Pressing On

I am still working on posts from our Cottonwood Ladies Retreat. This is the final session, but, since I am writing from my own notes, I might just break it into a few posts. Here is a start of the final retreat session, A Life Of Pressing On

Phil 3:13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Paul speaks very specifically about his own philosophy of life here;

Paul uses terms that were commonly used referring to athletes running a race. These terms were very familiar to the readers of his letter. They were terms that refered to running a race in the Olympics.

“Forgetting those things which are behind and straining forward to those things which are ahead”, straining forward is used for a runner who is stretching, reaching, straining running hard to win a race. Press toward the goal means to pursue to drive, to persecute. Think of a runner who is running to win. She strains forward, stretching herself, reaching for the finish line, trying to be the one who breaks the ribbon to win the race.

Imagine a runner, an athlete who competes. When he runs, he only runs. He is not thinking about a lot of other things. He tries to keep from being distracted. He looks forward, straight ahead. A runner does not turn around and look behind him in the middle of a race. He doesn’t look to see what other people are doing. That will only slow him down. He is focused on the finish line.

Paul speaks of the Christian life as a race several times.

1 Cor 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Here Paul tells us that there is a winner in this race. This is not running for the fun of it, but running with purpose, to win the prize.

Paul tells us that we are running a race that counts, that is important. Paul also tells us how to run the race. If we want to run the race to win, then we need to know the way to do it. Paul is an expert runner in this race, so we need to follow his tips: 

1. Leave it behind

“forgetting what lies behind”

Paul says to forget the things behind. He does not mean that we are to not remember, but to not be held by the things of the past.

Paul uses a Greek word: epilanthanomai (ep-ee-lan-than'-om-ahee); to lose out of mind; by implication, to neglect:

There are a lot of things that I have lost out of my mind. Paul says that is what we are to do with all the things of our past. No, you can’t make them leave your mind, but you can put them in the back corner somewhere and not dwell on them. "To forget" in the Bible means "no longer to be influenced by or affected by." Forgetting those things which are behind" does not suggest an impossible feat where we try to erase the sins and mistakes of the past. It simply means that we break the power of the past by living for the future. We cannot change the past, but we can change the meaning of the past.

The good and the bad, the successes and the failures, the rewards and the humiliations, all of them can hold you back. To forget does not mean to deny they every happened. Your past is part of your story, part of the tapestry of your life that has made you YOU. You don’t pretend the past never happened, but you get God’s perspective on it.

Isa 43:18-19 "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing;

God wants to do new things in your life. If you are holding on to something of the past, your not going to go where God wants to take you.

2. Lay it Down

We see this in Hebewa, where Paul again used the metaphor of a race.

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

We are to set aside every weight, lay it down.

Think about what an Olympic runner looks like when he is ready to run a race. He takes every measure to be as light as possible to run his race. Imagine an Olympic runner comes out to run, and she has duct tape wrapped around her legs, carrying a bunch of suitcases. She does not have a chance to win the race. We all come to the starting line with all kinds of weights we are holding on to. There are so many things that weigh us down. Let’s talk about some of the things that can weigh us down.

1. Weight of guilt, condemnation.

I am convinced that one of the biggest weights that keep us from running the race is guilt. You cannot really go on with the Lord, you cannot live in freedom, or have full joy or peace if you carry the weight of guilt. Remember you are forgiven.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We are forgiven. Our sins are washed away, thrown into the sea, put behind His back, and thrown as far as the east is from the west. So, right now put down that weight of guilt. There is no place for it and it just slows you down.

2. Weight of regrets

It is so easy to think about the mistakes that we have made, or even the choices that just could have been better. Those regrets become weights when we spend our time feeling sorry, thinking that if only we had done better our lives would be better.

Remember, God is sovereign

Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

God has a purpose, and He will use all of your decisions to work together for that purpose. Don’t regret. Remember that God is sovereign. Don’t regret your past mistakes and choices, and don’t be bogged down by sorrow over wrong things that may have been done to you.

