I love that initial verse for this chapter 10 lesson:
"If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place." Proverbs 24:10 MSG
or even better in the NLT "If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small."
That really was the heart of our lesson as we ventured through the various verses in the first section (pgs 73-75). We need to realize that it's in those moments of sudden frustrations, whether they come from monthly hormonal changes or from sudden circumstances that our hearts will reveal who we really are and what amount of God's strength we have built up over time.
Proverbs 27:19 (pg74, #2)states:
As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man. NASB
When you look into a still, clear watered pool you can see a perfect reflection of yourself but as soon as that water is disturbed by the smallest thing the picture becomes disrupted, distorted. The same is true of our hearts. As long as life is going along just fine with no ripples we are fine but the moment our little world gets jolted by even the simplest things of life, like someone cutting in front of you in traffic, the kids spilling milk at the dinner table or the checkbook not balancing we find ourselves disrupted and frustrated. Our words and actions become indicators of what lies in our hearts.
Jesus said this clearly to the pharisees in Matthew 12: 34-35 (pg 75 #4)
"You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ESV
So the question we must ask ourselves is "What is my heart in abundance of?" What have I stored up in recent years in my heart? Is it the good things of the Lord by being in His Word, praying, spending time with other sisters in Christ, listening, watching and reading the things which are beneficial to me? Or have I become the world's student, taking in all the unhealthy ungodly teachings the world has to offer through various forms of media?
As Ezekiel 36:26-27 (pg 75, #5) states:
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." NASB
Even though this passage is directed to the Israelites eventually becoming believers in the Messiah it is absolutely true of all people who give their hearts in trust to the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas in many biblical passages the idea of a heart of flesh might be indicative of a sinful heart this particular passage's phrase heart of flesh is referring to a teachable, moldable heart. One that is no longer hard and rebellious toward God and His ways, but one that has been changed into a tender, appreciative and obedient heart toward the God who has saved them. It is a heart that continues to change or transform as one seeks to grow more like Christ everyday. This is where the heart is not only being transformed but being filled daily with the good things of God. This is where we as women of God want to be so that the words that flow from our mouths in those hormonal periods or the trying circumstances of life is truly an abundance of a God filled heart.
In the second part of our lesson (pgs 76-79) we see how our moods can leave us feeling blah or lackluster. You know, those days when you just don't want to do anything. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a time of resting your body and mind, however we need to be in tune to what is going on in our hearts and minds at various times whether they are due to our cycle or not. If we are not careful we can use our "time of the month" or other emotional or physical pain as an excuse to be lazy, grumpy or unkind to others. We as believers are without excuse. We have God's word to instruct us as well as God's Spirit dwelling within us.
Besides seeking God in prayer and study of His word, making the decision to serve another sister when you are in one of your down moods is a great way to beat those blah feelings. Something truly does happen when we decide to fore go our personal pity parties and get up off the couch and find someone to bless. Visit a friend, make a phone call, fix a meal or dessert for someone else. The possibilities are endless. And you will find that not only do you come away with your spirits uplifted but you have lifted someone else's spirit as well.
When we survey the passages in proverbs where Solomon spoke of women's behavior (pg77. #8) we find they are not very flattering. I especially found the Proverbs 24:25 in the New Living Translation interesting.
"It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic
than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home."
We as women spend a great deal of time making our homes and bodies lovely. We have to have the latest fashions and will spend all kinds of money, time and energy making these both as lovely as possible. (All very commendable if done in a balanced manner.) Yet how much time to we spend in working on our inner beauty, on letting Jesus transform us from the inside out by abiding in Him daily?
The Lovely Branches Ministries is based on this principle from John 15:4-5.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."
As we fellowship with Christ (the Vine) through His Word and prayer and then seek to live in obedience to that word, the Holy Spirit, which is an example of the life giving sap which flows from the Vine to the branches (those who have put their trust in Christ), will help us grow into the likeness of that Vine. Overtime we begin to produce fruit, the kind of fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control.
