Last summer, I decided to try and get healthy. I surprised myself - I've stuck with it for the most part....

It's that "for the most part" that gets me every time!  You see what had happened was....

Tyler hadn't been feeling well, and he texted me - could I run by the store and get him some cough medicine, maybe a little something for a sore throat?  Sure I can, buddy.  I ran into Publix, and guess what?  Ben and Jerry's was on BOGO and so was brownie mix.  The opportunity presented itself, the door opened, and I just rushed right on through - and boy, did we have a "cheat night"!  I'm embarrassed to admit it: you are looking at a picture of my dinner right there - ice cream and double chunk chocolate brownies, fresh from the oven! (Prediction: I won't be feeling so well myself tomorrow!)

You know, just because a door opens, it doesn't necessarily follow that we are supposed to go through.  On one of Paul's missionary journeys, he describes an open door:

"Well, when I came to Troas to preach the Gospel of Christ, although there was an obvious God-given opportunity, I must confess I was on edge the whole time" (2 Cor. 2:12 Phillips)

So, even though the door was clearly opened by the Lord, Paul did not feel a peace about walking through it.  He waited for the Holy Spirit to direct him.  Thankfully, he went on to another location where God blessed his efforts:

"Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on His own triumphant way and makes our knowledge of Him spread throughout the world" (2 Cor. 2:14 Phillips) 

Paul found victory in God's leading, not just in an open door.  As believers, we are not supposed to follow signs - signs are supposed to follow us.  Mark 16:17 tells us that "signs will follow them who believe". God always leads us to victory, to His best for our lives.  If we are spending time looking for signs or waiting for signs, we are wasting time. Every open door or opportunity is not a "sign" that we are supposed to move forward (or move at all).  Be aware, be vigilant - invite the Lord to lead every decision, and trust Him to lead you to victory.

Discernment is the ability to judge well - being able to discern the voice of God and receive direction for your life without needing another sign or confirmation is a gift.  Having the boldness to follow Him when He leads is a treasure.  I'm praying today that you will find the courage to step out without a sign! <3

Oh, and next time Publix has Ben and Jerry's on BOGO?  That won't be a sign, it's just a sale - but go ahead and enjoy a pint!  Speaking of, I better get up a few minutes earlier tomorrow, spend a little more time on that elliptical!

Jennifer 🙂

 

“What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!
Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.
But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously,
because it has no idea who He is or what He’s up to.
But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God.
And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up!
What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see Him—
and in seeing Him, become like Him.
All of us who look forward to His Coming stay ready,
with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.”
1 John 3:1-3 Message

I wrote seven on love (this time!), but couldn't we stay on the topic of love forever?  it doesn't matter how long we have, we'll never even come close to "comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]" (Ephesians 3:18 Amplified).

What a nice way to begin: the above passage tells us that this is “only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up!” All the things the Lord is doing in your heart and spirit, all of His work and attention to you doesn't come to an end: we are meant to face each day anew, empowered by His love: ready to conquer, ready to share, ready to face the challenges ahead. Armed with God’s love, confident that He is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31), accepting what is your responsibility and not worrying about what is His responsibility, you can accomplish great things in the name of Jesus and on behalf of His kingdom!

What are great things? Loving your family well. Being generous to those in need. Speaking life to those within your sphere of influence. Cleaning your kitchen (it’s a win, people - take it!). Speaking to one or speaking to one thousand. Being kind to a stranger. Being kind to a difficult family member or co-worker.  Accepting love from others with grace.  Refusing condemnation from others with grace.

 Let's see Ephesians 3:19, let Paul finish that thought: "that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself". Amen and amen.  Couldn't have said it better myself - I don't even know how to build on that, it's already so good. 

