Success as a Servant of God

It seems so simply, the key to success, just follow and service God. But, we want to force our way through it. We want to know right now in our time. We get nervous about whether we'll actually be able to succeed at something. But today, I'm at one of those wonderful points where I feel God leading me, and then I opened the scripture (just after feeling a little bit nervous) and found such beautiful words of confirmation on how to be a successful servant of God.

^{Successful Plans come from God}

3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.

⁹ In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:3,9)

This evening Brad & I went over to Hermana Espirilla's home, and we were talking about many things but we mentioned the home church ministry that she used to have there. All three of us expressed interest in being involved in that ministry and seeing it start up again... hopefully bringing some to Christ who are not attending church and do not know the Lord. We were contacted by Campus Ministries just before the school year started about helping out with a Hispanic ministry, and now I'm wondering if things are really just coming together that nicely. I've been feeling a pull in a different direction, and this might be it. Maybe this was the tug that the Lord was giving to my heart.

After talking about this, there was great excitement and lots of dreams. But, then came the questions and the nervous/anxious feelings. Are we up to this? Can we do it? Do we have enough energy and time this semester? And all we can say is that we'll pray about it and leave it up to God. If God wants this and this is His will, it will happen. It will succeed, if we commit our plans to Him. We could plan what we're going to do, but the Lord plans our course, and it's beautiful to see all that God has for us that we haven't planned for... those have been some of the most beautiful and most successful parts of my life- different aspects of ministry (in Lancaster), meeting Brad (when I was planning to go home), even going to Brazil (when I had planned to go to Mexico). Because He has been so good to me, I commit all I do to the Lord and put it in His hands.

Successful Servanthood points toward God

⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (2 Cor. 6:4-10)

Servanthood is not easy. In fact, it's quite difficult. Being a servant is an act of humility, of constantly pointing toward the other and considering the other as more important. As servants of God, we seek to point toward the Lord in every moment. We don't want the glory for ourselves; we don't want people to even recognize us as their servants. Instead, we give our lives to serving the Lord through serving others, hoping to bring the knowledge of Him to those who don't have Him yet.

It's interesting to note the different types of things Paul includes here.

Difficulties (when we act as servants of God): hardships and distresses, in hard work, etc

Attributes (how we act as servants of God): in purity, kindness, etc

Insults & Offenses (what we endure as servants of God): regarded as unknown, dying, beaten, sorrowful, poor, having nothing

Gifts (what we gain as servants of God): known, living on, always rejoicing, making many rich, possessing everything

So, in being a servant of God, we may endure trials, but the fruit of the Holy Spirit will help us to continue to act as servants of God. Even when we face insults and injury, we will be blessed in many ways by all that we have in knowing and serving the Lord our God.

Lord, even when we know it may be difficult, we give this up to You. Show us the way. We put it all in Your hand. Guide us dear Father. We are Your servants.

Putting Out Fires on Sept. 11

Like many, what is on my mind most recently is the very troubling recent "Christian" news, in quotes because the individuals claim to be Christian, and that is exactly what is so troubling about it to me. Growing up in one of the 3 historic peace churches, I just cannot understand I church that can profess Christ (who said "blessed are the peacemakers" and "turn the other cheek") and yet plan on burning the holy book of our brothers and sisters.

Such an act of violence. Violence breeds violence, which is exactly why the pastor in Florida has been consulted to not go ahead with the burning. And all that we can do is to pray that this does not happen, for this would not bring more hearts to the Lord. Just the opposite, it would turn many away. It appears that we have not learned how to be the peacemakers which the Lord longs for, so let's go to the scriptures and look for some advice on how to put out this metaphorical and physical fire.

Forgiveness Extinguisher

¹ My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have struck hands in pledge for another,

² if you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth,

³ then do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands:
Go and humble yourself;
press your plea with your neighbor! (Proverbs 6:1-3)

It seems so simple, but forgiveness is powerful... and asking forgiveness is almost always appreciated. However, we often have trouble humbling ourselves enough to recognize what we have done... that we have been "trapped by what [we] said". What we are told to do here in Proverbs is "Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor!" Brad and I were remembering a humorous song the other morning which goes, "O Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way." Unfortunately, we feel this much too often.

There were many Americans who suffered pain and loss on September 11. And those individuals have every right to express and experience those feelings of deep grief, regret, hurt. But, they must also recognize that since Sept. 11, countless civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced the same type of pain and loss. Their loved ones (often many) have died in a war that they were not fighting in. They were part of what is glossed over as "casualties of war." I believe it is time to humble ourselves and go plea to our neighbors for the many deaths caused by these wars. Only then will we be able to "free ourselves" and leave the cycle of violence.

