Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Ninety-nine sheep but...
“My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused
them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they
have forgotten their restingplace.”
Jeremiah 50:6
Most of us
are familiar with the parable of the lost sheep and the passage about the good
shepherd.
“Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose
one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the
ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on
his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends
and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing
in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons
who do not need to repent.”
Luke 15:3-7
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep.”
John 10:11
And most of
us have seen the matching artwork, the depiction of a loving, attentive Jesus
holding a lamb in His arms.
“He tends his flock
like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his
heart...”
Isaiah 40:11
Yet, there
seems to be a disconnection. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jesus loves us; He’s our good
shepherd. But do we REALLY personalize it? And what exactly would that mean to
us?
Years ago,
Bishop T.D. Jakes did a message on sheep. Scripture oftens refers to people as
that creature. And it’s honestly not a flattering comparison. As Bishop Jakes
went on to point out how sheep are…stubborn, stupid and always getting lost and
into trouble. Sheep also don’t have any natural defenses and are helpless.
And we are
sheep. Great.
When I was a
kid ibn vacation Bible school, one of the teachers tried to do a visualization
technique.
(I say tried
because, after all, we’re talking about kids here- lambs- baby sheep. So we’re
talking stubborn, stupid and prone to getting lost. But I digress).
Anyway, she
suggesting each one of us see ourselves as that lamb, that 100th
sheep, once lost, now safely tucked in our shepherd’s arms. And then, from
there, really get the feeling of just how much God loves us.
I know-
again, kids here. Besides, it seems too simplistic.
But, years
later, as fully grown adults, we’re still struggling with that very same
notion. We still look like ridiculous lost sheep, in desperate need of a
patient and capable shepherd to swoop in and save our hides.
"'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself
will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd seeketh out his
flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will
deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and
dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the
countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the
mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the
country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of
Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon
the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie
down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that
which was driven away, and will bind up that
which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick...”
Ezekiel 34:11-16
No matter
how old we get, how much money we make, what we accomplish or how together we
appear, we never outgrow our sheep status. And that might be completely
depressing if it weren’t for one large detail we, too often forget, if we know
it at all: God loves us. And it’s not a casual kind of love either.
“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”
Isaiah 43:4
“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee.”
Jeremiah 31:3
Love is why
He puts up with us and our sheepish ways. We just don’t get it. Nevertheless,
God cannot help Himself but to love us. And each one of us is that lost 100th
sheep special to God; we’re that important. Our feelings and experiences
backing that up matter not; it goes beyond us and our finite perspectives.
God’s thoroughly convinced of His love for us. And He doesn’t change His mind.
Again…
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels
nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
height nor depth nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
We’re sheep.
We cannot change that truth. But we can go a lot further if we choose not to
argue with God in His love and reasons for pursuing, chasing and loving us.
Each of us is that 100th sheep; we are that special. We are the parable.
Copyright © 2015 by
Sheryle Cruse
I don't worry about you
A scene from
an episode of the final season of “Mad Men” captures a self-doubt moment
beautifully. The exchange is between the protagonist, Don Draper and that of his
protege, Peggy Olsen. She recently turned thirty years old and, like most of
us, life had not turned out how she expected it would. Peggy has a moment of
self-doubt, one to which Draper responded…
“I worry about a lot of things. But I
don’t worry about you.”
Worry. We
have a lot of it in life. We worry about our jobs, our families, our place in
this world and our recovery if we struggle with addictions, disorders and
compulsions. We worry, even though “fear not” is mentioned by God numerous
times in scripture. We cannot seem to help it.
So, where
does all of this worry stem from? How about from a thought? Check yourself and
see if you have ever thought some of these things about yourself.
“I’m nobody special…”
This is a
biggie, hitting our core identity and our value. Most of us have encountered
lying thoughts about ourselves here. Bullying, abuse and peer pressure often
lead us to believe we’re worthless and unwanted.
But God
states the contrary…
“I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”
Isaiah 41:9
“Since you were
precious in my sight… I have loved you…”
Isaiah 43:4
“All things were made by him; and without him was not anything
made that was made.”
John 1:3
And because
He is His Word (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1),
He’s not fretting about us the way we are. He knows what He’s doing and how to
handle us. And He is, indeed, handling us.
But we human
beings still have trouble believing it.
And so, more worry…
“But what if…”
This thought
is dedicated for those of us control freaks (you know who you are). And yes,
worry warts are also always welcome too.
We can “awful-ize”
any particular situation, playing “what if” games with ourselves, but never
playing the game to its end. So, there’s a lot of up in the air anxious
uncertainty plaguing us.
It’s Chicken
Little’s “the sky is falling” on steroids!
But here’s
the good news; God’s thoughts are different from ours!
