Debt Reconciliation

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. --2 Corinthians 5:17, 18 (NIV)

When we moved to our new house, we acquired a phone number that had been previously in use by a number of different folks. Apparently, some of them were not very good at paying off debts. Collection agencies and creditors frequently call. We've spent months explaining that we are not the person whom they seek.

When a person is in Christ, he is a new creation. His formerly sinful nature is replaced by a desire to obey God. The strength to do so comes from the Holy Spirit. When a person repents of his sins, God forgives them and wipes them out of the record once and for all. All of a person's debts of sin are taken on by Jesus, and he pays them.

However, the enemy tries to undermine the work of the Holy Spirit and of Christ. The evil one takes great pleasure in reminding us of our sinful past, and tries to make us believe that we are still in great debt. Our lack of faith makes us think that payment will be exacted from us. This can weigh us down and interfere with our ability to praise God with our whole hearts.

In those times of insecurity, we must remember that our debts have been reconciled. There is now no condemnation for those who serve the Lord. We have been forgiven, and nothing can change that. We are right with God, and in his eyes, we are a new creation. That is a reality worthy of rejoicing!

Reflecting Pool:

What do you do when your past catches up with you?
Do you experience the joy that comes from being a new creation in Christ?

Thoughts on God and Healing

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. --2nd Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

As a Christian who lives with chronic illness,I inevitably find myself involved in discussions about healing. Many people want to know whether I believe that God still heals today as he did in Jesus' time. Can God heal? Absolutely and without a doubt! Does he heal? If you mean miraculous healing, well I would suppose that depends.

I have heard it argued that anyone who suffers physically must be harboring unconfessed sin. Along those same lines is the belief that a person who suffers from a long-term illness must not have adequate faith. This idea is not new. In fact, Jesus' disciples thought those very things when they came across a man who had been blind from birth. (John 9) They asked Jesus whether the man's disability was the result of his sin or his parents'. Jesus told them that the man's blindness existed in order that the work of God might be displayed.

Although miraculous healing is certainly one way in which God's glory is revealed, God doesn't need to prove himself to any of us in such a way. His glory is revealed just as much by those who proclaim that God is their source of strength even in the midst of their suffering.

When God allows us to suffer, whether it be in the short term or long term, we should immediately recognize that we need Him. As we pray for the strength to stand firm in the midst of pain, we need to remember that miraculous healing may not be God's answer for us. Instead of praying for healing, we should pray that God will use the experience to teach us to trust him more fully. His grace truly is sufficient--even for the things that exhaust us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Boasting in the Lord: Celebrating the Two-Year Mark

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others.Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. --2nd Corinthians 10:13-18 (NIV)


The most gratifying emails that I receive are the ones in which someone tells me that something I wrote in "Pools of Grace" had meaning to them. I like knowing that the time I spend actively reading and searching God's Word provides a valuable learning experience not only for me, but for people in the greater Christian community too. Now and then I'll touch upon a topic that generates quite a bit of thought provoking emails between myself others. My faith grows as God reveals himself to me through scripture; it's yet another example of the ways I see him moving in all areas of my life.

This week marks the second anniversary of "Pools of Grace" as a web-based, format. I am humbled by how far God has brought this ministry, particularly in the ways that he has enabled it to grow and expand beyond a simple email. I am encouraged by how many people, subscribers and non-subscribers, are visiting the site on a regular basis. I am also excited about the opportunities to share God's word in a meaningful way by having "Pools of Grace" featured occasionally on Dailywisdom.org, as well as being quoted within the Christian community on a variety of personal websites.

It is my hope and prayer that as I embark upon another year of writing, God will see fit to commend my efforts. I also hope that God will continue to expand the edges of the pool, so to speak. Perhaps "Pools of Grace" will wash over more and more people, enabling them to see how powerful God is, and how much meaning is found in serving Him alone. I know from my own experiences that there is nothing more incredible, nothing more challenging, and nothing more rewarding than a life spent loving God and obeying his commands in response to his love for me.

I believe that God is using me to make an impact for his kingdom through what I write. I say this not out of arrogance, but out of confidence of my calling and the gifts I have been given by the Holy Spirit. In a way similar to what the apostle Paul expressed in his letter to the church at Corinth, my hope is that the activity of this ministry will grow such that the gospel is preached to a wider audience. In order to make that happen, I need your prayers and encouragement. Please let me know, either by making use of the comments feature on the website, or via email, when a particular day's meditation or verse resonates with you.

Praise God for another year of writing! May He continue to bless me as He blesses you, and may the truth of the gospel go forth to many!

Longings of the Heart and Soul

He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. --2nd Corinthians 1:22

There is something deep within all of us that desires to connect with others in a meaningful way. This sense of longing is what pushes us to pursue relationships with new people, and engage in ways of deepening our relationships with parents, peers and spouses. Even when we are enjoying the best of such relationships, there remains a piece of us that years for even greater fulfillment. Greater fulfillment is impossible apart from a relationship with Christ.

