Recently I was asked to speak at a Women’s Connection event at our church. These are events that connect women in the community with God and with each other. At the time I was asked to consider speaking I immediately had a vision of a dark haired woman wearing a skirt speaking to the audience. So I began to inquire of the Lord; “Who is this woman?” Is it me? No, certainly not, I thought, or I would know.
You see, I felt certain that because I had not received a topic to speak about that God was saying it was for some one else. Finally three days before the event I was challenged to commit to speak and then ask God for a topic. I did and this is what He showed me to say.
Like this vision there are other things in life that I just didn’t get. The biggest one was God’s love for me. I knew my Bible stories. And I knew that He so loved the world, but I was not the world.
And so I turned to other gods to satisfy all those empty places in my soul.
Then one day as I searched for Him, He found me and some how in all His infinite wisdom and creativity God caused me to know, ‘He loved me.’
It was so overwhelming my only response was ; “I never knew, I never knew how much You loved me.” At that moment I desired to choose God in all my affairs and began to make changes in my life to reflect this desire.
Then one night on retreat I experienced Jesus in a way I never believed possible. Jesus came and stood in front of me and as He reached out His hand and touched me and at that moment it became more than God loving me or me loving God.
You see, that night God put a mark on my heart and that night I surrendered all of my life … because that night all of my life was given to me by God. As my Pasor would say, "I was finally alive."
Scriptures began to take on new meaning.
He showed me how He had been my Hosea, my faithful husband, as over the years I had played the harlot with other gods.
He became my Boaz, my Kinsman Redeemer.
He has revealed Himself to me as the Son of Righteousness with healing in His Wings as He has healed my body from multiple syndromes, sicknesses and diseases.
He is my Mordecai.
He has shown me that like Moses, Sarah and John the best came in their latter years, and I must not to be discouraged but press on to finish strong.
As of late He is teaching me to dance. As I often struggle to lead; He ever so gently draws me closer and whispers, ‘Trust Me’.
He has captured my heart, He is my beloved.
Winter is past; spring time has come as I learn to dance with the Lover of my soul……
Do you know how much God loves you?
Try it and see for yourself, go searching for Him and allow Him to find you.
God promises that if you draw near to God and He will draw near to you....James 4:8
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A new look at an old story...
While creating JacobsWell I got a new look at an old story. It is the story of the woman at the well in John 4. The well, once belonging to Jacob was given to Joseph with the surrounding land as part of his inheritance. During Jesus’ time the city of Samaria was built near the well. The well was known for its cool refreshing waters that came from underground springs deep beneath the earth and was frequented by many a wearied traveler looking for a respite from the hot dry land. It is my desire you find a cool cup of encouragement and a respite at my version of JacobsWell.
The woman comes to draw water every day. She arrives around the 6th hour of the day. Noon, the sun is high; most would have come and gone in the coolness of the morning perhaps her shame and notoriety bring her in the heat of the days to lessen the chances of encountering another.
In the days of Jesus, Jews did not speak to Samaritans. Men were not permitted to address women. And rabbis had no business speaking to shady ladies such as the woman at the well. But that afternoon Jesus has other things on His mind than the customs of the day. He was thinking of the Kingdom.
Jesus begins with things familiar and accessible. He speaks first; He asks…“Will you give me water?” Her response is focused on things of what she knew, the well, the law … “How can you ask me for a drink?”
But Jesus’ response was focused on grace as He extends a tantalizing invitation….“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
His offer is the same today as it was then, He is offering life…. Life with a new reality, one that is not of the world…He is introducing her to a ‘Kingdom Mentality.’
What is Kingdom Mentality? It is an understanding that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; nor God’s ways our ways. Kingdom order is reversed beginning with the order of the day. Gregorian calendar days begin with morning; God created days beginning with sunset. We rest to go to work…God works out of rest. That is why God created Adam on the 6th day so when Adam woke up He could rest in the Lord. Everything is already accomplished in heaven; on earth we work to bring heaven on earth.
The first shall be last, blessed are those who are persecuted for His Name, and in dying you receive life are just a few Kingdom concepts that require a Kingdom mentality to understand.
Kingdom mentality was made apparent as He meets her with grace offering Living Water, a new concept one not of this world. Not yet comprehending, her response is of this world….”you have nothing to draw with, the well is deep”.
As He explains she will never be thirsty again; she asks for this water but is still thinking on the only plane of existence she knows; “give me this water so I won’t have to keep coming here to draw from this well.” Nevertheless in her acceptance she has made room for the new.
