Eric Liddell, Isaiah 40, Holiness, and baby Jesus

So, I'm not very good at regular blogging.  I guess it is what it is.

I was watching one of my favorite movies recently - "Chariots of Fire" - about Eric Liddell's journey to the Olympics, and his win there.  The thing I love about that movie, though, is how it portrays Liddell's godly character, his zeal for the Lord's glory and his desire to honor God.  I have 3 favorite scenes.  The first is when Liddell is called before the Prince of Wales and several other gentlemen, who are trying to persuade him to run on Sunday, because he's refused to in order to honor the Sabbath.  They tell him that his king and country should come first, and he replies that God sets up kings and countries, and the rules by which they are governed, and His commandment says to honor the Sabbath, and he (Liddell) for one will keep it.  The second scene I love is when, before his 3rd race (which he wins), an American Olympic runner hands him a piece of paper, which says on it that God will honor those who honor him.  The last scene that is one of my favorites, is when Liddell preaches in the Church of Scotland in Paris, on the day that he was supposed to run but didn't in order to honor the Sabbath.  He preaches on Isaiah 40...and this time around I had to rewind and watch it again a couple of times, and then read that chapter in Isaiah, because it really resonates with some things I've been thinking about lately.

Here are verses 9 through 31:

"Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!'
Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult, and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Behold the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enought for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.
He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.
Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
who brings princes to nothing, and makes rulers of the earth as emptiness.
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?
He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,
'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God'?
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

I have heard so much despair from friends and in the public since the election, and apart from that, have found myself complaining a lot about little things.  We forget that the Lord is in control.  We forget how great God is.  He created and controls the universe, and still cares for us, and gives us life and the strength we need.  Nate and I have begun leading a career/young marrieds group at our church through a book called "The Hole in our Holiness" by Keving DeYoung.  It has truly been convicting to read through it and see how we care very little for our own personal holiness.  We have been commanded to be holy as He is holy, and we have been called to be set apart.  We should care very much for our holiness, and for the holiness of His name, which we bear.  In this Christmas season, these are the things I want to be focused on - the glory and greatness of God, and His holiness.  Let us remember what an AWESOME God we serve - this God who humbled Himself and came to earth as a baby, to bear our sins and save our souls.

BEAUTIFUL

I heard this on my way to work this morning...and I don't know if others consider this to be one of those sappy, overplayed (although I personally have never heard it before) contemporary Christian songs...but it reflected very well how I feel today and it was just what I needed to hear.



Beautiful - by MercyMe

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
'Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes

You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful! You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful! You're beautiful!
You are treasured
You are sacred
You are His

The power of our words

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." - Proverbs 12:18

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." - James 1:19

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ... Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:29&32

I have been needing this reminder lately - and it came, all at once...from a friend, in my quiet time, and through a book I've been reading.  Lord, help me to be more careful with my words.  Help me to use them to build others up instead of tearing them down.

As my friend said: I pray that I would respond today with this kind of love and grace.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:14

"Impressive or Impressed?"

I was struck this Sunday, as we were out of town and visiting a church, how much the message related to things I have been learning lately - about myself, and about how I view myself and what it says about my worship.

The sermon was based off of John 3:27-30, which says this:

John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease." (emphasis added)

The pastor asked the question: "Is the aim of your life/day/moment to be impressive, or to be impressed?"  He also asked how we define success.  I thought I had a good definition of success, that was certainly not based on money...but it was actually misguided in other ways.  I judged my success based on the grades I made and whether people like me.  Those are not necessarily bad things, but I was focused more on my own honor (or lack of it) than on Christ and what He did for me.  I was more inwardly focused than Christ-focused. 

Verse 27 says that "a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven."  Whatever intellectual ability I may have, and whatever qualities I have that may make me a good friend - I received them all from the Lord.  Yet I have taken personal pride in such things, instead of thanking God for His grace in my life.  I want my joy to be complete in Him - simply (wonderfully!) in Him.

I must share a few more quotes - from the pastor and from others that he quoted.  1) The pastor said that "the fight of the Christian life is not to become stronger or better or faster, but rather to become peripheral in your own existence."  This is what I want - to become focused on Christ.

2) From Martin Luther: "It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ."

3) And this delightful one from John Piper: "They showed me that the highest mental health is not liking myself but being joyfully interested in everything but myself. They were the type of people who were so amazed that people had noses - not strange noses, just noses - that walking down any busy street was like a trip to the zoo. O yes, they themselves had noses, but they couldn't see their own. And why would they want to? Look at all these noses they are free to look at! Amazing. The capacity of these men for amazement was huge. I marveled and I prayed that I would stop wasting so much time and so much emotional energy thinking about myself."

And this is my prayer as well...that I will "stop wasting so much time and so much emotional energy thinking about myself."  I want to be amazed by others and look toward Christ and live in worship, instead of always thinking about how I measure up and trying harder to be what I think other people want me to be, and so always feeling like I've failed.

This may seem like nothing new to some people, but it was a big eye-opener for me, and it also helped to set me free a little.  I feel less of a burden to try to be "somebody," and more free to simply be and to worship the Lord.