Being filled up throughout your being, having the richest experience of God's presence in your life, completely filled and even flooded with God Himself - that's your treasure, if you'll accept it and walk it out.  If you do walk it out, you'll start to minister to and love others out of the God-overflow in your life, with no fear that you will experience lack if you give out to others - that's how you pass this treasure along. Praying you will find this treasure and share it <3

Jennifer 🙂

 

“But even though we were dead in our sins
God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us,
gave us life together with Christ—
it is, remember, by grace and not by achievement that you are saved—
and has lifted us right out of the old life to take our place with Him in Christ in the Heavens.
Thus He shows for all time the tremendous generosity of the grace and kindness
He has expressed towards us in Christ Jesus.
It was nothing you could or did achieve—it was God’s gift to you.
No one can pride himself upon earning the love of God.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 Phillips

God’s love is a gift - freely offered, freely given. Even though you know this in your heart, do you ever have a hard time convincing your head? Do you ever find yourself trying to be “good enough” or “worthy” of God’s attention? It’s exhausting, isn’t it? You don’t have to prove yourself to Him - you are already His. The Lord is not above us, waiting for reasons to reward or punish us - He is right here with us, loving us exactly where we are. Imagine giving a gift to your child, and having the response be, “I’ll just put this on the shelf until I’m good enough to open it.” That would hurt your heart, wouldn’t it? You might wonder why they don’t feel “good enough” already!

Your Heavenly Father has “lifted you right out of the old life”. Maybe there are things in your past that make you feel “less than”. God lifted you out of all that, set you up on His great love. Let the past be the past. Christ has already been given for you and to you. You are already enough. You are already valuable and adorable and lovable and cherished. No need to try and earn it: all we have to do is live in the fullness of His love!

We don't follow the Lord's direction and try our best so we can BECOME worthy of His love - we follow the Lord's direction and try our best because we already ARE worthy of His love.  Realizing that is a treasure.  I'm praying you will be able to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you on the Cross - He has already deemed you worthy and valuable.  YOU are His treasure! <3

Jennifer 🙂

You know this verse like this: “perfect love casts out fear”, but it’s nice to read it in a different translation, so we can let it fall fresh on our spirits.

“God is love,
and the man whose life is lived in love does, in fact, live in God, and God does, in fact, live in Him.
So our love for Him grows more and more,
filling us with complete confidence for the day when he shall judge all men—
for we realize that our life in this world is actually His life lived in us.
Love contains no fear
indeed fully-developed love expels every particle of fear,
for fear always contains some of the torture of feeling guilty.
This means that the man who lives in fear has not yet had his love perfected.”
1 John 4:18 Phillips

I love this phrase: “we realize that our life in this world is actually His life lived in us”. Wow! What kind of pressure does that take off of you? Your responsibility is to be obedient in the call of God on your life. Your responsibility is to walk in love toward all people. Your responsibility is to demonstrate the love of God shed abroad in your heart. Your responsibility is to be a child of God. (Breathe in a big sigh of relief - you can do that!)

Is there anything you can’t conquer with God on your side? Do your best and leave the results up to Him - it’s His life anyway! Stay in your pajamas and leave the make-up off for a few more minutes this morning - get comfortable and tell the Lord your dreams. Even better - let Him tell you His!

Releasing yourself from responsibilities that don’t belong to you, that’s a treasure.  Let me put it another way: firing yourself from God’s job and just being His child (insert huge sigh of relief here!), that’s the best!  Praying you’ll be able to just be His today <3

Jennifer 🙂

Jenn

“My dear children,
let’s not just talk about love;
let’s practice real love.
This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality.
It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism,
even when there is something to it.
For God is greater than our worried hearts
and knows more about us than we do ourselves.”
1 John 3:18-20 Message

Let’s not just talk about love - let’s LIVE LOVE! Love is more than an emotion, love is an action. It may be easy for you to show love to others, but hard for you to show love to yourself. However, try! Give yourself grace and you will also receive peace.

Love is “the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism”. Do you have debilitating self-criticism? We can talk ourselves into “not enough” in any area: maybe we aren’t not good enough parents or maybe we are not good enough writers or maybe we aren’t good enough prayer warriors or maybe we aren’t good enough singers or maybe we aren’t good enough fill-in-your-own-blank-here.

Once we convince ourselves that we aren’t enough, the next step in that downward spiral is shame or embarrassment. We create walls between us and the people around us. We hide because we are afraid someone else might realize our lack. From there, we step into comparison – and trust me, we can always find someone who IS enough and someone who CAN do successfully all the things we can’t do. Finally, we convince ourselves that we don’t have anything worthy to give, and we stop giving altogether.

