PAULA WISEMAN

Faith and life meet in a story

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Being Shepherded

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(This week, I have the twin hassles of a sinus infection/head cold kind of thing and some server maintenance. So while I had a fresh post started, I didn’t get a chance to finish it. Judging from how I feel when I’m taking cold medicine, I’m not sure it would be worth reading 🙂 So, please enjoy this post from the archives with my thanks for your kind understanding.) 

 

New Born LambPsalm 23 has been commented on maybe more than any other passage, and there is much comfort to be found in the promises of provision and protection. A shepherd is a person, but let’s consider “shepherd” as a verb.

So where does He shepherd me?

Green pastures – abundant, easy-to-obtain nourishment. He will lead Me through His Word to feast on the riches of His Truth.

Still waters – He understands my frailties, and graciously works through those.

Where He restores my soul – He so desires a relationship with me that He will shepherd me through the tough process of repentance and restoration, so that nothing stands between us.

The valley of the shadow of death – First off, it’s a shadow. While it’s the size and shape of death, it’s only a shadow. He’s with me. He’s still leading.

The presence of my enemies – To prepare the table, He had to get there first, before me. No matter what the enemies have in mind, the Shepherd is one step ahead.

Where He anoints me – Healing, favor, selection, identification, consecration, commissioning … Anointing was used to show all these things.

None of these places is a one time stop-over. We revisit them as often as needed according to the Shepherd’s assessment, timing and purposes.

The ultimate destination is the house of the Lord – He will finish the job, and will safely bring us into His eternal presence and glory.

 

I was not made to be a free-agent, but to glorify God through obedience. He is Shepherding. The question is, am I “sheeping”?

 

 

 

Salvation in the Now

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iStock_000014141353Small“[H]ow will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” Hebrews 2:3

Each of my kids has a special account at the bank. In exchange for a better interest rate on their deposits, they can’t any money out until they turn eighteen. Sometimes I think we treat our salvation that way, as if it were some glorious thing, held on reserve for us until we die. Granted, the eternal life doesn’t kick in until after we die, but Jesus intended for us to benefit from our relationship with Him now, in the course of our normal everyday lives.

 

So what is your salvation doing for you?

It gives you unlimited access to the King of the Universe. No limit to the prayers you can offer, the requests you can make, the time you can spend. (Hebrews 4:16)

It gives you the indwelling Holy Spirit. The mind-blowing reality is that God Himself comes to live inside us, taking over the reins of our lives, directing us in ways that never would appeal to us before we became believers. Those acts of kindness you do, those brilliant flashes of insight, those times you step out on faith, the Holy Spirit is behind all those. (John 14:16-17)

It gives you a purpose and the power to accomplish it. No more floating along wondering what in the world is going on and why you’re here in the middle of it. God has a unique kingdom work for you. (John 15:16)

It gives you freedom from performance. No more trying to earn God’s favor. You have it. Forever. Pressure is replaced by peace. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

 

And on and on… Here’s the thing– when we treat salvation only as a past event or even as a future hope, we miss the great work going on in our lives each and every day. After all, God only does great work. (Philippians 1:6)

By the way, these are just the first four I came up with. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

 

 

 

The Wait Really is the Hardest Part

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yes - notepad & penShow me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4-5

 

It was almost exactly two years ago. It was a Sunday morning. Church was canceled for snow or ice or something. Jon and I discovered God had impressed us both, strongly, about adoption. It was clear. We were sure, and we got to work. We investigated agencies. We filled out forms, saw doctors, bought a different car, set aside money. Here we are, though, no closer to accomplishing what we believe God called us to do.

Maybe it’s just me, but I had an expectation that things would go a little more smoothly. I mean, if God is that clear in His instruction, doesn’t it make sense to believe that He has gone ahead of us, that He’s smoothed out the path, that He’s working in the details to accomplish the purpose He so clearly revealed? I thought it made sense.

And so, if we’re here, two years later, wouldn’t it make sense to suspect that maybe we were wrong? Maybe adoption wasn’t what God called us to do at all. Maybe there was some wire that got crossed, some idea that we had that we just hung God’s name on. Maybe that’s what happened. If that was the case, then naturally we wouldn’t trust the voice of God any more, that we would doubt and second guess and hesitate.

Or maybe we did something wrong, wrong enough that God shut the whole process down. He’s unhappy or displeased with us, and until we confess, and make up for it somehow, we’ll be spinning our wheels for who knows how long. Right? Doesn’t that make sense?

No. It’s an expectation – my expectation, at that – fueled by a misinterpretation, propped up by insecurity. God’s gracious response to that wasn’t condemnation, but confirmation that yes, adoption was exactly what He had in mind for us. Sometimes God’s call is as much about the journey as it is about the ultimate fulfillment. I think this is one of those times.

Will we trust God just as much when He tells us to wait as we did when He said move? So far the answer is no. Maybe He wants us to get to yes. Maybe He just wants us to understand that the patient, obedient waiting was the whole point. I don’t know.