Our soul is that piece of us that desires to connect on an intimate and meaningful level. God has given us a soul as a means of responding to Him. Because we are made in God's image, we have been given a mark that allows us to recognize when God calls us. In some ways, I suppose it can be thought of as a caller-ID device. However, not everyone wants to know God. Each of us has the opportunity to accept or reject God when He calls.

When I was 15, I had a deep sense that God was calling my name and wanted me to spend more time rooting my life in Him. All my life I had been aware of God and certainly believed in Him, but it wasn't until later that I began to understand that God is a personal God. When He called my name, I responded. My family affirmed that decision and celebrated it with me. They told me that my decision to begin a relationship with God was even more important that the decision about whom to marry!

When God calls and we answer, we begin to feel more peaceful and settled. The sense of completeness and wholeness that comes from a vibrant relationship with God impacts our earthly relationships as well. Because of my own walk with God, I have been blessed in tremendous ways. I have learned difficult lessons in times of trial, and I've learned what it really means to love as Christ loves. Every day I thank God that He called me by name and that He has filled the deepest longings of my heart and soul.

Finding a Comfy Place

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble the comfort we ourselves have received from God. --2nd Corinthians 2:3-4

It has been said that necessity breeds creativity. The rise of so many support and awareness groups are a testament to that saying. Most are started as a way for a person who has experienced a loss or difficulty, to channel their hurt into something productive. The 65 Roses* campaign, for example, was started by a woman who wanted to rally other parents and family members of children with cystic fibrosis to increase awareness of the disease and raise funds to enable researchers to one day find a cure. I don't know if she had ever read this verse, but she has put it into practice!

2nd Corinthians 2:3-4 describes how Christians can offer their comfort and support to other Christians. Perhaps that is why I write as often as I do. God has shown me a lot about himself in the last 25 years. Who I am today is largely because of Christian support from family and close friends, but by and large it is because of my relationship with Christ. Because he has taught me so much, I feel compelled to share with others the lessons I have learned, in good times and bad, with my brothers and sisters in the Christian community.

Many people over the years have written to me to say that my words are exactly what they needed at exactly the right time. I am blessed to be a blessing to others, but really, God gets all the credit. Rarely do I sit down with a particular person or topic in mind--instead I wait for God to call to my mind something I've learned that someone else might appreciate. Because I battle health problems on a daily basis, a lot of what I write is about trusting God in times of trials, and finding comfort in him.

The entire first chapter of 2nd Corinthians is about God as the God of comfort. Not just comfort--ALL comfort. He knows our hearts, our pains and our longings, and can fill us with his presence in a way that is completely perfect for any individual situation. There are thousands of reasons, perhaps even millions, that can leave us in need of comfort, and God is there to address every one of those needs. Those who benefit from God's comfort are encouraged to get up and do something with it, rather than just sit around feeling relieved to be feeling better. What God has done for us, we must do for others. Just as he comforts us, so also must we become comforters to those in need.

Many people try to argue that the presence of suffering in the world must mean that there is no such thing as a caring, loving God. In his book The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis addresses this issue. I admit that those there have been times when I've been tempted to argue that God is just a "big mean kid sitting on an ant hill with a magnifying glass trying to burn off my feelers", I realize that the truth is I can't blame him for suffering, especially since he is faithful to strengthen me and see me through it when it happens.

God comforts us because he loves us. We need to love others in the same way. Romans 12:9-15 describes how we are to do this. We do it by rejoicing with those who rejoice, and mourning with those who mourn. One of the greatest lessons we can learn in the midst of our own trials, is that maybe somewhere down the line we can use our experience to relate to someone else and comfort them in their situation. The only way we get through the rough times is by relying on God. Those of us who are already finding peace need to demonstrate to others how to find it in God instead of being angry at him or turning their backs on him.

Try as I might, there is little I can do to comfort myself when faced with extremely difficult situations. Fortunately, all I need to do is let the God of all comfort step in and take over. Finding that comfy place is the best feeling in the world.






*If you would like to learn more about the story of 65 Roses or Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help, please visit the following website http://cff.org

Redemption Value

Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. --2nd Corinthians 5:5

Ah, springtime--the extended number of daylight hours, the up-cropping of wildflowers along the interstate, and of course, the strawberry pie sale at Marie Callender's! I can enjoy mouth-watering, ruby-colored berries in a delectable glaze for a mere $8.99 (plus pie tin deposit.)

The pie tin deposit is a way of ensuring that the tins return to their place of origin. If one were to collect enough tins, the value could be redeemed for an entire pie. Furthermore, the pie tins are imprinted with a Marie Callender's logo which prevents people from trying to redeem a pie tin which may have been purchased elsewhere.

God gives each of us a very specific purpose for our life on earth. He gives us each the spiritual gifts required to carry out that purpose and represent him. The way those gifts and talents are combined give us our Christian "flavor" or personality. No matter what flavor we are, we are all the same in the sense that we have been given the Holy Spirit. Think of it like the pies at the bakery--no matter how many different flavors there are, each one of them rests in a pie tin that reads "Marie Callender's".