Before you think to yourself, “Well, I was worse than that, you don’t know…..” Look at the end of John’s phrase: love is “the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it”. Okay, so maybe you deserve the criticism - we all fall short. Refuse to allow criticism to turn into condemnation - the Lord wants you to grow and He wants to help!

I have another thought: we cannot put up walls between ourselves and people without also putting up walls between ourselves and the Lord. If we are hiding and not loving others with the love that God lavishes upon us, isn’t it in some way disobedient? Let’s learn to accept love so we can give love!

Knowing that God loves you, even if you think you deserve harsh criticism - that's a treasure.  It will lead to freedom and I'm praying that you find it today! <3

Jennifer 🙂

“Since then it is by faith that we are justified,
let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace,
and here we take our stand,
in happy certainty of the glorious things He has for us in the future.
This doesn’t mean, of course, that we have only a hope of future joys—
we can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles.
Taken in the right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance;
this in turn will develop a mature character,
and a character of this sort produces a steady hope,
a hope that will never disappoint us.
Already we have some experience of the love of God flooding through our hearts
by the Holy Spirit given to us.”
Romans 5:2-5 Phillips

Grasp the fact that you have peace with God! Our circumstances do not determine God’s character: God is good, no matter what we may be facing. Praise Him that we do not face this world alone. This passage assures us that we can have joy. Can indicates to us that there is a choice - so choose joy! If you want joy, it is available to you in the presence of God. In God’s presence, you’ll have love, joy, peace - and that’s just the beginning.

Of course, Paul tells us, we will have trials and troubles. However, never misunderstand and think that hard times are a reflection of God’s love. There are just hard times. God will use those times to build in your a mature character and strength…. But you know what? He can make us stronger every single day if we allow Him intimate access to our hearts. Some situation (or person, let’s be honest) drove you INTO your prayer closet - do not allow the relief of that hardship to drive you OUT of your prayer closet. Give it all to the Lord, both good and bad. You CAN be FULL of JOY!

Holding on to the steady hope He offers to us, being at home in His love, experiencing the love of God flooding into our hearts - is there anything better? (no, there isn’t!)

Steady love, not changing with the emotions or event of the day - that's a treasure.  Praying you bask in that kind of love today! <3

Jennifer 🙂

1 John 15:9-10 in the Message translation:

“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me.
Make yourselves at home in my love.
If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love.
That’s what I’ve done—
kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in His love.
I’ve told you these things for a purpose:
that My joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.”

When we are at home, we behave differently than we do when we are out. Make-up is off, hair is up in a messy bun, the most comfortable pajamas or sweats are on. No pretense, no need to pretend, no need to be anything but comfortable. Safe and secure. Happy and content. That’s how Jesus means for us to feel in His presence: at home! Wherever you are right now,  take a quick break from responsibilities and worries of life, let Jesus be your home. Rest in His love. You are His greatest treasure, dear child of God.

Because Jesus is always with us, we can always have this feeling of contentment and security in His love.  Please understand that your circumstances do not have to alter your emotions.  There have been moments or days or even long seasons in my life where times were hard - but the presence of Christ, if I turned to Him, was able to bring peace and security.  Find time every day to be at home with the Lord, rest in His love.  The more time you spend with Him, the more peace and contentment you will experience.  The more time you spend with Him, the less you will be affected emotionally by your circumstances.

Come to Him, messy bun, no make up, favorite sweats and all. Realizing that you belong, and feeling at home in the presence of Christ - that's a treasure!  <3

praying you find contentment in His love, and make yourself at home with Jesus today!

Jennifer 🙂

“Don’t be afraid, don’t despair.
Your God is present among you,
a strong warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back,
He’ll calm you with His love
and delight you with His songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 Message

God loves us. We know that in our minds, but often we don’t live that way. The Bible tells us we can come “boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Let those words sink in: help in time of need. Sometimes we mistakenly think that we’ve strayed too far, that somehow we’ve moved outside the boundaries of the Father’s love and patience for Him to restore us, but this is simply not possible. To the Lord, it doesn’t matter why you may need help - He just wants to help! He loves you - you are His precious daughter!

