What is Man That You are Mindful of Him?

Living is about finding Jesus in the midst of our lives – being complete in Him, fulfilled through Him, and enabled by Him. Ironically, the spiritual dimension underpinning the foundation of our existence has been abandoned by human civilization in preference to what sin and carnality can provide. The completion and fulfillment once experienced by man in dependency upon His God, has been lost. All that now resides of our former selves is the longing to be more than we are. This longing is the yearning burning within each person that either propels them to human achievement, to dream dreams of the grandeur of man, or to sink to despair in the sea of disappointment. All human accomplishment is limited to that which human ingenuity can produce. Redemption from what we are and restoration to what we once were is not within the purview of our ability.

The question set before us now is, “Will we seek to define life in accordance to the flesh or in accordance with the Spirit?” How each one of us answers this question will form a relational bond with our purpose for living that will companion with us on life’s journey. Choice by choice, we will move toward meeting our eternal destiny forged by having authentically received Christ or not.

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” (Rom. 8:5-8 NIV)

Joshua admonished the children of Israel:

“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh. 24:14–15 ESV)

We fall into a trap if we believe a person, position, or possession other than Jesus can complete our lives. In our daily struggles we search for ways to stimulate our emotions or sedate our emotions in order to feel good. But that which makes me feel good enslaves me. The end result is bondage. What a cunning ploy Satan has devised! “This is what you need to feel good about yourself,” he asserts as he lays the net to ensnare you. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12; 16:25 NIV). “An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him” (Prov. 5:22 NLT). These strongholds are fortifications that keep us imprisoned.

Every person possesses within his or her heart a completion scenario that delimits what would produce the ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction. This experience would represent the greatest encounter in life. Beyond this, nothing could be better. Our completion scenario is created out of a synthesis of our orientation to God, what we value, and what we think and feel. This completion scenario motivates desire and gives direction to our behavioral pursuits that are reinforced through immediate gratification. It is here within our very own version of our completion scenario that we seek to be validated by our God substitutes.

The generations of those who have sought salvation in Jesus Christ have been eclipsed by the shadow of the hordes who have rejected Him. Jesus grieved as He admonished, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13–14 ESV).

Jesus asserted, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV).

Within our lives we each possess a sacred “God place”—that place designed by God for God. Only He has the right to occupy this position in our lives. From this God place He rules over our souls and replenishes our hearts with His validating love, while establishing our identity. When any other entity occupies this place, we are guilty of idolatry. The Old Testament is replete with warnings and consequences that result when idols invade the lives of God’s chosen people. Although we may dismiss these passages because they are often connected with the pagan gods of Baal or Asherah, these admonitions also apply to modern life where we continuously allow other entities to fill our God place and dictate our lives. Any substitution for God we permit to establish our identity, love, significance, or security is an idol. These counterfeits break the heart of God. He aches as He watches our foolish endeavors to find completion in our lives through empty alternatives.

What then is man that God is mindful of him, that He would alter the course of the world so that you could deviate from your fallen path to find Him amid the ruins of your life? You are in truth the object of His love!

Insight Journal
How do I live in contradiction to my faith by professing love for Jesus that I do not practice in life?

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

It's Too Hard

When God calls, how do you answer?

Are we really, fully available, or are we only comfortably available?

Remember Moses response to God when he was asked to be God’s spokesman?

...God called to him from the midst of the [burning] bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.” (Ex. 3:4 NKJV)

Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Ex. 3:10 NKJV)

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

So He said, “I will certainly be with you....”

Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction... to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ (Ex. 3:11–17 NKJV)

Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ” (Ex. 4:1 NKJV)

Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” (Ex. 4:10–13 NKJV)

...I will be with your mouth and with his [Aaron] mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. (Ex. 4:15 NKJV)

People complain that it is just too hard to do what God is asking. When we protest, “It’s too hard,” we are actually stating that God is not keeping His promise to enable us. Even in Old Testament times, the people protested that God’s ways were too difficult, and so they attempted to adjust His standards of holiness. This was God’s response:

“But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the LORD,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the LORD . . . “For I am a great king,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!” (Mal. 1:12–14 NLT)

So how is it that we manage to believe we do not have to give God our best? Why are we convinced that He is asking something of us that is too difficult? When will we choose to believe God’s truth instead of falling for Satan’s deceptions? Moses was whining too. “And the LORD told Moses, ‘When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do’” (Ex. 4:21 NLT). In the midst of all our weakness we can rest assured that God will empower us to accomplish what He desires of us.

