On Christmas Eve I finished "The Bishop of Rwanda." This was a very hard book to read. It told the story of the genocide of Rwanda, the history, the reasons, and the reality of it. I kept reading because I knew that the end of the book would tell of what God is doing in Rwanda today. It didn't make it easier to read of the atrocities that went on, of the neighbors killing neighbors, even children.
Knowing what went on during the genocide makes the forgiveness and reconciliation of this country amazing, and something that only God could have worked. One paragraph describes well the struggle and reality of it.
"For a woman to forgive the person who killed her son does not take away from who her son was. It does not make her son less important. Forgiving something does not make the forgiven act less horrible, but id does break the power that act holds over you. The truth is that those who don't forgive are dying from their unforgiveness. The bitterness eats them up. When you forgive, you are healthier and more alive."
to forgive and live side by side with those who violently murdered your family is only possible by the grace of God. To accept forgiveness for performing such atrocities and not be destroyed by guilt or cold-heartedness is only possible through the grace of God.
Their are still those in Rwanda that choose not to forgive or repent, and they are trying to continue the evil of the genocide. However, the nation is seeking forgiveness and reconciliation and has broken the power of the evil. They are looking to God, the sovereign God of creation not a man-made God, and they are doing truly miraculous things.
I would encourage you to find the time to read this book and be encouraged by God. His presence in the midst of evil and His grace and love that transcends evil.
What a truly wondrous God He is.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
What captures you?
"People whose attention has been captured by the beauty of Christ find little appeal in the glamour of this world." Sam Storms "Pleasures Evermore"
I would change glamour to attractions, I'm not always seduced by glamorous things, but I am very attracted by things of this world.
As a young mom in a Bible study I was admonished by one of the other moms. We had been discussing how much we were looking forward to watching our kids grow up and marry and have kids of there own, and we were hoping that the Lord wouldn't return before that happened. She looked at us in astonishment and said "I can't believe you want your kids to grow up and face the pain of this world rather than be in Heaven with the Lord."
I guiltily confessed my shortsightedness to the Lord and asked Him to help me see the world through His eyes, not mine. Unfortunately I am too easily distracted and "captured" by things in this world. I must continually ask Him to reveal to me what I need to let go of so that I can delight in Him alone.
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
I would change glamour to attractions, I'm not always seduced by glamorous things, but I am very attracted by things of this world.
As a young mom in a Bible study I was admonished by one of the other moms. We had been discussing how much we were looking forward to watching our kids grow up and marry and have kids of there own, and we were hoping that the Lord wouldn't return before that happened. She looked at us in astonishment and said "I can't believe you want your kids to grow up and face the pain of this world rather than be in Heaven with the Lord."
I guiltily confessed my shortsightedness to the Lord and asked Him to help me see the world through His eyes, not mine. Unfortunately I am too easily distracted and "captured" by things in this world. I must continually ask Him to reveal to me what I need to let go of so that I can delight in Him alone.
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Most important, Love God
Loving God is more important than being right.
Penelope J Stokes said this in her book "Faith: The Substance of Things Unseen."
Just before this quote she talks about our struggles to make right choices and concludes that the actual choices may not be as crucial as the focus of our heart. Being a person who hates to make decisions this is very encouraging. She shares a story from a television game show that makes a great illustration of this.
"The show was based on competition between dogs... household pets that contestants had brought to the program. Part of the challenge presented to an exuberant two-year-old Irish setter was the running of a maze--through tunnels and water hazards, down blind alleys and past a dish of dog food--encouraged only be the voice commands of his owner, who was hidden behind a screen at the end of the run.
The dog, confused by the insistent voice of his owner and frustrated by the dead end before him, finally just gave up and hurdled the barrier. He avoided the whole problem by making up his own rules. With tail wagging and tongue flopping, he dashed into his master's arms and gave the man a sloppy dog-kiss, then sat down, looking immensely pleased with himself. he lost the competition, of course, but he got where he was going.
Sometimes I think we might be better off to adopt the "Irish setter" approach to spiritual journeying:
Leap over the maze and get back to the master.
Does it matter so much, after all, that we find the most direct route to our supposed destination? Isn't the real purpose to walk in love and trust with the One who has called us out?
Life in the Spirit is not a contes to see who can finish first, of fastest, or with the fewest diversions. It is not a labyrinth of wrong choices with a multitude of dead ends and only one right way to go.
Having to be right is a terrible burden."
