Are You Prepared?

I must admit that I experience some anxiety whenever we prepare for a trip. My dad always espoused the motto "A good boyscout is always prepared" which generally meant you should be prepared for anything. Now that he is an octogenarian (80 years old) he realizes how many eventualities you need to be prepared for, so he carries a large back pack with him most of the time. Our oldest daughter has adopted the same philosophy which makes her an excellent aerospace engineer, but she still has to learn to pack lighter to become an astronaut.

But as we prepared to fly to Denver for our family Christmas celebration, my anxiety levels soared. Do I have all the presents? Will our luggage get lost so that we have no gifts? Is the suitcase too heavy? Will the TSA confiscate any of my belongings? Will we set off the security alarms at the airport? Will we be frisked? How cold will it be? How many layers of clothes will I need to stay warm? Will there be snow? (For a comic note: we had no snow in Denver for Christmas, but our Tennessee home enjoyed a rare white Christmas!)

I frequently had to stop and make myself breath and offer many prayers for protection. I also rehearsed many of the promises of God that reminded me that He is all I really need. When I quiet my troubled emotions I can hear His voice reminding me of all that is necessary, whether it is the promise of His protection, or even the reminder that He wanted me to share this possession with that person. Even when I am not prepared, He is prepared to handle me to accomplish His purpose in my life.

Unfortunately, when we consider God’s job in our lives, we think we are merely saved from hell and destined for heaven. But God has provided so much more for us. The salvation Christ offers is not merely for escape from hell, or membership in heaven. Rather, it is an invitation to a relationship with the living God! Through His great and precious promises He enables us to experience abundant life now and an eternal inheritance beyond comprehension.

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
     and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
     for those who love him."

But it we to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. —1 Cor. 2:9–12 (NLT)

Are you prepared to enjoy the wonderful things God has freely given you, or are you still trying to accomplish it all by yourself so that you continuously find yourself consumed by stressful emotions?

Presents for Jesus

What are you going to give Jesus for His birthday?

Micah 6:6-8 (NLT) gives you His wish list.

What can we bring to the Lord?

What kind of offerings should we give him?

Should we bow before God

with offerings of yearling calves?

Should we offer him thousands of rams

and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

Should we sacrifice our firstborn children

to pay for our sins?

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,

and this is what he requires of you:

to do what is right, to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with your God.

I'm sure He will be delighted with your gift when you "do what is right, to love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Baby Jesus

I have been guilty of wishing my life away. When I was in elementary school I wished to be in Jr. High. When I was in Jr. High I wished to be in High School. When I was in High School I wished to be in college. When I was in college I wished to be graduated. When I graduated I wished to married. When I had babies I wished they would grow up. But I can't say that now that I am passing mid-life that I wish I were a baby!

Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God willingly became a human baby in order to pay the death penalty required on our behalf. Consider the sacrifice that was required to leave the throne of Heaven to become a helpless baby! I cannot image reverting from an adult to an infant! How much more inconceivable to move from having all power and authority to having someone change your diapers!

When you think of the sweet little Holy Child in the manger, do you consider the price He paid to be in a relationship with you? We may agonize as we witness the cruel death that He suffered. But the anguish of the cross can also be observed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ (Matt. 26:37-38 NLT)

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. (Luke 22:41-44 NLT)

Jesus knew that when He became sin for us, His father would not be able to be in a relationship with Him for that point in time because God can have no part with sin. The crisis of the cross was that Christ had to face the penalty of sin without God. So glibly we pummel through our day striving to be independent, inconsiderate of the consequences. But Jesus knew the horror of facing even one minute without a relationship to God. He modeled a life that was totally dependent on God. The trauma of the tragedy was that He willingly sacrificed His relationship with the Father in order to be in a relationship with you and me!

So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. (Eph. 1:6-11 NLT)

Christ’s sacrifice does not automatically bring us into a relationship with God. We are faced with a choice. Who will be God of my world? By default Satan is the god of this evil world, but by choice God can take the throne in your life. You are free to make the choice to continue in your independence or to choose to live a life that is desperately dependent on God.