3. Weight of fear

The Bible is full of verses that tell us not to fear. I have heard there are 365 of them, but can’t prove it. Still, we know that we are not to fear. We tend to fear so many things; fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of being hurt, fear of something happening to us, fear of separation.

2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

God has not given us a spirit of fear. God has said that we are not to be afraid. How many times are we robbed of an experience because of fear. Remember the Israelites. When God delivered them from slavery and led them to the promised land. The land held everything that they needed or wanted; flowing rivers and streams, fruit trees, grape vines…but the land also had giants, which the Israelites were afraid of. They chose not to enter the land because they were afraid. What did that cost them? They missed out on a life in a new country, a life that would be rich and abundant and full. Instead, they died in the wilderness. They missed so much because of fear. I don’t want to miss out on anything because of fear.

4. Weight of selfishness

What a lie from Satan that the only way I can be happy is if I make sure I have my way. We have believed that we are the center of our own lives.

Matt 16:24-25 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The only way to have the life that we truly want is to quit fighting for it. Can we trust Jesus with ourselves? Will we trust him to give us a life that is rich, abundant, full of joy and peace, if we will just stop fighting for our own rights…stop working so hard to have everything we want.

5. Weight of Pride

1 Peter 5:5-6 Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Pride is a hard weight to strip off. I have often said, Lord I want to be humble, but I don’t want to be humiliated! I don’t like to be humiliated. I want to be humble without having to go through that painful process of humbling.

I have had some humbling moments. There have been times that I have been criticized for some things, or confronted for not doing something that should have been done. These are opportunities for God to humble me. When that happens, I can choose not retaliate or defend myself. By the grace of God, I can choose to say I am sorry, please forgive me. When I do that, it feels really good. I feel lighter and freer because of that…more able to run the race, with a lighter load of pride.

6. Weight of bitterness

We have talked about forgiveness. If we don’t forgive, we will have a root of bitterness that becomes a weight that will hold us back. The weight of bitterness actually produces more weights. You can’t run the race held back by bitterness.

7. Weight of insecurities

OK, we don’t want to carry the weight of pride, but neither do we want to be insecure. How many times are we held back because we just think we can’t do what Jesus calls us to. Well, God is saying, of course you can’t, but I can.

Phil 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

1 Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am,

We are all so precious. Each one created by God for a special purpose, loved and valued, with special gifts and abilities. Don’t let insecurities keep you from pressing on into the plans and purposes God has for you.

These are some of the weights that we are told to take off and lay down. These are things that will keep you from running the race well. We lay aside every weight, every burden.

Resurrection

Tomorrow is Easter, the day that we celebrate the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. Praise God He is alive! What does that mean to me? A LOT!

In resurrection, Jesus defeated death. Romans 6:9: “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.” Before Jesus was raised from the dead, other people experienced resurrection, but they all had to face death again. Jesus was raised, never to die again.

Because of the resurrection, Jesus intercedes for us in heaven before God. Romans 8:34: “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

 Ephesians 2:6 says that when God raised Jesus from the dead, He also “ raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Don’t get that, but it is the truth!

Because Jesus is resurrected, Jesus will be with us, everywhere, all the time. Matthew 28:20: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In resurrection, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”Philippians 2:9-10:

Because Jesus was raised, he has poured out the Spirit on us.

Acts 2:33: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”

It was by the resurrection that we were made right with God. (Romans 4:25)

Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection.                              1 Corinthians 15:20: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

2 Corinthians 4:14: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”

In 1 Corinthians 15:35-55 , Paul tells us that in resurrection, we will have a body that is heavenly, spiritual, imperishable, immortal, glorious…” 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

Jesus resurrection is the victory. We all live today in hope because He is ALIVE!

What did Christ accomplish through His death on the cross?

Today is called Good Friday. It is the day we celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As I considered His death last week, I began to consider what the Bible teaches us that Christ accomplished by His death.

