GCI Women's Ministry

March 2007

“Lord, give me patience and give it to me now!” This prayer-joke is usually said in jest, but is more and more becoming a truism in our instant gratification, microwave world. Few are willing to wait for anything these days. Dinners aren’t home cooked anymore – who wants to wait on the oven? Drivers don’t have time to stick to the speed limit. Young people can’t wait to grow up, and as Christians, we often find it difficult to wait to become spiritually mature as well.

Transformation is a process, not a quick fix. Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to the world, but to let ourselves be transformed by the renewing of our minds, or as the New Living Translation puts it, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Even though we can be quick to change our minds about something such as the type of sandwich to eat, wrong ways of thinking become ingrained and not easy to change. Legalism, for example, is a way of thinking that goes deep into the heart and mind. It’s also subtle and deceptive. A person with this mindset is often not even aware of the ways legalism can warp one’s attitudes and perception of the world.

One of the worst effects of legalism is self-righteousness, which makes a person believe they don’t need much transformation. It can also have the equally devastating effect of discouragement, which leads people to give up because they’ll never be good enough. Both of these mindsets can inhibit God’s work of transforming us into spirit-led, mature Christians.

As I’ve discovered in my short time on earth, letting God change the way I think isn’t so easy. I can’t say I haven’t made some progress, at least I hope so. (How does God measure this kind of progress? I believe we shouldn’t try.)

No, it seems it may take a lifetime, and even then, I’m sure I’ll feel I need more time for God to work on me. Paul expressed these thoughts well in Philippians 3. He realized all his law-keeping hadn’t made him perfect. He understood he was a work in progress through God’s grace, but he wasn’t worried about it. Like Paul, we can’t think about how much more there is to do. We can only keep going, putting the past behind and pressing forward to the goal.

Paul likened life to running a race (1 Corinthians 9:24). In Hebrews 12:2, we are told to run the race with endurance, which would indicate we are in a marathon, rather than a sprint. I’ve never run in a marathon (I don’t like running at all), but anyone who has can tell you the key is just to keep going.

With God’s help, we can, slowly and steadily, keep letting him change us, even though it will take a lifetime. If we trust our hearts and minds to the One who gives us the desire to obey him and the power to please him (Philippians 2:13, NLT), he will continue to change the way we think and give us the prize, regardless of the progress we think we may or may not have made.

February 2007

Some moments in life stand out in our memories like bright lights in the darkness. One of those times for me was the birth of our son. After five years of waiting and a miscarriage, we were finally in the delivery room, about to grasp the reality of a long awaited child. When the doctor put him on my stomach, my eyes filled with tears and I exclaimed, “Look what I did!” It was a moment of pure joy. I experienced another joyous moment when our daughter was born two and a half years later.

As every good thing comes from God (James 1:17), I know both my children and my joy came from him. I also know my joy was only an infinitesimally small fraction of the joy God himself feels (I speak in human terms) when a child is born or a sinner comes to repentance. Joy is part of who God is and as much a part of his character as love.

Joy doesn’t depend on the circumstances in our lives. It comes from a relationship with the Lord. He gives us his joy as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Our connection to him and the intimacy we experience provide the conduit for the fruit of the Spirit.

Jesus was a man of joy and as we surrender the self to God, we follow in his footsteps. Oswald Chambers said, “The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do.”

Sometimes our feelings get in the way of the joy of the Lord. We have down times and get discouraged. We can’t change our feelings, but someone once said: “Our feelings follow our thoughts like baby ducks follow their mother.” If we can direct our minds to right thoughts – think of what God has done for us and who he is – our feelings will follow. We can choose to praise God and find joy in the sacrifice of praise he finds so pleasing.

David showed us the way in Psalm 143. Feeling overwhelmed and distressed (v. 4), he took time to think about the Lord (v. 5). He remembered God’s loving kindness, trustworthiness and guidance (v. 8); his protection and goodness (vv. 9-10); his righteousness and mercy (vv. 11-12). As David meditated on God, his feelings began to follow his thoughts. He became joyful in spite of his feelings.

David faced many troubles in his life, but it seems he turned to God in those times, letting his thoughts dwell on God and his goodness. The psalms reflect both his distress and his joyful praise.

Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength. When we praise God, we receive his joy as he blesses us with the fruit of the Spirit. He lets us share part of his nature, strengthens us and bolsters our faith. His joy becomes our joy and his strength becomes our strength. Let the joy of the Lord burst forth like a fountain in your soul!

January 2007

When most people travel, they usually remember famous landmarks as the highlights of their trip. They take pictures, make scrapbooks and regale their friends and relatives with stories of what they saw and did. My son is different. The highlights of trips for him are the meals. He can describe each course of each dinner with pinpoint accuracy. He really enjoys fine food.

You can probably recall some of your more memorable meals. Perhaps you enjoyed a particularly fine steak or fresh fish. It might have been an ethnic dish, filled with unusual flavors and exotic ingredients. Or perhaps your most memorable meal satisfied because of its simplicity, like the homemade soup and bread we once enjoyed in a Scottish pub.

Can you recall how you felt after that wonderful meal – the feeling of being full, satisfied, content and thankful? Hold that thought as you read the following verse from Psalm 63: “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you” (verse 5, NIV).

David was in the desert when he wrote this, and I’m sure he would have loved a feast of real food. But apparently his mind wasn’t on food, but on something – someone – better. To him, the presence and love of God was just as satisfying as a sumptuous banquet. Charles Spurgeon in The Treasury of David wrote: “There is in the love of God a richness, a sumptuousness, a fullness of soul filling joy, comparable to the richest food with which the body can be nourished.”

As I pondered why David used the analogy of a meal to picture how satisfied God makes us feel, I realized food is the one thing everyone on earth needs and can relate to. If one has clothing, but is hungry, one is not content. If one has shelter, cars, money, friends – anything one can desire – but is hungry, none of it means much. Except for those who have no food, most people know the satisfied feeling of eating a good meal.

Food is central to all the celebrations of life – births, graduations, weddings and anything else we can find to celebrate. We even eat at funerals. The occasion of Jesus’ first miracle was a three-day wedding feast. When the Prodigal son returned home, his father ordered a lavish meal. Revelation 19:9 says: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”

God wants us to think of him when we have enjoyed “the richest of foods.” Our stomachs stay full for only a short time, and then we are hungry again. But if we fill up with God and his goodness, our souls will be satisfied forever. Feast on his word, dine at his table, enjoy the riches of his kindness and mercy and praise him for his bounty. Then with singing lips, let your mouth praise God who satisfies us as with the richest of foods!