Grasshoppers and Giants

GRASSHOPPERS AND GIANTS

In May 1972, I was preparing to begin a new chapter in my life as I was graduating from Bible College and preparing for what the Lord had in store for me.   I remember so poignantly the words of our graduation speaker. In May 2016, I was privileged to be a featured speaker at the baccalaureate service for the high school in which I taught.  I used the same scripture for my message to those students as what I had heard 44 years earlier from the book of  Numbers.  Tomorrow, I will face “giants” about which I had learned to face as a graduate and spoke with conviction to my students before me.

Thousands of years ago, God led His people, the people of Israel, out of Egypt where, what had started 400 years before as a good relationship, ended up with Israel being slaves to the Egyptians.  They were relentless in their praying and complaining to God to be set free.  Long story short (many of you know it), God delivered them from slavery, He protected them, He guided them through the desert and now they were standing on the border of the land God had promised them, a land far better than anything they could have imagined. Now, keep in mind that this area of land that was promised was large enough to accommodate about 3-1/2 million people at that time.

In the book of Numbers, chapter 13-14, we are able to read the complete account of what happened.  They needed to know what they were facing going into a new situation so Moses sent out 12 men who would check out the land and bring back reports as to what they had seen and heard  - nothing unusual – he said,  “look the land over, see what it is like.

Assess the people: Are they strong or weak? Are there few or many? Observe the land: Is it pleasant or harsh?

Describe the towns where they live: Are they open camps or fortified with walls? And the soil: Is it fertile or barren? Are there forests? And try to bring back a sample of the produce that grows there—this is the season for the first ripe grapes.”

After a few weeks of anticipation, those who were sent to check out the new land returned.  They brought back one cluster of grapes so huge that two men had to carry it on a pole between them.  All of them reported that their promised land was even better than imagined, then the figurative “bombshell” dropped! 

Ten of the reporters said, “BUT”!!!! Wait. . . .and those ten reporters began a flood of negativity that spread like a forest fire on a windy day. At the end of Numbers, chapter 13, they told the people, “We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we are! Everybody we saw was huge – they were giants. Alongside them, we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.”

Two men, Joshua and Caleb, came back with a different report, however, and told the people that God had brought them this far, had protected them and was with them and they could CONQUER the giants and live in the land that was promised to them.

To a grasshopper, you are a giant, so imagine what those ten people might have felt in this situation.  Have you ever felt in your life that you were a grasshopper – some horrific problem looms before you and you think it is so big it will wipe you out? Along life’s journey, you will face giants. These giants may take on many forms: educational challenges, habits you cannot break, failures you cannot forget, relational challenges, health issues – I could go on because there are multitudes of giants that we all face and we have felt overwhelmed from time to time.

Two key reasons we are afraid of the giants we encounter are:

First:  In Numbers 13:33 “ we were in OUR OWN SIGHT grasshoppers, so we were to them also.”  They looked at themselves and felt small in front of their big problems.  What about you? When you look at the challenges in front of you, are you afraid to take on the problems because you are a grasshopper in your own eyes? 

Alphonsus Liguori said, “He who trusts in himself/herself is lost but those who trust in God can do all things.  The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.”  I taught my own children that scripture from a very young age – I wanted them to know that success comes in CANS and failure in CAN’TS. 

Second:  The second reason was that when they saw the giants, they decided that the giants THOUGHT they were grasshoppers!  The only thing they could see was their problems and the inability to solve them because they were grasshoppers facing giants.

Our God in whom we put our faith and trust has NEVER seen a problem too big for HIM to solve.  He has never run into a giant too big to take down in defeat and there has never been a grasshopper that’s too little for Him to carry into the promised land.

Don’t turn and run away when you face giants.  With faith and trust, you will be a CAN DO person.  In the many years I was a teacher, the successful people that I know and my former students faced their “giants” saying I CAN, I will try.  Thomas Edison faced a giant in creating a light bulb and knew 10,000 ways it wouldn’t work but he said I CAN and we have him to thank for our lights today!

