I decided to post something I wrote for a Living Reflection a while back...
Enjoy...
We all have pressure coming at us from many directions: relational pressure, financial pressure, religious pressure, self-expectations, etc. Let's just sum all of this up as the worries and cares of this world. There are so many things in this world that clamor for our attention. Each one of those things has roots that reach deeply into our human flesh, meaning the worldly residue that has accumulated in our mind and emotions.
As I have walked this path over this past decade, I have seen things that are both amazing and disturbing. When the pressures of life build, even those who appear to have it all together have come crumbling down. I have seen this in myself as well. My question to the Lord has been, "Why?" Especially since I have seen things come out of myself that I thought were long dead and gone. As I have reflected on it, the Lord has begun to renew my mind.
First, the struggle reminds me that flesh does not improve. It will always be flesh. Who I am at my worst is the true condition of my flesh. Secondly, I have seen that there are deep rooted weeds in every one of us. These are things the Lord leaves in us until the proper time. Sometimes the worst thing we can do is pull the weeds out from around a plant. Until that plant is deeply rooted and established, it cannot handle the stress of having the weeds removed. If they were to be removed too soon, it would kill the plant. Other times, there are roots that lie dormant under the surface. For whatever reason, something triggers fast growth and they come raging to the surface attempting to choke out the life of the plant. Again, the wise gardener knows the proper time to deal with these issues.
As I have seen the weeds grow in my own life, it has been tempting to rip them out immediately. Yet, in and of myself, I know there is no way I can really do that. It has stretched my faith beyond measure to trust the Lord to deal with things in His proper time. He has not done things the way I thought He should and there have been other things that have grown up as a result. At times it has felt like an endless cycle and the weeds have seemed to all but choke out the Life of Christ in me, yet I am learning more fully that He does all things in HIS perfect time.
The weeds are the worries and cares of this world. As you see weeds in your own life, be encouraged that at the proper time, He will deal with them. But not until the Life of Christ that is in you has taken deep root. In fact, the stress that comes from worrying about the things of this world is a weed in itself that He wants to deal with in each one of us. Rest in Him and trust His timing in all things. It takes greater faith to leave weeds alone when they seem to be killing the plant than it does to rip them out prematurely and damage or destroy the life of the plant.
Verses For Reflection
Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, it happened that indeed some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and ate it up. And another fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth. And it sprang up at once, due to not having deepness of earth. And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away. And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And another fell on good ground and yielded fruit, going up and increasing. And one bore thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundredfold. And He said to them, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And when He was alone, they who were about Him, with the Twelve, asked Him concerning the parable. And He said to them, To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those outside, all these things are given in parables so that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And He said to them, Do you not know this parable? And how then will you know all parables? The sower sows the Word. And these are those by the wayside, where the Word is sown. And when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts. And these are those likewise being sown on stony places; who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with gladness. But they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the Word's sake, they are immediately offended. And these are those being sown among thorns; such as hear the Word, and the cares of this world, and the deceit of riches, and the lust about other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful. And these are those sown on good ground, who hear the Word and welcome it, and bear fruit, one thirty, one sixty, and one a hundredfold. (Mark 4:3-20 MKJV)
He put out another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went his way. But when the blade had sprung up and had produced fruit, then the darnel also appeared. So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where have the darnel come from? He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them up? But he said, No, lest while you gather up the darnel you also root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the darnel and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my granary. He put out another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches. (Matthew 13:24-32 MKJV)
Copyright © 2008
Living Covenant Ministries International
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Update
Today is a bitter cold Michigan day. It started out with frozen pipes in the house. Up at 6 AM to get water so my family could get going for the day. Amen. The weather is once again a reminder that we are but weak frail vessels, and the thin line between life and death is evident in how dependent, and exposed we really are. We live in the illusion of independence and strength. But weakness, and fraility is a blessing, it reminds us that God is truly taking care of us and giving us everything we need for life as well as for Godliness. AMEN.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Happy Gnu Ears
Just a short post to wish everyone a Happy New Years. I'm back in the thick of things again and up to my ears in work. I'll post something soon...
