Showers of Blessing

I’ve been thinking a lot about the last post I wrote, and in particular, the relationship between blessings and obedience.  It’s always been a difficult concept for me to grasp.  Here's what I've come up with. (As always, feel free to agree or disagree with me!)

On the one hand, I don’t want to ever be accused of changing my behavior just to receive a reward -- I’d like to think I’m a bit more mature than that.  On the other hand, we’re all familiar with the punishment/reward system of behavior, and most of us, have in fact used it heavily at some point in our lives.   ( Anybody else out there use the m&m method of rewards for potty training???)

The sheer reality of it is humans won’t act unless we receive a proper incentive to do so.  That incentive varies from person to person, including:

Fear

Rewards

Self Motivation

Love

How you relate to God is a direct result of what motivates you to obey Him.  If your only view of God is as an authoritative being who will zap you if you don’t follow his rules, then you’re not likely to want to be all that close to him.  That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be fearful of God, for according to Proverbs 9:10, fearing God is the beginning of wisdom.  But it’s a different kind of fear than stark terror, more like the respectful fear you had for your parents as a child.    

Fear and/or the promise of rewards won’t get you very far in building a relationship. And it certainly won’t guarantee obedience 100% of the time.   For all the rewards of Eden, Adam and Eve still succumbed to temptation.  I’m sure they feared God and enjoyed living in Paradise, but that wasn’t enough for them at the time.  So did that mean He scrapped his whole plan when they sinned?

I don’t think God viewed the blessing of living in paradise as the ultimate reward for being good.  That was just the icing on the cake.  The true benefit was the close relationship with God:  being able to walk and talk with Him regularly in the garden.  Everything else that Adam and Eve enjoyed was just a byproduct of that relationship.  

God still wanted that closeness with Adam and Eve, just like He still desires to be intimately close to each one of us.  He simply engineered another way to foster that relationship, outside of Eden. We still long for that intimacy; C.S. Lewis wrote of the God-shaped hole inside of every person's heart. As we mature in Him, the desire to fill that "God space" becomes our primary motivation. We fall in love with Him, and because we love Him, we want to obey Him.  We become less motivated to change because of fear of repercussions or promised rewards, and more by our love for Him.  

The blessings we receive really have nothing do with us, and everything to do with God.  We didn’t earn them -- there’s no way we ever legitimately could.  It’s just an outpouring of God’s love - and who better than the Creator to use giving as His love language?

So how does this relate to service? Well, for many of us, we're not automatically excited about the prospect of serving others. It's messy. But we know we're called to. And so we step out just a little bit, doing some small act, in obedience. And we keep doing just a little bit more, until suddenly, we realize that it has become a way of life for us. It may begin as a chore, but as we mature, it becomes an act of love.

God blesses us, we bless others, who then bless others. Pretty good system, if you ask me.

"There shall be showers of blessing:

This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

Sent from the Savior above." ----Daniel White, "Showers of Blessing"

Positioning for God's Promises???

When most of us think of being a servant, it's not exactly a job that we'd willingly sign up for. (I think about our last field trip to the Biltmore House, and the opulence of the Vanderbilt's living quarters, paired in sharp contrast to the teeny tiny rooms of the servants, who were almost always on call.) The term "servant" implies a lot of hard work, with little to know pay off. And some of that is true for Christianity."

God keeps reminding me that his view of servanthood is much different though, and it comes with its own set of rewards. I struggle sometimes with the thought of being rewarded by God for obeying him, as I think I should be willing to serve him regardless of the outcome. (More on this in my next blog post) But Leviticus 26 makes it perfectly clear that God wants to bless us. I love the imagery of the whole passage, but here's my favorite part:

“I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you.You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high." Leviticus 26:9-13.

"I will walk among you." We're not required to follow several steps behind, head bowed in submission, and only speak when spoken to. We're not disdainfully treated as inferior, and relegated to the lowest seat at the table (or even another room) like we traditionally view servants. Nope - we get to walk right there with God -- beloved, with our "heads held high." Able to talk with Him about anything that's bugging us, and know that He will give us his full attention.

Probably not rocket science for most of us. It's a thought that's familiar to most of us, courtesy of 1 John 3:

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Like any Father, God he delights in giving his children gifts. Of course, like any good parent, there's also an expectation that we behave. For all you parents out there, would you continue to lavish your children with gifts if they were rebellious, ungrateful, and rejected everything you had taught them? Of course not -- that's the recipe for creating a spoiled brat!