This fruit has the potential to cause those around us to desire and hunger for that same fruit. As sisters abiding in Jesus Christ we want others to "taste and see that the Lord is good; to make God their refuge" just as we have. (Psalm 34:8)
So I encourage you sweet sisters seek to be a lovely branch of righteousness, one reflective of the mighty Branch of Righteousness, Christ Himself. (Isaiah 4:2 and Jeremiah 23:15)
We closed our lesson Thursday talking about the fear of God. We all agreed that the fear of God is not a cowering dreaded fear but a reverential fear. Fear of a God who is in loving authority over us. One who has our best interest in mind, always. Yet One who will, as any good parent would do, deliver to us a loving disciplinary action on occasion intended to grow us to maturity.
Consider Proverbs 31:30 -
"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
Let's keep our focus on God and His work on our hearts so that the abundance of our hearts is one that reveals our fear and reverence for Him; that we might become over time, lovely women of Christ, from the inside out, even on those crummy hormonal days.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Scattered
Overwhelmed as defined on dictionary.com is:
1. to overcome completely in mind or feeling: overwhelmed by remorse.
2. to overpower or overcome, esp. with superior forces; destroy; crush: Roman troops were overwhelmed by barbarians.
3. to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as flood waters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge: Lava from erupting Vesuvius overwhelmed the city of Pompeii.
4. to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything: a child overwhelmed with presents; to overwhelm someone with questions.
5. to overthrow.
Lesson eight is titled “Scattered”. It focuses on the concept of being overwhelmed. On any given day we can feel the pressures of life and feel that scattered or overwhelmed feeling.
Breaking our lesson into two different categories I gave two different word pictures this week:
Section One (pgs 58-59, #1-4 ) Managing Your Moods
Imagine you are in a boat in the middle of a lake or the ocean being hit repeatedly by waves. These waves slowly begin to fill your boat with water. As you quickly try to to bail water in an effort to survive you find your boat is taking on more and more water. You are quickly realizing that the boat is sinking and you are at risk of drowning.
This first picture is reflective of the times in your life when circumstances pound you either suddenly or gradually. They are beyond your control. It is easy at these times to feel that sinking sense of being overwhelmed.
The ladies at study Thursday described overwhelmed as being weighed down, drowning, heavy, no control, overburdened, very consistent with the overwhelmed definition listed above. This must be how David felt as we look at Psalm 38:8 (pg 59, #3)
"I am benumbed and badly crushed. I groan because of the agitation of my heart."
We have talked a great deal about David throughout this study. He was a man overcome with many emotions. Whether his circumstances are different or similar to ours, we can certainly relate as we read his heartfelt cries to God in the midst of the pain he dealt with through enemy threats, friend and family betrayals. He may have been the chosen king of Israel at one time and “a man after God’s own heart” but that did not mean life was a piece of cake. His trials were heavy and therefore so was his heart. He understood well the sinking feeling of his circumstances. He understood "overwhelmed" to the point of feeling crushed. As did Job and many others in the Bible.
How did these great men (and women) of God get through? Let’s first look at the second part of our study, our second word picture, before we answer that question.
Section Two (pgs 60-61, #5-8)
[This one is very personal to me for it came at a time a few years ago when I was very busy with family, job and church activities. Crying out to God at feeling so overwhelmed he spoke very clearly to my heart.]
Imagine holding a dinner plate piled high and heavy with food. God's words to you are “My daughter, when you fill your plate with all your plans it becomes gluttony. When you fill it with my plans it becomes a beautiful feast.”
When God spoke these words to me years ago I knew right way what His message was. If I pile my plate (daily schedule) high with everything I think is good without a thought to His purpose and agenda then I am going to overdo it. I am going to make myself sick. Where as, if I allow Him to dictate what goes on my plate on a daily basis it would be a delicious array of opportunities I will enjoy partaking of. It will be a healthy and appetizing meal.
That’s what the second picture of overwhelmed is all about. Where our first picture was of circumstances outside our control this one is very much within our control. We get to choose how much we put on our plate, every day. We find ourselves easily frazzled (scattered) when we continuously seek to add more and more to our daily lives, not even considering what it is doing to us and those around us, let alone not even considering what God thinks about the whole mess. (As a side note here. Don’t assume for a minute that your activities are okay with God just because they "feel" okay to you or fit in with the ideals of those around you. Sometimes we can even find ourselves justifying our activities because they are church or ministry related, or because it’s good for our kids to be involved in so many good activities, or we need to step outside our family role to meet certain needs. Seek God’s wisdom. He knows your circumstances. He knows your family’s needs and He knows what the future holds. Get His counsel and follow it. All else could land you in some consequences you never had planned for.)