I'm not advocating doing whatever we want. We must listen to Scripture, the Spirit, and good counsel,but we may still make choices that make the journey harder. God won't be surprised by our choices, and He won't leave us on our own. He's right there beside us guiding us as Phil. 1:6 says:
For I am confident of this very thing, that He that began a good work in you will continue it until the day of the Lord.
What a God we have!
Penelope J Stokes said this in her book "Faith: The Substance of Things Unseen."
Just before this quote she talks about our struggles to make right choices and concludes that the actual choices may not be as crucial as the focus of our heart. Being a person who hates to make decisions this is very encouraging. She shares a story from a television game show that makes a great illustration of this.
"The show was based on competition between dogs... household pets that contestants had brought to the program. Part of the challenge presented to an exuberant two-year-old Irish setter was the running of a maze--through tunnels and water hazards, down blind alleys and past a dish of dog food--encouraged only be the voice commands of his owner, who was hidden behind a screen at the end of the run.
The dog, confused by the insistent voice of his owner and frustrated by the dead end before him, finally just gave up and hurdled the barrier. He avoided the whole problem by making up his own rules. With tail wagging and tongue flopping, he dashed into his master's arms and gave the man a sloppy dog-kiss, then sat down, looking immensely pleased with himself. he lost the competition, of course, but he got where he was going.
Sometimes I think we might be better off to adopt the "Irish setter" approach to spiritual journeying:
Leap over the maze and get back to the master.
Does it matter so much, after all, that we find the most direct route to our supposed destination? Isn't the real purpose to walk in love and trust with the One who has called us out?
Life in the Spirit is not a contes to see who can finish first, of fastest, or with the fewest diversions. It is not a labyrinth of wrong choices with a multitude of dead ends and only one right way to go.
Having to be right is a terrible burden."
I'm not advocating doing whatever we want. We must listen to Scripture, the Spirit, and good counsel,but we may still make choices that make the journey harder. God won't be surprised by our choices, and He won't leave us on our own. He's right there beside us guiding us as Phil. 1:6 says:
For I am confident of this very thing, that He that began a good work in you will continue it until the day of the Lord.
What a God we have!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
James 4:11
James 4:11 says "do not speak against your one another brethren." I don't know why this hit me this time in reading it. I know I've read it many times before but this time the Lord reminded me of many conversations in which I spoke of a brother or sister in less than positive ways. I spoke truth and was concerned for them to know truth, but I wasn't speaking to them.
I looked up some references to this verse and saw in II Cor. 12:20 Paul's concern that he would find in the people:
strife, jealousy,angry tempers, disputes,slanders,gossip,arrogance,disturbances
Could my words cause such things?
...and in James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
Complain? That sounds so wrong, and yet that is what I have been guilty of. Yes, I pray for the person and ask God to speak to them, but I don't always stop there.
...or is my complaint actually against God?
...and then I looked up 11-12 in the Message and saw:
Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?
Speaking against another somehow doesn't sound as bad as bad-mouthing someone.
I don't think I've ever thought of my words as having been against God's Word, Message and Royal Rule, yet they are.
It's something most of us do without thinking much about it. I wonder what would happen if we stopped and silently prayed for the person instead of speaking of them.
In Phil., Paul exhorts the Believers to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel."
I pray that I will take this to heart in the manner of my words and ask anyone who knows me to call me on it when you hear me speaking in a way "unworthy of the Gospel" in regards to a brother or sister.
I looked up some references to this verse and saw in II Cor. 12:20 Paul's concern that he would find in the people:
strife, jealousy,angry tempers, disputes,slanders,gossip,arrogance,disturbances
Could my words cause such things?
...and in James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
Complain? That sounds so wrong, and yet that is what I have been guilty of. Yes, I pray for the person and ask God to speak to them, but I don't always stop there.
...or is my complaint actually against God?
...and then I looked up 11-12 in the Message and saw:
Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?
Speaking against another somehow doesn't sound as bad as bad-mouthing someone.
I don't think I've ever thought of my words as having been against God's Word, Message and Royal Rule, yet they are.
It's something most of us do without thinking much about it. I wonder what would happen if we stopped and silently prayed for the person instead of speaking of them.
In Phil., Paul exhorts the Believers to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel."
I pray that I will take this to heart in the manner of my words and ask anyone who knows me to call me on it when you hear me speaking in a way "unworthy of the Gospel" in regards to a brother or sister.
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