But I am confident that as I strive to learn His ways, to follow His paths, to grasp His truth … I’m going to have to let go of my expectations, and my insecurities. I’m going to have to infuse my misinterpretations with discernment. And I’m going to have to learn to wait.

 

Believe the Truth, Not the Worst

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iStock_000003165948XSmallSanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17

Yesterday afternoon, a lady from church called to ask me if Jon had broken his ankle. No, I reassured her. He slid on some ice in the driveway Friday morning, but he just twisted it. It’s fine.

This morning, I got another call from another lady asking the same question. Nope. No broken ankles here. Hours later I got a call from someone else who had heard he’d broken his leg, then hurt his good ankle.

Now between traveling over Christmas and canceling church services for snow, nobody has seen Jon for a couple of weeks and maybe that contributed to it. Or maybe it was just that the story sounded reasonable. It was icy Friday morning, after all. I think the story caught on because we have an innate ability, maybe even a desire, to believe the worst.

While this works out to the advantage of gossip-mongers and reality television show producers, it really messes with our relationship with Christ. And the enemy knows it messes with us. He slinks in and whispers things like, “God may have saved you, but He’s never going to use you, not with your past.” Or maybe, “After a mistake like that, you’d do best to let someone else do it from now on.” Or even, “There’s got to be a catch.”

They sound reasonable. They sound bad. And we believe them. And we live our lives in the long shadow of a lie that’s too easy to believe.

That’s not what Jesus wants for us. In fact, in His prayer in John 17, He prayed for God to sanctify us by His truth. Then He clarified, “Your word is truth.” God gets the last word. It doesn’t matter what gets whispered in our ears. The truth about us is not determined by our past, our situation, or our fortunes. It is determined by God Himself.

The truth about who we are as believers – truth that we’re loved, accepted, gifted, blessed – sets us apart, lifts us up, dignifies us. How would it change our lives, our relationships, our churches if we could grasp and cling to the truth about who Christ Jesus says we are?

Now make it personal… how would it change you?

Top Posts of 2013

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iStock_000018089816XSmallIn case you missed them or are just feeling nostalgic, here are the most viewed, most commented on, favorite posts of the past year.

(This was actually published earlier but was by far the most visited post even in 2013.) Underlining, highlighting, symbols, notes in the margin… Whether you use any or all of those elements, marking or writing in your Bible is great study tool. This post includes a picture of my marked up Bible.

How we receive that ‘no’ can reveal more about our relationship with God than a ‘yes’ ever could.

The Bible has several beautiful benedictions. This is one of my favorites.

The Lord doesn’t do anything outside the plan revealed in His word. He gave us the plan so we wouldn’t lose hope when things seem bewildering at best or an insane mess at their worst.

We keep our junk hidden. We protect it at all costs. We even deny that we have junk in the first place. We become mask-wearers… deniers… and yes, hypocrites. Sometimes to cover that up, we become critical, heartless and judgmental — the very thing we were afraid of in the first place — and no one feels safe around us.

 

Thank you for reading, for commenting, for being part of this journey. I welcome your comments and emails. Here’s a great 2014!

 

What topics would YOU like to see discussed here?

 

 

God Gives Perfect Gifts

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Indescribable GiftEvery good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

 

Gifts are tricky business.

You can overthink them. I was Christmas shopping last weekend, and I snatched up a DVD I was sure a friend of mine would like. But then I started thinking … what if she didn’t? What if she already had it? It’s pretty presumptuous to choose entertainment for someone else … We’ve never really discussed what movies we like. Sigh … I put it back.

You can underthink them. My kindergarten-ish nephew once explained to his aunt that her present was, “Some old stuff we found on the floor that we wrapped up and gave to you.”

 You can be completely obnoxious about them. I saw a photo of a card with this note written inside. “Dear [daughter’s name], You are beautiful now. We are sure you will be a beautiful bride. To help insure our wedding dress investment, please buy some scales of your choosing with this money and weigh yourself once a week. We love you and want you to enjoy your wedding day. This present might help with some of the stress. Love, Mom and Dad.” Wow…

 

Giving great gifts – not necessarily expensive ones – requires at least two things.

  • Love for the person receiving the gift.
  • Knowing that person well.

 

Of course, the best gift giver is God.

He loves us. The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. (Jeremiah 31:3) From “Jesus Loves Me” to John 3:16 we are told and retold that God loves us. But He didn’t just tell us, He proved it. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

He knows us intimately. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. (Psalm 139:1) He understands the deep longings of our heart, the need for love, for acceptance, for purpose, for fellowship and so many others.

Plus, He has infinite resources available to Him. Ephesians 2:7 mentions the “exceeding riches of His grace,” which allow Him to give lavish good gifts on us.

 

All we have to do is receive them.

As Christmas approaches take some time to receive the gifts God offers. Receive them freely, without guilt, with simple joy and delight in His love for you.

 

Merry Christmas!

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15