Satan has perverted the concept of submission, similarly to the concept of dependency, so we believe it is something to be avoided. Through submission we yield our hearts to God’s will and our wills to God’s heart. This surrender creates a reciprocal harmony of fellowship between God and us. Together we walk step by step with the heartbeat of God. We do not have to come up with our own plans or follow our own processes; we can compliantly follow His way. This submission establishes the path of restoration to love, joy, and peace, and produces grateful obedience.

Obedience is the place where divine enablement meets with personal empowerment. Our desires are not merely to rigidly do what God wants us to do, but to fervently seek to know and pursue His will. Our motivation for living is to connect to God in a vibrant relationship where we are studying His Word and communing in prayer and following His design. This yearning for prayer and assimilating the Scriptures is for the purpose of understanding His heart and applying His principles to every aspect of our lives, realizing that His designs are perfect. It is our responsibility to allow God’s Word to infiltrate the void created when we yielded our independence to God. We bow before God, willing to be governed by His sovereignty.

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

Insight Journal
Prayerfully discern: What lies am I believing that keep me from an intimate relationship with Christ?

Christ Is Relevant to Painting

It has been a LONG summer! In some ways too long. In other ways not long enough. Last fall we primed ourselves for some major home remodeling. One project has led to another, and in May Kirk suggested that we paint our downstairs. It must be noted from the outset, that I do not delight in painting! I do it, but I am not like my friend, Tricia, who joyfully tells me each year how much she is looking forward to her vacation time so that she can repaint all the rooms in her home, and she says it with an expansive smile and means it too!! Several other things are important for you to know. The downstairs used to be our garage, and it had been reallocated to our den/guestroom/crafting area. The walls were covered with unfinished barn siding, and cabinets and bookshelves were stained to achieve a rustic look that coordinated with our wood-burning stove.

Translating, “Let’s paint downstairs” means relocating my entire stash of crafting supplies throughout the house and dismantling all the shelves to be able to access the walls in order to paint them. It also means that everything that had a wood look would be painted either yellow or white. Yep, I said yellow – bright, June Day yellow. That was Kirk’s choice! I like happy colors, so I wasn’t going to argue about him straying from his normally dull, excuse me, muted pallet to embrace the warmth of June Day, but I did question him, repeatedly! Okay, deep breath, we can do this.

I knew it would be a grueling task, but I truly had no idea of the path ahead of us! After long conversations with our friendly Sherwin Williams paint consultants, we purchased many gallons of primer and paint and bravely (actually it was timidly) embarked on the adventure.

Did I happen to mention that as we were working on the downstairs, a contractor was also installing a new entryway to replace the rotting door ensemble? Really the reason for this portion of the remodel was to prevent downpours from flooding our basement. We hoped that in a few short days our front entrance would be reinstated and a new driveway installed to divert the water from the house. The driveway was torn out, and construction commenced in full force.

After Kirk spent hours sanding the cabinets, and shelves, I struggled with the painting process. I grumbled and complained that it didn’t look good and I couldn’t achieve the desired results. Another consultation with Sherwin Williams left them shaking their heads and saying they couldn’t make it work either. Really? Yep, I’ve said that word a lot this summer! So Kirk sanded some more to remove what I labored so many hours to accomplish. I was filled with grumbling and complaining.

Our kids constantly remind us to “Google it” to find solutions, so I took my problem to Google. The bloggers recommended Benjamin Moore paint undercoated with a special primer. I purchased Benjamin Moore paint and the special primer and conducted various sample tests on a cabinet door. The results were superior, but I was still nervous. Ultimately we settled on that particular paint without fully considering how a dry time of 16 hours between coats would actually impact our lives. Would you like to do the math to determine how many days it takes to prime and put at least 2 coats of paint on each side of 48 cabinet doors and drawers, 41 shelves, and all the cabinet bases in a limited indoor space? (I tried it outside, but the birds bombarded my first attempts, and the 90-100 degree heat and rain caused additional complications.) I’ll give you a hint – the answer is TOO long!