Your Relationship Status?

All sections of the Evaluation of Desperate Dependency have now been posted. As you have been considering Psalm 119 and evaluating each personalization statement, what are you noticing about your status as an individual who is desperately dependent on God?

Count all your marks. If you have completed all sections you have a possibility of 176 marks.

"I marked _____ of 176 verses."

Prayerfully consider which category authentically describes you currently and consistently. Of course, these are not hard and concrete determinations, because we are humans who are prone to error and deception that may cause us to evaluate ourselves either better or worse than God sees us. But the following continuum can offer a basic understanding of the status of your relationship with God and the direction you are heading.


Independent of God

• I am resistant to God working in my life. I want to be the captain of my own ship and determine my own direction. I am actually a very dependent person, but not dependent on God.

Searching for God

• I recognize I have a need for God in my life. I’m not doing so well at making it on my own. I am looking for solutions in my life and think God may be the answer. But I choose people, positions, and possessions to fill the God place in my life.

Desiring God

• I want to have a relationship with God, so I am attempting to satisfy that yearning. I think I know what God wants, and I want what God wants, so I pray and ask for mercy and deliverance, but return to my sins soon after. I find myself desperate, but not desperately dependent on God. I want to be dependent, but I’m just not there. I’m set on doing it my way.

Connecting with God

• I have a union with God that offers me fellowship. But I also have trust issues that result in fear and make me wonder, “If I turn everything over, what will happen?” I still have a long way to go, but I think I am on the right track. I am easily distracted from God’s purpose, but I am learning that He is faithful and continuously pulling me back to Him. I am learning to depend on Him only.

Desperately dependent on God

• I am not perfect, but I have an unwavering trust that He is the best and only option for navigating this life. He knows what is necessary for me, so I rely on His divine enablement for my personal empowerment as I pursue my greatest goal of glorifying Him. (If you believe you fall in this category, prayerfully consider if you actually completed the exercise honestly, or if you were merely choosing what you want to be true of you.)

If you are really brave and want to know more about yourself, you might consider asking someone close to you to complete the Evaluation of Desperate Dependency with you in mind. God does place people in our lives to assist us in our growth process. But if you are resistant to another’s assessment and feedback, there is the potential that your relationship will be scarred as a result. However, if someone completes the exercise on your behalf, your relationship may be strengthened because of the authentication of their commitment to your maturity.

1. So, what's your status?
2. What do you want your status to be?
3. What are you going to do to be Desperately Dependent on God?

Evaluation of Desperate Dependency - Taw

As you read through this Psalm, mark the verses that currently and consistently (more often than not) describe you. We have also created a personalization of each verse so that you can more easily determine an accurate assessment. Since Psalm 119 (NLT) is composed of 176 verses we will post this review in stages-one section each week. Take your time, and allow God to use this exercise to draw you closer to Himself.

Taw
169O LORD, listen to my cry; / give me the discerning mind you promised.

I ask the LORD to listen to my cry and give me the discerning mind that He promised.

170Listen to my prayer; / rescue me as you promised.

I ask the LORD to listen to my prayer and rescue me as He promised.

171Let praise flow from my lips, / for you have taught me your decrees.

Praise flows from my lips because the LORD has taught me His decrees.

172Let my tongue sing about your word, / for all your commands are right.

I sing about the word of the LORD because all His commands are right.

173Give me a helping hand, / for I have chosen to follow your commandments.

I ask the LORD for a helping hand because I have chosen to follow His commandments.

174O LORD, I have longed for your rescue, / and your instructions are my delight.

I long for the rescue of the LORD because His instructions are my delight.

175Let me live so I can praise you, / and may your regulations help me.

I ask the LORD to let me live so I can praise Him, and for His regulations to help me.

176I have wandered away like a lost sheep; / come and find me, / for I have not forgotten your commands.

Even though I have wandered away like a lost sheep I ask the LORD to come find me because I have not forgotten His commands.

How did you do? Count all your marks.

1. What has God shown you about yourself through this evaluation?

2. What has God revealed about Himself through this assessment?

3. How will you respond to the insight you have gained?