Unambiguous & Candid!

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

Man, have I been busy lately!  I don’t know about you, but this is the start of my busiest season.  Between family and friends gathering together for the holidays, people flying home to visit, outreaches I help with and on and on…I don’t know if I am coming or going!  I love it and am worn out by it all at the same time.  If any of you know me, you know I normally do a lot in my days, so to add more makes it even more crazy busy.

The start of this blog sounds like I am complaining about this … but reality is…I actually count it a blessing.  When I think of all of the gifts, talents, energy and resources I have been blessed with in my life, I cannot think of a better way to thank God for them than by using them to the VERY BEST of my ability.  I feel like if I was to just let them all sit dormant then I would be missing the point of why they were given to me in the first place.

I think we were all given the things in our lives because they will serve a greater purpose.  I think that anything we have in our lives can serve Him.  I think that there is always a need somewhere out there that can be met with one of those gifts, talents, or resources.  If not me, then someone else.  I, personally, cannot reach everyone…but WE can!  It is in the WE that people will see the HE!  So as your busy season starts…what are you going to do with it?

Notes From This Weeks Bible Study: RAHAB!

Here are the notes I gave out for this weeks Women's Bible Study.  We discussed Rahab.  In-between the notes, I filled in the historical background and other information for us to study and think about.  If you missed it, I hope you can make the next one.

 

Basic Stories with Rahab are found in Joshua chapters 2 & 6.  (See “The Message” version attached.)   Rahab and the two spies are the main characters in Joshua 2.

By reading the story, it is very clear what Rahab's occupation was.  Rahab was a prostitute.  If you pay attention to the stories, you will find that where she was located was not only geographically on the edge of her society, but morally as well.  Her house was located on the wall of the city and was strategically placed to lodge travelers. Basically during this day and time, it was another way for people to make money off of all of the people that would come in and out of the cities.

I, personally, think it was very strategic that they picked a home that had an access to the outside in which they WOULD NOT have to go through the gates of the city.  If they had stayed in another place, they may not have had another way out of the city in a time of distress.  I also think that this was another step in the large plan of things we could have NEVER seen coming.  If you do the research and look it up, she actually was an ancestor of Jesus (*She was Boaz’ Mother). Can you imagine that.  Think about it; Her faith brought her into an incredible inheritance. She went from being a prostitute to the linage of Jesus Christ. Now if that is not what true faith can do then I don’t know what is.

We can always ask the question of why did the spies choose her home to stay in and look at it that way, but what if we ask the opposite question?  Why do you think she helped them? It was a very dangerous thing for her to choose to do.  By hiding the spies she faced the risk of being killed if caught by the authorities.  Clearly by the way she spoke, she had heard of the God of Israel and acted in faith in that God. However Rahab knew it would take a step of faith to get her out of her present circumstances.  

I cannot imagine she was happy in the roll she was living, no one would be.  I think that was not her only motivation…I am sure she did not want to perish with the rest of Jericho.  Basically, she knew that if she did nothing - this would lead to her and her family’s destruction.   But, remember this, God’s word is clear that “no one can serve two masters”.  She could not take and be self serving and have true faith in God as well.   She made a conscious decision to act in faith on what she heard about God.   No matter your stand in life, irrespective of where you are or who you are, a simply step of faith in Jesus Christ can turn your destiny around.

Rahab made it very clear that she was not just interested in saving herself.  She wanted her entire family to be saved. What does this tell you about Rahab?  How many of us can say that about our lives today.  I know that the circumstances may not be the same, but I still want all of my family to be SAVED!  To me this showed her real heart.  No matter what she was doing in her life to survive the times, her family was still most important to her.

Questions

Are you praying for the salvation of others?

What do we have to do to remain under the protection of God?

What have you heard (read or listened to) from the word of God recently that has encouraged and strengthened your faith?

Did I Just Hear That???

I don’t know if it was “the weather” or something else, but I had the most horrible dreams last night.  Each and every time I would wake up from them I would “speak to them and tell them to flee from me”.  Then I would go to sleep and have a completely different dream that was horrible.  It was a very frustrating pattern.  I can’t remember the last time I had that happen to me.

As I got ready this morning, I reviewed the nights dreams and it got me to thinking about how much “stuff” we keep and go through in our minds.  I know that we are to keep our mind renewed and focused on God through every moment.  I read His Word, study His Word and think on His Word often throughout my day…so what was the deal?

I think that no matter how we want to package it and no matter what the circumstance that the “things” of this world are affecting us all.  It is the talk radio, the TV program, the local News paper…and on and on.  If you think about how much of that is entering in our eyes and ears you would be overwhelmed.  We have things in “the world” that are constantly bombarding us with information, drama, and so much more.  It is no wonder that we struggle with things of this world.

I think this is one of the reasons that God mentions it so much in His word to guard against these things and to keep His Word fresh in our hearts and in our minds.  If we are being inedited with all of this “junk” from the world then WE have to CHOOSE to focus our mind on Him and His Word.  We have to make the “conscious effort” to overcome the amount of “unconscious junk” that is being thrown at us.

I am a work in progress, just like the rest of you.  I think that not only will I continue to have His word going “in my eyes and ears” continually but I will CHOOSE to make sure that I am “throwing out” all of the junk the world is trying to put in there.  I picture it like a Computer program.  I am going to “delete” the “junk” and “upload” the Word that God wants me to have inside me so that I will be “ready” when He needs me!  If I clean out the “junk” then there will be nothing to muffle His voice when He speaks to me.