Shifting Gears

I’m not sure what was tested more, his patience or my coordination, but my dad did succeed in teaching me how to drive a stick shift —a 1979 Datsun 510. I realize I just totally aged myself, but honestly, even way back then, I was the only one of my friends that had to learn to drive a stick. Actually, of our two family cars, the 510 was less geeky. As hard as it was to drive a stick, I did not want to drive our only automatic, an avocado green station wagon. Driving the “boat” would have been far worse for my reputation than stalling at intersections and rolling down the often greased hill that led to my high school parking lot—greased to embarrass new drivers forced by their parents to drive a stick!

I had thought those days were long behind me until Jeff decided our daughter Olivia should learn to drive stick. (Is this a dad thing?) Jeff believed a stick would make Olivia a better driver, prevent texting while driving, keep those who shouldn’t from borrowing her car, and, most of all, Jeff said a girl who drives a stick is irresistible. (Pretty sure I was not!)  I caved.  After all, we do live in Fresno now, Olivia’s routes are flat. 

I felt like a teenager again when I first drove Olivia’s bright blue VW Super Beetle. But I had forgotten a few things, like stick shifts like to roll backwards. After parking the bug in the church parking lot, I later found it had rolled from where I parked it, into the middle of the parking lot!  Thankfully the bug stopped rolling before it crashed into anything.  If you have ever driven a stick, you know they not only roll backwards if left in neutral, but they require acceleration to move forward at all. Unlike an automatic that will at least move forward slowly even without stepping on the gas.

I think I have mistakenly approached faith like driving an automatic. I will grow faster if I give it the “gas” of truth, obedience, holiness, love for others, but if I do nothing with my faith in Jesus, I will at least move slowly in the right direction. But that is not what we are seeing illustrated in the lives of the Old Testament kings and it is not what God’ teaches us in the New Testament. 

  

….make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 1:5-8.

From our study of the Kings of Israel, I am reminded that faith is active; it is like driving a stick shift, not an automatic. When I “coast,” I roll backwards; I slide down greasy hills of compromise, roll backwards into idolatry and crash right into disobedience.

But each week, our study has also reminded me that God is active. His kindness draws us to repentance; His mercy is newly offered each morning; His power is given to “gas” my faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. And because the fuel He supplies is the life of His Son in me, these qualities can be every increasing, evidencing His Kingdom has come.

May we allow our Father to successfully teach us how to drive this thing called faith.

Needing Mercy,

Pattie

The Royal Tiara

“I have word for you from the LORD Pattie. May I give it to you?” Her question startled and troubled me. Gathering up my speaking notes, I nodded apprehensively while shooting up a quick prayer for discernment. “As you were speaking, I believe God gave me a vision of you and a message for you.” She went on, “You know the scene where Cinderella is carrying all the trays? That is the vision God gave to me, only Cinderella also had a tiara and you were Cinderella.” The woman then confidently added, “God wants you to know you are doing exactly what He has asked of you as His princess.”

This was not the first time someone had approached me with, “I have word from the LORD for you.” But this was the first time I had to choke back tears. The timing was literally astounding. Just the night before, I was lying flat on the floor of my bedroom crying out to the LORD asking Him if I had taken on too much, if the weight of responsibility that was overwhelming me was of my own doing. I literally prayed, “Lord am I living as your daughter? Is all this for your Kingdom or my queendom?”

And then, just twelve hours after lying on my floor, I was receiving – from a perfect stranger – a message that addressed the cry of my heart complete with a visual aid: Cinderella, wearing a tiara, balancing trays. Suddenly I found myself ‘rolodexing’ through the word of God, attempting to retrieve whatever I knew His Word had to say regarding prophecy. I wish I had found Deuteronomy 13:1-3.

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Had I recalled this passage, I would have remembered that any “word” from the LORD is a test to determine whether I love the LORD my God with all my heart and with all my soul. Will I follow one who has a “word from the LORD” or will I follow the “LORD of THE Word?”

As we have been discovering in our study of the kings of Israel, God used everyday men to speak for Him. Because God’s people did not have the whole counsel of His Word—the Bible we hold in our hands---God appointed and equipped specific men (prophets) to counsel and confront His people. Often God’s prophets had visual aids, miracles that would authenticate the source of their message: God himself.

We, who now have the whole counsel of God, have our hands full!  As A. Graeme Auld writes, “Obedience to what we already know from God is to be preferred to new disclosures—however powerful, and apparently divine, the visual aids employed to present them.”

So what if I tell you I have a word from the LORD for you? Well I do. It is 1 Peter 2:9 and it comes with a visual aid. Can you see the tiara on Cinderella as she moves from queendom to Kingdom?

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Pattie

Still thinking about David...

A little more than a year ago I suddenly started experiencing loss of balance.  I found myself running into things and even though I tried to walk in a straight line I veered off to the right or left.  I found myself walking more and more slowly and carefully to keep from falling.  Eventually I was diagnosed with an inner ear disorder and the doctor arranged for me to have physical therapy to address the balance problems.  The physical therapist gave me several exercises to practice at home.  Most of them involved focusing the eyes on a certain spot while either moving the head side to side or while walking. 

I was reminded of what I learned in college gymnastics class about the balance beam:  don’t look down at the beam, but instead keep your head up and focus your eyes at a spot in front of you. After King David opted for the faster and more efficient way of moving the ark rather than the way outlined in the Law, there were severe consequences.  But when he made another attempt to move the ark three months later he was much more deliberate:

So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.  (2 Samuel 6:12b – 15)

This time, King David made sure his focus was on the LORD, not on the expediency of moving the ark.  How often in the name of “efficiency” do I take my eyes off of the Lord and miss an opportunity to honor, worship and obey Him?   I would rather move more carefully and deliberately and take just 6 steps in obedience than travel miles without fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.

Six steps in Him,

Dorinda

Moving from King David to King Solomon...

Admittedly, one of my "ah-ha" moments in the life of David was how little I repent over my sin, and quite honestly, how often I don't recognize it and am truly broken up about it.  My prayer in reviewing David's brokenness in Psalm 51 (v. 4:  "Against You, You only, have I sinned" and v. 11: "Cast me not away from Your presence") was, "Lord, reveal my sin to me.  Let my desire for right relationship with you far outweigh my guilt over my sin and desire for forgiveness."

As we move into the life of Solomon, we learn from Deuteronomy 17:18-20 that a king is to fear the Lord and walk in obedience according to the law (the Word of God).  David further reminds his sons of the importance of seeking wisdom and insight in Proverbs 4:1-9.  An application question in our study asks, "How does making God and His Word the foundation of your life practically affect your life?"  My hope and desire is that, as I read the Bible and reflect on the words written and instructions given, I would allow it to penetrate my heart, change my thinking, and affect how I approach every situation in my life.  But do I?

My prayer this week is that I would be increasingly convicted . . . in such a way that moves me to stronger connection with my Lord and that I would allow His Holy Spirit and His Word to truly change me.  Change how I react, change how much I try to squeeze in a day, change what needs to be changed.

Where to start?  In addition to allowing every word of Scripture I read to speak to and change my heart, I was reminded of the immense wisdom found in the book of Proverbs (written by Solomon).  When I was in high school, a youth pastor encouraged us to read a Proverb a day over the course of a month (since there are 31 Proverbs).  I've done this sporadically throughout my life.  Today I decided to add this reading to my life again, as we start a new month and as I desire more of His wisdom and insight in my life.

Proverbs 1:33 says, "But whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."  Lord, let me listen and hear You today, follow You, and as a result, be at ease, without dread of disaster.  Amen.

Desiring to follow His Word,
Rachael