This got me thinking, what blessings might God be eagerly waiting to release in my life, but in his wisdom be holding back because of choices I have made? I know that my relationship with God can't be reduced to mere transactions; it's about relationships, not a carrot-and-stick approach. His desire is for a transformative partnership, not just a series of rewards and punishments. But I also can't just stick out my hand expectantly for God's blessings and believe that He'll just turn a blind eye to the rebellious areas of my life. (And yes, we all have them, don't we!).

It's a delicate balance. Take the carrot and stick approach to far and you end up with a theology that focuses exclusively on a legalistic God to the detriment of grace. Focus too much on the blessings and grace side, and you end up with a theology where God is basically just a bigger version of Santa Claus, showering gifts everywhere. In this scenario, anything goes, because we're all forgiven, anyway.

I'm still not sure where to draw the line, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. (Post away in the comments below, please!)

What I do know is that there's definitely room for some improvement in my life. If that releases blessings in my life, great. If not, that's okay, too. I'm doing it not because I have to, but because I want to. And the good news, of course, is that I'm not expected to clean up my act on my own. Like any good parent, He's more than willing to coach me through the process.



I've just got to be willing to let him show me -- and that's where the servant-hearted spirit comes in again.

The Funny Thing about Worry

Just to recap 2014 so far:  I'm working on serving God and staying focused.  Which, of course, means I immediately noticed how easily distracted I am.  (For those of you who've seen the movie "UP", it can easily be summed up in one word:  SQUIRREL!!!!)

For whatever reason, I've been more anxious lately, worrying about lots of things, big and small.  Most often, of course, in the middle of the night.

And, yes, I'm well aware of the verses about worrying:  I shouldn't worry about the everyday things of life, because God knows every hair on my head.  And from Phillipians, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Phillipians 4:6.
These verses help, but it's still a struggle for me sometimes.

Then I read a life changing statement (wish I could remember where I read it, but so far, no luck):   The things that we worry over are the things over which we have no control.

Think about that for a moment.  If we could do something about it, we would -- and then we wouldn't worry about it anymore!  But the matter is taken out of our hands and quite possibly, it never should have been there in the first place.  We've become like Atlas (pictured above, thanks to the miracle of Google Images), carrying the world on our shoulders - and we were never asked to.

Now, maybe it's just me, but this was mind-blowing.  And it's truly changing the way I think.  When I feel myself slipping down the path of worry, I'm learning to stop that thought process.  Is this really something that I can do anything about?  If it is, then the triple A personality in me is more than willing to outline a plan of action.  But if it's not, well, THEN I know I'm in a Phillipians 4:6 situation.  I can't do anything about it, which means I'm probably not supposed to.  You know that expression "All we can do is pray?"  BINGO!!!

Only then does the verse following Phillipians 4:6 make sense:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

                                                             --  Phillipians 4:7

Be a Liquid, Not a Solid

 

At the beginning of every year, I ask God to give me a word or phrase that He wants me to focus on or remember throughout the upcoming year.  I’ve been doing this for about ten years now, and while I always think I immediately understand the word as soon as I receive it, I’m always amazed at the layers of meaning that are revealed throughout the year as I meditate and pray through it.  

For example, last year’s phrase was “KEEP RUNNING.”  As the year played out, it evolved into several things:  1) A need to just keep moving in the direction that God was laying out for me, celebrating each step of progress, however small -- much like Dory from the movie Finding Nemo.  “When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do?  Just keep swimming!”;  2) The reminder that Christian life is a race (Hebrews 12:1), one not of fits and starts but of endurance and persistence; 3) The need to take better care of myself physically so that I could actually keep running; and 4) the need for passion to run the race, not just stroll or amble along at a leisurely race.  In a year that was filled with change, the phrase “KEEP RUNNING” was a constant reminder of God’s encouraging presence.

This year will likely be no different.  I’ve got two phrases this year:  SERVE and STAY FOCUSED.  A gentle nudge from God that He’s laid out a path for me. My job, as a wise friend once told me, is to simply honor and obey Him.  

So I wandered over to youversion.com to find myself a new reading plan for the year, and lo and behold, there’s one about service!  It’s like God planned it that way, or something ;-)  I’ve only been reading the plan for three days, but it’s already challenging me.

