Psalm 119:33-40
God, teach me lessons for living
so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
I love traveling this freeway!
Give me a bent for your words of wisdom,
and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
preserve my life through your righteous ways!
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
This morning, Greg’s mother
called and told us about an estate sale in a neighborhood near hers.
She wanted us to drive over and see all of the wonderful “treasures” for
sale. At one time, I would have been “all in!” I love a good estate
sale, and when I was reselling items online and at a local antiques
store, this would have really gotten me excited. But today, all I could
think of was, “It’s just stuff.”
I know this is in large part
because of our present circumstances. I have been sorting through
things with my family that my mother wanted me to have…and the items she
wanted my sister, my niece and me to divide amongst us. I spent two
months last winter clearing every closet and drawer in my house of
clutter and “stuff” – for our benefit, and to save someone else from
having to do it someday. And now I find myself bringing in more
“things.”
We will get through this…it happens to everyone who
loses a loved one. But what I really want to focus on right now is my
family…and the faith in God that sustains me…not the “stuff.” I know
what really matters…and it’s not Aunt Susie’s butter dish or Grandma’s
diamond ring. Yes, there are items that hold great memories for
us…things that are sentimental and significant. But they are only
representations of the person who owned them – and our relationship with
him/her is what truly matters.
This is a good reminder for us
not to get caught up in things that don’t aren’t really important. It’s
not about the “stuff” – but rather the person behind those items. It’s
not about the physical things...what matters is our relationship with
God and how we are allowing Him to use us.
And one more
thing…it’s also not about what others think. I will admit that I have
been beating myself up a bit because I do not feel emotionally strong
enough at this point to attend worship…much less a funeral service or
visitation – even for a dear friend. I have questioned how this
reflects my claim to trust in God completely and exercise great faith. I
received a card in the mail from my fourth grade teacher, who is also a
close friend to my family. She gently suggested that I give myself a
break…that I take time to breathe - and heal…to let God wrap His arms
around me and comfort me for a season. This dependency on God actually
IS a demonstration of faith!
This is good advice for a lot of
situations where we rush to heal and get better too quickly…where we
don’t take time to call on God to help us – and give Him time to do so!
Whatever you are experiencing today, know that God is with you. He
never leaves us. Give Him space – and the time – to work in your life.
Clean out the clutter and focus on what is truly important. God will
help you to heal…He will help you get back on track when the time is
right…and stay the course! Aren’t you ready to let Him?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label unrealistic expectations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unrealistic expectations. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 26, 2013
Haggai 2:6-9
Soon I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake the nations, and their treasures will be brought here. Then the brightness of my glory will fill this temple. All silver and gold belong to me, and I promise that this new temple will be more glorious than the first one. I will also bless this city with peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This was my daily quote…I am sorry I don’t have the source to cite…”A Sunday school teacher was reading a Bible story to her class. ‘The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and turned to salt.’ A little boy softly asked, ‘What happened to the flea?’”
Today’s scripture passage was included in an outline I created for scriptures on peace… gleaned from several Internet searches for such verses. I almost deleted these particular verses from the outline. Frankly, I didn’t understand a lot about Haggai. I knew that he was a prophet, but I didn’t know much about the meaning or history behind his 2-chapter book in the Old Testament.
The Internet is an amazing resource! I found several commentaries on Haggai and read a few of them. Still, there was little to no clarity about what these chapters had to do with finding God’s peace. Then I discovered a commentary at http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/haggai.pdf by Thomas L. Constable, Th.D., Senior Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Thomas took 26 pages to outline and explain Haggai’s prophecy and why he believes God allowed it to be included in the Old Testament writings. He narrowed it down to four “perils” that we face… 1) misplaced priorities; 2) incorrect perspectives, 3) unrealistic expectations; and 4) unnecessary fears. Dr. Thomas noted the verses in these chapters in which Haggai demonstrates these perils. Solomon’s temple has been destroyed. There is a movement to rebuild this temple, but the people of Israel appear to be too busy and preoccupied with building their own homes and other endeavors to fully concentrate on rebuilding God’s temple (misplaced priorities).
Once building does begin, those involved decide that the temple is not going to be as grand and glorious as the one built by King Solomon, and they become discouraged and disheartened (incorrect perspectives). They expect lavish blessings and gifts from God for their efforts to rebuild… and they are disappointed (unrealistic expectations). After the temple is completed, the people of Israel compare themselves to the Gentiles and decide that they are inferior as a people… that they will never be as respected and valued by God as others (unnecessary fears). Haggai reminds us how wrong the Israelites were on all counts.
Don’t these “perils” ring a bell? Haven’t we all had misplaced priorities… incorrect perspectives…unrealistic expectations… and unnecessary fears? The people of Israel failed to put God’s work ahead of their own… don’t we sometimes do this? They based their value and the value of their contributions on personal wealth. In other words, those who didn’t have a lot of gold and silver to give to the “building fund” didn’t believe their contributions would be valued in the project. How many times have you decided that you or your contributions were not “good enough” to be offered?
The people of Israel thought that any efforts they did make for God would be instantly and tremendously rewarded. Do we expect “immediate gratification and reward” from God for our “good deeds?” They looked around and compared themselves to others… and promptly felt like they did not measure up. How often do you look in the mirror and wish you looked more like So-and-So? Do you sometimes wish you had another person’s possessions, appearance… or their life in general? Like the Israelites, do you diminish your own value in God’s eyes and long for the “favor” He appears to grant to another? Truly, we are all exactly like the people of Israel that Haggai describes!