Stay there for just a minute: it doesn't matter to the Lord why you are in need of help.  His heart is to restore you and bring you back into intimacy with Him regardless of why you need help.  If you need help because of of your own mistakes, ask for forgiveness - "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).  If you need help due to circumstances outside your control, no need to feel shame - God is a loving Father.  He is not only ABLE to come to your rescue, He WANTS to come to your rescue! No matter where you’ve been (or why you’ve been there), He is happy to have you back, ready to welcome you home.

This sweet passage shows us how specific and personal the Lord can be with each of us.  Whatever we need, we find in Him. Think your situation is tough?  That's okay - your Heavenly Father is tougher: He is a strong warrior! No need to be afraid, He is present and thrilled to be here with you in this very moment. Pour out your heart to Him, and let Him pour out His love on you. Your Father is welcoming you in right now. Are you broken or afraid?  Your Heavenly Father is also gentle, able to calm you with His love, draw you in and sing His song over you.

Knowing that God loves you and allowing His love to fight for you, give you peace, make you calm; allowing Him to bring you in so close that you can hear Him singing  over you - what a treasure.

Praying you find the treasure in God's love today <3

Jennifer

I teach music in an elementary school.  Several years ago, my handbell choir and my mallet band were invited to perform at a local theater, part of benefit concert concert for a local charity.  (Insert shameless brag here: you ought to see my 10 year olds play handbells - it's impressive!  And my mallets - wow, they are really good!) Lots of local groups came to perform. We were really excited to participate, and we also also excited to be allowed to stay and watch the entire concert!

One of my students sat next to me during the concert.  He had a charming habit that I always remember: he would sit on the edge of his seat, so excited, with his hands raised to chest level and ready to go.  At first, I didn't understand his stance (can't he just sit still, relax, stay awhile?), but my little friend quickly explained: "Mrs. Spivey, I like to start the clap! I want to be the first one to start clapping, and the whole audience will follow me!"  It still makes me smile today, years later.  My student was quick to celebrate the success of others - what an incredible trait to learn so young! It's a great example and lesson for us!

For my student, the concert was that: a concert.  It wasn't a competition.  He was excited to be there and share his talents, and it didn't take anything away from him at all that others were invited to share theirs as well.  His joy wasn't diminished - in fact, it was the total opposite: he wanted to "start the clap"!

I love people who love to celebrate the gifts of others - they are a joy to be around, and super encouraging!  We have some great examples in the Word of people who were quick to celebrate. How about the dad in the story of the prodigal son?  When he saw his estranged son, look at his response:

"while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him" Luke 15:20 ESV

He immediately had his servants prepare a party - he said to bring the best robe quickly and gave them a list of things to prepare for a celebration (Luke 15:22-24).  He "started the clap"!

The prodigal's brother had a much different response.  He was upset at his father's joy, and somehow got the idea that a celebration of his brother took something away from him.  His father had to explain, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad" (Luke 15:31b-32a).

Important to notice: the prodigal's return didn't take a single thing away from the brother  - nothing was reallocated, nothing was lost.  Actually, something was added: his brother, back in his life!  This was cause to celebrate, but the brother couldn't because he made it all about himself.  Maybe you know someone who has adopted this attitude, centered around self.  Maybe you have been someone who has adopted this attitude, centered around self.  A friend gets a raise, gets a contract, gets an inheritance, gets a new car.... what's the first thing that comes to mind?  Do you think, "Why them and not me?" or do you "start the clap"?

My student didn't think that sharing the stage was taking anything away from us.  His joy wasn't diminished because he wasn't the only one invited.  He was happy to be there with everyone.  He did his best on stage, played an important part and did well with his group.   He then joined the audience and led them in "starting the clap"!  His joy was genuine and contagious.  He was ready to start the celebration! I love that!  If a 10 year old can do it, we can do it too!