Twice As Good

"Twice As Good" by Sara Groves

When I am down and need to cry 'til morning
I know just where I am going
When I'm in need of sweet commiseration
To speak out loud
Raise a glass to friendship
And to knowing you don't have to go alone
We'll raise our hearts to share each others' burdens
On this road

Every burden I have carried
Every joy - it's understood
Life with you is half as hard
And twice as good

With my good news you're dancing on the table
Babies born, to celebration
The joy of life, oh what a sweet communion
Shared with you

Every burden I have carried
Every joy - it's understood
Life with you is half as hard
And twice as good

I know we're growing older
Can you imagine what that will bring?
It's all a mystery to me now
This one thing will be half as hard
And twice as good



I am a big Sara Groves fan.  Her songs are so meaningful and real.  Every time I hear this one, I am so thankful that I have relationships like this.  I am extremely grateful for the depth of friendship with, and the love and support of, my good friends and family. This is fellowship in the Body of Christ. So I say thank you to them for being this to me - for living life with me and making it "half as hard and twice as good."
I love you guys (you know who you are)...a lot.

Important lessons

Over the past few months, I have really been struggling with my sense of self-worth.  I have always been a people-pleaser, but it has really been recently that I've realized how much I allow peoples' opinions of me (or what I perceive to be their opinions) to dictate how I feel about myself.  I have put my trust and sense of self-worth in the wrong things, and when I felt like those things were stripped away, I came away feeling empty, inadequate, and like a total failure.  The Lord has been reminding me that I need to put my trust in Him alone, and remember who I am in Him. 

As I have gone to Scripture to regain that understanding, this is the main point that I have come away with: I have been bought with a price.  I am a ransomed child of God.  That's all that matters - and in light of that, I shouldn't put myself down or let other peoples' opinions of me decide what I am.  I shouldn't be arrogant, but I can have confidence in who I am in Christ.

With that lesson, though, I have learned another one as well.  Forgiveness.  I have been brought back to Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant, as well as to Colossians 3:13, which says "as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."  I have been bought with a price, and forgiven...and so just as I have been forgiven, so I also must forgive.  It has all been hitting me at once, it seems, but recently I realized that I have been holding on to hurts from years ago - petty things, really - and as cliche as it sounds, I know that my bitterness is really only hurting me. 

Bitterness and passing judgment on others is not worth it, at all.  God is judge, and only He knows the motives in our hearts.  We cannot control the way other people act toward us, but we are absolutely responsible for our own actions.  This doesn't mean we should turn a blind eye when people do things that are wrong.  I am extremely thankful for the friends and family I have who over the years have been willing to lovingly confront and correct me.  Those who didn't condemn me, but gently pointed out my mistakes - they are my best friends, and I will be eternally grateful to them for helping me grow.

So here's to letting go, and learning (with the Lord's help) to forgive...because God knows I have been forgiven MUCH.

Marriage and Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Since getting married, my eyes have been opened to how selfish and unkind I can be sometimes.  During one week in particular, a couple weeks ago, I felt like I was constantly finding fault - especially with my husband.  It really hit me in the face, and I asked the Lord to help me.  As I was in my quiet time, I read this wonderful passage from some writings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

" 'Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God' (Rom. 15:7). In a word, live together in the forgiveness of your sins, for without it no human fellowship, least of all a marriage, can survive. Don't insist on your rights, don't blame each other, don't judge or condemn each other, don't find fault with each other, but accept each other as you are, and forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts. From the first day of your wedding till the last the rule must be: 'Welcome one another ... for the glory of God.' That is God's word for your marriage. Thank God for it; thank God for leading you thus far; ask God to establish your marriage, to confirm it, sanctify it, and preserve it. So your marriage will be 'for the praise of God's glory.' Amen."

It was exactly the word that I needed, so I wrote down and framed the italicized section as a reminder for myself, and this passage has become my prayer for my marriage, as well as learning to become more thankful, encouraging, and appreciative.

Lost Reverence...

I just read Psalm 7, and the verse that stood out to me the most was the last one, verse 17 - "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." (emphasis added)

I recently had a conversation with my husband in which he was telling me that he feels like people have lost reverence for God. He reminded me how, in Biblical times, even God's name was holy, and people were careful about when and how they used it. I'm ashamed to admit that I was kind of flippant about the issue during our conversation - but it showed me how I, too, have lost that reverence. All around me, all the time, His name is used casually. In fact, when I get frustrated, I have a tendency to say "Good Lord"...to which my husband always replies, "One of these days He's going to answer you." Yes, that is somewhat amusing, but not so when I realize what it says about how I'm treating the only, Almighty, Creator of the universe. When He spoke, people trembled. When He walked by, Moses was only allowed to see the back of Him, because His glory was too much to behold, and even the reflection of His glory on Moses' face had to be covered up. We tend to like to think of Him as our close, loving friend, and yes, He loves us, but we also forget sometimes Who He is. He deserves all the praise and honor we have to give, so my prayer is that I will learn to "give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness."

On a side note - I've been married about 3 and half months (I know, not so long yet!), and I am constantly humbled as I live with and learn from my husband. This is not the first time he's seriously challenged me by his attitude or things he's said. I admit that I don't always receive it with grace, but I am grateful. Marriage is truly refining - which can be equally hard and wonderful. All that to say, I'm truly thankful for my husband and all that I'm learning from him.