So what can we do, whether our boat is sinking from those ominous waves of circumstances or from plates being piled way too high with too many activities? You can cry out to God as David did in Psalm 61:1-2 (#6, pg 61),
“Hear my cry , O God, Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock which is higher than I.”
David’s cry to God was a cry of humility. He knew he was at his wit’s end. He knew he needed the One who was higher than Him. He knew God was his immovable, steadfast and strong Rock. Just as Christ is the Rock referred to in Psalms 18:2, 94:22, Isaiah 26:4, 1 Corinthians 10:4 and 1 Peter 2:8 God is also the rock here in Psalm 61:2. As we read on in that same passage we see God is also our refuge, strong tower, tent, shelter. We see this again in Psalm 27:4-6
The ONE THING I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music. NLT
I believe David is speaking here of God’s divine presence. He was not a priest, the only one at that time allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle or temple where God’s presence dwelt. Yet David spoke of such an intimacy with God, an understanding of God’s divine care. This can only come through a personally intimate relationship with God, a place of choosing to enter into God’s divine presence through prayer and worship.
I am especially struck by the first few words of verse 4, “ONE THING I have asked of the Lord…..” They remind me of the words of Jesus in Luke 10:41 after admonishing Martha for her busyness and frustration over Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet instead of helping in the kitchen, “only ONE THING is necessary and Mary has chosen the good part which cannot be taken away from her.”
While Martha was so overwhelmed with so many things Mary knew the ONE THING which was better. It was to sit at Jesus feet, to be in His divine presence. This is such a perfect picture for us as women where we can run to a place of refuge, shelter, and peace. We can choose the ONE THING which is better and that is to sit at the Master’s feet, to step into His divine presence when those overwhelming circumstances come at us, whether they come unexpectedly from other sources or from our own hand. We can stop and seek Him.
In fact I encourage you to return to Psalm 27. Here in verse 8 we can like David say,
When You said "seek My face", my heart said to You, "Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
What more can this mean than to seek His presence? To make it your heart’s cry to know Him better, to know His heart, to be in His presence with a heart full of worship.
This is the place to be sweet sisters when our lives are scattered, when we are overwhelmed. Step into His presence and worship Him. This is where you will find the peace you need when the waves hit unexpectedly or you are tempted to fill your plate too full.
1. to overcome completely in mind or feeling: overwhelmed by remorse.
2. to overpower or overcome, esp. with superior forces; destroy; crush: Roman troops were overwhelmed by barbarians.
3. to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as flood waters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge: Lava from erupting Vesuvius overwhelmed the city of Pompeii.
4. to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything: a child overwhelmed with presents; to overwhelm someone with questions.
5. to overthrow.
Lesson eight is titled “Scattered”. It focuses on the concept of being overwhelmed. On any given day we can feel the pressures of life and feel that scattered or overwhelmed feeling.
Breaking our lesson into two different categories I gave two different word pictures this week:
Section One (pgs 58-59, #1-4 ) Managing Your Moods
Imagine you are in a boat in the middle of a lake or the ocean being hit repeatedly by waves. These waves slowly begin to fill your boat with water. As you quickly try to to bail water in an effort to survive you find your boat is taking on more and more water. You are quickly realizing that the boat is sinking and you are at risk of drowning.
This first picture is reflective of the times in your life when circumstances pound you either suddenly or gradually. They are beyond your control. It is easy at these times to feel that sinking sense of being overwhelmed.
The ladies at study Thursday described overwhelmed as being weighed down, drowning, heavy, no control, overburdened, very consistent with the overwhelmed definition listed above. This must be how David felt as we look at Psalm 38:8 (pg 59, #3)
"I am benumbed and badly crushed. I groan because of the agitation of my heart."
We have talked a great deal about David throughout this study. He was a man overcome with many emotions. Whether his circumstances are different or similar to ours, we can certainly relate as we read his heartfelt cries to God in the midst of the pain he dealt with through enemy threats, friend and family betrayals. He may have been the chosen king of Israel at one time and “a man after God’s own heart” but that did not mean life was a piece of cake. His trials were heavy and therefore so was his heart. He understood well the sinking feeling of his circumstances. He understood "overwhelmed" to the point of feeling crushed. As did Job and many others in the Bible.
