He knew I deserved the Crown of Thorns yet He let it rest on His head.
He knew I earned the flogging in the streets yet He took my place.
He knew I could never settle the wages of my sin or tear the veil on my own, yet He wanted a relationship with me that would last for eternity.
He knew that I, the wretch, would need a Savior, so He hung on a tree, pierced for every single transgression He knew I would commit.
He knew that I , the powerless, would need the power of His resurrection, so He conquered death, leaving my sins in His grave and giving me freedom to live life abundantly.
He wrote the greatest story of reconciliation the world will ever know... for ALL the people, all for LOVE. May you be reconciled this Holy week, this Holy life to your Savior and also to each other - all for Love.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Showing posts with label Bread of Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bread of Life. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Scripture on the Run
Memorizing scripture used to be one of those things that I thought I ought to do. When I realized that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….and the word became flesh.” Well, somehow that just moved it up the priority list for me. Bread of life, God was the Word, God’s word. A sharpened perspective, wisdom waiting on every page to be discerned, taught by the Holy Spirit. Disobedience is one thing but ignorance – well how much sin could we avoid in our life if we only knew!
I’m a kinesthetic learner, which is a fancy way to say I gotta do it to get it. I have to connect physical with mental to get it to sink in deep, carve it long into my aged brain cells. So when it comes to memorizing scripture, I could write it out a hundred times like writing sentences in the 3rd grade, but who has time for that?
So when it came to the task of memorizing scripture I needed to find a way to connect physical, spiritual and mental for it to soak in deep and saturate my heart. Again He calls me to the running trails to show me, teach me, remind me. Heart, mind and soul unified - Faithfully Fit.
A verse, a phrase, a word with each heel strike on the trail… Step towards Him. Breathe Him in deep. “Love is patient.” Step closer. Breathe Him in deeper. “Love is kind.” Step into His presence. Breathe in the Word. “… It is not proud.” Step. Breathe in healing, comfort and peace. “… It keeps no record of wrongs.” Steps become easier. And His words become the air in my lungs as I inhale the goodness of Christ and exhale the misery He rescued me from. Breathing in Yahweh, the Word, breathing Him in when I am gasping for air in desperation as the world tries to take hold of me, has me in its clutches. Breathe in truth, power, freedom. Wrestle with the flesh through the lungs and breathe in the victory. “Love never fails.” Never.
Will you join me? I'm memorizing 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Maybe your verse is different. Maybe your methods are too... I'd love to hear your approach to memorizing Scripture.
I’m a kinesthetic learner, which is a fancy way to say I gotta do it to get it. I have to connect physical with mental to get it to sink in deep, carve it long into my aged brain cells. So when it comes to memorizing scripture, I could write it out a hundred times like writing sentences in the 3rd grade, but who has time for that?
So when it came to the task of memorizing scripture I needed to find a way to connect physical, spiritual and mental for it to soak in deep and saturate my heart. Again He calls me to the running trails to show me, teach me, remind me. Heart, mind and soul unified - Faithfully Fit.
A verse, a phrase, a word with each heel strike on the trail… Step towards Him. Breathe Him in deep. “Love is patient.” Step closer. Breathe Him in deeper. “Love is kind.” Step into His presence. Breathe in the Word. “… It is not proud.” Step. Breathe in healing, comfort and peace. “… It keeps no record of wrongs.” Steps become easier. And His words become the air in my lungs as I inhale the goodness of Christ and exhale the misery He rescued me from. Breathing in Yahweh, the Word, breathing Him in when I am gasping for air in desperation as the world tries to take hold of me, has me in its clutches. Breathe in truth, power, freedom. Wrestle with the flesh through the lungs and breathe in the victory. “Love never fails.” Never.
Will you join me? I'm memorizing 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Maybe your verse is different. Maybe your methods are too... I'd love to hear your approach to memorizing Scripture.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Word for words
I used to write New Year’s resolutions. I put words to the change I so desperately wanted to see in my life, in my heart. I made a declaration resolving to transform, to grow, to leave this year better than I entered it. My intentions were noble, maybe even righteous, longing for His beauty in my life. I professed to God all I would do for Him in the coming year. I vowed to be better, be more, serve wholeheartedly. I resolved and expected the birth of Christ-like character in an instant. And usually by now, I failed to realize the change I so passionately longed for and I was discouraged, living defeated, feeling useless. I failed because I tried in my own strength. I relied on my own power. I authored the words of my resolutions in the first place. My words weren’t what He had in mind.