The first thing that comes to mind is what Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:7-8, that Jesus death brought us redemption and the forgiveness of our sins.

That is a good place to start, but it is certainly only the beginning.

Galatians 6:14 says that through the cross of Jesus, the world was crucified to me and I to the world. So, the world no longer has any draw to me because it is dead.

Ephesians 2:14-20 makes it clear that Jesus ended the hostility between Jews and Gentiles by breaking down the barriers on the cross so that we now have peace. We are now all fellow citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His family.

In Colossians 1:19 Paul tells us that we are reconciled to God by the blood of His cross, brought back to live in peace with God.

According to Colossians 2:13-15, Jesus cancelled our record of debt by nailing it to the cross. His death said that the debt that we owe God is paid in full. On the cross, he also disarmed the demons and evil spirits, triumphed over them, and put them to open shame.

Romans 6:6-7 says that our old self was crucified with Jesus, and because we died with Him, we have been set free from sin.

Romans 5:9-11 says that we have been declared not guilty and saved from God’s wrath.

Hebrews 9:24-28 states that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice who was offered once to bear the sins of us all, so that there is no need for any further sacrifice.

Hebrews 10:10 says that we have been sanctified (set apart, made holy) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

In Acts 20:28, Paul said that Jesus paid for the church of God with his own blood.

And finally, in Revelation 5:9-10, John heard a new song which celebrated the fact that by the blood of Jesus, he ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and made them a kingdom and priests to our God.

I am overwhelmed by the wonderful work that Jesus did by the one simple act of laying down His life.

A Life of Passion

Cottonwood Ladies Retreat “Pallette of a Woman’s Life” continued!Session 4- A Life of Passion, Katy Davis

Katy shared her revelation of what true passion is, which she received while on a mission trip. She received this revelation “In a van, on a mountain, in Bulgaria, at midnight” as the group travelled to minister to women who have been rescued from the sex slave industry in Greece.

Passion must come from a place of freedom. You cannot be truly passionate about God or about helping other people when you are not free. You have to minister out of freedom. When you are unhealthy, you cannot minister health to others. In order to help anyone, you have to help yourself first.

Real passion has nothing to do with enthusiasm and excitement. Passion is based on “ownership”. Many people live their own live like a renter. A renter does not invest into the house they rent. You don’t save up to buy a new oven for a rented apartment. You don’t sacrifice to upgrade. A home owner invests their money and their time to upgrade and take care of their home. As a Christian, if you live your life like a renter, you might go to church on Sunday, maybe an occasional Bible Study. An owner is ready to give themselves completely to the Christian life. A person with a renters mentality considers their life to be a result of things that happen to them. They shy away from dealing with hurts and wounds, they don’t set healthy boundaries. Giving of themselves generously doesn’t make sense. Ownership mentality steps into their own life with boldness. They seek healing for emotional and physical hurts. They say, “I own this life. I’m going to change.” They go out on a limb to be obedient. They partner with God to overcome bad habits and life patterns. Decide, “This is my one chance to live here on earth, so I am going to step into it.”

How do you get into the life of ownership.

1. Know who you are. If you have submitted your life to Christ, you are royalty, a daughter of the king. You may “feel” lie a servant, but you are still royalty. You don’t have to scrub the kitchen floor until it shines to earn favor from the King, because He is your Father. You have a crown on your head, so get out of the dungeon and back to the castle. Understand that you don’t serve to gain acceptance. Serving to gain acceptance is really slavery, but serving to help others to find freedom is true servanthood. If you agree to serve in anyway because you feel obligated or to gain acceptance, you are actually in slavery.

