Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Bible Minute Lesson 5


Freedom and Confidence



“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”  (Ephesians 3:12)


Let this one soak in, sisters. Freedom and confidence are rare commodities among us today. A short verse with lots of impact this week. You may want to read the surrounding verses to this and let them really sink in. As a matter of fact, I’ll give them to you as a warm up:


            7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.”




Last week we talked about timing and intensity in relationships. This week I’ve been struck with how I take the riches of my spiritual blessings for granted, and the words “freedom” and “confidence” encapsulate that exquisitely. The first 3 chapters of Ephesians contain abundant reminders of all that God has done for us to bring us into relationship with Him. In fact, Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus can be divided in half, with the first half explaining what God has done for us in Christ, and the second half explaining what our natural response to that will be if we fully grasp the significance of it all. 


Before we came into relationship with Christ, we were dead, separated from God, objects of wrath, foreigners and aliens, among other things. (And that’s just in chapter 2!) But because of God’s limitless love and mercy, He made a way for us to come into the Presence of God Almighty Himself to be reconciled and connected to the One who loves us and created us.


There’s lots of theology in these verses that one cup of coffee simply won’t cover. Maybe not even a pot. But what I want us to try to grasp this week is the concept communicated in verse 12. Let’s look at it again:


“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”


Look at this verse with the same sentiment in Hebrews.


“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)



Confidence is trust, faith in somebody or something, assurance of success. The opposite implies hesitancy, reticence, timidity, or shyness. I have yet to come across a place in Scripture that encourages us or commands us to be shy with God. In fact, Paul tells Timothy, his young pastor protégé, NOT to be timid because God gave us a spirit of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Be bold! Walk in with assurance of your position before God, not because of what you’ve done, but because of what God has done through Christ.


Through faith in Christ’s death and resurrection, we have become children of God (1 John 3). Intimate, familial, eternal relationship with the Creator and Sustainer of all life. He is huge and he is personal. He doesn’t just give love – He lavishes it. He doesn’t hold back and He wants to be known. And because of Jesus in our lives we have complete access to all that God has for us. And it is all good, but it is not all pleasant.


What does it mean to approach God, on His throne, with freedom and confidence? It implies a level of trust that, to be honest, I am only beginning to comprehend, even after almost three decades of seeking Him. I get that I can come with confidence that my sins are forgiven and that God loves me. That took years, but I think I get it. What I struggle with now is the idea that I need to have confidence in God’s plan and love for me to such a degree that I completely release my hold on my life to fully embrace His. Whoa. Freedom from the weight of my sin – yes! Freedom from the weight of my accomplishments, my agenda, my entitlement…wait a minute. Am I ready for that kind of trust? Am I even capable of it? According to this, we may approach Him with that confidence and freedom, but do we? What does that even look like? It may be saying to God, “I am sick of my dead marriage and don’t know what to do. I need you to show up here, Lord, and make some drastic changes if I’m going to stay married.” It may be, “I am completely overwhelmed with my job and I’m afraid that people will discover that I’m not really as competent as I pretend to be. I need to breathe, Lord, but that means coming clean with my insecurities, and I don’t know if I can.” I may need to say, “What if what I really, really want in the deepest part of me never comes into my life? Are you enough, Father? Can I trust you to create a rich and satisfying life for me?”


It’s a matter of approaching God with the confidence that He will hear us and that He cares about what matters to us and what hurts us. And there’s freedom to let go of what’s not working so we can embrace the One who will give us the desires of our hearts.


These are some points to ponder this week. Not much discussion, maybe, but plenty to contemplate. Here are some questions that might help get the process started:



• Can I approach God in confidence that my sins are forgiven? Are there any that need confessing so I can come in with freedom and confidence?


• To what level do I relate to the man in Mark who says to Jesus, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”?


• Is there any area of my life that I am not willing to risk being dangerously honest and raw with God about? (What am I afraid He’ll change or take away? Or am I afraid that nothing will change in an area where I’m particularly desperate?) 