This year, I decided to approach things a little differently. I asked God for words, the Word. He is the only Author worthy of putting words to my transformation, and He promises those words do not come back empty, but will accomplish His desires and achieve His purposes. (Isa 55:11) He knows the Word we need at the moment we need it. The Word that became flesh that is the very breath in our lungs. As we labor, the Word beckons. Rest. Lean in firm. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt 11:30)
Somehow I missed the miracle of my beginning. The scars on His hands existed before my declarations, before my vows, before He started His work in my heart. When I was still His enemy, He hung at Calvary, all for love, to assure me even I am worthy of it. Me. At the beginning of change. Before change at all.
So, this year, I don’t resolve to change. I mean who am I to suggest to the Maker of oceans and skies, rain and mountains, mangos and flowers the things I think need changing. Instead, I resolve only to offer my life and give thanks that I have it to offer. The disciples had five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 people. In faith, they handed it all over to Jesus and had 12 baskets of leftovers! He is the Supplier who multiplies! If that’s what He can do with some bread and fish, what can He do with a whole life, wholly surrendered?
The gap between us and Christ is a vast canyon that will never be filled this side of Heaven, no matter how hard we labor. And, yet, He still authors a beginning for each of us, not because of what we do but because of who He is. He etches stretch marks of growth deep across our lives, testimony of new life emerging - from the inside out. Evidence of the birthing process, the Christ-child growing within us… over time. His perfect time. With or without our resolutions... because of His Word, not ours.
This year, I decided to approach things a little differently. I asked God for words, the Word. He is the only Author worthy of putting words to my transformation, and He promises those words do not come back empty, but will accomplish His desires and achieve His purposes. (Isa 55:11) He knows the Word we need at the moment we need it. The Word that became flesh that is the very breath in our lungs. As we labor, the Word beckons. Rest. Lean in firm. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt 11:30)
Somehow I missed the miracle of my beginning. The scars on His hands existed before my declarations, before my vows, before He started His work in my heart. When I was still His enemy, He hung at Calvary, all for love, to assure me even I am worthy of it. Me. At the beginning of change. Before change at all.
So, this year, I don’t resolve to change. I mean who am I to suggest to the Maker of oceans and skies, rain and mountains, mangos and flowers the things I think need changing. Instead, I resolve only to offer my life and give thanks that I have it to offer. The disciples had five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 people. In faith, they handed it all over to Jesus and had 12 baskets of leftovers! He is the Supplier who multiplies! If that’s what He can do with some bread and fish, what can He do with a whole life, wholly surrendered?
The gap between us and Christ is a vast canyon that will never be filled this side of Heaven, no matter how hard we labor. And, yet, He still authors a beginning for each of us, not because of what we do but because of who He is. He etches stretch marks of growth deep across our lives, testimony of new life emerging - from the inside out. Evidence of the birthing process, the Christ-child growing within us… over time. His perfect time. With or without our resolutions... because of His Word, not ours.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Running on Purpose
As women after God’s heart, we are called “to open our arms to the poor and extend our hands to the needy”(Proverbs 31:20). Doing so on our own has its own share of blessings, but how much more impactful could we be together? So, I thought we could sprinkle a little fundraiser in with our training…with the idea of donating the proceeds to an organization that reaches the poor and needy in the name of Jesus.
Remember fundraisers when we were in grade school? Perhaps many of you are doing this with your own kids now. You went door to door and asked your friends and family to pledge an amount for every hour you jumped rope or every lap you completed around the track? I thought it would be fun to see how much money we could raise as a group for each mile of the Bolder Boulder we individually complete. These days, fundraising seems like it would be easier. Sure you can knock on doors – or you can just jump on Facebook!
So where should the money go? Well…
Lately, God has been teaching me a lot about sufficiency – His definition versus my own. Every time I think I need a divinely decorated house, or a snazzier wardrobe, or a bottomless checking account to come and go as I please, God gently reminds me of the privileged life I already live – without all those things. I open my refrigerator or pantry and select a variety of foods I want to prepare in my suitably equipped kitchen to serve my healthy family on a kitchen table with enough chairs for everyone in a pest-free house with multiple rooms that registers a comfortable temperature on a programmable thermostat ready to heat or cool as needed. When I lift the handle on my faucet, clean, purified water always comes out and at a flip of some switches, I can flood the house with light. I watch my TV or jump on my computer with high-speed internet to see what the weather is going to be like so I can choose my outfit for the day from my walk-in closet. And when I am ready to leave my dry-walled, carpeted, insulated house with a shingled roof, I choose from a variety of pairs of shoes in my garage before I jump in my over-sized vehicle to travel 4 miles to shop at one of the 7 grocery stores in town in order to stock my already stocked food supply.