How did these great men (and women) of God get through? Let’s first look at the second part of our study, our second word picture, before we answer that question.
Section Two (pgs 60-61, #5-8)
[This one is very personal to me for it came at a time a few years ago when I was very busy with family, job and church activities. Crying out to God at feeling so overwhelmed he spoke very clearly to my heart.]
Imagine holding a dinner plate piled high and heavy with food. God's words to you are “My daughter, when you fill your plate with all your plans it becomes gluttony. When you fill it with my plans it becomes a beautiful feast.”
When God spoke these words to me years ago I knew right way what His message was. If I pile my plate (daily schedule) high with everything I think is good without a thought to His purpose and agenda then I am going to overdo it. I am going to make myself sick. Where as, if I allow Him to dictate what goes on my plate on a daily basis it would be a delicious array of opportunities I will enjoy partaking of. It will be a healthy and appetizing meal.
That’s what the second picture of overwhelmed is all about. Where our first picture was of circumstances outside our control this one is very much within our control. We get to choose how much we put on our plate, every day. We find ourselves easily frazzled (scattered) when we continuously seek to add more and more to our daily lives, not even considering what it is doing to us and those around us, let alone not even considering what God thinks about the whole mess. (As a side note here. Don’t assume for a minute that your activities are okay with God just because they "feel" okay to you or fit in with the ideals of those around you. Sometimes we can even find ourselves justifying our activities because they are church or ministry related, or because it’s good for our kids to be involved in so many good activities, or we need to step outside our family role to meet certain needs. Seek God’s wisdom. He knows your circumstances. He knows your family’s needs and He knows what the future holds. Get His counsel and follow it. All else could land you in some consequences you never had planned for.)
So what can we do, whether our boat is sinking from those ominous waves of circumstances or from plates being piled way too high with too many activities? You can cry out to God as David did in Psalm 61:1-2 (#6, pg 61),
“Hear my cry , O God, Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock which is higher than I.”
David’s cry to God was a cry of humility. He knew he was at his wit’s end. He knew he needed the One who was higher than Him. He knew God was his immovable, steadfast and strong Rock. Just as Christ is the Rock referred to in Psalms 18:2, 94:22, Isaiah 26:4, 1 Corinthians 10:4 and 1 Peter 2:8 God is also the rock here in Psalm 61:2. As we read on in that same passage we see God is also our refuge, strong tower, tent, shelter. We see this again in Psalm 27:4-6
The ONE THING I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music. NLT
I believe David is speaking here of God’s divine presence. He was not a priest, the only one at that time allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle or temple where God’s presence dwelt. Yet David spoke of such an intimacy with God, an understanding of God’s divine care. This can only come through a personally intimate relationship with God, a place of choosing to enter into God’s divine presence through prayer and worship.
I am especially struck by the first few words of verse 4, “ONE THING I have asked of the Lord…..” They remind me of the words of Jesus in Luke 10:41 after admonishing Martha for her busyness and frustration over Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet instead of helping in the kitchen, “only ONE THING is necessary and Mary has chosen the good part which cannot be taken away from her.”
While Martha was so overwhelmed with so many things Mary knew the ONE THING which was better. It was to sit at Jesus feet, to be in His divine presence. This is such a perfect picture for us as women where we can run to a place of refuge, shelter, and peace. We can choose the ONE THING which is better and that is to sit at the Master’s feet, to step into His divine presence when those overwhelming circumstances come at us, whether they come unexpectedly from other sources or from our own hand. We can stop and seek Him.
In fact I encourage you to return to Psalm 27. Here in verse 8 we can like David say,
When You said "seek My face", my heart said to You, "Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
What more can this mean than to seek His presence? To make it your heart’s cry to know Him better, to know His heart, to be in His presence with a heart full of worship.
This is the place to be sweet sisters when our lives are scattered, when we are overwhelmed. Step into His presence and worship Him. This is where you will find the peace you need when the waves hit unexpectedly or you are tempted to fill your plate too full.
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