Smother with Peace

¹⁶ There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

¹⁷ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brother (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Hands that shed innocent blood. I can hardly think of how to say this in any other way. Clearly if this is what God detests, we shouldn't do it. I know that the argument will be, "In a war, the other army isn't innocent." But what about the civilians who haven't done anything? All they are doing is going about their lives in a country that is torn apart and destroyed by war. Though I wouldn't wish it on us, I think we are too distanced from this. We do not know what it is like to live in a war-torn country, so we forget what it's like. It's so easy to imagine that it's "not that bad." I don't know what it's like, I admit. But I know it's far worse than it is here.

I became 70 times more a pacifist when my cousin Amanda died a few years ago (I think it will always feel like just a few years ago). She was only 25 at the time, and she was riding her bike to teach in Kos, Greece. We never saw her again. It was so sudden, so shocking and so horribly painful. I don't know how else to describe it. Things felt very dark for quite a long time, and I felt the pain of my whole family- my cousins, my aunts, my uncles. I praise God that He was/is working in all of our lives. Though it is still sad and painful, we felt His presence with us... and I still pray for my family as we deal with this loss. But, can you imagine? 5,000 individuals- innocent civilians- experiencing this loss? This is what the Lord detests.

A Loving Dose of Baking Soda

¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. (2 Cor. 2:14)

As it has been said recently, "When Jesus said love your enemies, he probably meant don't kill them." We are called to love our neighbors. We are called to love our brothers and sisters. And we are called to love our enemies. This is the "third way," as we often refer to it in the Church of the Brethren. And our reaction has been to add more love, more peace, more of the beautiful fragrance of the knowledge of Him. Since news of the Florida fire has been reported, the church has taken action and responded with love and the peaceful 3rd way.

There is a site where individuals can read the COB statements on war in general and this September 11th. Individuals also are encouraged to contact their congress member. And they are given resources for a Prayer for Peace service. http://www.brethren.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=7801.0&dlv_id=0 On another site, the COB has a blog providing a forum for alternative voices... examples of the 3rd way, the peaceful way, the way of Jesus on this anniversary of Sept. 11. http://blog.brethren.org/?p=147

Our way is not to attack the church in Florida, but to remain strong in the power of the Prince of Peace, the one who has the power to put out fires.

Use Your Words- The Power Words from the Word Have in Our Lives

Today's scripture might have just as well walked out of one of my books on discourse analysis by James Paul Gee. His theories of language are very applicable here. He would suggest that languages do not just involve "informing" or saying. Instead, he argues that language consists of ways saying-being-doing in the world.

One example of words that are used for being (identity) is the markers of identity in our speech. For instance, if I talk about hornworms with the identity of a non-expert, I would say "Hornworms sure vary a lot in how well they grow." The "sure" along with other informal phrases show my identity as a non-expert. Compare this to my hornworm expert friend who would remark, "Hornworm growth exhibits a significant amount of variation." We are constantly telling others who we are by the language we use. One says, I don't know that much about hornworms. Another language says, I'm an expert in the field and want to be perceived as professional. (examples from Gee, 2011, 8).

Using words in terms of doing (action) is another argument Gee makes. One clear example of this would be proposing, calling a strike, getting married. In these instances, the umpire's call of "strike" makes (does) the strike. Without it, it wouldn't be a strike. "I now pronounce you husband and wife" creates the marriage. It wouldn't be such without the declaration of a pastor (or at least the words on a paper at city hall). So we also "do" things with language.

While Gee has proclaimed this, these ways with words have existed forever, and I see them in the scripture this afternoon.

Use Your Words: To Be Faithful & Do What the Lord Commands

¹ My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,

² for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:1-4)

³ When I was a boy in my father's house,
still tender, and an only child of my mother,

⁴ he taught me and said,
"Lay hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands and you will live. (Proverbs 4:3-4)

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

²² for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body. (Proverbs 4:20-22)

Being & Doing

These three scriptures from Proverbs show what the writer knows that words can do for the individual. The author mentions the power in "holding" the words. The power to remember and what that will do for the individual. The individual who has the words of the Lord will keep them in their heart and will find life. We may read this as [a Godly] life or one that the Lord would approve of. Then, this "life" is connected to identity. Keeping the Lord's word will mark the individual's life, impacting their identity. Proverbs 3 mentions that the individual with the Lord's word will also have a "good name," which is very closely linked to identity. Our reputations are the other-imposed identities that others assign to us. The words that we take into our heart have a profound impact on who we are.