“For my thoughts are
not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My
ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
Before you
and I ever thought one catastrophic, despair-filled thought, God knew about it
and purposely thought differently. He thought according to love, prosperity,
health and blessing. He’s thinking it right now!
And that’s
why, regardless of what is or is not happening, God’s in control; He’s leading
and guiding this thing called our lives…
“Trust in the Lord
with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
“But I’ve made too many mistakes…”
Still, we
tend to worry, spiting that Truth, don’t we? We obsess about our imperfections,
our sins, our faults. We can even
freak out about how much God is freaking out about our less than perfect
selves. We think He’s appalled and fed up with us. He’s not. He knew what He was getting into when He took us on…
“For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Romans 3:23
And He’s
committed to helping us, even when we
screw up.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am
thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10
For all of
our shortcomings, none of us is too difficult for Him.
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there
anything too hard for Me?”
Jeremiah 32:27
He’s not
intimated by us and whatever mess may exist in our lives. He has it under
control.
But it’s hopeless…
Still, most
of us have our despair thoughts running amuck. We come up with all kinds of
reasons why it’s hopeless for us. We don’t see a blessed future.
But again,
God thinks and executes His Plan for us differently…
“For I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a
good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6
To use Mad
Men terminology? God is saying, “I don’t worry about you.”
The
challenge for us is to take Him at His Word.
Copyright © 2015 by
Sheryle Cruse
Monday, March 30, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
In Need of a Donkey...
“...‘The Lord needs it.’”
Luke 19:34
Palm Sunday
brings to mind Passover, Easter, Jesus and waving palm leaves. We can get so
caught up in the Majesty of God, we bypass the lowly, ordinary elements
incorporated in the glory, in example, the donkey.
Whether you,
indeed, refer to it as a donkey, burro or a colt, it still does not change the reality; God uses anything of His choosing.
Check this
passage out:
28 “After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to
Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the
hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 ‘Go
to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied
there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If
anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had
told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked
them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’
34 They replied, ‘The Lord needs it.’
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and
put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their
cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the
Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in
loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’
‘Peace in heaven and
glory in the highest!’
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher,
rebuke your disciples!’
40 ‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones
will cry out.’
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
42 and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what
would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.’”
Luke 19:28- Luke 19:42
This,
however, wasn’t the first time
donkeys were of use for God’s purposes: some examples include...
Genesis 22:3...
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
Genesis 42:26...
“...they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.”
Genesis 44:3...
“As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.”
Exodus 4:20...
“So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.”
And let’s not forget Balaam’s donkey. You
gotta check this puppy out!
“21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his
donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God
was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey,
and his two servants were with him. 23 When
the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in
the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field.
Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through
the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the
donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed
close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey
again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a
narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the
left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his
staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done
to you to make you beat me these three times?’
29 Balaam answered the donkey, ‘You have made a
fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.’
30 The donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your own
donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of
doing this to you?’
‘No,’ he
said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw
the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his
sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The angel of the Lord asked him, ‘Why have you beaten
your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path
is a reckless one before me.33 The donkey saw me and turned
away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly
have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.’”
Okay, okay, there’s a theme here, donkeys and
what they can do...kinda like...us.
A lot of times, we make God and faith so
complicated. But the willingness factor
gets downplayed repeatedly. And willingness is no small thing.
First, God
chooses...
“I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”
Isaiah 41:9
Again, it’s not a small thing. Next, however,
the ball is in our court. What do we choose?
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed
may live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19
There’s a blessing in it, if we choose
God...
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the
land.”
Isaiah 1:19
And it might be all too easy, except for one
thing we have in common with the donkey: stubbornness. The old saying goes
“stubborn as a mule,” right?
“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be
destroyed, and that without remedy.”’
Proverbs 29:1
“And the LORD said unto Moses, ‘I
have seen this people, and, behold, it is
a stiffnecked people.’”
Exodus 32:9
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised
in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
Acts 7:51
Yikes.
But it’s not hopeless. Again, there’s choice. Choice from God’s decision
to create, call and use us and our choice to willingly respond with a yes to
that decision.
It’s a process of untangling from lies we’ve spent a lifetime
believing....
We’re hopeless...
We’re useless...
We’re stupid...
We’re unwanted...
We’re unloved...
God refutes those lies with the Truth of Who He is...
“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”
Isaiah 43:4
“I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”
Isaiah 41:9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my
ways, says the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go:
I will guide you with My eye.”
Psalm 32:8
“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a
good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels
nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
height nor depth nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
“Behold, I am the Lord,
the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Jeremiah 32:27
“The LORD hath appeared of old unto
me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee.”
Jeremiah 31:3
“We love him, because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.”