I would encourage you, as you pray about these things this week, to come to God in a physical posture that reflects your process: outstretched arms, kneeling, open hands, clenched fists. Being real, inside and out, is crucial to the transformational process. And if you’re anything like me, just think, once we get this going on with God, He’s going to let us try it out on our other relationships! Are you ready? 

Thursday, January 22, 2009

What now?


I’ve been reading several books lately that seem to ask the same kinds of questions. What are you hoping for? What do you long for? What are your desires in life? Big questions with no easy answers for me. And the down side to discovering what I really, really want is that it increases my awareness of not having it. Who wants that?! What tension. What frustration. Wouldn’t it be better for me to squelch those deeper desires and just be happy with what life hands me? Wouldn’t that be a safer place for my heart? And isn’t it just plain and simple a better use of my time? You tell me. If you are aware of any unmet needs or desires in your life, specifically in the area of relationships, does it work to ignore them and just suck it up? It hasn’t worked for me. Instead of reassigning those feelings or frustrations, what ends up happening is that we decrease our capacity to deal with anything else, until those boxed up emotions pop out in the most unexpected and ferocious ways. It takes energy to ignore something. And if you’ve ever caught a glimpse of a larger life – a way of being that is infinitely more satisfying, albeit riskier, than anything you’ve known, do you want to put that away and pretend it never touched you? I don’t.



By its very definition, the word risk implies that we may lose something. It’s a chance of something going wrong. Statistical odds of danger. Possibility of investment loss. Skydivers risk serious injury or even death to feel the exhilarating rush of jumping out of a plane and experiencing the open sky around them. Soldiers in combat risk their lives to help insure freedom and safety for those back home. A chef risks bad reviews and clientele not liking his food when he tries new recipes to push the culinary envelope and establish himself as a leader in the food industry. There are all kinds of risks involved in life, and when we are willing to accept the worst-case scenario to try to attain the best, we assume a calculated risk. It’s why insurance companies and bookies exist – to collect on the upside of risk or capitalize on the downside.



But what am I risking to have a deeper, more satisfying life? Am I playing it so safe that my days are photocopies of one another as I spend my energy protecting myself from life’s worst-case scenarios? Or are my flailing attempts at achieving success so haphazard that my days are merely pauses between adrenaline rushes? Where does true satisfaction lie? Is it in meeting goals? Staying safe? The feeling of being “on the edge”? Being popular? Rich? Beautiful? Accomplished?



I submit that the biblical answer to all of the above is a resounding, “no”. The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that hard work and knowledge are “meaningless, a chasing after wind”. The author’s conclusion is as follows:



 



Now all has been heard;



                                    here is the conclusion of the matter:



Fear God and keep his commandments,



                                    for this is the whole duty of man.



                                                                        (Ecclesiastes 12:13)



 



The Westminster Catechism puts forth this statement as the definition of a satisfying life worth living:



 



Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.



 



And the Psalms are full of rich and diverse emotions that spill from the authors’ heart onto the pages for us. These and the stories of the Old and New Testaments resonate with us on various levels as the characters from the past navigate their way through the confusion, frustration and joy of life as they lived it. Stories of people pursuing God and striving to live a life that is both within His parameters and full of meaning. Stories just like ours. Stories lived by people who asked themselves hard questions like: What am I hoping for? What do I really long for?



These questions are important because they are meant to lead us to God. God plants the desires in our hearts to point us to Him because He alone can satisfy those longings and He created us to be in intimate relationship with Him. Look at Psalm 37:4…



 



Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.



 



Instead of thinking of it as getting what I want because I learn to love God more, let’s look at it a different way, in light of our questions. God wants us to ask ourselves the questions about our deepest desires so we can recognize that He is the only answer to the question! God can’t be manipulated to give us what we want if we just jump through the right hoops. But He can (and will) transform us and enlighten us so that what we truly desire, deep down in the depths of our spirit is perfectly in line with what He wants for us to have a deep and satisfying life.



