The Plan...It's Good

This morning I finished reading the story of Jacob and Joseph and the beginnings of Moses' great journey and I was reminded again of the way God works in our lives -- always according to THE PLAN and always leading to something better. I keep thinking about that poor "little brother," Joseph, who found he couldn't trust anybody -- big brothers, employers (and their wives), fellow prisoners who asked for help -- anybody. Some would even ask if he could trust God! As a brash
little kid God had promised him absolute leadership of his family, but that didn't seem to be working out very well. So he went from promising beginnings to crushed dreams over and over again --meanwhile...letting every awful experience turn into a platform for God to show off His glory and grace in making adversity a tool for shaping the course of history!

I never get over his being able to say to his brothers after so many years:

               "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good (Gen. 50:20)."

That has been one of the most important principles God has been reinforcing to me over and over again. When we are His precious children, He sometimes allows injustice, mistreatment, the disappointment in people we have trusted, the deliberate intentional attacks of evil against us, the perversities of flawed governments and institutions, the onslaught of Satan against our very bodies, the usual illnesses and distresses of living in a damaged world, and the suffering that comes with our own tainted character and personality. They are allowed by a loving God who knows how He will use these things to refine us and shape us and make us tender and humble for His glory.

The aging process comes into the mix as well and we hate seeing our own gifts fade, our strength diminish and our resources falling away. And yet...and yet...we can discover this stage of life, like the eras behind us to be tremendously exciting, even though sometimes difficult and scary. Our lives are still filled with music and beauty, interesting people and amazing experiences. We have more opportunities to see the end from the beginning, the fulfillment of lifetime dreams, the pleasure of watching the generations that follow earnestly seeking to be what God wants them to be!

As part of our "prayers and thanksgiving" my husband and I went over each of the people who are dear to us. We listed and recounted all the wonderful attributes -- so varied and so amazing -- in those God whom has brought into our lives. We talked about their (and hopefully "your") passion for God, your musical and artistic and literary and medical and mechanical and practical and social and spiritual gifts, your beauty and your brains. Such a joy, such a source of pride and comfort!

Do you suppose God watches us, as he leads us through our stressful seasons and our glorious seasons and takes delight in the unfolding of those experiences to make us beautiful trophies of His grace?

Remember: "God's dreams for you are bigger than your dreams for yourself." Jo Beth Loftis

Have a GREAT day!

--Jessie Sandberg--

Ouch!

Ouch!

            Shortly before Christmas my daughter sent me a picture text (and posted on Facebook!) a picture of a badly bruised toe, with the message, “What shall I do?”  Obviously that toe was affecting her well-being!

            A few days ago my hip hurt so much that I limped and hobbled along.  I longed to walk without discomfort.

            I have been dealing with pain with two different teeth for almost two months now.  It does not just hurt when I am eating.  I hurt all the time.

            So what is the point?  Pain in just one part of the body affects my whole body.  My whole body suffers when just one part of the body is in pain.

            So what is the point?  We are all part of the body of Christ and when one part of the body is hurting, we all hurt.  II Corinthians 12 addresses the issue, beginning in verse 12.

            “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  For the body is not one member, but many.  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any less a part of the body If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?  If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?  But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as He deserved.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 

            On the contrary, It is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, whereas our seemly members have no need of it.  But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to the member which lacked, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.  Now you are Christ’s body, and individual members of it.”

            I am still studying this passage.  I don’t know exactly how all this should affect my life.  I don’t even understand the passage fully, but I know that we are all members of the body of Christ.  And if we are all members of the same body, why are we not acting like it?  Do we feel like we are one?  Do we hurt when another hurts?  Do we rejoice when another rejoices?  Do we even know what is going on in another part of the body?  Does one part of the body abuse another?  (It happens in a physical body when there is a “cutter,” one who wounds his or her own body in an attempt to distract from inward pain.  Do we wound others to protect ourselves from pain?)  We generally protect and guard our bodies from harm.  Shouldn’t we protect and guard the other members of the body of Christ?

            We are a part of the universal church, those who are also part of Christ’s body, wherever they are.  We should be one with them.  But we also are part of the body of Christ within Grace Baptist Church.  What should be our relationship with these members?  Do we function as a body?  Within our local body are members who feel that they don’t matter; they are a very insignificant part of the body.  If we are honest, I suspect that there are many times that each of us feels insignificant.   Every one of us at times feels our “invisibility,” our isolation.  How can we overcome this?  How can we have a healthy body?