Shalom
Mike
Shalom
Mike
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity (perfection).
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
I was just reading this verse on another blog (thanks Rich) and was really struck by what this passage is really saying... Let me try to re-phrase what I see here...
Therefore, let us leave the behind an elementary school approach to Christ (i.e. do this, get that)and press on to something better! He is giving us the awareness of fully trusting God & expressing it in daily life. This comes by the revelation of Who Christ really is and what He is really all about. We continually discover just how much of Jesus we truly have and what a difference He continually makes IN us!
I know I am not getting this out they way I see it, but I will work on it more and post it again. I see something here that i am struggling to convey after 48 hours of travel and at 2 o'clock in the morning on New Years Day! :)
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
I was just reading this verse on another blog (thanks Rich) and was really struck by what this passage is really saying... Let me try to re-phrase what I see here...
Therefore, let us leave the behind an elementary school approach to Christ (i.e. do this, get that)and press on to something better! He is giving us the awareness of fully trusting God & expressing it in daily life. This comes by the revelation of Who Christ really is and what He is really all about. We continually discover just how much of Jesus we truly have and what a difference He continually makes IN us!
I know I am not getting this out they way I see it, but I will work on it more and post it again. I see something here that i am struggling to convey after 48 hours of travel and at 2 o'clock in the morning on New Years Day! :)
Monday, December 29, 2008
Abandoned By God!
Mike's Thoughts - December 29, 2008
I found this article interesting... please read it and then read my thoughts.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2008/001/3.12.html
Being in fulltime ministry, I have given these same tried and true answers to thousands... Sometimes God does indeed show up, He does provide, support, encourage... but what about the "others" in Hebrews 11?
Having been an "other" for more than 7 years now, I cannot help but see how too often we try to give pat answers for difficult questions. Our entire ministry is built upon Christ, and Him alone. We minister almost exclusively to frustrated, & defeated Christians all over the world, for whom Christianity as we know it simply does not work. For many, God does not seem to show up, He does not seem to provide, support, and encourage. What then?
Inevitably this brings around the usual questions about a persons faith, sin, and personal standing with God. It may even lead to questioning that individuals salvation. "Consider my servant Job..." Ah yes, we might even end up going there. We share how God is doing things we don't understand to accomplish things we cannot see. While all of this may be true, I still ask, where does it leave us? And I can tell you, not only because I have seen it in others, but also in myself. It ends up leaving the struggling believer bleeding on the floor, in an even worse mess. They were depressed before, but now they are suicidal.
Why are we so afraid to tell people simply that we do not know? We do not know why God seems to abandon some, and seemingly bless others.
Lets face it, sometimes God does not come through. What then?
Is it not our calling to encourage one another to love and good works? Is it not our calling to encourage the depth of the persons faith who loses everything and still believes? Can we not simply be willing to admit to people and to ourselves that many times God simply does not make sense? Okay, I'll grant you that SOMETIMES, we go there. But that still misses the mark! Isn't it just astounding that we still keep believing in spite of it all?
I personally have never FELT more abandoned by God than I do today. I see Him do in others what He will not do for me. The words that were hurled at Jesus, the enemy continually hurls at me... "He can save others, but he cannot save Himself." I have seen God to more amazing things in others than most people could ever dream of in a lifetime... but where is God in my own personal situation?
We spent EVERYTHING we had and a lot we did not to pursue His call, believing in His faithfulness, and from our perspective He did not show up. I lost one of my closest friends to a freak virus when He was 25. My mother died of cancer at 56. It is a miracle at all that our marriage has survived. I have seen my children (now 14 and 18) agonize over the struggles and strain, deeply question their God, and their own faith. We lost our house to foreclosure. We have been nearly bankrupt 3 times, and currently have just come through one of the most difficult months financially in a long time. So where was this supposedly faithful God? I have seen myself seething with anger, bitterness, resentment, rebellion, sin... you name it.