The ability to value the gifts of others without allowing a root of jealousy to form - that's a treasure. Romans 12:15 says to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep".  Oddly enough, sometimes the weeping part is easier than the rejoicing part. I'm praying that you will find that, in this life, there is enough joy to go around.  I'm praying that you will be able to recognize that the blessings of God in someone else's life do not take away or diminish yours at all.

I'm praying that you will be the one to "start the clap" 🙂

Jennifer <3

I've been thinking, and well, let's be upfront right away: we probably won't like this.  I'm going to use the words "we" and you" and "me" often - not trying to offend anyone personally, just maybe trying to drive home the point that we have all probably contributed to the good and we have all probably been guilty of contributing to the bad.  Maybe just demonstrating that we can all easily become part of the same hypocrisy.

I've been thinking about being a "straight stick". I've been thinking about how rare it is, really.

I've been thinking about Thomas Moore, Irish poet from the 1800s. Thomas Moore wrote, "For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them."  200 years later, it's still as true as ever. (Thomas Moore, you nailed it).  Basically, Moore is making the point that our society first created a criminal, and then punished the criminal for being true to his/her upbringing.  Seems unfair, doesn't it?  Yeah, it does. Let's bring it home:

I've been thinking about "popular" movies, tv shows, music, things we allow to fill our minds and homes and time. Thinking about the foul language or obscene behaviors.  It might have been on our television or in a book we read or a joke we laughed at.  Some of the jokes were related to sexual perversion or immoral behavior, but it probably went over the kid's head, so we let it pass. Some of the storylines were inappropriate, but we glossed over it because the movie was funny.  Some of the language was foul and offensive, but we ignored it because the action and special effects were unbelievable.

I've been thinking about all these accusations surrounding public officials and celebrities, accusations of sexual harassment and improprieties.... It's constant, isn't it?  Every day on the news, we are re-hashing yesterday's accusations and introducing new ones.  I'm not defending it, and we feel the same way: it's outrageous, it's offensive, it's wrong, shocking, sinful.   (You can fill-in-the-blank here, right?  This is specific enough).

I've been thinking about other people in the news, people whose choices we did not celebrate.  Tim Tebow - there was an article some time ago about how a romantic relationship came to an end because of his commitment to virginity and sexual purity (here).  I don't know if it's true, but I do know that this point wasn't presented as anything positive or valuable.  We laughed at him because he made a stance on sex outside of marriage. Vice President Mike Pence - there was talk about how he honors his wife by refusing to be alone with another woman (here again).  Again, I don't know if its true, but I do know that it was presented as a form of sexism, and there was even the suggestion that he made this choice because he can't be trusted around women.  (What?) We attacked his character because he has made a commitment to a faithful marriage.

 

I've been thinking about how our society mocks morality and then is shocked by immorality. We laughed when the character on our favorite sitcom said it, we were horrified when one of our elected officials said it.  We ignored it in the movie and we were outraged when it happened in "real life".  We spend so much time on "that which does not profit"(Jeremiah 2:11 KJV). Why are we surprised when the lines between entertainment and "real life" became blurry?

I've been thinking about James and how he says the Word of God is like a mirror.  Let's read it together: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was" (James 1:23-24 NKJV). Maybe we have forgotten who we are?  Of course, when the Word presents a problem, it also present the solution: "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25 NKJV).

I've been thinking that maybe we should make a new commitment to purity and raise our standards in every area. Hey, I know the point is extreme - and watching that inappropriate movie didn't give anyone permission to behave the way they did.  But - when the same behavior is celebrated in one arena and condemned in another, it does seem as if we created the criminal and then punished the criminal act.  Maybe we should avoid the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).  Maybe we should try to be better than we have to be. Maybe we should keep our noses clean, even if it takes both sleeves.

I've been thinking about something Paul wrote to the Phillippians, "Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies" (Phil. 4:8-9 MSG).

Filling our minds with what is true, noble,  reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, the beautiful, things to praise.... Following this action with accepting the strength and grace we need from God to walk it out - that's a treasure. 

Holiness isn't easy.  Today, I'm praying that we'll walk it out and that God will work each of us into His most excellent harmonies -

Jennifer 🙂 (p.s. next blog will be something easy, like my puppy 🙂 )