In some ways, Christians are a bit like those pie tins. As the context of 2nd Corinthians 5:5 explains, our true residence is not here on earth, but rather, in heaven with Christ. Our time on earth is only temporary until we are called home to be with God. We have been bought with Jesus' blood, and for those of us who believe in the work done on the cross, we have been given the Holy Spirit. We belong to Jesus--we are marked with an imprint that identifies us as residents of the coming kingdom of God.

Perhaps this is a rather unspiritual analogy, but it helps me remember 2nd Corinthians 5:5! It also reminds me to "taste and see that the Lord is good". Country singer Andy Griggs sings that heaven could be a sweet as cherry pie, but I happen to think it might be more like strawberry glaze.

Intentionally Temporary

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. --2nd Corinthians 4:7, 16-18

One of the courses I took for my major in college was a workshop in environmental planning. I learned what a "master planned community" is, and how much long-term planning goes into a city's general plan. I learned about a city's infrastructure, including its roads, curbs, stop signs and signals. I learned that some things in a city are intentionally designed to serve a temporary purpose. This allows for easy expansion and development later as the population grows.

One such example of a temporary design is easily seen along the edge of some city streets. Have you ever noticed that some parts of town have an asphalt curb rather than a cement one with a sidewalk? This is because asphalt is easier to remove than cement paving. In rural areas especially, the presence of an asphalt curb indicates that sooner or later, either the road will be widened, or a more permanent pedestrian walkway will be put into place.

We tend to think that our place here on earth is more permanent that it really is. We settle into our day to day life and forget that our earthly bodies are temporary. For some, the idea of leaving this world behind is not a pleasant one. People who feel that way are likely very caught up in their world as they know it. They would prefer not to think of themselves as an asphalt curb. They prefer to believe that they are a finished product, built to last and that their present state of being will continue indefinitely.

Most Christians, particularly those who have faced times of difficulty or trials, are encouraged by the idea that our earthly bodies are temporary. We long for heaven and are anxious to trade in our temporary, earthenware vessels for something precious and flawless. Personally, it boggles my mind to think about being in a place where inhalers, antibiotics and multivitamins aren't required in order for me to function from day to day. It is amazing to me to know that God has a plan for his people that will ultimately result in complete freedom from pain, disease and suffering. God has prepared a place where breast cancer, Huntington's disease, cystic fibrosis, MS, lupus, diabetes, you name it...do not exist.

In the meantime, we live each day carrying out our purpose as temporary residents of planet earth. We are made out of clay for a reason. God designed us to be sturdy enough to endure the wear and tear of being human, and plain enough so that we are a testament to his glory and not our own. These temporary shells remind us to be humble. By thinking of ourselves as asphalt curbs that won't exist forever, we are kept attuned to the fact that at any given moment, God can decide to change our lives by bulldozing us to make room for the permanent parts of his master planned community.

I happen to like knowing that the way I am now isn't going to last forever. I have joy in the hope that comes from knowing that someday, God will have completed his purpose for me here on earth. At that time, he will take me to a place that is permanent where I will be given my new and improved, built-to-last heavenly body. In the meantime, I'm learning how to be content in my role as an asphalt curb or a jar of clay.

Standing Out (of Place)

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate," says the Lord. --2nd Corinthians 6:16-17a

At one point or another, nearly everyone has felt out of place. I thought that once I wasn't a high school or college student anymore, those feelings wouldn't happen, but that's just not so. When my husband and I were looking to become more involved at church, we had a very difficult time feeling like we "fit" somewhere. We checked out a few different small group opportunities, feeling a lot like Goldilocks sampling the bears' porridge. Once we found a place for us that was "just right" , it became easier to feel at home at our church. Outside of the church though, some social situations for example, we still feel out of place at times.

Last night I spent some time pondering the whole thing about feeling out of place, and I came to the conclusion that there are a number of situations where it is perfectly acceptable to not fit in. Suppose you're around co-workers who habitually use profane language. What is to be gained by adopting similar behavior? Another example would be speeding on the freeway. That may sound like a silly example, but is it really worth fitting in by keeping up in 85 mph traffic? The risk of getting a ticket or having an accident is certainly not worth speeding just because everyone else seems to be doing so.

Other situations in life can make us feel pressured to keep up in the fast lane. As Christians we are set apart by God, and it is natural that this would make us feel out of place at times. In fact, if we are to stand out as a witness of our Christian faith, then being out of place is actually a requirement! I'm not saying we need to call unnecessary attention to ourselves, but we do need to somehow identify ourselves as being different. We don't need to keep up with the fast lane people if it means compromising our Christian beliefs.

In a number of different ways, Jesus instructed us as to how we are to stand out. He commanded us to be salt and light. He talks about the Christian community as being a city on a hill, and a light that should shine to all men. He tell us that our lifestyles should be such that they point unbelievers heavenward. We are even told that we are not to be surprised if the world hates us because of this.

If we ever feel out of place, we need to remember that it is only because our true place is our home in heaven. So long as we are here on earth, being a Christian will always put us in a position of being out of place. We can decide one of two things. We can spend our time attempting to fit in with the world, or we can embrace the fact that we stand out and use it in a positive way to glorify God.