Out of all the things I’ve mentioned and the countless privileges I’ve left out, I think the fact that I have shoes for my feet is what I take for granted the most. I mean doesn’t everyone have at least one pair of shoes. The shocking, desperate reality is, NO!! We have shoes for warm weather and cold weather, snow and rain, running and working, Uncle John’s wedding and the 2006 family reunion… but in stark contrast, there are millions of children around the world who don’t own a single pair of shoes to protect their precious feet. And as a result, they contract serious infections and parasites because of cuts and sores they get from traveling more than 30 miles in bare feet, just to go to school for an education that offers a glimmer of hope that one day it might be different for them. Heartbreaking!
So… I got to thinking. We rely so heavily on a good pair of shoes to run in that maybe as we’re running in these well-suited shoes, we could at least be earning a pair of shoes for someone who is without. A subsidiary of Campus Crusade for Christ, Soles Blessing Souls needs just $3 to provide a pair of shoes to a needy child. Just $3 will protect a child’s feet from disease and disaster. How many $3 pair of shoes can we come up with, Sisters? Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” How many pairs of shoes can we give Jesus when we run in our own well-cushioned soles for a measly 6.2 miles? Ooh, I love the smell of a good challenge!
If you are in the Faithfully Fit distribution list, I will be emailing you a pledge form, if you care to use one. That’s the Type A in me – and you know you love it! If you wish to make a pledge email me at mikelisafischer@msn.com. Dear Sisters, this is not meant to be one more task. The Lord loves a joyful giver, so don’t feel obligated to donate or participate. But I would encourage you to at least pray about it. Let’s pray together, now…
Thank you Jesus that we have shoes on our feet, clothes on our back, food in our pantries and freedom to worship You at will. Thank you Lord that though these may be tough economic times here, we do not know poverty like what exists in many parts of the world. Lord, I pray for the millions of children in the world without soles on their feet. I pray that You would strengthen them and protect them and give them hope in You. I pray that hearts around the world are not only breaking for the poor and oppressed but moving for them out of their love for You. Lord it is our highest honor and greatest privilege to do Your work, work you prepared in advance for us, and work you long to bless us each with if only we could see it, if only we would grasp the opportunity. Give us eyes to see what You see, Lord, and may You alone be glorified in everything we do! I pray this in the precious, powerful, sufficient name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Remember fundraisers when we were in grade school? Perhaps many of you are doing this with your own kids now. You went door to door and asked your friends and family to pledge an amount for every hour you jumped rope or every lap you completed around the track? I thought it would be fun to see how much money we could raise as a group for each mile of the Bolder Boulder we individually complete. These days, fundraising seems like it would be easier. Sure you can knock on doors – or you can just jump on Facebook!
So where should the money go? Well…
Lately, God has been teaching me a lot about sufficiency – His definition versus my own. Every time I think I need a divinely decorated house, or a snazzier wardrobe, or a bottomless checking account to come and go as I please, God gently reminds me of the privileged life I already live – without all those things. I open my refrigerator or pantry and select a variety of foods I want to prepare in my suitably equipped kitchen to serve my healthy family on a kitchen table with enough chairs for everyone in a pest-free house with multiple rooms that registers a comfortable temperature on a programmable thermostat ready to heat or cool as needed. When I lift the handle on my faucet, clean, purified water always comes out and at a flip of some switches, I can flood the house with light. I watch my TV or jump on my computer with high-speed internet to see what the weather is going to be like so I can choose my outfit for the day from my walk-in closet. And when I am ready to leave my dry-walled, carpeted, insulated house with a shingled roof, I choose from a variety of pairs of shoes in my garage before I jump in my over-sized vehicle to travel 4 miles to shop at one of the 7 grocery stores in town in order to stock my already stocked food supply.