“Lord, how are you relevant to this?” In the midst of my grumbling and complaining He gently called me to spend my painting time with Him. God wanted to transform my painting time into an extended, focused prayer time alone with Him. Pray for THAT long? As my painting days drew into weeks, I found myself eager to begin my painting downstairs so that I could have those hours with Him. I blared my playlist of Desperate Dependency related music as He reminded me of His presence and reassured me of His plans for our lives. He set me aside to bring my clients, my burdens, and my dreams before Him and to listen for His tender words of direction.

Many days Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling devotional echoed relevant truths such as:
      •“Self-pity is a slimy, bottomless pit.”
      •“Rest in My presence.”
      •“Find freedom though seeking to please Me above all else.”
      •“Bring Me the sacrifice of your time.”
      •“Hold My hand, and walk joyously with Me through this day.”
      •“When things seem to be going all wrong, stop and affirm your trust in Me.”
      •“I speak to you continually. My nature is to communicate, though not always in words....You can find Me in each moment, when you have eyes that see and ears that hear.”

In regards to painting, the summer has been too long. But in regards to my time with the Lord, it has not been long enough. I think I should go prayer paint some more while I still wait for our new driveway and decide how to finish the entryway!


Insight Journal
How do you find Christ relevant to your everyday, nitty-gritty tasks?

Christ Is Relevant to Aliens

It’s that time of year again – back to school time. The challenges that lie ahead of our kids are honestly incomprehensible. We may believe that we have been there before and understand completely how to navigate the turbulent waters, but in actuality, they are sailing through uncharted territory. Thankfully, God offers timeless truths that apply to current day situations, so that He can help us guide our children to honor and glorify Him in all they do. As parents it is our responsibility to raise them to this goal, not simply to coddle them or supply their material needs as they age. Depending on God’s guidance is a parental characteristic that we must demonstrate to our children so that they may find Him relevant to every area of their lives.

The peer pressure that draws our kids into the hive mind resonates with the adage that “resistance is futile.” The following is a question from a young friend:

I have a question or something to tell you, which ever u rather. All of my friends or at least almost all of them have a cell phone..(big surprise) but I don't.. well that doesn't bother me too much but it does a little because everyone is all like"Ooh want to see my this or my that?" or "Oh ya we txt each other all the time" or "YOU REALLY NEED TO GET A PHONE!" well, it seems like almost everyone of my friends only want to talk to me either in person or by txt, if I can't txt then they don't want my #. It hurts me a little cause its like, everyone else is closer to each other cause they text the other person all the time and like they know every bit about that person.. And I know like nothing cause I can't txt them. what do I do??

Her scenario reminded me of my [Melanie] horrible 7th grade year. When I was in 7th grade I had a terrible time fitting in. The girls in my class berated me because I did not wear Wrangler jeans. I begged and pleaded, and finally was able to purchase my very own pair of Wrangler jeans. The day I walked the halls of school wearing my Wrangler jeans, I believed that I would finally fit in. I was certain I was doing exactly what was expected of me. But, nope, my efforts still did not win the acceptance of the group – they weren’t the right kind of Wrangler jeans! It was at that point I decided that I was going to be who God had for me to be, and if others didn't like it, they didn't have to look.

The reality is that as Christians we are considered aliens to this world! As aliens Peter tells us how to live. “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11 NASB).

Our life’s goal should be to glorify God in all we do. As we seek to know God and His ways more and more, we will better know what He has for us to do. We may not understand how everything fits together all the time, but we can know that God placed us into our unique situation because He has unique plans for us. We don't have to be like everyone else, or know what everyone else is doing. We do need to grow to be like Christ and know what He wants for us to do every day. God's plan for you is different than His plan for anyone else. Enjoy being different!

The draw to be a part of a larger collective is an attribute God has placed within us so that we may desire to be a part of the body of Christ and dependent on Him to set the standards for life and living. Satan works diligently to distract us with time and energy wasters that others consider the essentials of life. But God's got more important things for us to do.

Two other verses kept coming to mind regarding my young friend’s situation.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2 NLT)

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (1 Corinthians 13:11–12 NLT)

As we live lives that are desperately dependent on Christ, the resulting connection will magnify the Lord. Realizing that our central focus of life is to make Him look wonderful, the dross of the world falls away. Our unified adventure with God supplies purpose and meaning to life. C. S. Lewis wrote, “But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”

Insight Journal
Consider: If I applied these verses to my life, what would I do differently?

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1–3 NLT).

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)