John 3:16
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to
come, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
If
God can choose a donkey for such great Glory as to propel Jesus to fulfill His purpose, how can He choose you and
me?
And
how WILL we respond to that call?
God
needed a donkey then.
And
God needs us now to be who He created
us to be!
Copyright © 2015 by
Sheryle Cruse
Friday, March 27, 2015
Sometimes, ya just gotta hang on...
Don't give up!!!
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of
the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just
as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18
“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work
in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 1:6
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Thursday, March 26, 2015
You can call me Flower
Spring
always puts me in the mood to watch the animated Disney classic, “Bambi.” I
admit it, I’m a sucker for those cute little critters. I have a soft spot for
Flower, the bashful skunk who befriends our famous deer. I think my favorite
scene in the movie is when these two characters encounter each other for the
first time, hanging out in a flower patch. Ever the curious and constantly
learning fawn, Bambi is in the middle of learning about his environment. He
just recently learned the names a butterfly and a flower. And that brings us
back to our cute little skunk. Upon bumping into Flower, nose to nose, Bambi,
with great joy and enthusiasm, blurts, “Flower!”
Thumper, a
rabbit character friend to our lead critter, cracks up at this “mistaken
identity,” immediately trying to set Bambi straight. But he doesn’t get to
finish his statement, as our cute skunk interjects, “He can call me Flower if
he wants to. I don’t mind.”
Awwwh!
Adorable.
And so, from
that point on, our little aromatic friend is christened, “Flower.”
Think of how
much easier it would be if we, male or female, could see ourselves as special
and beautiful flowers. Yet how many of us struggle to see our valuable
identity, as cherished creations of an incredible God?
Most of us
do not see, let alone, feel, we are, indeed, like the beautiful flowers popping
up everywhere in spring. Most of us don’t feel special in our lives. And
because of those negative feelings, self-destructive behaviors like eating
disorders, self-injury and substance abuse come in to try to mask and soothe
our wounds. We believe the lie and then spend all of our energy, time and
thought into rejecting our natural state: beautiful and wonderful. The low self-
esteem, with all of its torturous lies, becomes the dominant image. Scripture reminds
us of the power of our self-perception in Proverbs 23:7:
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he...”
But God doesn’t
just leave us with that potentially dismal revelation, with no image to draw
from. No. Instead, He, repeatedly, tells us who we are. But it’s up to us to believe or reject that information.
And yes, throughout scripture, God frequently links us to such beautiful
creations, like doves and flowers. Just check out the Song of Solomon.
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys...”
Song of Solomon2: 1-2
“O my dove…let me see your form…for your form is lovely.”
Song of Solomon 2:14
Known as the
book in the Bible, depicting a love relationship between two besotted young
lovers, it’s also regarded as the relationship between us and God. God is the lovesick
groom, passionately pursuing His beloved bride. And yes, it gets pretty steamy.
But, the
overall tone of the book is how God views us. Just look how He speaks to us!
“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”
Song of Solomon 4:7
“Thou art beautiful, O my love...”
Song of Solomon 6:4
So, by this
revelation, why can’t we see ourselves as the incredible, beautiful, wonderful
creation God has purposed us to be? It’s nothing we need to do, to acquire our value;
there’s nothing we can do to make God love us. Our special uniqueness and love
from God are already there!
You may not
have had the experience of seeing yourself as a beautiful flower in your life.
You may not have had the experience of feeling valuable, wonderful, and
precious. Perhaps things like abuse, bullying and trauma have struck your life.
I am so sorry for your suffering, that you were denied those assurances; you
deserve to know and feel how special you are- especially, how special you are
to God.
But you can choose to see yourself differently
today. You can choose to agree with God’s view of you. Again, it’s who you already are. There’s nothing you can do
to acquire your worth and loveable standing. No eating disorder, no behavior, no
material possession and no amount of money, achievement or status can create
your value. It’s redundant. You’re valuable as is. You already are this!
“…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,
neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass
of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not
much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
Matthew
6:28-30
And, if you
can’t quite “get there” yet, you can start, right now, with your faith and
build upon it. Daily affirmations have become more of the rage recently in
positive thinking and achieving results. Why not, then, apply God’s Word, to
yourself, as the ultimate
affirmation?
“As the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:9-11
You may not
be there yet, but are, indeed, going “from glory to glory” (2
Corinthians 3:18). Don’t give up on yourself. Allow God’s Word to seep
into you; allow it to reveal your true identity!
Your life
experience may have left you feeling like an unwanted skunk, but I believe,
with God, you can experience your true, incredible identity. And I believe it
will only be a matter of time before you, yourself, repeat our favorite little
skunk’s word:
“You can call me Flower
if you want to. I don’t mind.”
Be blessed
and blooming in every area of your
life!
Copyright © 2015 by Sheryle Cruse
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