Today’s post is an observation of something I have been reading and a few questions about how it applies to us.

I’m reading the book of Chronicles at the moment.  I am appreciating more about the story of King David than I have before. It is resonating with what I am hearing so much of around me lately, which can be summed up in words from the Matthew Henry commentary,

“We are blessed to be a blessing.”

The background story is that as a young boy, David was anointed King of Israel by the prophet Samuel whilst King Saul was still on the throne. Saul had disobeyed God, so God rejected him and his family in favour of David. However, it was many years before Saul died and David was made King. David’s path to the throne was a difficult one in which David faced many physical hardships, the painful loss of a dear friend and many moral and spiritual challenges in which David proved himself faithful and obedient to the LORD.

By the time David became king he had great support from the people of Israel, as they could see that he was the true king. He also managed to make allies of neighbouring nations who so often before had been the enemies of Israel.

Although David was a man of war, and his reign was characterised by war with his enemies, he was a man characterised by the blessing of the LORD.

The dictionary explanation of the word blessed is someone or something “divinely or supremely favoured, fortunate, happy or contented.”

David not only experienced victory over his enemies, favour with his allies and honour in his kingdom but he also had the blessing of fertility and a large family. In Old Testament culture this was a sure sign of the blessing of the LORD.

David’s greatest passion in life was shown through the things that he gave his time and energy to. During his time on the throne of Israel David dedicated his time to moving the ark of God to Jerusalem, the Holy City; and making preparation for the building of the temple of God, which would house the ark, which his son, Solomon, would later build.

In Acts 13:22 God describes David,

 ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart.

I believe it is this passion for God and God’s house in David’s heart that ultimately led to his blessed life and his fame as the greatest king of Israel.

David’s life may seem a million miles away from our lives today as regular people but there’s one verse that reveals much about David and his life that I think is so relevant to God followers today.

1Chronicles 14:2

“And David realised that the LORD had confirmed him as king over Israel and had greatly blessed his kingdom for the sake of the people Israel.”

1. David “realised”, he knew or he “perceived” that God had “confirmed him” or “established him”.

David really grasped that God was with him and that God was for Him and because of that his identity and purpose were secured on a firm foundation.

How deep is our conviction that God loves us and is for us? As Christians, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 1:13 that

“When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

We belong to Him, we have identity in Him and we carry the seal of His commitment to us, the Holy Spirit. What more confirmation do we need? How more established can we be? When we live lives of profound resolve that God loves us and is for us, we are setting ourselves up for blessing.

2.  God “greatly blessed his kingdom”; “highly exalted him”; “made [him] famous” and gave him a “rising reputation”.

The effect of God’s blessing on David was vast and wide ranging.

John the Baptist says in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Some suggest that this means Jesus followers must become small, quiet, and insignificant and without reputation or fame and that somehow by minimising ourselves that God will be glorified. I suggest that John was talking about a reliance on the Holy Spirit rather than our own strength, but was never suggesting that our role in society should be a quiet or insignificant one. He himself was loud (and obnoxious in the eyes of some). He was notorious in the region for his strange dress code and eating habits and was well known by the social and religious leaders of the day.

My point is this: Both David and John the Baptist didn’t shy away from fame or exaltation for fear of appearing proud. Rather they acknowledged that God had given them a voice, a sphere of influence and an opportunity to shape their community and society.

What circles do we move in? Where could we begin to exercise God given influence? Is it time for us to step out of the small, quiet place we have been hiding and use our voice for good?

3.    David realised that all the blessing on him and his kingdom was for the “sake of the people of Israel.”, “For the benefit of his people, Israel”

God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians1:3) and “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3)

We cannot use the excuse that we are not a David, not a king, not important or significant. God has given us every blessing and power to live a God life whoever we are and in whatever sphere we find ourselves.

For those of us truly convinced that God loves us, He is for us and how much he has given us to live a blessed life; we should never be satisfied with just sitting enjoying our blessings. Our convictions should compel us to look outside of ourselves.

It was Martin Luther King Day yesterday so it seems apt to use one of his quotes as illustration,

King David was assured of his identity and blessing from God and He had a heart after the heart of God. David recognised that all that he was and all that he had been given, was for the sake of and the benefit of others.

When are we going to climb out of our little blessing boxes and start to spill out everything that we have to others?

This is God’s heart: God loves people.  Like David we should cultivate a heart that is after God’s own heart.

I don’t have some neat conclusion for this post that gives a suggestion or a solution. I sense God stirring up the waters inside of me, muddying the water. God doesn’t always settle the water so that we I can see clearly. Sometimes God  irritates me with questions that I can’t shake off, but that ultimately prompt me to take action.

I hope your waters are muddy today too!

Living In Your Sweet Spot

A few months ago a friend suggested that I read the book “Cure for the Common Life-Living in Your Sweet Spot” by Max Lucado-not the shortest title!

I really did mean to but I have a tonne of books already waiting to be read, so I didn’t get round to it.

