Christ? I can only speak from personal experience and say that it has radically changed my husband’s life and mine. When Doug and I were DINKS (Dual Income No Kids), we made good money, but squandered most of it. When I became a stay-at-home unpaid mom, we were somehow able to live on less money with more people to support. We were able to tithe 10% of our gross income to our local church. We were able to give to others out of an overflow. We were able to sacrifice our wants to get out of credit card debt. We were able to pay cash for unexpected emergencies. And we were able to afford to have a little fun, too.

How were we able? By loving Jesus.

John 14:15-21

15 “If you love me, obey[a] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.[c] 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

I wish I could say that I am no longer tempted by great wealth. I am. Comparison to the Jones’ can do that to you…but thankfully, as I continue to pursue an attitude of gratitude towards Our Provider by daily surrendering to His will through Worship, Prayer & His Word, I have been able to avoid all kinds of evil.

Father, would you help me know your truth about wealth and how that applies to my life? Thank you for blessing me with the gifts of your Spirit- and for the abundance of food, clothing and material objects we possess. May your Spirit always keep my heart content, whether our bank account dwindles or expands.

Amen

Leashed

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Hebrews 12:1-12

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;[c] then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?[d] He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
    and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

Our family recently adopted a 4 year old chocolate lab named Maggie. She is the sweetest thing; loving, gentle and obedient- well…..most of the time! On our first outing with her, we quickly realized that she had not been trained to walk on a leash. There was no need, since her previous owners (who are good friends of ours) lived on a nice sized lot with a lake, so Maggie was content to stay within their property lines. Unfortunately, she has been adopted by city dwellers, so in order to venture out, she is going to have to learn to be leashed.

Yesterday, as the Bullard Pack endured a 3 mile walk with Maggie on a trail in Sanford, Doug and I chuckled as we discussed the similarities between our dog trying to walk us and how we often try to walk God.

When God reveals a glimpse of one of His promises for my future I often times become impatient for them to be made realized. In my attempt to reach the goal in record time, I sometimes tug at the leash urging Him to run a little faster. Then there are times when I have NO idea where He’s leading me and my “instinct” (fear) kicks in, once again compelling me to lunge forward and pull as hard as I can on the leash to make Him go where I want.

Both instances leave me with collar burns, sore muscles and my tongue panting in frustration. Yet, my Master is patient with me and lets me continue to wear myself out until finally, I stop, drop my tail between my legs, walk back to Him and sit down. Then, when He moves forward, I follow, knowing that He is in control -and He will lead me where I need to go.

After much training and discipline, Maggie is still learning how to surrender to her master and willingly submit to being leashed……and so am I.

Not Enough Rocks

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John 8:1-11

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

There’s a scene in the motion picture, “Forrest Gump” where Forrest and Jenny, after being reunited again are walking down the lane toward Jenny’s childhood home. As Jenny stops in front of the abandoned house, all the years of running and reckless living fade away as her suppressed emotions from the loss of her mother and abuse from her father overwhelms her. Desperate for relief from the rage, bitterness and grief, Jenny begins hurling rocks at the dilapidated structure until finally, she collapses in exhaustion. Forrest, with his childlike wisdom narrates, “sometimes….there just aren’t enough rocks.”

I’ve felt and acted like Jenny. I’ve endured the sting of pain inflicted by others whose sin has affected me. I’ve run from reality and suppressed my emotions because it was just too hard to deal with in the moment. Eventually, though, I realized that the running just caused more pain and so I chose to face the demons of my past. The thing is, when I tried to do that in my own strength, I picked up handfuls of rocks and began throwing them at the people who hurt me instead of first examining my Pharisaical heart.

“Let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone….”

There will never be enough rocks to stone the people who have hurt us. But there is an unlimited supply of forgiveness that can cover every one of the wounds that have been inflicted. All we have to do is throw ourselves down before the Savior of the world and ask for His forgiveness first. Only then are we free to go…..and sin no more.

Princess

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Psalm 44:4-8

4 You are my King and my God…..

5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
    only in your name can we trample our foes. 6 I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.

7 You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
 you disgrace those who hate us.

8 O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name.

Revelation 19:16

16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

I’ve been a fan of animated Disney movies all my life. I am especially fond of those that tell a story about a princess and her prince that rescues her from the wicked queen. As a little girl, I lived in a perpetual fantasy land of fairy tales and make believe….but when I grew up and married my prince, my story didn’t turn out exactly as I had dreamed.

I’ve since discovered that many princesses in the Kingdom live in a similar state of mind that was never written, produced or directed for them by their King. Instead, the evil queen (Satan) has conjured up unrealistic expectations for them- and their prince- and although they may be hidden, they believe and live by them. And when those expectations aren’t met, he whispers more little lies into their ears until they feel as if all hope is lost.

Fortunately, I received revelation not so long ago, in a land far, far away about who I am and who my young prince is. I am the daughter of the One True King. My husband is the son of the One True King. Along with all the inheritance that Our King has bestowed on us, we are also given His power to push back the evil queen and live out this abundant life- and marriage that our King has promised.

Through the power of prayer and the life giving truth of His Word my prince and I were rescued and brought back to the castle in which we were destined to inherit. Still, occasionally that wicked queen taunts us to eat the apple or become “human” by surrendering our voice, but we are always given a choice to choose; life or death, faith or fiction.

So whether you’re locked away in the tower, in a deep sleep, or surrounded by little people that drive you crazy all day…..believe me when I tell you that you can cry out to the King of kings and He will come riding up on His white horse to save you! (AND….. if you ask Him, He’ll also help you see your husband for the prince he really is, instead of a slimy, wart covered frog)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuJWQzjfU3o