The Poison of Comparison

There it was.

I read the words and I felt that burn in my stomach.

Insecurity crept in like a fox.  Sly and almost unnoticed.  Until it pounced.

It had been happening for some time.  Anxiety, worry, unsettledness.
Stress.

I had begun second guessing my decision, my relationships, my work.  Am I good enough?  Should I be doing this?  Is this the right?  I am just going to fail.  SOMEONE will figure out I am a fraud.  I don't have what this person has.  I can't do that.  They think THIS (fill in the blank) of me.

The voices in my head rolled on and on.  Day after day.  Week after week.

Finally one night,  standing at the island in my kitchen,  God spoke.

STOP IT!

Wait. What?

STOP.  NOW.

In a flash,  I was shaken out of the world I was living in and brought back to reality.  God's voice in my head immediately spoke truth.

"You have allowed the enemy a foothold.  And that foothold is the poison of comparison."

It seemed so small.
A nudge to stay on your game.  Watching Facebook to see what everyone else is doing so I could plan my moves and make necessary changes to stay sharp.  Reading the books of those that have made it big.  All seeming to give glory to God.  So what was so wrong?

Soon the words I would read planted seeds of doubt instead of faith.  A small whisper of "You can't do that.  You don't have what it takes" started settling in as the overtone of my thoughts as I watched what others were doing.  Pangs of insecurity became more constant.  Sleep became more fleeting.

I. Felt. Horrible.

It is amazing how Satan is so good at luring us into the darkness.  The drive for success and what is good can so easily go sideways.  Truth gets lost.  What you DON'T have becomes center stage.  What you do have becomes minimized.  And you go down the rabbit hole.  A slippery, dark journey to defeat.

It's not just in the determination to "become better" that this happens. It happens when you look in the mirror…see the gray hair (loss of hair), wrinkles, the sag here, or there..  And watch the commercials that tell you "this" will make you happy.  It's when you look at how the "Jones" live.  It's the car someone else drives.  It's the house they have.  It's the weight they don't have. You name it.  Satan will use it against you.

That is why this scripture is so important:

2 Corinthians 10:5

5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

How easily I forgot this. Don't we all from time to time?
When you hear those whispers (or screams) that lie and attempt to drag you down into that dark, defeating dungeon, remember 2 Corinthians 10:5. Then combat those lies with truth.

1 Peter 2:9 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Colossians 2:13-14 
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 
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: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He has planned for us long ago.

YOU ARE UNIQUE. NO ONE has been created to do EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN DO.

This world needs you. It needs you at your very best. Take every thought captive. Live in the reality of the truth. Allow yourself to be poured out for His Kingdom. And just wait. This life. YOUR life.. will be better than you ever dreamed.


Guaranteed.

Craigslist Ministry. Wanna Buy Some?

It's no secret that I am a firm believer that God works more in the Church than in the church.  Most all of my ministry is done outside the walls of any church building and will continue to be true for the rest of my life.


This experience, however, was unexpected.


Let me tell you how it all happened:


Living in a house half the size of our one in Iowa has caused considerable congestion over the years and our garage in so full we are unable to park a car in it, alone attempt to walk through it.  After a failed attempt at a garage sale, I decided to put a couple items on Craigslist to see if I had any takers.  One item was an entertainment center (real nice, no room for).


As expected I had a number of different inquiries.  I was only asking $25 and it was a nice unit.  For whatever reason, one guy caught my attention over the previous inquiries so I gave him a call.  We talked and then an e-mail exchange came about.  It was simple enough.  He came by, we talked, he let me know he was trying to get work, so he was making one trip (get the unit, find a place to change and head to an interview 1/2 hour away). The man's name was  "CJ" and was late 40's and kind.  He also sheepishly asked what my bottom price was, as he was trying to pinch every penny possible.  I told him $10 and he thanked me.  As he went to the truck to back it in, God thumped me upside the head and let me know that this is a grand opportunity to just bless someone.


When he got out of the truck, we loaded the unit in and he went for his wallet.  I told him, just take it.  It was just taking up space and I am glad he could use it.  He stopped, smiled and thanked me.  He explained how hard it was to find the right job in the right place (or any job for that matter).  I was once again very thankful for my employment and opportunity to do what I do.  As he went on his way, I told him I would be praying for him on his search and waved him on.


I figured that would be that.  I moved on with my day and hoped he enjoyed his new find.


That night, I got this e-mail:

Todd,

It was a pleasure meeting you.  Thank you very much for holding the entertainment center for me until I could get out there today.  I was very touched by your generosity; I don't come across that alot these days, especially in this economy. Hope all goes well for you and your family.  Thank you again very much; it helped that I was able to accomplish everything in one trip.  Best of luck .  CJ.

