Heaven, We Have a Problem

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." --Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

Perhaps it's because I have studied the intricacies of the environmental processes of terra firma that I also have an interest in space . I'm not a NASA buff by any means, but I do read up on things that involve rocket science.

On this day in history, the three astronauts of Apollo 13, (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, John Swigert) found themselves in a crippled space craft. During a routine maintenance check, an explosion triggered the loss of oxygen and electrical power in their command module. Returning to earth safely became their new mission.

In some ways, I feel like my body is the command module of Apollo 13. Cystic fibrosis limits my ability to use oxygen and power. However, I'm not left without a lifeboat. God gives me what I need to survive and complete my "mission" as his faithful servant. When I trust him to provide for me, I know that I will be protected and safe. He is my ultimate mission control, and because of that, I do not need to be afraid of anything that happens to me in this life.

Reflecting Pool

How has God provided for you when life is especially challenging?
Do you find comfort in knowing that God promises to never leave you or forsake you?

The false god of "personal time"

Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; --Deuteronomy 6:14 (NIV)

When I am feeling overwhelmed, I like to retreat into my own personal space and take time away from the busyness. I refer to this as "taking a mental health day" or "spending quality time with 'me'." Although there is certainly nothing wrong with stepping back and taking a much deserved break every now and then, I have found that I am tempted to abuse the opportunity to take a Sabbath rest.

By spending a weekend engrossed in personal activities, rather than actively denying my own wishes in order to focus on God, I am worshipping at the feet of a graven image. The false god of "personal time", like all other false gods, is an empty substitute for the one true God. No matter how rested and rejuvenated I may feel physically after a personal day, I have to be careful not to allow my body's physical desires to take precedence over what my heart and soul truly need.

I need to spend time with God on His terms, in His presence. This involves attending church regularly and faithfully. It means that no matter how wonderful and cozy it may be, a restful weekend at home with my husband is not an appropriate substitute for coming into the presence of the Lover of my Soul. A nap on the couch on a Sunday afternoon is not the same as true, worshipful and obedient, Sabbath rest.

Fortunately, the false god of personal time is easily eradicated. It is powerless, intangible and inanimate. The one true God, the maker of time, the creator of seasons, and the one to whom a moment is like a day, can fill me with his power and restore my soul far better than any personal retreat or "mental health day" ever could. That sounds like a much more restful, not to mention appropriate, form of worship. The peace that God provides to those who are obedient to his commands is blissful and sweet. Nothing and no one else can even begin to offer such peace.

Hungry for God

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. --Deuteronomy 8:3

Pretzels are my all-time favorite snack. During my workday I'm constantly gnoshing on Rold Gold tiny twists at my desk. This snacking habit is driven in part by caloric need, but also by a craving for salty snacks. In other words, not only is it a necessity, but also a source of pleasure. The only other habit I have that I need and enjoy is my time spent with God.

When I'm engaged in my personal quiet time with God, I read His word and communicate with Him through prayer. Some days I write about what I've read, and other times I choose to write a particularly meaningful verse on the tablet of my heart by committing it to memory. There are days when my spiritual appetite is only enough to enable me to nibble at scripture, but there are other days when I devour entire passages before I'm content. Whether I take in a little or a lot of God's word, I am always satisfied. God never fails to give me just the right amounts of what I need at the appropriate times.

One of my favorite worship tunes is "Hungry" by Kathryn Scott. The first line is "hungry I come to you for I know you satisfy." This is certainly true for me. I come to God each day, hungry for His word, and he fills me up. As I have hungered and thirsted after Him for all these years, I have been blessed in tremendous ways. I've tasted and I've seen that the Lord is good.

It has been said that hunger is the best seasoning. This may be true of spiritual hunger as well, but that presents a dangerous problem. Some people are so spiritually starved that they will swallow just about anything. In an attempt to fill their emptiness, they take in whatever looks the most appealing at the moment. Many of these things will not satisfy much beyond the moment. Eventually, hunger sets in again.

As Christians we have a responsibility to share our spiritual meal with these people. We need to show them where it is that they can find lasting fulfillment. Only God can provide the satisfaction they don't even realize they crave.

C-c-c-courage

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. --Deuteronomy 31:6

The difference between courage and cowardice is action. Courage knows the risks and rewards, experiences fear but acts anyway. Cowardice also knows the risks and rewards, but refuses to act because the fear is overwhelming. Courage doesn't necessarily desire to be a hero, rather, it seeks to do what is right regardless or being recognized. Cowardice knows what is right, but hides. Cowardice sometimes gains unwelcomed recognition in the form of notoriety or infamy.

What does a courageous Christian look like? Does a courageous Christian stand tall in full battle array, chin and sword held high for all to see? Maybe.