2. Know the Father. Passion flows from the heart of God. You pump yourself up enough to have passion. Our earthly father paints a picture of what our heavenly Father is like. Unfortunately, our earthly fathers are human. They may reflect God in some ways, but in other ways, they fall short. We attach a string that says our Heavenly Father is like our earthly father. We need to cut that string. We often define truth based on our experiences, but we have to understand God by knowing the truth from the Bible. Here are a few truths about who God is…

God is…with you in everything you do, near us, merciful, faithful, mighty, awesome; God is our rock, our refuge, our strength; God is wiser than any human wisdom, my help, the one who sustains me, my portion forever; God is holy, truthful, the bread that came down from heaven; God is love; God is the one who fights for you and gives you victory over your enemies; He takes great delight in you, and will rejoice over you with singing.

Cottonwood Ladies Retreat: A Life of Purpose

I am still working on blogs about the ladies retreat, not keeping up very well. In fact, I started this post a couple of weeks ago. I can’t seem to find time to sit down and write these days. Anyway, here goes.

In our second session, Libby Skaggs shared experiences from her life, which is truly a life of purpose.

1. Acknowledge

To live a life of purpose, you have to know where you derive your purpose from. God reveals Himself as the source of all purpose.

Ps 139:14-16
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15  My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there were none of them.
Eph 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
God uses people who are not perfect. God called Moses to lead His people. Moses felt unqualified, made excuses. God asked Moses, “What is in your hand”. God used what Moses had in his hand. That is where we start.

God has a plan for every person He created. Libby has an 8 year old son with several special needs. People might think he is not useful to God, but God has a special purpose for him. Dillon is a worshipper. He loves to worship. He does not know that it is not cool for an 8 year old to dance in the aisle at church. He also has a gift of encouragement. Dillon makes every person feel like the most loved. Although he has some limitations that might cause people to overlook him, it is a fact that God has a great purpose for Dillon.

2. Accept

Every member of the body is important, none more than others. A big hindrance to living out your own purpose is trying to fit into someone else’s mold.

One tool to help understand what your purpose is is from Rick Warren. We all must understand our SHAPE.

Spiritual gifts: God gives every believer spiritual gifts to be used in ministry. These are special God-empowered abilities God gives each of us for serving him. His plan is that each of use our gifts together. so that everyone benefits.

Heart: There are certain subjects you feel passionate about. Follow that passion. God wants you to use your natural interests to serve Him and others. People rarely excel at tasks they don’t enjoy doing or feel passionately about.

Abilities: Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with. All of our abilities come from God, and every ability can be used for God’s glory.

Personality: Your personality will affect how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. God made you with a distinct personality for a reason. Don’t try to mimic someone else, just be yourself.

Experiences: You have been shaped by your experiences in life. In determining your shape for service, you should examine experiences from your past. Your greatest ministy will most likely come out of your greatest hut.

3.Activate

Acting on your God given purpose is a step of faith. Libby has adopted three children. Each time, there was not complete assurance. There was an element of of faith.

ps 119 105 one step at a time

Sometimes what God calls you to seems like an inconvenience. Two years ago, Mike and Libby had an email about a 15 month old baby in Korea who needed a family. It was an inconvenient moment, but it was a divine moment. That baby became their son, the third adopted from Korea.

When God reveals his purpose, He always promises His presence. God may use you in a way that may seem crazy, but He promises He will always be with you.

God may be calling you to serve near or far. As a wife and mother, Libby’s family is her first priority. It is important to take care of our own families, however, having young children at home is not a reason to never serve outside of the family.

Libby and her husband Mike were both formed by life experiences to care about other people. After the birth of their first son, they discovered they were not able to have other children, so adoption was an easy next step. After adopting their daughter Abby from Korea 10 years ago, their eyes were opened to the severe problems of the orphan world wide. When they adopted Dillon 2 years later, then found that he had special needs, they became very aware of the special plight of orphans with any kind of disability.

The fact is that there are 147 million orphans in the world. Every day, 26,000 children die of preventable disease. The need is so great, and Libby has realized that helping to meet the needs of the orphan is one purpose that God has given her; through adoption, through teaching about adoption and advocating for the orphans, and through trips abroad to help with the care of orphans.