            So this begs three questions. One, how do I know what I want? And two, how do I go after it? And perhaps most importantly for our purposes, three. What do I do when life turns out differently than my deepest desires?



            These are the questions I really need answers to and it's what I spend a lot of heart energy pursuing. More thoughts to come...



 



 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Bible Minute Lesson 4


God’s View of Romance    

Does anyone in this group consider herself romantic? Anyone long to be loved and cherished? Anyone want connection with someone very, very special? 

If you saw the movie Moulin Rouge, with Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, you may remember the song Ewan McGregor’s character kept singing with the line: The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. Is it true? You tell me. It may be the greatest thing we’ll ever learn, but does anyone else also find it the most difficult? Yikes. 

And whether the relationship is with our friends, our kids, our husbands or with God Himself, we just seem to keep learning how to love and how to receive love, don’t we? This week’s lesson will concentrate on a place in Scripture where God reveals some of His perspective on romantic love. If you are married, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to you in your very particular context, with your particular spouse. If you are single, there is something for you as well, but to be honest, you will have to dig a little deeper and lean into God a little harder to find it.


Here’s the text:

 

All night long on my bed
            I looked for the one my heart loves;
            I looked for him but did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go about the city,
            through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
            so I looked for him but did not find him.
3 The watchmen found me
            as they made their rounds in the city.
            “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
            when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
            till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
            to the room of the one who conceived me.
5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
            by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
                                                                        (Song of Songs 3:1-5)


    
As my husband and I have been in a “recalibrating” season as of late, I am particularly sensitive to this topic right now. In other words, if I have to learn these hard lessons about connecting in marriage, you’re going to get a piece of it, too! (“Recalibrating”, for those of you in calmer seasons currently, is my euphemism for “we’re fighting a lot”.) Anyway, I see a couple of concepts in here that we can use to extrapolate greater truths. Intensity and Timing. Look at how many times in these verses the woman (for this is the female lover speaking) uses the phrase “the one my heart loves”. I count four times in 5 verses. Wow. She must have some strong feelings for her lover. What does that mean? And why does this kind of emotion matter to God that He would allow this kind of romance in His Word? I think one answer may be that God wants us to connect with Him in such a way that we learn more and more to trust Him with both those concepts in our relationships – intensity and timing. 

If you’ve been in a whirlwind of emotions romantically, you know that the intensity can feel as if you have no control. I can’t stop thinking about him. My heart is pounding. I’m breathing faster. I get excited when he calls. That season is exhilarating, and I believe God revels in it just like we do. This book of the Bible seems to be evidence of that! But any of us in long-term romantic relationships knows that this intensity ebbs and flows. That is natural and God is present in both seasons – the ebb and the flow. He is our constant. He is, above everyone else, “the one my heart loves”.  And the intensity of the relationship must be tempered by the right timing. (No, this is not just another don’t-have-sex-until-you-get-married talk!) If any married women reading this have experienced a perfectly matched libido to your husband’s, please let me know. With every woman – every woman – I’ve talked to about this area of marriage, there are times (sometimes many, many times) when one spouse is more interested in intimate connection than the other. Sound familiar? And so, even for us old married folks, there is wisdom in the phrase, “do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires”. Just because you’re married doesn’t mean everyone is always in the mood!     

So as I experience intensity of emotion with my beloved, I can thank God and ask Him for His timing in how to proceed. As I experience a lack of affection or emotion toward my spouse, I can ask God to re-create the intensity that allows me to hold him and not let him go. That may refer to faithfulness, kindness toward him, or a variety of other applications that God may make clear to you this week. And if I am hoping that having someone romantically in my life or that the “one” in my life will behave a certain way will fill some void, I can go to God and ask Him to remind me that He alone is truly “the one my heart loves”. He will, in some personal and unique way, hold us and not let us go. 