Paul writes in Phillipians 2 that his life is poured out like a liquid offering to God, and our own faithful service is a similar offering as well.  As I read this, I realized too often that I’m more like a solid chunk of an offering -- a really big hunk of service one day, then nothing for a while, then another chunk a few weeks later.  It’s feast or famine for me -- and not how God designed me to function.  A sporadic heart for service means that I frequently overlook the little assignments God has for me, tuning in only for the big jobs.  It robs me of the joy in the little things, and it certainly robs the world around me who would benefit from even the smallest act of service. The fluidity of liquids allows them to cover a lot more ground than solids.  

What would 2014 be like if every day we woke up and simply looked for how we could serve Him on that particular day?  Maybe all we do that day is buy somebody a cup of coffee, or let them go first in the grocery store line.  Maybe it’s a lot bigger, like stocking the community food pantry or deciding to adopt a needy child.  The action that our service takes isn’t as critical as the condition of our heart.  God can do anything He wants without our help, but He chooses to let us be a part of serving His children.  But it requires that we position ourselves to be obedient and ready to move the minute God instructs us.  

It’s all about keeping our focus on Him and how He wants for us to serve Him.  

I’m not sure that I really need any other resolution for 2014:  “STAY FOCUSED” and “SERVE!”   

  

Root Bound

As some of you may know, I dabble in gardening.  And by dabble, I mean that I go to the nursery, buy a few plants, figure out where I might plant them in this massive wilderness we now call home, dig a hole for them, and then hope for the best.  I’d love to say that I've got a green thumb, but it’s more of a khaki-like shade – a hint of green, with lots of brown.

A few weeks ago I hit up my favorite nursery for some fall color, and loaded up the back of hubby’s pick-up truck with my treasures.  I was eager to get them all in the ground, where I hoped that maybe some of them might just thrive. One of the mums, though, was decidedly root bound.  The plant popped right out of the container, and the sides were a complete coil of roots – dry, tangled threads.  Clearly, this mum had long since outgrown the space where it was confined. 

Funny thing about root bound plants – they end up strangling their own roots in a desperate search for nutrients and hydration.  As the roots have nowhere else to go, they just keep circling around the pot, over and over, until it’s a tight mess.  You can fertilize it all you won’t, but the plant won’t be able to absorb the fertilizer through the soil like normal.  In fact, there’s little to no soil left at this point.  While the plant may be able to produce new leaves, it won’t bud – and ultimately the growth is stunted.  In extreme cases, the plant could die.

Remind you of anything?

How many times have we trapped ourselves in a tight space, forcing God in that little container with us?  We've defined our space as we see it, not how God sees it.  We climb into our little pot, and we’re content to just stay that way.  We've shut ourselves off from any future revelations from Him about who He is and what He has for us.  Because after all, we’re pretty sure we’re doing just fine.  At a glance, we appear healthy; in reality, we’re slowly dying inside.  We've been deceived, of course.  All the things that once fed us, the comforting limits we placed on ourselves are deceptively strangling us, slowly lulling us into inactivity.  There may be a big opportunity for growth out there – but it involves stepping out of that comforting little pot we've placed ourselves in.

So what’s the cure for a root bound plant?

It’s not as simple as transplanting the plant elsewhere.  If you simply re-pot, the plant will keep strangling itself.  You've got to carefully untangle the roots, and prune away some of the longer, straggling ones that are really struggling.  Only then can the plant begin to thrive again.  It’s a painstaking process, and recovery doesn't happen overnight. 

Over the past few months, I realized that I was just like the mum in that pot.  I had fallen into a comfortable routine, and essentially refused to see past the pot where I was planted.  I had defined God by what I saw in front of me, and discarded any notion of Him that spoke otherwise.  I was doing all the right things – regular prayer, devotion, attending church – but it wasn't giving me the nourishment that I needed.  Jumping out of that container was scary – but necessary.  And I’m still being pruned – but now I've got lots of room to grow and thrive again.  And I’m once again learning more and more about who God is, and what He has for me.  

I may not have the skill to save the mum that was root bound, although I’m hoping I do.  I’m just glad my Father is a much better gardener than me.

He cuts off every branch (OR ROOT) in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  -- John 15:2

Just Call Me Charlotte......

When I started Scattered Seed, I had no idea what I would actually be doing, or even how I'd find work.  Seriously.  I know it's not the best way to start a business, but I created the company because, well, God told me to.  And, quite frankly, nothing else I had thought of seemed to be working for me.


But the work came, and all was good.