And it doesn't stop there. It is not only being but doing. We do things with the Lord's words. We "hold" them, we "write" them on our hearts, we "keep them in our sight," and we "remember them." Doing all of this with the words allows us to do other things as Godly people. If we don't do anything with the words, they will sit there in the Bible without impacting our identities and also without an influence on what we do every day. The question comes to mind, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to see it, did it really happen?" Unfortunately, today we could ask about many homes, "If a Bible sits on the shelf and no one goes there to read it, does it ever have an impact?" We can only do things outside in the world with the power of God's word when we have the power of God's word in our minds and on our hearts... doing something with the written word. A daily scripture reading, a Bible study, however you would do it... do it... so that you can be it.

Use Your Words- To Say Comforting Words to Others

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:

²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (1 Cor. 1:1-4)

Then, there are other more traditional practices with words pictured in the Bible. This example is interesting, because we can see the combination again of being-doing-saying, which are not found separately. Sometimes it saddens me that the church has lost the habit of writing letters to other sister churches. You can see a beautiful portrayal of how the church was being-doing-saying through this letter.

Who was Paul being in this letter?

His identity is that of a brother in Christ bringing the word of the Holy Spirit.

What was Paul doing in this letter?

He is bringing comfort. Notice that by saying "grace and peace" and "comfort", he hopes to actually do "grace and peace and comfort-giving" so that the church in Corinth will feel feel these feelings.

What is Paul saying?

He is informing (reminding) the church of the comfort that comes from God and the grace and peace that he wishes for them. Later on, he clarifies certain topics of importance to the church.

In a similar way, we say things to our brothers and sisters. And our 'saying' matters. As Christians, we seek to enact a Christian identity (be) as we enact the Lord's commands (do) and proclaim Christian values (say). But, it all starts with the Word. If the Bible is left on that shelf, how can we do, say and be Christians with the words that we use. We need the Word... to be, do and say things as Christians.

The Jesus in Me Sees the Jesus in You

I fondly remember the little chorus we sang at my first National Youth Conference experience. "The Jesus in me sees the Jesus in you" was repeated several times. This concept isn't very foreign to most Christians, the fact that Jesus can and does work through people. But when we are praising and thanking the Lord for the good He has done for us, we often forget the blessings of interactions with other Christians, we forget to credit that to the Lord.

Brad was talking to a friend recently who said she saw "some higher being" in nature and other such things, and he reminded her that God also works through people, through friendships and words and fellowship. It's surprising how we may so easily thank God for the rain, but forget to thank him for patient Bible study participants who forgive Shaya's barking or an encouraging word from a friend to find time for a daily quiet time even in the midst of a hectic semester.

Do Not Put Your Trust in People

² I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.

⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.

9The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. (Psalm 146: 2-4, 9)

Psalm 146 is very helpful here in centering our understanding of the place God has in such blessings that may come through people. It is very clear that we are to praise the Lord, and we should not trust in mortal men. Their plans turn to nothing. But our God is forever and enduring and without end. We can trust that He will be there for us no matter what.

However, later on in the Psalm (verse 9), we see that the Lord watches over the alien, the fatherless. Now, we do understand that God is looking after the alien and fatherless in an abstract sense through the work of the counselor in a spiritual guiding sense. However, many of us have probably seen this verse through the Holy Spirit working in "mortal men" or people here on earth. Many Christians help with refugee organizations in order to help the alien and others work with organizations like COBYS (Church of the Brethren Youth Services), taking children into a foster care home. In fact, it's quite ironic that this was my reading today, since Brad and I were just recently talking about adopting... since there are so many children in need of a good home. Yet, we will pray about this, and just like those Christians who work with other ministries, we will ask that the Lord guide us in this decision. For we are to praise God for all the good works that He does. For, we are not the ones that can do this, but it is His Spirit working through us that leads us to fulfill His will. Doesn't it make sense, after all, that the God who created us could work through us? And when He does, we will "praise the Lord all [our] li[ves], sing praises to Him for as long as [we] shall live", for we trust in Him.

But Praise Him for Working Through Them

⁹For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ¹¹Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. (1 Cor. 15:9-11)

This portion of 1 Cor. is quite interesting, in its placement as well as its content. It is while Paul is reminding the church of the gospel message and directing them to believe and reaffirm that it really happened. Yet, he states humbly that all that he has done was not from his power, but that of God. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect." During our retreat yesterday, I shared a bit of my story. I have been a Christian all my life, but there was a time when I did not feel as close to God, when I was struggling with an eating disorder. It affected my personal life, my spiritual life, all aspects of my life really... but then I recognized that "God is bigger than an eating disorder." And I began to pray, for many months. It was not a sudden or quick change, but I eventually began to feel God pulling me up. And I know that it is by His grace that I am what I am today.