So, what’s the take-away? Here are some questions we can ponder this week:


1.     Do I trust God’s will and purpose for my life in the intensity and timing of my relationships?

2.     What do I see God doing in me or teaching me in these areas?

3.     If you have found and committed to “the one your heart loves”, do you hold him in your heart and in your arms, and refuse to let him go?

4.     If you are still waiting for “the one”, do you trust God to not arouse or awaken love until He so desires? 

    
I encourage you to seek the answers to these questions as earnestly and as completely as you feel you are able this week. And more importantly, use the topic and the questions to seek the One your heart loves, because He is absolutely crazy about you!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Bible Minute Lesson 2


True Freedom


Read Genesis 2:15 – 3:1


15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. 

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

--------

Life with Jesus is liberating. This part of the creation story shows us the difference between God’s emphasis in His commands to us and the way the devil wants to twist and corrupt them to confuse us and tempt us toward disobedience. When we give in to that, we are going back to slavery instead of living in the freedom that Christ died to procure for us. The apostle Paul told the Christians in Galatia that it was for freedom that Christ had set them free (Galatians 5:1). The same is true of us. God’s design for us is to live in loving relationship with Him as we follow His commands for us in freedom. Look at the difference in how God communicates with Eve and the way the serpent does:


God says: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." The first words reveal everything about God’s intention for His children in the perfect garden: you are free. They had the entire garden and everything in it to enjoy, including each other. The result? Look at verse 25: The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. The freedom of God’s plan is to enjoy safe and authentic relationship with God and with each other. Any limitation within that freedom is to protect and provide. This is always true of God’s commands. The commands against murder or stealing are not to limit us, but to allow us safety in community. The commands limiting sex to the confines of marriage is to protect our bodies and hearts. Then we can experience freedom to be vulnerable and love with abandon. This was happening in the Garden of Eden when the serpent came along and began his conversation with Eve. Look at how he puts his own spin on God’s directions to Adam and Eve in 3:1 –  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The serpent’s communication style here reveals a lot about his motivation in the world today. I see three things that are true about this interaction as well as the interactions we may have with the Enemy today.

1)   He twists the truth. (In 3:2-3 Eve straightens him out, but she gets a little confused as well…)

2)    He causes doubt in the minds of those who would follow God. (See strategy in #1) 

3)    He emphasizes the negative. Instead of allowing us to live in freedom and healthy relationship with God and others, Satan wants us to focus on the limitations to our freedom.

Paul said: “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is constructive. “Everything is permissible for me” – but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 10:23-24; 6:12). God says, “You are free”. Satan says, “You are limited”. Whose voice will you listen to this week?


Some questions to ponder or discuss:


• Are there parts of God’s Word that you struggle to understand or obey? Why?

• Do you recognize the voice of the enemy in your struggle? (In other words, has Satan twisted truth in your mind? Caused you to doubt God’s Word or His goodness?) How can you train yourself to hear the truth of God’s voice as you work through your understanding?

• Remember that God says, “You are free”. Highlight or underline that in this passage. As you come against temptation to doubt God or emphasize the negative in any given situation, ask Him to show you the truth. Tell someone or write in a journal what you may hear and how you change because of it. 

Bible Minute Lesson 3


The Freedom of Truth



 


    
Last week’s lesson was from the beginning of Genesis and focused on the true freedom we have in relationship with God. His purpose is for us to know and trust Him and His intentions for us fully so that we can live out the abundant, obedient life He has designed us for. This week’s focus will be on speaking truth and how it is so much healthier and more liberating than lies.


    
You may be familiar with John 8:31, in which Jesus says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” He is referring not only to words of truth and facing reality, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to Himself. Jesus will tell the disciples very soon that He is “the way and the truth and the life”. So if we follow the style of a high school geometric proof... if the truth will set us free, and Jesus is the truth, then Jesus will set us free!


