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~Julie
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Assuming Makes an A**... ::: No donkeys allowed :::
It is very easy to look at the actions of others and assume that they are doing something with evil intent or wrongful hearts, but this is not always the case. In the book of Joshua, several clans of Israel were accused of turning away from God because they had built an altar in a different land than where the altar of the Lord was instructed to be built. Because they did this, the other clans assumed that they were offering sacrifices to other gods and rebelling from the true God. When they confronted the tribes about their rebellion they were met with a shocking response; "God knows!" They knew that God was aware of the purity of their hearts. They knew that God understood that the altar they built was only a tribute to God and not an altar on which they would be sacrificing to idols, or anything else. The assumptions of the others tribes on the hearts of their kinsmen made them look like fools. Only God can know the true hearts of people, whether their actions reflect evil or good.
I recently heard of a disturbing situation where a fellow Beachbody coach was accused of flaunting his success and rubbing it in the faces of others, merely because he makes posts on Facebook about it! This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, especially since I have never, ever seen anything to make me believe that there is some prideful exhibit occurring. Quite the contrary, the couple who has had great success has accomplished that success through diligence, perseverance, and triumphing through many difficult times! How sad and disappointing for such heartfelt people of character to be attacked for showing others what truly can be brought to fruition through hard work and consistence.
When we see the successes of others, we should be careful not to come to conclusions too quickly. There is far too much we do not know about the lives of others, and there is certainly plenty we can not possibly know about the heart and intentions behind the actions. We must be certain to act as adults and not children.
In my morning bible study I have begun the book of Ruth. In today's reading I watched as Ruth came along Naomi to support and assist her. I also saw as she offered to glean food for both of them from the fields in the area:
"Let me go to the fields and pick up the left over grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor," (Ruth 2:2).
The footnote for the scripture was surprisingly applicable to this topic that was on my heart. It reads, "Instead of depending on Naomi or waiting for good fortune to happen, she took the initiative. She went to work. She was not afraid of admitting her need or working heard to supply it. When Ruth went out to the fields, God provided for her. If you are waiting for God to provide, consider this: He may be waiting for you to take the first step to demonstrate just how important your need is." How easy it would have been for Naomi and Ruth to sit on their haunches and be victims to their situation. They could have looked all around them and seen loads of farmers working to harvest the fields and been jealous of all the success and blessing "everyone else" was experiencing, while they suffered with difficult times. But, Ruth took the initiative. She saw what needed to be done and she got up and did it, no questions asked. And because of her diligence and consistent hard work she was greatly rewarded by the farm owner, Boaz. Because of Ruth's determination to find solutions to their problems, she experienced blessing.
Instead of looking to the successes of others as a reason to be jealous and callous, we should celebrate! When we respond with petty arguments, accusations, assumptions, and jealousy, we act as children involved in a fight over a mutually loved toy; "I want that, so you can't have it." We must be adults and act with maturity, showing happiness and joy for the successes of others. The next and best step in this progression is to act wisely, not only showing joy for another's success but then saying, "what can I do to achieve the same successes for myself?" Wisdom turns lessons into application and action.
Are there areas in your life where you could be a bit more wise and take the initiative to achieve the results you seek? God does not usually provide miracles in places where we already have everything we need to get the job done because He has already provided it. We must not be lazy or prone to flights of fancy, but hard-working, diligent, and committed to success, no matter what the task at hand. Maybe you want to lose weight. Maybe you want to make more money, or get out of debt, or have a better marriage or relationship with your kids, etc. All of these things can be accomplished, but we must be certain to do our part in achieving the goal.
I have a scripture on the wall in front of my desk which reads, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed," (Proverbs 16:3). I had heard the scripture many times before, but what caught my eye to put it on the wall was the footnote:
"We must maintain a delicate balance; trusting God as if everything depended on him, while working as if everything depended on us."