Can we possibly hope to experience God’s peace in the midst of these pressures? I think you know the answer. Haggai dispels every one of these “perils” with promises from God… “Don’t worry. My Spirit is right here with you…I promise that this new temple will be more glorious than the first one... I will also bless this city with peace.”
We are all a lot like the little boy hearing the Sunday school lesson… we’re focused on the flea and completely missed the real message! Don’t overlook the significance of Haggai’s words… make God’s plans for your life a top priority. Recognize that God doesn’t care about your material wealth – He just wants you to do your best with what you have. Celebrate God’s timing and learn to appreciate even His smallest blessings and gifts as much or more than the extravagant ones. Recognize that we are all precious in His sight. The talents, abilities and strengths He gave to you are uniquely yours… and would never be right for someone else. By the same token, theirs would never be right for you!
Who knew there was such “meat” in a 2-chapter Old Testament prophecy? If we change these four “life pressures” into positive actions that glorify God and His love for us, I believe that the peace in our lives will grow exponentially. God has pretty much guaranteed it. Now it’s up to us to do our part. What will you do? Will you start to turn these pressures around… or are you still too busy worrying about what happened to the flea?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Soon I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake the nations, and their treasures will be brought here. Then the brightness of my glory will fill this temple. All silver and gold belong to me, and I promise that this new temple will be more glorious than the first one. I will also bless this city with peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This was my daily quote…I am sorry I don’t have the source to cite…”A Sunday school teacher was reading a Bible story to her class. ‘The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and turned to salt.’ A little boy softly asked, ‘What happened to the flea?’”
Today’s scripture passage was included in an outline I created for scriptures on peace… gleaned from several Internet searches for such verses. I almost deleted these particular verses from the outline. Frankly, I didn’t understand a lot about Haggai. I knew that he was a prophet, but I didn’t know much about the meaning or history behind his 2-chapter book in the Old Testament.
The Internet is an amazing resource! I found several commentaries on Haggai and read a few of them. Still, there was little to no clarity about what these chapters had to do with finding God’s peace. Then I discovered a commentary at http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/haggai.pdf by Thomas L. Constable, Th.D., Senior Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Thomas took 26 pages to outline and explain Haggai’s prophecy and why he believes God allowed it to be included in the Old Testament writings. He narrowed it down to four “perils” that we face… 1) misplaced priorities; 2) incorrect perspectives, 3) unrealistic expectations; and 4) unnecessary fears. Dr. Thomas noted the verses in these chapters in which Haggai demonstrates these perils. Solomon’s temple has been destroyed. There is a movement to rebuild this temple, but the people of Israel appear to be too busy and preoccupied with building their own homes and other endeavors to fully concentrate on rebuilding God’s temple (misplaced priorities).
Once building does begin, those involved decide that the temple is not going to be as grand and glorious as the one built by King Solomon, and they become discouraged and disheartened (incorrect perspectives). They expect lavish blessings and gifts from God for their efforts to rebuild… and they are disappointed (unrealistic expectations). After the temple is completed, the people of Israel compare themselves to the Gentiles and decide that they are inferior as a people… that they will never be as respected and valued by God as others (unnecessary fears). Haggai reminds us how wrong the Israelites were on all counts.
Don’t these “perils” ring a bell? Haven’t we all had misplaced priorities… incorrect perspectives…unrealistic expectations… and unnecessary fears? The people of Israel failed to put God’s work ahead of their own… don’t we sometimes do this? They based their value and the value of their contributions on personal wealth. In other words, those who didn’t have a lot of gold and silver to give to the “building fund” didn’t believe their contributions would be valued in the project. How many times have you decided that you or your contributions were not “good enough” to be offered?
The people of Israel thought that any efforts they did make for God would be instantly and tremendously rewarded. Do we expect “immediate gratification and reward” from God for our “good deeds?” They looked around and compared themselves to others… and promptly felt like they did not measure up. How often do you look in the mirror and wish you looked more like So-and-So? Do you sometimes wish you had another person’s possessions, appearance… or their life in general? Like the Israelites, do you diminish your own value in God’s eyes and long for the “favor” He appears to grant to another? Truly, we are all exactly like the people of Israel that Haggai describes!
Can we possibly hope to experience God’s peace in the midst of these pressures? I think you know the answer. Haggai dispels every one of these “perils” with promises from God… “Don’t worry. My Spirit is right here with you…I promise that this new temple will be more glorious than the first one... I will also bless this city with peace.”
We are all a lot like the little boy hearing the Sunday school lesson… we’re focused on the flea and completely missed the real message! Don’t overlook the significance of Haggai’s words… make God’s plans for your life a top priority. Recognize that God doesn’t care about your material wealth – He just wants you to do your best with what you have. Celebrate God’s timing and learn to appreciate even His smallest blessings and gifts as much or more than the extravagant ones. Recognize that we are all precious in His sight. The talents, abilities and strengths He gave to you are uniquely yours… and would never be right for someone else. By the same token, theirs would never be right for you!
Who knew there was such “meat” in a 2-chapter Old Testament prophecy? If we change these four “life pressures” into positive actions that glorify God and His love for us, I believe that the peace in our lives will grow exponentially. God has pretty much guaranteed it. Now it’s up to us to do our part. What will you do? Will you start to turn these pressures around… or are you still too busy worrying about what happened to the flea?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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