    
This week let’s look at some examples in Genesis of families who were just growing in their faith in the God who had chosen them, but who still made some bad choices that were passed on to several generations. Look at Genesis 12:10-20



 



      
        10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while 

    because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what 

    a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill 

    me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will 

    be spared because of you.”


            
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when 

    Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated 

    Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and 

    maidservants, and camels.



            17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 

    18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your 

    wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. 

    Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with 

    his wife and everything he had.



 


    
If last week’s lesson was about learning to speak truth to ourselves in any given situation, this week’s focus is learning to speak truth to others. Not only does Abram get away with this deception in Egypt, the exact same situation occurs again in Genesis 20 with another king! And in Genesis 26, Abraham’s son Isaac pulls off the same stunt.. with the same king! Fool me once, shame on you…..am I right? Granted, in Genesis 20:12, Abram gives some justification to his deception, but his motivation for lying to Pharaoh and Abimelech was not noble. Nor was the motivation noble in Jacob and Rebekah’s scheme to deceive Isaac and get the firstborn’s blessing for Jacob (Genesis 27). Grandfather, father, son. All liars.


    
And Jacob came by his lying honestly, if you will. He inherited this unenviable trait from both sides of the family. In Genesis 29:14-30, Jacob’s uncle Laban (Rebekah’s brother) tricks Jacob into marrying the wrong daughter! Foiled again!



Here are a few things I see in these stories of the truthfully challenged:



 



1.     They lied out of fear.



2.     Their behavior had consequences on others.



3.     God used them and blessed them in spite of their sin.




Choose one or more of these stories from Genesis (the impact is greater if you look at more than one, I think.) and answer the following questions:



 



What was the one lying afraid of? (It may be explicitly stated or implied.)



• How were others affected by their lies?



• Did God use or bless them in spite of the lies? How?



 



            Honesty, as a character trait, has always been very important to me. So much so that when our son was small we never endorsed the myths of Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy. I wanted to be able to tell him when he was older that I had never lied to him. (My husband agreed to the plan because he wanted to be sure Charlie knew where the money and gifts came from!) I have also told Charlie many times that he can ask me any question and I will always, always, always give him a truthful answer. As he gets closer to his teen years, he has experimented more than once with stretching the truth and deceiving us. I have told him that lying is wrong and hurtful to the people you love most. When I have had my heart broken and my feelings hurt the deepest in life, it has been because someone lied to me. Charlie knows this and I pray that he will learn the value of honesty sooner rather than later.



            Whether we face the consequences for our lies immediately, in the future, or we seem to get away with them, we are breaking God’s heart and compromising the relationships He designed for us to enjoy. When we are tempted to stretch the truth or deceive, the same things are true of us that we see in this Old Testament dysfunctional family. We lie out of fear. Our lies affect others. And God can still use us and bless us in spite of it. Look at what these verses say about speaking truth:



 



Surely you desire truth in the inner parts… (Psalm 51:6)



“These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD. (Zechariah 8:16-17)



Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Ephesians 4:25)



Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:9-10)



 



If you are tempted to lie this week, or even if you feel remorse after the fact, go to God right away and make things right in the inner parts, where only you and He can go. The place where truth can heal you and set you free. Ask God to reveal the answers to these questions:



 



What am I afraid of that’s making me lie?



• Where can I see the impact of my lies? What do I need to do to make things right?



• Will you change me and use me, Lord?



 



Here’s a cheat for you: the answer to the last question is a resounding yes! 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness. The other two questions you’ll have to have God reveal to you personally, and I pray that the process is enlightening and that it brings you closer to the One who loves you most. 



Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Bible Minute Lesson 1

Read John 3:22-30.

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan - the one you testified about - well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."
27 To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less."