I thought to myself.  Very cool!  Love that he could use it and was so happy with it!!  I was also prompted by the Holy Spirit to share a bit more with him.  So I sent this e-mail in return:

Hey CJ~

It was a pleasure meeting you as well.  I am glad you are able to use the entertainment center. As a follower of Christ, this is the way we should operate.  Give when you have.  God has put people in our lives when we have needed so we pass that way of life on.  Funny thing is I had 6 different responses to this and chose yours.  Glad I did!

I will be praying for you to find the right job in the right place.

Take care (and shoot anything you might need prayer for my way!  You have my info :-)

Blessings~

Todd

That return e-mail was on the 21st of April.  I "threw" that line into the ocean to see what response there would be.  I figured none, but at least the generosity of a Christ-follower to be planted in his head.  Time went by and nothing.  I just let it go and had honestly forgotten all about it.  Until Friday.  Friday I got another e-mail from CJ.

And what it said BLEW ME AWAY!

Hi again Todd,

Just thought you might like to know, your prayers worked. I start a new job on Monday and it's "the right job in the right place", as you mentioned. 

I hope all is well with you and your family. 

I never really believed in the power of prayer.  After meeting you and as a recipient of your generosity, I am now a believer. 

Just to let you know, my new job will allow me to help others, just as you've done for me.  I'll be making prosthetic devices.  Thank you again. 

Peace,

CJ

I cried.  

 I thank Jesus that I could be used and I was able to stop being a self-centered idiot for a moment and hear something God was saying.

Realize I write all this not to say "Look what I did!".

That's not it at all.  I just happened to (for once) get something right.  But rather, this reflects how we are to live.  That God is ALWAYS WORKING and wants us to join Him.

He gives us opportunities every day. 

If we stop and listen..and then DO..we then start truly living the Adventure and Abundant Life that Jesus promises.

And that is a promise you can count on.  FOR ETERNITY!

The Wedding

Today, we have lost the depth of stories and rituals.  We do things without understanding of why and so many things are instant and shallow.

With that, sex has been reduced to a basic, animalistic instinct, marriage is archaic and 'till death do us part becomes 'till I don't "love" you anymore (or someone else comes along).

I want to show you a different way.  One of depth and richness.  One full of symbolism and layers.  One that truly comes alive.  The Jewish culture gets this.  Here is their way (and something we could learn greatly from):

(Side note:  This is not exhaustive of the practice, just an overview)

Imagine you were back in ancient Israel.  There was a young Jewish man that became of the age to be married.  In that day, marriages were arranged; so the father of the groom sent one of his most trusted servants out to look for the right young bride for his son.  One day the servant came back with just the right young lady in mind.  At once the father of the groom went to meet with the father of the potential bride.  There were intense, long discussions and negotiations.  Finally, (after the father of the groom was assured she was a virgin) a price was determined for the bride-to-be.  The price was steep.  The price usually determined was comparable to a new house price for us today. ($200,000) A high price was customary as the father of the bride was losing a worker and the father of the groom wanted to show how much they valued the young lady.  Once this was agreed upon, the young man and woman were considered"betrothed".  Both parties would share a cup of wine to seal the covenant.  This was as good as married with a covenant sealed relationship minus the physical consummation.

The groom would then go away in order to add a room to his father’s house. It usually took a year or two, but the actual time was determined by the father.  During this time, the bride would prepare herself, waiting for her groom to come with great anticipation working on her wedding gown.   It was when the father said that things were ready when the groom would surprise his bride and bring her back with a great processional.  This was usually done late at night and the silence of slumber was broken by the sound of the shofar.  Great joy, shouting and dancing would fill the streets.
The bride and groom would then be escorted to their bridal chamber (or addition that was built) for around 7 days to physically consummate their marriage.  Two witnesses were standing guard outside until the time period was over and a great celebration and feast ensued.


I don't know about you, but to me this is beautiful.  It is rich.  It has meaning and depth.  There is symbolism for our relationship with Christ spread all through out this ceremony.

This is done ON PURPOSE.  With intentionality.  Everything had meaning.

After all.  Two become one.  This was more than two people tying the knot.

THIS IS SPIRITUAL.     MARRIAGE IS SPIRITUAL.

It is not two humans deciding they like someone and want to "give it a go".  It is two people uniting as one, sacrificing for each other with Christ at the center.  And realizing the burden and exciting privilege of being the closest reflection on earth of Christ's love for us, his bride.

There is a covenant that is made between two people and God.  Between two fathers, and a blood covenant in the bridal chamber.  One that binds the two and cannot be separated.  Two become one.

There is a big deal of the consummation of the marriage by physical intercourse.  It is set apart.  Waited for.  Given time for enjoyment and meaning.   Virginity is sacrificed, blood is shed, a covenant is sealed.

True joy is known.

DO YOU SEE THIS!?  This is POWERFUL!!  LIFE CHANGING!!  And I'm not done.
Tomorrow, I want to talk more about this blood covenant in the consummation of marriage.  This "seals" the deal ;-)

You don't want to miss this.