We cannot forget our part in achieving our goals. We cannot expect God to do everything while we sit and do nothing. When we work in partnership with God, beautiful things happen and we experience His wonderful provision and blessing in our lives. There is just nothing better than walking with Him and getting to know Him better. Ask God what areas in your life need action, and then follow through with getting to work! You may be surprised at what you can achieve!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Changing Lives, One at a Time
When difficulties come up in life, sometimes it is an opportunity to look at your life and see what can be changed to make you a better stewardship in life. We have chosen Beachbody to help us accomplish this goal, and so have many, many others. Blessings abound with Beachbody!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Pt. 2: Loving Your Neighbor
Yesterday I discussed the application of Mark 12:30, which states the Great Commandment. The second portion to the Great Commandment is also paramount in healthy living; "Love your neighbor as yourself," (Mark 12:31). We cannot adequately say we are living healthy if we ignore the second portion of the Greatest Commandments.
To show we love ourselves, we treat our bodies with respect and honor by supplying adequate and appropriate nutrition, as well as doing regular activity in order to keep the body in good condition and functioning well. We feed our minds with Godly input, listening to uplifting and inspirational audio (music or speech) and reading sound and wholesome books. We consistently meet with God in daily bible study and prayer to fill our hearts with His Word and truth. We identify areas in our lives that are weak and need focus to grow in discipline and self-control. We identify the healthy places in our life, to continue to keep them strong and to repeatedly see ourselves as the precious and special people that God created us to be.
If these are things that we do in order to love ourselves, it seems selfish to me to withhold this same type of love from our brothers and sisters. When we see a friend or family member engaging in a destructive behavior, it is not loving to say nothing. It enables that person to continue to lead a life that is hurtful, to themselves and/or others. By speaking the truth in love, we act as Jesus did to call out the areas of inappropriate behavior (or sin) and invite that person to begin living a better and more healthy life without those behaviors. We show them what true love looks like when we tell them that something they are doing is hurtful and needs to stop. We reflect the love of God in a very distinct and direct way. When the woman caught in adultery was about to be stoned by judgmental men, Jesus stepped in on her behalf. He stopped the men from killing her, but he did not just let her "off the hook." Once the men left, he helped her to her feet, told her her sins were forgiven, and then said, "Go now and leave your life of sin," (John 8: 11). He did not tell her she was free to go and just continue on with such behavior! Neither did he judge her for her sin. But, he did call a spade a spade.
This is the example set time and time again by God in the Bible. He called people to righteous living so that they could experience a free life. Bondage to unhealthy habits is destructive! It's also idolatry! And, far too many people in this world are suffering from its chains. Obesity is not hitting epidemic proportions! You think bird flu is bad? Check this out. More than 60% of adults in America are obese or overweight, and now nearly 1 out of 3 children are suffering with obesity! Obesity is linked with cancer, early death, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, etc. All of these deadly diseases are preventable when it comes to obesity. To think that it is harmless for our friends to continue to eat whatever they crave, drink whatever they want, and sit on the couch all day makes us just as guilty in enabling the behavior as the person actually doing it. It is not God's Will for His creations to suffer from immobility, self-esteem issues, self-image problems, joint pains, constant sickness, lack of sleep, and other related daily problems that just make life unbearable. On the flip side, He also does not want his creations to be so burdened by their body that they are willing to beat it to death, eating next to nothing and wasting away to a skeletal structure. Both sides of the coin are damning and incredibly dangerous.
We are to honor God with our bodies, and the only way to do that is by forming our self-image through His eye's lens. God sees us as precious. God sees us as awesome. God sees us as more valuable than rubies. God sees us as strong and capable. God sees us as beautiful. God sees us as His children. The question is, do we see ourselves like that? We are to be so completely dependent on Him that these characteristics become our truth! And, when that becomes our truth, we can help other people make it their truth. This is true love. This is the best way to be a Christ follower. When we withhold such truth from those we "love" we are being selfish, because we are focused on our own discomfort or potential embarrassment, rather than how we can bless someone else. Ask God today how you can better live in love.
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