Then, about a year ago, I took a month to really focus on my vision, asking God where He was leading me.  What did He want Scattered Seed to be?  I spent a lot of time listening, and asking God to give me images to confirm what I was hearing.


A lot came out of that time -- this blog, my Thursday morning "sabbaths," and the core values that now drive how I work.  But one image in particular stuck out.  It was the image of my logo, a cross-shaped tree, as one of many trees surrounding my community.  We formed a circle and were interconnected like a spider web, supporting each other and protecting the community.  Each of us played a critical role, but we were only one of many, and together, we were much stronger than as individual groups.


I tucked the image away, but was reminded of it again later when I attended and taught at the Externally Focused Faith Conference in Charleston, SC.  At the close of the conference, they showed photographs of each of the cities represented, set to the music of Chris Tomlin's "God of this City."  As we all began to quietly sing along, one lyric jumped out at me:


"Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city."


So for the past year, I've held this vision and promise close to my heart, knowing that God was building connections, and I was being prepared to do some master web-weaving, like Charlotte in Charlotte's Web.  (I suppose you could use a Spiderman analogy here, but if you don't mind, I prefer to think of myself as Charlotte)


And now, I'm starting to see the edges of the web form.  Ministries I encounter that I immediately feel prompted to connect with other ministries, people, or churches.  Partnerships are being made, resources coordinateded, stories and hearts are being shared -- the web is slowly emerging.  The CHURCH as a whole, the body of Christ, is coming together and truly function as a body, not just a series of isolated ministries.


I am convinced that God is on the move in the Raleigh/Durham Triangle area, and if I may be so bold, in your community as well.  And we all have a part to play to connect to each other and better serve the hurting neighbors we surround.

So here's my challenge:

Take the next couple of days or weeks and ask God to reveal how He's moving in your town, and what you need to do to be a part of it.

Maybe it's checking out a new ministry you've heard about, volunteering, or supporting it financially.
Maybe it's connecting an in-house ministry at your church to other similar groups, church or parachurch, so that you can walk the road together.
Maybe there are just 2 people in your life that God wants you to bring together for a discussion over a cup of coffee.

Whatever it is . . . be obedient.  It might not seem like a big deal to you, but the largest of movements all begin with the smallest of steps.

And let me know what God is up to where you are - who knows?  You and I might find yet another connection where God is at work!

You're the God of this City 
You're the King of these people 
You're the Lord of this nation 
You are 

You're the Light in this darkness 
You're the Hope to the hopeless 
You're the Peace to the restless 
You are 

There is no one like our God 
There is no one like our God 

For greater things have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 
Greater thing have yet to come 
And greater things are still to be done in this City 

                                             Chris Tomlin, God of this City

THE HOLDING PATTERN OF THE PRESENT

Close your eyes for a moment, and think back over the events of the past week.  If you’re like me, you’re almost always in a state of transition.  How much of your time did you spend reliving events of the past, both good and bad?  How much of your attention was focused on the future and what it holds for you and your ministry?  Was there any room left for the present?

Obviously, we need to keep an eye on the past – the rearview mirror, as I wrote about before.  It’s good to know where we’ve been, so that we can put where we’re going into context.  But as any good driver knows, we can’t keep moving through life looking in the rear view mirror, or we’ll likely end up crashing into obstacles we didn’t see in the present.   If we continue to dwell in the past, the hurts of the past will constantly fester and annoy, with little chance for healing.

Likewise, we also need to keep an eye on the future to see what lies ahead of us.  If we listen, God speaks clearly to us:  in dreams, words, and visions, alerting us to the changes ahead.  But as with the past, too much attention to the future can be dangerous.  It’s all too easy to focus only on those promises of things to come and ignore the realities of the present.  Then our yearning for the future is no longer a thing of assurance, but a source of growing disillusionment, impatience, and anger, capable of destroying faith.  The more we dream of tomorrow, the more likely we are to crash and burn in the present.

Somehow, we must maintain the fragile balance of living rooted in the present.  Aware of our past, but not letting it completely define us.  Aware of the future, but not consumed by the promises of it.  Content to dwell in the present, looking for the myriad of ways that God is intimately involved in our daily lives.

Too often I hear myself telling friends that I’m stuck in a holding pattern, just waiting for God to deliver.  And there are times when that is certainly feels like the case.  It’s rather arrogant of me to assume that God isn’t at work, though;  maybe, just maybe He has other things for me to do in the meantime. 

Lord, help me to be “content with whatever I have!”  (Phillippians 4:11)