Say what you mean and mean what you say

Once upon a time important business deals were sealed with a handshake and special contracts were closed with a meal, now days things have changed and it seems that it is necessary to write everything down to make sure no one takes advantage of us and the documents are so confusing that we need someone to help us translate them.  It seems that it is hard to find people who comply with what they say.    It is time to bring back the way things are supposed to be, for our word to mean something and for people to be able to rely on us. Our everyday words and actions are a reflection of our beliefs and values, what are yours saying?

In 1 Samuel we read the story of David and Jonathan, a beautiful example of how two friends stood by their promise.  “After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son.  There was an immediate bond of love between them, and they became the best of friends… and Jonathan made a special vow to be David’s friend” (1 Samuel 18:1; 3) they were determined to stand by their word, unaware of the challenges ahead and how their own lives would be at stake.   Saul became very jealous of David and tried to kill him several times, but Jonathan always protected his friend.  Even tough Jonathan was the son of Saul, his reverential fear of God was above his family ties or desire for power.  This closeness to God helped Jonathan love “David as much as he loved himself.” (1 Samuel 20:17) He received strength and wisdom not only to save David’s life several times, but also to encourage his friend during the tough times.

To stand by our word says a lot about our character and about who we are; it helps people feel at ease because they can trust us and they know that we will say the truth and will stand by our promise, no matter what.  In our relationships people need to be able to count on us, our word has to mean something.  So many times we say things we don’t mean, maybe we just want to act nice, or maybe we don’t have anything else to say and want to fill that awkward silence.  Just imagine how nice it would be for every word that comes out of our mouth to be true.  I am sure this is what we intend and want, but it is very hard to do;  most of the time there are hurdles in the way that hinder the truth and need to be dealt with and sometimes we are just too tired, too busy or too distracted to even notice them. We may be tempted to forget our promises and think it is ok because everyone is doing it anyway, but remember “This is what the Lord has commanded: A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it.  He must do exactly what he said he would do.” (Numbers 30:1-2)  

The amazing thing about standing by our word is that the impact goes beyond our lifetime.  In the story of David and Jonathan we read in 2 Samuel 9:1-11 that “One day David began wondering if anyone in Saul’s family was still alive, for he had promised Jonathan that he would show kindness to them.”  He found out that Mephibosheth, one of Jonathan’s sons was still alive, so David found him and said to him “I’ve asked you to come so that I can be kind to you because of my vow to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the land that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you may live here with me at the palace!... and from that time on Mephibosheth ate regularly with David as though he were one of his own sons.”

There is power in the tongue, it “can kill or nourish life” (Proverbs 18:21); God has placed a great value on our word; let’s start speaking according to Jesus’ advice “Just say a simple, ‘yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t’ your word is enough.” (Matthew 5:37) 

Never give up!

Never give up!  This phrase can make a catchy title for books or a good theme for inspirational songs.  It is easy to read these books and it feels good to sing these songs, but when everything seems to go against us and when what we are seeing, feeling and living in so different from what we are hoping,  the books and songs seem far away and giving up feels like a good option. We ask God for strenght, wisdom, patience and courage, how do we expect Him to give them to us? We don’t build determination when everything goes according to our plan, faith doesn’t grow stronger when we get what we want when we want it.  Do we want to be spoiled children or strong witnesses? 

We may look at people we admire in different fields and wish we could do what they are doing or have what they have, but very quickly we notice that this involves continuous hard work, daily training to excell and most of them have had to overcome difficulties that have made them stronger.  Our life is like a marathon and our training must prepare us for it. “Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize.  You also must run in such a way that you will win.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Things don’t just happen because we wish for them.  It is clear no athlete would go to a competition without training for it, the same way we can’t go into life unprepared.

Something amazing happens in the “never giving up” process so much more than we can imagine or expect, there is a transformation in us necessary for the place God is taking us.  We are constantly growing, we reach goals and keep going to the next level.  Each step is a little more challenging, but we couldn’t expect anything less than the best from God, so He purifies us, cleans us and demands more from us “These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure.  It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.” (1 Peter 1:7) If we are too comfortable, then we are not growing and we are missing the opportunity to get closer to God and let Him do His will in our life.  

When we don’t get what we want or we have to endure hardships we think that God has forgotten about us or He is just ignoring our prayers, but we know that is not true because He said “I will never fail you.  I will never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)  The problem is that sometimes we think that if someone loves us, they will give us everything we want.  That is a common problem parents make, they think “I love my children, and giving them everything they ask for shows them my love.” But  children can’t get everything they want, that is obvious, so why is it so hard to accept when God, our Father, says to us “no, not now”?

“At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you.  Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.  I will listen to every prayer made in this place, for I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be my home forever.  My eyes and my heart will always be here”.  (2 Chronicles 7:13-15) God wants a relationship with us; He wants the best for us, but we need to always remember that He is first. We need to seek God for who He is and not only for what He can give us.

The Bible is full of stories  that teach us to be persistent and encourages us to keep believing “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for.  Keep on looking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9)

In Luke 18:1-6 we read a parable in which Jesus talks about a persistent widow who would not stop appealing for justice to a judge against someone who had harmed her.  “The judge ignore her for a while, but eventually she wore him out.  I fear neither God nor man, he said to himself, but this woman is driving me crazy.  I’m going to see that she gets justice.” (Luke 18:4-5)  I love the way Jesus made His point “Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night?” (Luke 18:7)

   

We need to pour our hearts out to  God, He loves to listen to us and He wants to comfort us when we are in distress, but He loves us too much to give us everything we ask Him for, sometimes we are asking for the wrong things or we may not be ready, or maybe He has something better for us.   So we need to keep asking, keep pleading “Pray to the Lord day and night for the fulfillment of his promises.  Take no rest, all you who pray.” (Isaiah 62:6) but always remember Who we are asking, remember humbly that compared to God’s plan, ours is very small;  We can be certain that He has already prepared wonderful things that will surpass our requests.    