You may feel like a grasshopper many times in your life as you face numerous giants along the way. I don’t know what your giants will be any more than I knew what some of my giants were and what some of mine will still be, but I can promise you that if you look at those giants in your life through the eyes of the One who holds your hand, your giant will diminish and you will enter your promised land.

So, as I face my giants today, the giants of bilateral knee surgery, I realize and must remind myself as you must remind yourself, “I am NOT a grasshopper and I CAN face my giants and enter my promised land with the help of God.”

We are all faced with great opportunities disguised as impossible situations (Grasshoppers/Giants). I would rather attempt to do something great and fail than attempt to do nothing and succeed.

#giants #grasshoppers #challenges #success

Not Guilty!

A dear friend recently told me, "I haven't been to church in three weeks.  I feel so guilty." There were definitely legitimate reasons, on her part, for being unable to attend. 

Just a day later I had the opportunity to visit with my friend and share my heart with her. How she had spoken, and the repentant tone of her voice spoke to me so that I lifted her and her family in prayer and I decided to review what God's word communicated to us about that sort of "guilt". 

The dictionary defines 'guilty' as culpable of or responsible for a specified wrongdoing" while the opposite is true of 'not guilty' defined as innocent, especially of a formal charge".  Hmmmm. . .it just doesn't seem that either of these definitions fit. Now, please, don't misunderstand, there should be healthy guilt for willfully doing wrong, but being unable to attend church did not fit the category and I felt it this was a trick to discourage my friend and cause a battle to be waged in her mind.

In the Old Testament, while the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, God dwelt among His people through a physical manifestation (cloud) within the Tabernacle in the holy of holies.  While the Levite priests ministered to the people daily as they poured into the outer courts of the temple bringing sacrifices for burnt offerings, they were commanded to do so by the Law.

The High Priest was the only one who could actually enter into the presence of God behind the veil into the holy of holies, one day each year on the Day of Atonement.  When the blast of the shofar (a type of trumpet) was heard throughout the camp, the people of Israel knew they must assemble.

Forward, several hundred years. . .Jesus, the Son and embodiment of God Himself, came to earth as a baby.  Most of the Jews anticipating the arrival of the Messiah missed his birth "assuming" that God would send a zealot warrior to free Israel from Roman captivity and set up His earthly kingdom and that the Messiah's followers would automatically crush Roman rule. They missed His birth because they did not expect a baby, one who came to set up a kingdom of love in men's hearts.

After Jesus' earthly ministry was complete, He told his friends that when He went away, He would not leave them without comfort.  In fact, the word Jesus used, translated from the Greek, "παρακλητος" signifies not only a comforter but also an advocate, a defender of a cause, a counselor, patron and a mediator!

Jesus declared that He had come to fulfill the law and no one, not one of us, nor ANY before us except Christ, are perfect.  Only someone perfect could fulfill the law of God, because the LAW was perfect.  Now, if we, as believers, were still bound by the law (Romans 7) we would have reason to feel guilt and because Satan knows God's law as it is written, he uses that law to taunt us and look out - there it is:  GUILT!  Jesus did go to the temple. He did teach in the temple, but the majority of His earthly ministry was spent with his friends and among the multitudes to whom He ministered.

Am I saying that you should not attend church? A fellowship? Groups?  If that's all you take from this blog, then you miss the ultimate points.  Any other believer who reads this may attack saying, "what about Paul's writing in the Hebrews 10:22-25 (MSG)? "So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching."  Do you really believe you have to be within the four walls of an organized church to worship?  To "spur each other on" to live for Christ?

Romans 8:1-2, 9 (ESV) clear tells us the answer to those feelings of guilt that the enemy of our soul, the Antagonist, tries to press upon us: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. . .You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you."

Now, God's Word became flesh and lived among us in the man, Christ Jesus (John 1). When He came to set up His kingdom of love in my heart, the Holy Spirit "took His place" and lives within me! (John 14)  Hence, I am "in Christ Jesus" and He is in me. His amazing grace is all sufficient. ( “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9) Thus, I need not "feel guilty" because I missed church, or stumble in some other way.   