The only way to prepare the soil of the heart for seed is to plow it with conviction. Filled with grace He addresses her directly and personally. So, He meets her where she is without condemnation and tells her about herself. He goes to her biggest downfall, her deepest sin, her shame –
“You have had 5 husbands and the man you live with is not your husband…”
Her response is that of avoidance, she talks about worship and the Christ to come, but He persists and reveals Himself to her: “I who speak to you am HE.”
Immediately everything changes. Don’t you know that when Jesus is revealed everything changes?
The last revelation of Kingdom Mentality in this story has to do with humanity meeting the supernatural.
Remember Jesus had sent the disciples on to get food because He was so hungry and wearied from the morning’s travel He had to rest by the well. Yet, when the disciples return and urge Him to eat, Jesus’ reply was that He had food to eat that they knew nothing about. But did you catch what Jesus said His food was? “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work”
Jesus was clearly exhausted from the journey, He was hungry and thirsty yet now all the symptoms of fatigue were absorbed by Heaven. He was satisfied by accomplishing the Father’s work. The Will of God was His strength and satisfaction. Doing the Father’s Will fed Him and satisfied Him.
That is our work too, to do the will of the Father, to build the Kingdom of God. WE are to advance the Kingdom …We are the regional distributors of the Kingdom… The Kingdom is all about you………it is all about you because the Kingdom is in you!
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow; He will meet you where you are and when He does you too will be changed. The woman at the well was changed and became the first woman evangelist. Do you know what He has for you?
The woman comes to draw water every day. She arrives around the 6th hour of the day. Noon, the sun is high; most would have come and gone in the coolness of the morning perhaps her shame and notoriety bring her in the heat of the days to lessen the chances of encountering another.
In the days of Jesus, Jews did not speak to Samaritans. Men were not permitted to address women. And rabbis had no business speaking to shady ladies such as the woman at the well. But that afternoon Jesus has other things on His mind than the customs of the day. He was thinking of the Kingdom.
Jesus begins with things familiar and accessible. He speaks first; He asks…“Will you give me water?” Her response is focused on things of what she knew, the well, the law … “How can you ask me for a drink?”
But Jesus’ response was focused on grace as He extends a tantalizing invitation….“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
His offer is the same today as it was then, He is offering life…. Life with a new reality, one that is not of the world…He is introducing her to a ‘Kingdom Mentality.’
What is Kingdom Mentality? It is an understanding that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; nor God’s ways our ways. Kingdom order is reversed beginning with the order of the day. Gregorian calendar days begin with morning; God created days beginning with sunset. We rest to go to work…God works out of rest. That is why God created Adam on the 6th day so when Adam woke up He could rest in the Lord. Everything is already accomplished in heaven; on earth we work to bring heaven on earth.
The first shall be last, blessed are those who are persecuted for His Name, and in dying you receive life are just a few Kingdom concepts that require a Kingdom mentality to understand.
Kingdom mentality was made apparent as He meets her with grace offering Living Water, a new concept one not of this world. Not yet comprehending, her response is of this world….”you have nothing to draw with, the well is deep”.
As He explains she will never be thirsty again; she asks for this water but is still thinking on the only plane of existence she knows; “give me this water so I won’t have to keep coming here to draw from this well.” Nevertheless in her acceptance she has made room for the new.
The only way to prepare the soil of the heart for seed is to plow it with conviction. Filled with grace He addresses her directly and personally. So, He meets her where she is without condemnation and tells her about herself. He goes to her biggest downfall, her deepest sin, her shame –
“You have had 5 husbands and the man you live with is not your husband…”
Her response is that of avoidance, she talks about worship and the Christ to come, but He persists and reveals Himself to her: “I who speak to you am HE.”
Immediately everything changes. Don’t you know that when Jesus is revealed everything changes?
The last revelation of Kingdom Mentality in this story has to do with humanity meeting the supernatural.
Remember Jesus had sent the disciples on to get food because He was so hungry and wearied from the morning’s travel He had to rest by the well. Yet, when the disciples return and urge Him to eat, Jesus’ reply was that He had food to eat that they knew nothing about. But did you catch what Jesus said His food was? “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work”
Jesus was clearly exhausted from the journey, He was hungry and thirsty yet now all the symptoms of fatigue were absorbed by Heaven. He was satisfied by accomplishing the Father’s work. The Will of God was His strength and satisfaction. Doing the Father’s Will fed Him and satisfied Him.
That is our work too, to do the will of the Father, to build the Kingdom of God. WE are to advance the Kingdom …We are the regional distributors of the Kingdom… The Kingdom is all about you………it is all about you because the Kingdom is in you!
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow; He will meet you where you are and when He does you too will be changed. The woman at the well was changed and became the first woman evangelist. Do you know what He has for you?
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