What is this?

I never thought about the spiritual aspects of giving my kids a bath or standing in a line at a grocery store. However, God has recently showed me some insightful biblical truths in some of the most mundane tasks in life. Whether I am driving, showering or sleeping each of these activities has a biblical truth tucked inside of it. In the forest of life, God’s biblical truth is inside each one of these trees. My hope is that others view the ordinary aspects of life through a spiritual lens and see what God teaches you.







Sunday, September 30, 2012

The Night Light

"God is light and in Him there is no darkness. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. " 1 John 1:5-6.
Since my daughter was a baby we’ve always had a plug-in night light in her room. As she grew older, the night light wasn’t enough. She then wanted the plug-in and the closet light on cracked slightly open. Slowly she began asking me to open the closet door more and more. She wanted the maximum of light possible in her room. I wonder how our lives would be if we desire more and more light (God) in our life. We want God to be there but indulge ourselves in sinful behavior. We want God to be there but want the freedom to live a lifestyle of our choice. We want God to be there but disobey with our actions. The scripture says that God is light and in Him there is NO darkness. We want God to be a night light. The problem is there is no such thing as a night light life with God.  Darkness does not exist with God.
 God wants us to walk in the light as He is in the light. Many of us are afraid of the light because of what it will expose.   In our living room we have a ceiling fan with 4 light bulbs. One day one light bulb went out. It caused our eyes to blink but we quickly got use to the new lighting.  A few months later, another light when out. Again, our eyes adjusted. However, when we finally went down to one light bulb we decided we needed to go and buy some light bulbs before being in complete darkness. After replacing three light bulbs in our living room at once, we were shocked how we managed to operate with such little lighting before. My daughter said it best when she said, “Mom, our living room looks different! It looks amazing.” Many of us allow sin to creep into our lives slowly like one light bulb going out. The sad part is that we notice for a second and then adjust. It isn’t until we are in complete darkness that we cry out and decide to make the change.  The good news is the Light is always there. You don’t have to stumble around looking for batteries for a flash light or matches to light a candle. God is here immediately and waiting for you to step out of the darkness and join Him.  There is a reason children fear the dark. We should too.

Self-Control



“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control” Proverbs 25:28.
One of my son’s favorite breakfast foods is waffles.  The problem is that my sweet boy thinks he can eat waffles on his own but he can’t. Syrup ends up not only all over his hands, but his clothes, hair, chair, floor, his sister, the table and the dog. He then turns to me and says “sticky, yucky.”  He lacks the self-control and discipline to eat waffles properly.  In the beginning, he starts off pretty good.  The first few bites enter his mouth very carefully and seamlessly. However, this pattern is easily broken and things end up a mess.  Adults are not different.  We think we know how to do things without God until they turn into a sticky mess.  The mess not only affects us but the others around us.  We may start off good, but it quickly turns into a disaster. Whether it is emotions, thoughts, words, finances, relationships, food, or anything else, without self-control these things can turn sour quickly.  Proverbs 25:28 states “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” A city whose walls are broken down lacks structure and is vulnerable to the enemy’s attack.  Without self-control, our lives lack structure and are an easy target for the enemy. It is the lack of self-control over envy and jealousy that caused Cain to kill Abel.  It is the lack of self-control that caused Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.  It is the lack of self-control that causes David to commit adultery with Bathsheba. Notice a pattern? It is no surprise that the lack of self-control brings devastating results.
 So how do we attain self-control?  We must surrender control to Him.  To gain self-control one must surrender control to the Father. This paradox is hard to grasp.   With my son, despite the several requests I make to let mom control the fork, he refuses and wants to do things on his own terms. The result is a catastrophe! The irony is that if he surrenders his fork, I will give him what he desires. This is true about our heavenly Father. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4).  The problem is that the connotation of surrender has such a negative stigma attached in our culture. Surrender sounds like one is weak or gives in easily. However, surrendering to the Lord is quite the opposite.  Yet, another paradox. By surrendering to Him, one is not giving up but strengthening.  God wants us to attain self-control.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23.  He wants us to attain self-control but it is only possible by surrendering control to Him.
When my son ultimately surrenders his fork, I let him eat his waffles. The funny thing is that a couple of days later when we have waffles again for breakfast, how quickly he forgets. Surrender the fork to mom and I will get my waffles without half of them ending up on the floor and feeling yucky and sticky.  Surrendering is not a one-time event but many times an ongoing process.  Oh, how I can’t wait till my son can feed himself waffles without making a mess but it is going to take some maturity on his part. “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” 1 Corinthians 14:20. Self-control requires Reliance on Him and Maturity in you.