When the enemy of my soul tries to steal my joy, and speaks negative thoughts to my mind and spirit, I remind him of Paul's words in Romans 8:1-2 and particularly v. 9 because I know the spirit of God dwells within me.  I am a "temple" (I Corinthians 6:19) in which His Spirit may dwell and because of that fact, I can worship, I can serve, and I can certainly praise God no matter where I am or what I am doing.

I have no guilt.  The verdict is in. The Supreme Judge has spoken. "Not guilty!"  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-32, 36 ESV)

#freedom #notGuilty

Rejection Will Fall

I cannot begin to tell you the number of times that I struggled with the giant of rejection while I was growing up… As a child, as a teenager, as a college student, as a young minister, as a wife, and as a mother.  It is my prayer, as you read this, as I have this morning for devotion, that you will experience the love of Christ in a new and special way and that you never, again, will feel the pain of rejection.

David was just a teenager when he arrived at battle between the Israelites and Philistines. He wasn’t a member of the army, but was just delivering supplies to his brothers. As he got to the camp, he heard Goliath’s taunting—and asked who was going to take him down. His brother didn’t appreciate his inquisitiveness. Note the text: “When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, ‘Why have you come down here?’” (1 Samuel 17:28).

This response isn’t surprising if we know the rest of the story. In 1 Samuel 16, we learn that when the prophet Samuel came to Jesse’s house to anoint a new king for Israel, Jesse started with the oldest, Eliab. Eliab was the biggest, oldest, and strongest of the brothers. Surely he was going to be the new king. But God said, “Nope. Not him.” Undoubtedly, Eliab felt spurned. The system seemed upside down. He wasn’t chosen as king. Instead, the youngest brother was—the kid who wasn’t even in the lineup. Eliab felt rejected, and rejected people reject people.

None of us like to feel we aren’t good enough. Or smart enough. Or wanted enough. As much as we wish it weren’t so, the opinions of others matter. A word of rejection, even something small that wasn’t aimed to hurt us, can stick and sting. A tiny seed of rejection can take root and wreak havoc in seasons to come. Before long, we forget God miraculously created us for a purpose and a plan. We forget that he doesn’t ask us to compare ourselves to others or run someone else’s race. We lose sight of our miraculous beginning and our re-creation in the person of Christ. Before long, we find ourselves tormented by this giant of rejection.

Experiencing Jesus’ victory over the giant of rejection comes from seeing yourself the way that your heavenly father sees you—as his dearly and loved child. As Paul wrote, “If we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17). God did not accept you because of anything you had done, but just because he loved you (see 1 John 4:19). What’s more, God loved you so much that he was willing to pay an enormous cost to bring you close to him: the death of his own Son, Jesus, on the cross.

Imagine Jesus today whispering in your ear, “I really, really love you. I am already pleased with you!” It might feel crazy to think the God of heaven—the creator of the universe—knows you so personally. Many of us freak out when we get thirty likes on a social media post. Yet the God of the universe is mindful of you (see Psalm 8)! He has pursued you (see Luke 15:3–7).

Before you were even conceived, God went on record and said, “I choose you as my own.” That truth should cultivate a sense of acceptance within you. Your worth isn’t wrapped up in what you achieve but is forever anchored in the fact that Jesus was given for you. You were made to be accepted and embraced by your heavenly Father. You were made to be loved, for free. You live from his acceptance, not for the acceptance of others. As you come to realize this, the giant of rejection will fall in your life. (Louie Giglio)

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”

Romans 8:15-17msg

Goliath (Fear) Must Fall

This was my devotion this morning and as the sun struggled to find any breaks in the clouds of this day, I felt impressed to share these words with you. Have a blessed day.

"When you read the story of David and Goliath in the Bible, one of the first things you notice is that the Israelite army was “dismayed and terrified” of the giant (1 Samuel 17:11). Goliath started each day with taunts and ended each day with taunts. As time went by, all that demoralizing and diminishing had an effect on the Israelites. They began to believe in spite of their best efforts, something undesirable was going to happen to them . . . their defeat.

This is basically the definition of fear—the belief that something is out there that is going to get you that you can’t do anything to stop. This fear can manifest itself in many different ways—anxiety, nervousness, worry, stress, dread, hopelessness, panic, to name a few—and can spring up in your life from a variety of sources. Perhaps you experience fear as a result of the environment in which you were raised. Maybe your family treated life like one big threat that never diminished. At any minute, something could go wrong . . . and it probably would.