Then last week I was talking to another friend (more about her later) and we were discussing my last few blog posts, and she suggested I read a book-guess which one!

I still haven’t read it, but it’s on its way and I’m going to read it.

When I looked up the synopsis of the book it seemed to perfectly reflect what my thoughts have been about finding out your identity and purpose, so I have stolen Lucado’s title!

Lucado says,

“God gave you a zone, a region a life precinct in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle. And life makes sweet sense when you find your sweet spot.

Let me remind you of the scripture I shared in the last post.

Ephesians 1:11-12 the Message

 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

To sum up the last post, I believe that God’s word teaches us that we have all been created by God with a unique, specific purpose in life which fits into His overall plan for the world.

It doesn’t mean that we are His minions made to do a job that He chooses and we have no opinion. God, in His mercy, has created something unique for us that not only suits us but fulfils us and makes us feel truly alive when we do it.

We were created for “glorious living”, to live in our sweet spot, using our lives to do something good that will have a good effect on us and on those in our circle, whatever that circle might be.

In today’s post I mostly want to give examples of what this actually looks like in real life. I apologise to any male readers, but it does have a very female bent, but hey, I’m a girl, it’s what I know!

First, let me share something by Christian author and speaker, Shauna Niequist.

On 13th November 2013 Shauna wrote a blog post that marked me. It was entitled “What My Mother Taught Me” and it tells the story of Shauna’s mother, Lynne Hybels.

Lynne and her husband Bill are the senior pastors of a modern, vibrant multi site church in Chicago called Willow Creek Community Church.  Lynne was a social worker in her early twenties before becoming a full time stay at home mom.  She loved her kids and loved spending time with them but she always had an underlying frustration and a sense of lacking fulfilment, which she felt guilty about because she thought she was being selfish.

“Through trial and error, through counselling, through prayer and friendship and hard work, she rediscovered the gifts and passions that drew her to social work all those years ago.”

She gradually began to get involved with some charity work concerned with social issues. Over months and years “she rediscovered the gifts and passions that drew her to social work all those years ago.”

Shauna says, “I watched my mother become herself. I watched her come alive. I watched her discover her gifts.”

Many years later, Lynne is now an activist and expert in peacekeeping in the Middle East and is more full of life at age 62 than she has ever been!

I really can’t do the whole story justice in a few lines here, so I urge you to read the full story for yourself.

http://www.shaunaniequist.com/mother-taught/

Bottom line, this is what Shauna has learned from her mother,

“Everyone benefits when women tap into the passions and use the gifts that God has given them. The church benefits, families benefit, marriages benefit, businesses and non-profits benefit. Everyone wins when women discover and live out of the gifts and passions God gave them.”

My second example couldn’t be more different from the first, yet no less exemplifies what it is to live out the gifts and passions God has given us.

My friend, Claire lives in London with her husband, Gary and their 5 great kids. I have known Claire for over 10 years and got to know her well when their family moved to Northern Ireland for a few years. Claire is a homeschooler and prolific blogger on the subject. You can follow her here.

http://angelicscalliwags.com/

Claire asserts

“From the time T11 (first child) was in my tummy I knew I wanted to home school. Many pleasant nights were spent dreaming about the type of home school I wanted.”

To be honest this sounds like the stuff of my nightmares, but that’s just the point. This is Claire’s passion, not mine or maybe not yours.

Over the years Claire has blossomed from a doubt filled Mummy, who feared that she was ruining her children forever, to a home schooling Mummy who spends her days preparing and teaching lessons with a confidence that looks a million mile away from those first tentative steps.

Even though Claire has experienced opposition to her desire to home school and has faced difficulties in choosing the right curriculum to suit her family, she says through it all,

“I discovered the joy that comes from following a dream. There is nothing like it. The freedom to explore…ultimately the freedom to realise the dream that had been there, in the background, seemingly forever.”

Both these examples tell the story of women who have found out who they are and what they are living for. They have discovered and are living out the gifts and passions God has given them. As a result they are living with conviction and creativity and feel fully alive like never before.

They are living in their sweet spot.

I am jealous of their courage in the face of difficulties; their perseverance even when they weren’t entirely sure where they were going and the resulting invigoration they experience in living their dream.

Their example spurs me on to find out who I am and what I am made for.

And so I come to the same conclusion as in the last post.

God has a plan and a purpose for all of us for glorious living. Each of our plans fit perfectly into the glorious overall plan he has for the world. If we want to find out where we fit in then we need to get to know Jesus. Only He can make our eyes see clearly what He is calling us to do and to grasp the immensity and extravagance of His work in us.

I pray the prayer for you and I that Paul prayed for the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:15-19 the Message.

“I ask-ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him-endless energy, boundless strength!”

 

Into the Glorious

First of all let me say Happy New Year to anyone who is reading. I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas holiday and that you feel rejuvenated and ready to face a new year with hope and expectation for good things.

I had a lovely relaxing holiday, why thank you!

I didn’t write over the holidays because firstly, I was too busy “chillaxing” and secondly I’ve had a scripture and some thoughts wandering around my mind and they weren’t very Christmassy themed, so I allowed them to ruminate until now.

