Defend the Defendable

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you.” I Peter 3:13a (NAS)

I have to tell you about my Friday! My friend (and boss) has many talents and venues of ministry. One is coaching people. It is an avenue of ministry I will soon start to pursue as well. With that in mind, I decided to take Cheryle up on her offer to spend a day coaching me.

Not a bad idea – since I really should be intimately acquainted with what she does for others, so I can explain this ministry with first-hand authority to someone else. Also since, I have signed up for a coach training class, it would be very good experience to see what coaching might mean in the life of another person.

By the way – this coaching is not for sports. Quit laughing, you will not see me on a grassy playing field wearing a black and white striped shirt, blowing a whistle. Really, can you picture me trying to that without getting my hair messed up? I think not! I am talking about doing this in a life coaching capacity to help me serve my God and my church/community better. I am thinking of it as continuing education.

From 10am to 4pm last Friday, Cheryle walked and questioned me through a lengthy series of subjects from my personal worship to my personal health care. I was amazed to discover and uncover some true gems of revelation. Some of the things I discovered, God and I had already been conversing over so my session provided affirmation. Other things took me by complete but wondrous surprise. It was fascinating to review my strengths and equally fascinating to review my weaknesses.

In fact, one personal character trait I need to work on is in the area of defensiveness. I am afraid I can be a little touchy – although I try not to show it. Whether I am successful or not, is for my friends to decide! I explained to Cheryle that one of the biggest struggles I have in that area is giving up my right to be right. Can anyone relate?

I hate being told I am wrong when I know I am right. It can make a big difference if what I am right about can withhold potential harm to someone. But most times, it is just my pride and stubbornness getting in the way. Pray for me as God continues His work in progress on this earthen vessel.

Now that brings me to this morning – oh yea – I am writing this Sunday night. While dressing for church I was listening to a local televised church service. A guest speaker was addressing the congregation. I’d heard him before and always enjoy what God says through him. While, he spoke to all of us – I gather a lot of his sermon was to encourage other pastors.

Here is my perception of his message. I felt one of his main points was to encourage pastors to remain true and steadfast even amidst those that would seek to deter their ministry – even if those people were fellow Christians.

The bold spoken minister encouraged the gathering of clergy to remain firm in times where others sought to tear down what they were trying to build up on the foundation of Christ. He urged them to let God be their protector and not worry about constantly being on the defensive.

Now you and I know that anytime someone attacks us, doubts our judgment or questions our motives/methods, the first thing we do is rise to the defense of what? Ourselves! Be honest, you know you want to do that even if you don’t always do it.

Then the master preacher made a statement I hope I carry with me the rest of my life. He told the pastors to “let God defend you, you defend the sheep and “defend what is defendable.” I’d say that could preach – but it already has!

I wonder what I could accomplish if I quit worrying about what others thought of me, trying to defend my right to be right when I feel wronged, and worried about defending that which is defendable. Defending the “least of the brethren”. Defending the widow and the orphan. Defending the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I guess if I strive to sanctify Christ in my heart the way He deserves and is worthy of, then He’ll prepare my heart to be able to defend the hope that lies within me and deal with any perceived threat to me, all by Himself. I suppose that would free me up to continue to do what is right in His sight and not in mine!

Lowering my self-defenses!
Barbara

You Are So Beautiful To Me!

“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yes, the work of our hands establish thou it.” Psalm 90:17 (KJV)

For some reason, I have beauty on the brain this week. Not sure why because as I write, I am in mismatched pajama’s, 2 pairs of socks, no make-up with not even a quick brush of my hair. It’s a nauseating picture, I’m sure.

Yet, I am internally plotting as to how many tin cans I will have to collect to buy a $315 pair of Prada eyeglasses. Why? Because when I tried them on my husband said they looked sexy. Stop the presses! Get me the smelling salts! In 19 years of marriage, and as wonderful as he is, Bob has never used the word sexy and my name in the same sentence! Well, I gotta have those glasses!

To add to my vanity drama, I had to admit last week to you that I am indeed vain. So you can imagine how Bob’s compliment must have affected my mind. As if that wasn’t enough, we are studying Beauty Queen Esther on Wednesday night and the Proverbs 31 Woman on Saturday’s. I am doomed.

Or not.

God let’s me get carried away only so far, before He gently reels me back to reality. Actually, it’s two realities to be specific. Do you want to know what they are? Glad you asked!