            How can we heal the body?  How can we help every member to recognize their value to us as a church?  How can we be a healthy body?  You tell me.  What can you do to bring the body of Christ and the local body of our church to good health?

            Could we learn to look past the “I’m fine,” automatic response to “How are you?”  Could we look for the lonely?  Could we find another time to visit with those we are close to and instead reach out to someone we don’t know?  Could we invite someone new to our homes or our gatherings?  What about those who are visiting?  Can we make them feel truly welcome?  What about those who disappear from our Sunday school classes, from our pews?  Could we find out why they are missing?  Could we reach out to those who are hurting with an “I am sorry you are hurting,” rather than trying to fix them, preach to them, show them why they are responding improperly?

            I don’t have all the answers, but I know I want answers, not just to know, but to implement.  I want to be part of a healthy body.  I don’t want to know about a bruised toe, without answering the question, “What should I do to make that bruised toe better?”

                                                                                    ~~Faith Himes Lamb

I Am Asking God.....

I am asking God to reveal my sin to me.

        “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.  But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”  1 John 1:8-9

I am asking God to give me the strength to forgive myself concerning sin.

        “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19

I am asking God to take away my fears.

         “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

I am asking God to show me what His plans are for me.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

I am asking God to please show us grace and mercy.

“If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

I am asking God to be with you my friends.

“The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Happy New Year!

Tina Laubscher

God's Handiwork

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork." So says David in Psalm 19.

The heavens aren't the only thing that declare the glory of God. As I sat in church on Sunday morning, listening to the pastor talk about creation, I enjoyed the beautiful flowers on the communion table. I know these aren't real flowers, but they are fairly realistic copies of real ones----and what a variety of flowers there are in the world. In this one arrangement, there were large ivory blooms (magnolia, I believe), middle-sized blooms with layers of petals (both yellow and off-white), and delicate baby's breath-type blossoms. This list represents just a fraction of all the flowers available.

For Christmas, one of my daughters gave me a gift card from Burpee. The catalog that comes with it is stunning. A plant lover like me can look for hours and dream. The myriad of fruits, vegetables, and flowers to be had is remarkable. I realize that many of these varieties were developed by people, but the basic structure and the magnificent color comes from God.

How long has it been since you examined the intricacies and brilliant colors in bugs? How about equally beautiful spider webs? At this time of year, it's easy to see the lacy branches of the trees against the sky, and when there's a gorgeous sunset behind them----Wow.

Robert Louis Stevenson was right---"The world is so full of a number of things,/ I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

I'm glad the pastor is focusing on creation for a while. There is so much evidence in the physical world of order, design, and planning. I know it's cliche to say it, but I don't know how anyone can look at nature and deny God. The birds outside my window on any given winter day are a delightful testimony of God's creative nature, and the beauty of birds, flowers, bugs, and sunsets says to me that God enjoys loveliness.

Let's enjoy it too.

--Sherry Poff

All Things New

New diet plan. New exercise goals. New Bible reading/study habits. New (you fill in the blank). New Year's Day marks a new beginning. According to an article by Dr. Saad in Psychology Today: "Most people fail to keep their New Year's resolutions - 22 percent after one week; 40 percent after one month; 50 percent after three months; 60 percent after six months; and 81 percent after 24 months.
I would fall into that 22 percent after one week category! I just don't do well with resolutions! I'm so thankful that I live under the new covenant and have a Savior who wiped my slate clean a couple thousand years ago! Because, I would NOT have survived in Old Testament days!
When I trusted Christ as Savior, everything about me was made new. I am no longer bound to a list of hundreds of laws I can't keep! In the gospels (while people were still under the law), Jesus declared the "new" law that He would bring at His death:

Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:32-35 (NASB)

 Whew! That's alot easier than keeping the Sabbath! Jesus Christ has given me new life (Rom. 6:4), a new spirit (Rom. 7:6) and a new law! He has made all things new!

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.- 2 Cor. 5:16-18

I don't know about you, but I just breathed a big sigh of relief! How often I forget that I've already had an extreme makeover! I don't have to do ANYTHING!  He has made me righteous. I've never been great at keeping New Year's resolutions anyway, so this year, instead of trying to keep a checklist of actions that make me a "better" person, I'm resolving to walk in the Spirit so that I might "...love the Lord my God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself" (Luke 10:27)! I'm off the hook! He has made all things new!

~Rebecca Phillips