Out of all the things I’ve mentioned and the countless privileges I’ve left out, I think the fact that I have shoes for my feet is what I take for granted the most. I mean doesn’t everyone have at least one pair of shoes. The shocking, desperate reality is, NO!! We have shoes for warm weather and cold weather, snow and rain, running and working, Uncle John’s wedding and the 2006 family reunion… but in stark contrast, there are millions of children around the world who don’t own a single pair of shoes to protect their precious feet. And as a result, they contract serious infections and parasites because of cuts and sores they get from traveling more than 30 miles in bare feet, just to go to school for an education that offers a glimmer of hope that one day it might be different for them. Heartbreaking!
So… I got to thinking. We rely so heavily on a good pair of shoes to run in that maybe as we’re running in these well-suited shoes, we could at least be earning a pair of shoes for someone who is without. A subsidiary of Campus Crusade for Christ, Soles Blessing Souls needs just $3 to provide a pair of shoes to a needy child. Just $3 will protect a child’s feet from disease and disaster. How many $3 pair of shoes can we come up with, Sisters? Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” How many pairs of shoes can we give Jesus when we run in our own well-cushioned soles for a measly 6.2 miles? Ooh, I love the smell of a good challenge!
If you are in the Faithfully Fit distribution list, I will be emailing you a pledge form, if you care to use one. That’s the Type A in me – and you know you love it! If you wish to make a pledge email me at mikelisafischer@msn.com. Dear Sisters, this is not meant to be one more task. The Lord loves a joyful giver, so don’t feel obligated to donate or participate. But I would encourage you to at least pray about it. Let’s pray together, now…
Thank you Jesus that we have shoes on our feet, clothes on our back, food in our pantries and freedom to worship You at will. Thank you Lord that though these may be tough economic times here, we do not know poverty like what exists in many parts of the world. Lord, I pray for the millions of children in the world without soles on their feet. I pray that You would strengthen them and protect them and give them hope in You. I pray that hearts around the world are not only breaking for the poor and oppressed but moving for them out of their love for You. Lord it is our highest honor and greatest privilege to do Your work, work you prepared in advance for us, and work you long to bless us each with if only we could see it, if only we would grasp the opportunity. Give us eyes to see what You see, Lord, and may You alone be glorified in everything we do! I pray this in the precious, powerful, sufficient name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Faith Like a Child
Jesus said that our faith should be like that of a child (Luke 18:17). Why? Because children are filled with hope, ready to love and trust wholeheartedly in the ones who love them the most. I can read Jesus’ teachings and conceptually understand His point; however, this part of Scripture had little impact on me, until recently.
Two weeks ago, we lost someone very dear to our family. He was someone my children knew and loved – they called him Uncle although he was of no relation. My husband and I admitted our sadness to our children – no sense in hiding it – and prayed that Jesus would welcome Uncle Jerrad. My three year old son offered us joy in hope that we WOULD see him again someday. To my son it was simple. Uncle Jerrad left us to be with Jesus. Faith like a child. And while we are sad our loved one is not with us anymore, my son knows without a doubt that he is Home, waiting for us all. Do we know? Do we really believe? Do we have faith like this child?
One week ago, we had to put our beloved family dog, Tobi, to sleep. It was her time. She was in pain, she was old and she lived a good life. No need to be heroic so we made the decision to send her Home. My five year old daughter was hit the hardest because Tobi slept in her room every night. When I told her, she wept, we cuddled and she disappeared. I found her in her room, on her knees, praying. Faith like a child. After hugs and comfort from her earthly mother, she ran to her Heavenly Father. Are we so quick to fall to our knees? Do we seek the Prince of Peace in the midst of our storm? Do we have faith like this child?
It’s amazing how someone’s death can instantly remind you of all the things you didn’t say, all the things you didn’t do, the ways you could have showed love but refused, the times you should have reached out but were afraid. It’s easy to see the missed opportunity of yesterday using our wisdom from today. Children rarely miss opportunity. Whenever opportunity presents itself, they readily reach for it – especially when it is offered by a parent. They trust without understanding.