Why does He continue to leave us on this insane merry-go-round month after month, year after year, for over 7 years... The level of pain and frustration continues to increase to the point that you either think you will have a stroke, a heart attack, or commit suicide. And we ask ourselves, "this is victorious living? This is Freedom for the Frustrated?"
I've found the answer and I hate it...
Here it is: I don't know.
Do I want to know? YES! Do I get sick of this insanity? Absolutely. Am I angry with God? Couldn't be more so. Would I have it another way... my emotions scream YES. I want out... I want a different life. I want to become a car salesman, or something else... anything else. Let this cup pass from me. I'd do anything to kill this pain. And yet, when it comes to the choices we make day after day, week after week, year after year, there is something that keeps me going.., keeps me from giving up. It is something that is so far beyond me... something that only God can be doing. He is giving us the faith to continue on.
Everything is going according to plan. I just don't know the plan. In the end, we'll look back and see how ONLY God could get the credit (glory). In the end we will look back and say He is genius, the plan is genius. We forget that the will of God includes suffering. Sometimes it is okay to hurt with people, assure them that their feelings are natural, normal, and to be expected. It's even better when we can say... not that we have been there... that we too ARE there. And its okay to encourage them to tell God, "This Stinks." (it's called casting our anxieties on Him.)
Jesus does not offer us freedom FROM our frustration. He offers us freedom even in the MIDST of our frustration. In other words, it's not about getting comfortable, but learning how to live WITH the frustration, to take up our cross and follow. Let's not forget that. The point of praying, trusting, and believing is NOT to receive from God. The point of praying, trusting and believing is that we learn more fully how to pray, trust, and believe.
While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. (Hebrews 5:7-8 MSG)
Earlier I asked, isn't it just astounding that we still keep believing in spite of it all? That kind of faith can only be authored by God, That kind of faith can only be perfected by God. Blessed are you when you do NOT see and still believe. Where is the real wealth, the real provision, the real support, and the real encouragement? Is it not in the faith that He gives as we endure things that we cannot endure and cannot understand? Is it not okay to say, "I don't know..."
Shalom, friends,
Mike
------------------------------------
Mike Rule
Living Covenant Ministries International
6240 W Main Street - Suite 5
P.O. Box 188 Cass City, MI 48726
989-872-8525
In the US - toll free 1-800-965-LCMI
http://livingcovenant.com
LCMI - Freedom for the Frustrated!
I found this article interesting... please read it and then read my thoughts.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2008/001/3.12.html
Being in fulltime ministry, I have given these same tried and true answers to thousands... Sometimes God does indeed show up, He does provide, support, encourage... but what about the "others" in Hebrews 11?
Having been an "other" for more than 7 years now, I cannot help but see how too often we try to give pat answers for difficult questions. Our entire ministry is built upon Christ, and Him alone. We minister almost exclusively to frustrated, & defeated Christians all over the world, for whom Christianity as we know it simply does not work. For many, God does not seem to show up, He does not seem to provide, support, and encourage. What then?
Inevitably this brings around the usual questions about a persons faith, sin, and personal standing with God. It may even lead to questioning that individuals salvation. "Consider my servant Job..." Ah yes, we might even end up going there. We share how God is doing things we don't understand to accomplish things we cannot see. While all of this may be true, I still ask, where does it leave us? And I can tell you, not only because I have seen it in others, but also in myself. It ends up leaving the struggling believer bleeding on the floor, in an even worse mess. They were depressed before, but now they are suicidal.
Why are we so afraid to tell people simply that we do not know? We do not know why God seems to abandon some, and seemingly bless others.
Lets face it, sometimes God does not come through. What then?