God is constant

Have you ever felt that your life is sometimes like a roller coaster ride?  One minute you are in control of your emotions; you feel strong and ready to tackle anything that may come your way.  You are happy lifting your arms up enjoying the breeze, when suddenly there is an unexpected sharp turn and you lose your confidence, you feel weak and afraid.  Although we know difficulties are a part of life and we are certain God is by our side, it is still hard to be constant in all the ups and downs of life.

There is a continuous inner battle between what we feel, what we want, what we are facing and what God has promised, and many times everything seems to be pulling in different directions.  Have you ever felt that way?  It is hard to do what is right when everything in us is saying to do the opposite.  It is hard to be happy when we are in the middle of a mess.  So how do we remain the same through it all?   We read the answer in Nehemiah 8:10 “The joy of the Lord is your strength” Only God can give us the patience and wisdom to learn the lessons we need to continue growing.

I know you know this, but sometimes knowing it doesn’t make it easier does it? Sometimes we need to hear it over and over.  We need to be reminded that God is in control. My friend Shelly said it very nicely… “our highs and our lows are all safely contained in a structure that God designed and that He controls and maintains to the highest safety standards. The trust in the Maker-Maintainer is what keeps our faith intact.”  That is the key, we don’t take this roller coaster ride on our own, we hold on to the One in charge, and we trust Him to give us everything we need to face the ups and downs. Knowing Who God is and what He is capable of gives us peace when everything around is changing.  

It is all written, but I think sometimes we read the Bible too fast, we don’t take our time to savour each word, to meditate on them and to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with awe. “For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you.  My covenant of blessing will never be broken.”  (Isaiah 54:10) Please keep this verse in a visible place, so next time you are down you can remember that God’s love for you and for me is a serious thing. He has made a covenant that will never be broken, no matter what happens He will be with us; He promises to be loyal.  Not only that but “God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given us both his promise and his oath.” (Hebrews 6:17-18) Isn’t that amazing? Next time you feel a dip coming, hold on tight to His promises; they are for real and they are for all of us.

Everything in life is continuously changing; we can’t ask God to use us and expect to stay in our comfort zone; we can’t ask God to draw us closer to Him and continue doing what we have been doing for years.  We may think our life is in chaos, but for God is the unfolding of His perfect plan “For God  is not a God of disorder but of peace”. (1 Corinthians 14:33)  He can take our mess and turn it into something beautiful, something useful and something that will glorify Him, because that is our purpose in life.

With everything changing around us it is nice to hold on to our God “I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end, says the Lord God.  I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One.” (Revelations 1:8)  God is our rock, our refuge, our shelter, our peace.  He is everything we need.  

The ups and downs in life are necessary, they are teaching material God uses to polish us, to bring us to a new level, to teach us and to love us.  When we remember who He is and rely completely on Him we can jump into the little roller coaster car, buckle up, hold on tight to our Maker and close our eyes saying “My life is in Your hands… let the ride begin” 

Now go, I am sending you

For some time my children and I have been asking God how can we help others, and we finally feel that God is putting in our hearts the victims of human trafficking. I will be honest, at first I thought “but what can I do?  How can my children who are both teens help in such a complicated issue?” This is not an easy subject to think about at any age, and precisely that is one of the biggest dangers… we just don’t talk about it as if choosing to ignore it will make this horrible reality disappear.  I thought about it and quickly realized that we had two options: We could ignore God or we could follow His lead. Guess what we picked?   

Most people will tell you that when they were called by God they felt unprepared and afraid, we have all been there; our journey is a faith walk based on God’s Word and in His faithfulness.  He adorns the way with daily miracles ranging from the small ones that many times only we notice, the ones that make us feel so special because God paid attention to even the smallest detail and of course the big ones that are so amazing that no words can describe; nevertheless it seems that we often forget who our God is and what He is capable of doing.  Who are we to limit God with our small plans and boundaries?  Who are we to say that we are too young, too old, too weak, too busy… and all the other excuses we like to use when God calls us to do big things through us?  Why is it so hard to let God lead our lives into the unknown, into something so much bigger than ourselves?

God can hear the cries for justice from His children “You can be sure I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt.  I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering.”  (Exodus 3:7)   God knows the world we live in; He knows what His precious children feel and need to keep going in their journey.  “I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians… Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh.  You will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:8; 10)  God could have chosen many other ways to help all of us, but isn’t it interesting that He chose to do it through us? He hears the cries of His children; He is ready to rescue them; He sends us… Can you see the importance of being attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit? God is moving, He is waiting for us to decide to stop letting our busy lives keep Him away.  When we put God first, then everything else takes its place and things go smoother, notice I didn’t write easier, but when we are with God and when we are working according to His will, we can rest in Him, so we are at peace, even during difficulties and challenges.

There is beauty in working together side by side; many people are hurting and feel a void in their lives, but once they decide to get up and help others, they find joy.  “The kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned…I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes.  Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” (Isaiah 58:6-7)

There are people waiting for us to act, and most likely God has already placed a burden in your heart for them.  “We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do.  And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.” (Romans 12:5) 

Don’t let fear stop you from fulfilling your call.  As Joyce Meyer says “do it afraid” but please do it!  Don’t sit on the sidelines and then years later think “what may have happened if I had…”  Let’s live with a passion to serve, to be a light and to make a difference.