I want to continue on in the “What’s Your Story?” theme. Already I have contemplated how we all have a story; we are all mid story; that Jesus can be the author of a good story when we give the story over to Him and that each of us has a unique story.

Last time I considered as an example, my left-handedness as a small part of the unique way I am made in which to fulfil my unique story.

However, at this point I have to be completely honest; I still couldn’t really say that I understand what my unique story is going to look like. I know some of the ways I am unique; I know some of the roles that I fill; but I still couldn’t say that I know the main story line of this story of mine.

But here’s the scripture and idea that I’ve been brooding over in my mind and soul throughout the holidays.

Ephesians 1:11 The Message

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.”

This is the key to finding out who I am and what I’m made for!

Over the last week I have sat down to write rough copies of this post and each time it has gotten quite bogged down in lots of big Bible themes and scripture references  that have made my temples pulse and my brain ache. I think I heard God say to me, “Keep it simple.” So that’s what I’ll try to do.

Fundamentally I believe that it is only in knowing Christ Jesus, that we can fully understand our true identity and purpose for living: That only by having a vibrant, close friendship with Him will we ever see the full extent of our potential fulfilled.

In Ephesians 1:15-19 the apostle Paul prays for the Christians in the Ephesians church, that God would make them:-

“intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, (their) eyes focused and clear, so that they can see exactly what it is he is calling (them) to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him-endless energy, boundless strength!”

If I’m going to have a clear idea of my identity and my purpose, then I need to be intelligent and discerning in knowing Jesus personally. I need to put some thought and focus into knowing who He is and not so much focus on who I am. This shift in focal point sounds counter intuitive to the job in hand, which is finding out my identity and purpose. Yet that is so often how kingdom principles work.

I love how Paul uses the word “calling” in verse 18 to express the idea of identity and purpose. We use this word often to describe someone who has “found their calling in life”; we think that it is to do with finding a job that we love or that we are good at. However the calling Paul is depicting clearly in Ephesians is a very literal use of the word “calling”. For there to be a calling suggests that someone or something has called.

The Apostle Paul proposes very clearly that The One calling is “God of our master, Jesus Christ.” He doesn’t just call us to do something when we become a Christian and become a friend of God. He has always been calling us.

Ephesians 1:12 says

“Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

It also says in verse 10

“He set it all our before us in Christ, a long range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.”

We could debate all day long about predestination, fate, destiny, free will and choice. For me, I choose to believe these words at face value. God had his eye on me long before I even knew about him; and he had a design for me long before I even knew anything about myself. He wrote the blueprint long before I even looked in his direction.

I get a thrill when I echo Paul’s prayer that I might “grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers”. Could it really be true that God had designs on us for “glorious living”?

The word glory is to do with grandeur, splendour, majesty and honour, but in the Bible it is always described in terms of weight. Weight suggests importance, substance and significance with a touch of the mysterious and extraordinary.

In Exodus 40:34-35 when God’s presence came down and filled the meeting place that the children of Israel prepared for him, his presence was like a heavy cloud that filled the tent leaving room for no one else, not even Moses. This presence was his glory and it was weighty and dense.

Think of a set of old-fashioned scales like my granda used to have in his grocery shop. Granda would put the metal weights on one side and the item for weighing on the other side and then balance the two sides to get the required weight. The two weights are put side by side in comparison.

Romans 8:18 NIV I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Can you imagine weighing up all the tough stuff in your life on a set of scales and on the other side is the glory God wants to reveal in you? There is no comparison! The scales will always tip in favour of the glory. It is weighty stuff!

My point is this.  We were made for glorious living. That’s the plan that God always had for us from the beginning of time. Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and for this shortfall God sent His only Son, Jesus, so now we can enter into that glory that He meant for us. Your life and mine were made for things of importance, substance, significance and mystery.

The last point I want to consider is how our identity and purpose fits in to the bigger picture. We were never made to live by ourselves or for ourselves. How boring that would be! We were made for so much more!

Again, Ephesians 1:10 says

…. (he) had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

Furthermore Ephesians 2:10-13 says

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing…Now because of Christ-dying that death, shedding that blood-you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.”

I am convinced that God has a good plan and purpose for me and for you even if it is not plain to see right now. From Ephesians I can see that the way for us to find out that perfect plan is not by finding out more about ourselves but rather by finding out and knowing personally more about Jesus. So, if anything, this is my New Year’s Resolution- not to know more about Him but to know Him (Jesus) more. In the words of Paul to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 2:1 NIV “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”.

I am convinced that in knowing Him more we will, in turn, find out more about who we are and what it is we are living for. I am confident He is calling us into the glorious!

Consider some of the lyrics from this song,  Into the Glorious by Christy Nockels

“I was made for more than this world could offer me. My heart to hold true mystery…

I can hear You calling. Inviting me in. Into the glorious.

I was made to build my life on the things unseen…”

Listen to it here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN2zaMO8OK4