It seems only in death can you get a true picture of someone’s life. And only in death can you have a true appreciation for life. God uses death to propel us in the direction He desires for us. He uses it to give us perspective, to remove the scales from our eyes. He uses it to give the cynical, broken, hardened heart faith like a child.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” – Luke 18:17
Two weeks ago, we lost someone very dear to our family. He was someone my children knew and loved – they called him Uncle although he was of no relation. My husband and I admitted our sadness to our children – no sense in hiding it – and prayed that Jesus would welcome Uncle Jerrad. My three year old son offered us joy in hope that we WOULD see him again someday. To my son it was simple. Uncle Jerrad left us to be with Jesus. Faith like a child. And while we are sad our loved one is not with us anymore, my son knows without a doubt that he is Home, waiting for us all. Do we know? Do we really believe? Do we have faith like this child?
One week ago, we had to put our beloved family dog, Tobi, to sleep. It was her time. She was in pain, she was old and she lived a good life. No need to be heroic so we made the decision to send her Home. My five year old daughter was hit the hardest because Tobi slept in her room every night. When I told her, she wept, we cuddled and she disappeared. I found her in her room, on her knees, praying. Faith like a child. After hugs and comfort from her earthly mother, she ran to her Heavenly Father. Are we so quick to fall to our knees? Do we seek the Prince of Peace in the midst of our storm? Do we have faith like this child?
It’s amazing how someone’s death can instantly remind you of all the things you didn’t say, all the things you didn’t do, the ways you could have showed love but refused, the times you should have reached out but were afraid. It’s easy to see the missed opportunity of yesterday using our wisdom from today. Children rarely miss opportunity. Whenever opportunity presents itself, they readily reach for it – especially when it is offered by a parent. They trust without understanding.
It seems only in death can you get a true picture of someone’s life. And only in death can you have a true appreciation for life. God uses death to propel us in the direction He desires for us. He uses it to give us perspective, to remove the scales from our eyes. He uses it to give the cynical, broken, hardened heart faith like a child.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” – Luke 18:17
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
It Starts With a Choice
Daniel had a choice… he could eat the king’s royal food which would please King Nebuchadnezzar or decide he would not defile himself in that way and please the King of Kings. He could face certain death from the earthly king he could see or honor the Heavenly King he could not see. Daniel could take an earthly reward of immediate satisfaction or invest in a heavenly reward of eternal life. What would he choose? Daniel 1:8 tells us he chose the King of Kings and immediately following that choice, in Daniel 1:9, God shows up! Daniel chooses and “Now God”! God protects Daniel from King Nebuchadnezzar and uses Daniel to glorify Himself. I just love that! It starts with a choice, our choice, and “Now God”.
Daniel 1:15 reveals that Daniel’s godly diet made him look healthier than those eating the royal food. People could tell Daniel was different. When we choose the ways of the Lord, He will show up and help us succeed in order to bring glory to Him! Paul encourages us in Philippians 2:13 with these words: “God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him”. I don’t know about you, but I have to let out a sigh of relief with that one! Only God's power can keep me from the comfort foods I so enjoy and kick me out on the running trails! The choice isn’t always easy but God wants us to choose Him so He works within us, giving us a desire to please Him.
And now, our choice... We can choose to glorify God with our bodies or indulge in the royal feast. We can choose the calorie rich foods and the comfortable couch or the Bread of Life and the path less traveled. I want my choice to be followed with “Now God” just like Daniel! How about you?
Lord, I choose you. I choose the Bread of Life and the path less traveled. Help me walk in Your ways. Give me the wisdom to choose foods that are worthy of Your temple and that will ultimately glorify You. Lord, work within me and give me a deep rooted desire to obey you and the power to do what pleases you. Amen.
Daniel 1:15 reveals that Daniel’s godly diet made him look healthier than those eating the royal food. People could tell Daniel was different. When we choose the ways of the Lord, He will show up and help us succeed in order to bring glory to Him! Paul encourages us in Philippians 2:13 with these words: “God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him”. I don’t know about you, but I have to let out a sigh of relief with that one! Only God's power can keep me from the comfort foods I so enjoy and kick me out on the running trails! The choice isn’t always easy but God wants us to choose Him so He works within us, giving us a desire to please Him.
And now, our choice... We can choose to glorify God with our bodies or indulge in the royal feast. We can choose the calorie rich foods and the comfortable couch or the Bread of Life and the path less traveled. I want my choice to be followed with “Now God” just like Daniel! How about you?
Lord, I choose you. I choose the Bread of Life and the path less traveled. Help me walk in Your ways. Give me the wisdom to choose foods that are worthy of Your temple and that will ultimately glorify You. Lord, work within me and give me a deep rooted desire to obey you and the power to do what pleases you. Amen.
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