Or perhaps you experience fear as a result of trying to conceal mistakes and imperfections in your life. You are ashamed of something you’ve done in the past, and you worry that one day it will be made public and brought to light. Or perhaps you experience fear as a result of trying to control too many things in your life. You’ve realized that most things in life are out of your control, and this makes you fearful about what will happen in the future.

The giant of fear can get a foothold in your life and begin to dominate you. It can demoralize you and ultimately diminish God’s glory in your life. It can chew away at your life, erode your sense of confidence, rob you of sleep, blind you, and steal your praise to God. Fear is a relentless giant. And it is one that must fall through the power of Jesus.

The solution to facing the giant of fear is not determination but faith in Jesus. It isn’t so much saying, “Fear, go away,” but confessing, “I have confidence that Jesus is bigger than this giant and has already defeated it.” In Romans 10:17, Paul states, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV). When you see and hear God in and through his Word, the Word allows you to see and hear that He is bigger than your giant. That builds up your faith, and your faith in turn becomes the stone that shuts up the giant that’s already defeated.

So today, identify the source of your fear and place it in the hands of Jesus. Remind yourself that with God all things are possible (see Matthew 19:26) and he is able to overcome this giant. Remember that Jesus has promised to always be with you (see Hebrews 13:5). Name what is keeping you up at night, and then offload those cares to the One who has promised to care for you (see 1 Peter 5:7). Then fill your mouth with praise because you see God’s might, recognize his love for you, and know that he will always come through. His mercy will never fail (see Lamentations 3:22).

As you do this, even though the cause of your fear may not be removed, you will be actively relegating fear to its proper place: into the hands of Christ." (Louie Giglio)

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

Isaiah 43:1-2 ESV

Soul's Panting: I Marry You Because. . .

Soul's Panting: I Marry You Because. . .

I Marry You Because. . .

-12° and two feet of snow!  It was 1979. No one would attend our wedding ceremony. 

Amazingly, 125 people braved the elements to join us in a celebration of love in a beautiful, historical chapel (St. James) in Boardman Park, Youngstown, Ohio, on February 10, 1979.  It’s hard to believe that 38 years have zoomed by and if both my knees weren’t bad and your back was in good shape, we’d still be dancing!!

Jobs, full-time ministry, heartaches, thrills, celebrations, friends, three children, sports,  four grandblessings, assorted  pets, 6 homes (2 rentals and 4 our own), good times, not-so-good times, tears and laughter, sickness, surgeries, good health and bad, for better – for worse. . .we’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, and He has never, ever failed us yet.

I think of Thornton Wilder’s writing: “I didn’t marry you because you were perfect.  I didn’t even marry you because I loved you. (Even though I do and have been wild about you for 38 years.) I married you because you gave me a promise.  That promise made up for your faults.  And the promise I gave you made up for mine.  Two imperfect people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage.  And when our children were growing up, it wasn’t a house that protected them; and it wasn’t our love that protected them – it was that promise.”

You are still the first person I want to look at when I wake up in the morning and the only one I want to kiss goodnight.  The first time I held your hands I could not imagine not being able to hold them.  Our love has been a transformation over time.  We aren’t the “kids” in our 20’s any more, but we are like good, fine wine that has aged well; its fragrance and aroma arouses the senses and soothes the palate as it is tasted.

Our hearts wear no watches  - our love is timeless, not measured in years, yet sometimes like the Timex – “it takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’!  We certainly have been resonant and our relationship a mutual understanding of trust and agreement.

When I look at us, I do not see the age, the limps, the wrinkles, the pain. . . I see us – our hands touch, our hearts linked -  forever and always, two “kids” in love out to conquer the world with our dreams. 

I take this man to be my husband, my friend, and my love?  I affirm this relationship we have enjoyed to deepen and to strengthen it.  I will be yours in plenty and in want, in good health and in bad, in triumphs and in failures.  I will cherish you, love you, respect you, comfort you and encourage you from this day forth. . .I did and I still do!

Happy 38^th anniversary my love!