It is more likely that a courageous Christian looks like everyone else with one exception--bended knees. The heroes of the Christian faith, the champions of God's cause, are those who bow their heads and ask God to instill in them the strength they know they lack. They see the challenge that lies before them and know full well that they are ill-equipped without God's mighty hand.

Courageous Christians don't consider themselves heroes. They have a humble view of themselves and know that they are mere instruments of God. They serve Him faithfully even if it means being taken to unfamiliar and frightening territory.

God calls each of us to be strong and courageous. He wants us to recognize the alarming advancement of evil in the world and do something about it, even if only on an individual level. He knows that this is a fearful task, but He promises to provide us with the strength we need to press forward. The risks for us as Christians in a world that is filled with darkness are very real. However, so are the rewards. We can refuse to act--we can be spiritual cowards, or we can move ahead with courage. The Lord goes before us and will never abandon us to the enemy.

Too Much

"You shall have no other gods before me." --Deuteronomy 5:7

We live in a world where we have instant access to just about anything. If you want to read some of the latest headlines from around the world, you can visit Reuters.com. Interesting in learning a little about science? ScientificAmerican.com is where you can start browsing. The internet offers us literally billions of options for exploring all subjects--both sinister and edifying--with more being added every minute.

How much is too much? Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? How do we determine which things are actually beneficial and useful? What is the difference between feeding a healthy habit and satisfying a dangerous compulsion? Assessing the amount of time engaged in certain activities might be a place to start, but to really identify whether you're in danger of experiencing "too much of a good thing", you need to honestly look at your attitude. Is your mindset being adversely affected by what you're doing? If so, maybe you need to re-evaluate the things you believe to be the most important in your life.

My husband and I used to subscribe to NetFlix, which is a web-based movie rental program that allows you an unlimited supply of videos (up to 3 at a time) with no late fees. Initially, this seemed like a great thing for us. We enjoyed the convenience of not having to drive to Blockbuster and waste time searching through stacks of disorganized videos to find something that we might agree upon. We liked having thousands of title from which to choose, and we like being able to control which movies showed up in our mailbox and when.

Like I said, we used to subscribe. After a few months, we began realizing that we had allowed the NetFlix schedule to control us. We scrambled to watch a movie as quickly as it arrived so that we could return it as soon as possible and get a new one. We found ourselves sacrificing valuable conversations after dinner just to zone out in front of the TV. All this wasted time was costing us far more than the $19.95 subscription.

It's laughable to think that we let ourselves get all out of whack because of something that initially seemed so convenient. Our NetFlix experience is only a trivial example of how easily we can be sucked into experiencing too much of a good thing. I'm thankful that we learned such a valuable lesson without much collateral damage.

Other people may find themselves in far less fortunate situations as a result of "too much" of a certain something. Whenever we allow anything to take the place of God in our lives, we suffer. Only God deserves to be seated prominently on the throne. When God is not first and foremost, bad things can happen to our spiritual lives, our relationships, our emotions--sometimes even our bank accounts and our health.

God wants to be primary in our lives not because he's controlling, but because he is the only one who can exercise the right amount of control. Left on our own, we will fall prey to just about anything that seems good at the time, even if it isn't. In order to avoid overloading ourselves with too much of a good thing, we need to make sure that we stay focused on the One who is always good, and the only experience that can ever be completely good when experienced in excess--a relationship with Christ.

Tried and True: God's Faithfulness

Has any other god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?--Deuteronomy 4:34

This verse lays out very clearly what God has done for his people and the ways he has done them. He is the one true God as evidenced by his powerful acts on behalf of his people. No other god, neither then nor now, can measure up to that. In fact, no gods have power at all, yet all over the world, nations still believe in false teachings and they live their lives to worship emptiness and lies.

No other religions have the type of relationship between humans and the divine like that expressed in Christianity. In fact, from start to finish, the Bible is about God's relationship with humankind. The God of the Bible is the God of creation, and the God of the universe. He was and is and is to come. He is the Alpha; he is the Omega. He is the great I am. In spite of his awesome power and glory, or perhaps because of it, he has desired a personal relationship with each and every one of us. Other gods, do nothing of the sort.

Think for a minute about ancient Egypt and their practices and ceremonies regarding their gods.
They built temples for them and did a variety of rituals to appease their gods. It's not very often that we read about what a particular god did for the people in return. The simple explanation for that is that the god did not do anything at all! Any god other than the God of the Bible, is a man-made widget and nothing more.

Our God is an awesome God. He is very real and very much concerned about having a personal relationship with us. Failure to believe or understand that puts us in a very dissatisfied and lonely state. God has proven himself to his people throughout history. He has preserved his chosen ones and has made radical differences in the lives of many. At the very least, he deserves our attention. At the very most, he deserves our love and commitment.