--------------------------

The last verse of this passage is what I call my life verse. It is the one verse of the Bible that most consistently resonates with me and guides me in my relationships and pursuits. God must always be increasing in my life - in the way I relate to people, the quality of tasks I perform, and as the motivation in all I do. And I must continually be checking my heart to see that I am not placing myself and my needs and desires above that which God has for me. And like anything else in life, some days it's easier than others. 
John is the only gospel writer that recounts this story. Matthew, Mark and Luke all have accounts of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist (which John leaves out), but only John records this significant transition from John's ministry of baptism for repentance and cleansing to Jesus' ministry of true healing and new life. John the Baptist shows an amazingly clear sense of purpose as he answers the questions of those who would tempt him toward his own greatness. He had been gathering quite a following of disciples when Jesus came along and started baptizing nearby. But Jesus had more people coming to Him. Only a person with a strong sense of purpose and a clear understanding of God's call on his life could remain so steadfast in this social drama.

Look at verses 25 - 29 and answer the following questions:

• How did the conversation begin? (v. 25)
• What do you think the man who talked to John's disciples in verse 25 was hoping for?
• How is the focus of the disciples' statement different from the focus of John's answer in the remaining verses? In other words, what are they concerned about and what is John most concerned about? (This is key for us in our struggle to keep Jesus first and foremost in our thoughts and motivation.)

Sometimes there can be confusion over the "I must become less" part of 3:30. God's Word is very clear that we are valuable, well-loved, gifted children to our Father. He does not want us to become invisible; He wants each of us to be the very best individual that He created us to be. That involves - no, requires - a focus on Him. As we spend time with God, listening to His voice, allowing Him to reveal our own hearts to us, he will become greater. It's what He wants most in our lives: for us to trust Him enough with who He made us, that we can forget about it and live it fully to show the world His glory!
If you have ever been on a diet, you know that it's much easier to concentrate on good things to eat more of than it is to concentrate on the bad (but yummy!) things we need to cut out. It is the same way with our relationship with Christ. yes, there is a place for confession and character refinement, but the majority of our efforts can go toward building our strengths and living out God's call on our lives with abandon. That is what John the Baptist is talking about when he says, "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and is now complete." We are the bride of Christ if we know Him, love Him, and trust Him alone for our salvation. So we will be filled with joy when He becomes greater in our lives. God is not glorified when we deny our gifts and bury our talents. He wants you to reveal Him more and more as you follow Him with passion and purpose.

• Make a list of gifts, talents, skills, and experiences that make you uniquely you. Ask God this week to reveal ways you can increase Him in your life by using your own uniqueness to serve your family, listen to a friend, or pray for someone who is difficult to love. Be sure to go back to your list and record where you saw God show up. 

Cuppa Joe Bible Minute Intro

I live in the Seattle area where rain and coffee go hand in hand. It just feels good to walk around the city with a warm, mostly recycled cardboard cup of java steaming as the drizzle falls. There's a reason Starbucks flourishes here: coffee fits the climate. It's comforting. It's warm. All my favorite activities are better with a cup of coffee (an Americano with half and half, please). Sitting cozily with a friend, having "real talk", as my niece and her friends call it. Reading my Bible or writing a study. Walking with my husband on our favorite trail. And one cup seems to fit the average attention span. Of course some people are up for a refill, but for the most part, it's pretty easy to absorb information for the length of a cup of coffee (this works with tea, hot chocolate, or cider, too, by the way). 

Hence the name of my Facebook group and this blog: "Cuppa Joe Bible Minute". My desire is to share what God is teaching me through His Word and the life experiences He gives me to help women apply Scripture to real life and relationships. Issues like communication, self-esteem, dealing with life's tragedies and disappointments, marriage, sexuality, and social justice matter to God because they matter to us. And believe it or not, the Bible has something to say about all of it.

The lessons won't be long, but I pray they will have impact as we open ourselves to God's Truth and ask Him to transform us and our relationships as we learn from Him and submit to His will.