The other part of what Paul says that I find quite inspiring is that Paul allows it to be complicated. It's not all God; it's not all him. Paul says, "No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." Instead of quantifying: this much God, this much Paul, he just leaves it as a mystery... which it is. It requires some effort on our part. For instance, adopting a child is not without its difficulties and complications and hard work. Money, time, legal issues and public opinion are among the issues at stake. And it requires just as much hard work as raising children, which also requires God's guidance and love. We cannot be Godly parents (adoptive or otherwise) without the grace of God working within us... and I thank God for the parents that I had.

But it's not just the big things... we can praise the Lord for words of encouragement from friends or students as well as blessings of new friendship that build us up and strengthen our walk with the Lord. But seeing the Jesus in each one of us allows us to thank God for all the blessings we receive from our community of believers.

Thanks for All Your Gifts!

Last night as we reflected on an entire read-through of Ecclesiastes, we considered the fact that "there is a time for everything" and how that may bring us to joy and thankfulness. If we can remember this, perhaps in times of great struggle we can remember times of joy. We can remember to thank God for past and present blessings... which will bring us to joy in the Lord. And we really have so much to be thankful for- the gifts God has given to the world and the gifts He has given to us personally.

For: The World

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.

⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.

⁷ who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.

⁸ the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.

⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1-9)

This morning as I was on my run, I was thinking... what a beautiful morning. A simple thought, but a very lovely one nonetheless. For me, in order to enjoy Tucson, I have to be up early... most mornings this means waking up at 5am. Before the exhausting heat hits, I get a chance to look around and enjoy it... the hummingbirds surrounding the aloe plants, the bright orange flowers, the palo verde (one of my new favorite trees), and most of all... the coolness. "A cool breeze in the desert is a welcome friend." Ok, so I did just make up that proverb, but to me it is true.

This Psalm also goes on to mention God's protection and bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. This reminds me of what we did in Bible study last night. Everyone offered a sentence prayer of thanks, praising God for a blessing He had given them. We remember that "His love endures forever" when we remind ourselves of the good and perfect gifts He has given to us. He is always faithful, always loving, always blessing us in the most perfect time and perfect way. We have only to trust.

And... every time we look at the beauty God has given to us... we can say... "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. He made Mount Lemmon to cool us by day, His love endures forever, And the darkness to cool us by night, His Love endures forever, The river to fill with water during the monsoons, His love endures forever, And the saguaros to keep watch by night, His love endures forever." Thank you, Lord, for all of this that you have given to us and so much more. This weekend I have the opportunity to go on a short retreat with our Graduate Christian Fellowship group. And there we will certainly take some time to look around us and notice the beauty of all the gifts the Lord has given to us. Thank You, Lord for this time to appreciate Your gifts, and thank You for the gifts that You give to all of us in the amazing creation You have made.

For: You

⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^{a]" style=" line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]}and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^{b]" style=" line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

This part of 1 Corinthians is familiar to most. There are many parts, but one body. We each have certain gifts.. a different type of gift this time. These are spiritual gifts (talents, abilities) that we can use to serve the Lord. "All different spiritual gifts, but the same God works in all of them and in all men." This is evident in everything we do. Imagine a soccer team. You don't have 20 amazing goalies, 20 amazing forwards, 20 amazing half-backs. No... each one has their nitch, and the coach makes it his job to figure out who would be best at what position.

For us, in our Christian community, it is very similar. Let's take our Bible study as a microcosm of this. Not everyone is a talker... but even though Michelle doesn't speak up as much, her sweet and peaceful presence and inviting smile are a welcome part of the study. Jason and Kimberly though new to the group have already shown their dedication and very generous spirit, bringing ice cream to share and offering to make something for next week as well. Arkadiy has proved to be passionate, grateful and admirable in his attitude. Brad is much better at thinking of how to 'get to know one another' in inviting people to share a bit. Many others in the group share gifts of incredible insight into the scriptures, authenticity, openness to sharing, friendliness, prayers. What a beautiful group with so many beautiful gifts. Lord, thank you for the gifts that you give to each one of us... and I thank You for using those gifts to bring all the honor and glory to Your name.... for the building up of Your kingdom.