Is it not our calling to encourage one another to love and good works? Is it not our calling to encourage the depth of the persons faith who loses everything and still believes? Can we not simply be willing to admit to people and to ourselves that many times God simply does not make sense? Okay, I'll grant you that SOMETIMES, we go there. But that still misses the mark! Isn't it just astounding that we still keep believing in spite of it all?
I personally have never FELT more abandoned by God than I do today. I see Him do in others what He will not do for me. The words that were hurled at Jesus, the enemy continually hurls at me... "He can save others, but he cannot save Himself." I have seen God to more amazing things in others than most people could ever dream of in a lifetime... but where is God in my own personal situation?
We spent EVERYTHING we had and a lot we did not to pursue His call, believing in His faithfulness, and from our perspective He did not show up. I lost one of my closest friends to a freak virus when He was 25. My mother died of cancer at 56. It is a miracle at all that our marriage has survived. I have seen my children (now 14 and 18) agonize over the struggles and strain, deeply question their God, and their own faith. We lost our house to foreclosure. We have been nearly bankrupt 3 times, and currently have just come through one of the most difficult months financially in a long time. So where was this supposedly faithful God? I have seen myself seething with anger, bitterness, resentment, rebellion, sin... you name it.
Why does He continue to leave us on this insane merry-go-round month after month, year after year, for over 7 years... The level of pain and frustration continues to increase to the point that you either think you will have a stroke, a heart attack, or commit suicide. And we ask ourselves, "this is victorious living? This is Freedom for the Frustrated?"
I've found the answer and I hate it...
Here it is: I don't know.
Do I want to know? YES! Do I get sick of this insanity? Absolutely. Am I angry with God? Couldn't be more so. Would I have it another way... my emotions scream YES. I want out... I want a different life. I want to become a car salesman, or something else... anything else. Let this cup pass from me. I'd do anything to kill this pain. And yet, when it comes to the choices we make day after day, week after week, year after year, there is something that keeps me going.., keeps me from giving up. It is something that is so far beyond me... something that only God can be doing. He is giving us the faith to continue on.
Everything is going according to plan. I just don't know the plan. In the end, we'll look back and see how ONLY God could get the credit (glory). In the end we will look back and say He is genius, the plan is genius. We forget that the will of God includes suffering. Sometimes it is okay to hurt with people, assure them that their feelings are natural, normal, and to be expected. It's even better when we can say... not that we have been there... that we too ARE there. And its okay to encourage them to tell God, "This Stinks." (it's called casting our anxieties on Him.)
Jesus does not offer us freedom FROM our frustration. He offers us freedom even in the MIDST of our frustration. In other words, it's not about getting comfortable, but learning how to live WITH the frustration, to take up our cross and follow. Let's not forget that. The point of praying, trusting, and believing is NOT to receive from God. The point of praying, trusting and believing is that we learn more fully how to pray, trust, and believe.
While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. (Hebrews 5:7-8 MSG)
Earlier I asked, isn't it just astounding that we still keep believing in spite of it all? That kind of faith can only be authored by God, That kind of faith can only be perfected by God. Blessed are you when you do NOT see and still believe. Where is the real wealth, the real provision, the real support, and the real encouragement? Is it not in the faith that He gives as we endure things that we cannot endure and cannot understand? Is it not okay to say, "I don't know..."
Shalom, friends,
Mike
------------------------------------
Mike Rule
Living Covenant Ministries International
6240 W Main Street - Suite 5
P.O. Box 188 Cass City, MI 48726
989-872-8525
In the US - toll free 1-800-965-LCMI
http://livingcovenant.com
LCMI - Freedom for the Frustrated!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
On a whim!!!!
Hello,
I just decided to start this blog. I have no idea why. So here I am posting my first post and I have NOTHING to say! So, there it is! What a way to start a blog, hey??? ;)
I just decided to start this blog. I have no idea why. So here I am posting my first post and I have NOTHING to say! So, there it is! What a way to start a blog, hey??? ;)
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