I was reminded last week in my study of Esther just how easy it is to get carried away with the cosmetology of the day. I was also reminded (again!) that isn’t the outside appearance God looks on but the heart. And while it’s not likely that I’ll give up trying to take care of the outer me, my primary concern should center on the inner me. This brings to me to Psalm 90:17 and:

Reality Number Two: Let the beauty of the Lord be upon me and stop fretting over a few age spots! This reality is nothing new to the believer, but perhaps we don’t give it as much consideration as we should at times.

Now let’s stop for just a minute. No, you didn’t miss reality number one. In fact, I had labeled the above reality number one – then I quickly “rethunk” my writing. This past week, my thoughts flowed over Psalm 90:17 and letting His beauty be upon me, and it made me smile to think that God considers me a beauty – just as I am. The same way my hubby thinks I am beautiful despite the ravages of age. (Okay – that’s is a bit dramatic)

I worry for nothing about the Lord finding me beautiful as long as I let His beauty be upon me. But as my heart was consoled in that fact, it was convicted in another. How long had it been since I told God how beautiful He was? My mind wondered back to our first days in Denver when we first walked in those Rocky Mountains and all I could say or think was, “God you are so beautiful! You are so beautiful!” Over and over again, nothing else could escape my lips. How long had it been? Far too long. That brings us to:

Reality Number One: God is beautiful. He is beautiful in creation. He is beautiful in His wisdom, righteousness and faithfulness. His beauty rests in the fact that God indeed is real! Dearest Father, how beautiful You are to me! Forgive me for not telling you sooner and more often!

For without this reality, the second reality could not exist. Besides, everything including beauty is all about Him anyways and not about us, except that it enables us to share His beauty in a world decaying with sin.

I think I’ve said enough.

Praise His beauty and exclaim it to all the peoples (including those sitting next to you) and let HIS beauty be upon YOU so the work of your hands, He will bless!
Barbara

Your Body: A Temple

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” I Cor. 3:16 (NASB)

How many of you are on Facebook or Twitter? I am. Now don’t rush to my Facebook page, there is nothing too fabulous on there. I use my accounts for business purposes. I have no ill-feelings toward Facebook or Twitter at all. God simply hasn’t impressed me to personally participate. Maybe later He’ll change His mind and then I’ll be glad to do as He leads.

However, it was a trip to Facebook that jump-started the mice in my head. I was on Facebook checking up on my boss, Cheryle M. Touchton. She is the director of Pocket Full of Change Ministry. [www.pocketfullofchange.org] I knew Cheryle had not been feeling well and thought I’d see what she’d been up to over the weekend. I noticed she’d written a few thoughts about her new exercise routine and that she was feeling better and stronger. She ended her thought that particular day with, “My body is a temple!”

Bravo Cheryle! She is so right our bodies are temples. I need to take her example and run with it, or at least do a few crunches or jumping jacks with it. But for now, but I’ll take my run with words!

Let me digress a bit and make a confession. I am a vain person. I doubt this will catch anyone by surprise. But I have a certain amount of vanity that I try to tame and control. Not successfully, I am afraid. My face just feels better with my Mary Kay and my hair loves Lady Clairol. I’ve told my hubby that I will go to my grave with non-removable teeth in my mouth and color on my hair.

With all that said, I would be wise to remember that my body is not my own but bought with a price – the blood of Jesus. My body is His Temple.

We live in a land of face lifts, tummy tucks and liposuction. Make sure those teeth are pearly white! Drape yourself in the hottest fashions. Suck it in, tuck it in and lift it up! Indeed, we go to great and expensive lengths to treat our body like a temple. Going back to Twitter – we’ve even gotten accustomed to having followers. This plays into the thought that somewhere down the line we got the Biblical principle mixed-up. Our bodies have become a temple to be worshipped rather than to give worship!

Reading Cheryle’s article reminded me of that! She knows as do I, that we are created for worship and to worship the One who has placed His Holy Spirit within us!! However, we have a responsibility to keep the temple intact for premium worship ability.

Therefore, the temple is not to be worshipped but it is merely an earthen vessel to provide worship to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Yahweh. Jehovah. El Shaddai. The great I AM. God.

So how is worship going in your temple today? Or is your temple showing signs of stress? It would be prudent to remember that if junk goes into the temple, then it’s likely junk will come out in worship and junk comes in all forms. Don’t you think that God deserves more than junkie worship.

I challenge each of us today to concentrate on our bodies, those living sacrifice bodies, as a temple of God for His worship. Let us our temples be prepared to worship God in spirit and in truth lest we become temples of doom!

Blessings,
Barbara