Looking Forward
It’s Monday. We have a long week ahead. What are you looking forward to?
I love having something to look forward to. As much as I love the present and want to always engage in each precious moment here, it is a gift to have some special thing ahead. Last week I was sick, but had a treat to look forward to–a little facial party with my friend Candi, and a real date out with my man.
What are you looking forward to right now?
In our Bible study we’re doing something I want to do more of in my life. Studying and staring at the glory of God’s power. His authority. His sovereignty. It really takes my breath away to get a deeper look at God’s immeasurable power. Is there anything too hard for Him? If He is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from His love! Nothing can snatch us from His hand! Nothing can befall us that He has not allowed! Talk about building our faith! Oh my! Simply studying the greatness and matchless power of God blows all other cares and worries to smithereens.
Today we looked at God’s authority and justice, and we listed all the injustices that we are looking forward to seeing the Righteous Judge correct. As more and more things came to mind I realized …
We have a whole lot to look forward to.
Because our God has matchless power and authority, I’m looking forward to the day when He will …
- End all human trafficking, setting all His people free from slavery.
- End all poverty, giving eternal riches to those who call Him by name.
- Heal all sickness of those saints in 3rd world countries who never had access to medicine.
- Lift up and embrace all His daughters who have been mistreated, abused, abandoned, raped, mutilated, killed just for being women.
And while we’re at it, I’m also looking forward to …
- My mom not having Parkinson’s disease.
- Shawna not having cancer.
- Little Elijah’s heart beating strong and true.
- Nate eating a feast (not a smoothie!) at the table of the King.
- Little Hope healed forever.
- Seeing my dear Grandpa and Grandma Zoet.
- Being free from insecurity and fear.
- Loving perfectly and being loved perfectly.
- Every mama reconciled with every child she’s lost.
- Seeing Aunt Lois’ beautiful face.
- That eternal ache in our hearts gone and FULL of the fullness of joy.
- Knowing no one will ever be poor again.
- Knowing no one will ever weep again.
- Knowing no one will ever be shunned, left out, forgotten, forsaken.
- Seeing Him make all things new.
- Knowing we get to stay forever.
Oh friends, we have so much to look forward to! Can you see it? Really see it? Oh if I we could only keep in mind every single day how much we have to look forward to! Yes, these days can be long, hard, wearying. But this work that God will complete in eternity begins now. The Kingdom of Heaven is already and not yet. It’s begun and lasts forever. Some of the things on this list I truly believe we will see on this side of eternity. We can joyfully set about His work knowing that it’s worth it because it’s part of His eternal work of redemption and restoration. Part of Him making all things new.
Your turn. What are you looking forward to? Globally or personally … Will you share? Leave a comment and let us know: We’ll look forward together.
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{Thanks for reading, and looking forward with me.}
*Because of God’s matchless power and authority, I’m looking forward to the day when He will …. _______________________________.
Week's end with thanks
Full week, sick, feeling better now, enjoying our day of rest together and looking forward to a real date, out with my man tonight. He’s my gift, here’s why:
- He makes us breakfast every morning.
- He stares at me and says I’m beautiful even when I first wake up and am NOT.
- He takes the kids for adventures outside so I can have quiet to write.
- He’s happy to eat soggy zucchini fritters (experiment: never again.) and popcorn and raspberries for dinner.
- He’s willing to change.
- He’s really weird…just like me.
- He’s willing to live a different sort of life.
- He doesn’t care about clothes and style and fashions and fads. He just is who he is.
- My steady man.
Q4U this weekend: Wives, how can you show your man respect this weekend? Husbands, how can you show your wives love this weekend?
That’s all for now … thanks for reading.
#22 & #35 De-clutter your closet & kids' toys {52 bites}
We’re doubling up this week since we took Good Friday off. These two go together, and since we’re talking de-clutter over at FrugalLiving, will you head over there with me and join the conversation?
When my husband and I were finishing seminary, we moved in with my parents to save money. Also to save money, we packed up all our belongings and stored them in their barn, instead of renting a storage unit. We weren’t sure how long our stay would be, but it turned out that most of our items were stored there for 27 months while we house-hopped, moving four times with our two kids before we settled into a home of our own.
Sure, there were times it was frustrating to know we owned an item and weren’t able to use it, (Merry Christmas! Oops, the tree stand is packed.) but for the most part it was eye-opening to realize by moving our stuff out of proximity we really didn’t miss it. ... (Find the rest over at FrugalLivingNW. Thanks for reading…}
What about good works?
They asked us to remember the poor, the very thing we were eager to do.
Galatians 2:10
“You mean I don’t have to do anything?”
This is the big question that arises when we start talking about the gospel being FREE and carrying no obligation, that we don’t have to DO anything to deserve Christ’s love. You mean we just believe Christ and that’s it? What about doing good stuff? What about giving to the poor and doing good works?
Here’s the deal: The true gospel motivates us to good works.
Good words are not a requirement of the gospel they are the fruit of the gospel. The are the fruit of grace, the fruit of a free gift.
Have you ever received a free gift and you couldn’t help but want to pay it forward?
Right before Christmas I had the idea of buying the Jesus Storybook Bible for a few friends. We have been so blessed by that Bible and I thought it’d be fun to bless some young families. But when I added the Bibles to my cart the cost really added up. Hmm, I thought. Maybe not. I left the Bibles in the cart but never completed the transaction. Christmas came. We had a great day and that night tucked the kids into bed. Then Jeff reminded met hat someone had given us a family Christmas card we hadn’t opened yet. I had tucked it in my purse and forgotten about it. So I pulled out the card and tore the envelope to see a Christmas picture of our friends. But instead I found a hand-colored picture of a beach and words that about gave me a heart-attack: “One free week in Hawaii.”
After jumping around the house like a crazy woman, you better believe the first thing I did was hop back on the computer and order those Bibles! It didn’t matter that they arrived after Christmas, of course I could be a teeny tiny bit generous after how someone else had been SO generous to us!
Do you see the connection? I wasn’t ordering the Bibles out of guilt or trying to “pay back” the people who gave us the trip – they didn’t even know about it. Besides, our tiny gift of a few Bibles was truly nothing compared to the riches we had received. It wasn’t about comparing what we gave with what we got. It was just about recognizing how much we have received, and being genuinely thrilled at giving forward a teeny tiny bit.
ANY of our giving to the poor, serving, loving, sacrificing is nothing compared to the amazing riches we have received in Christ. But if we truly understand the greatness of the gospel we will be genuinely glad to give. That’s a hilarious giver.
But, consider this: We have to have some inkling of how great the gift is. If I had never heard of this strange place called “Hawaii” I might not be that excited. I might not be inspired to give at all. I might not even want to accept the gift and go because I didn’t know if the destination was good or not. But Oh! I knew the glory of the island! I even knew the beauty of this particular place. Oh I knew what an amazing gift this was.
So too we must, as much as is humanly possible, understand how great is the love of God demonstrated in Christ Jesus. We must ask God to show us the length and depth and width and height, the love of God that surpasses knowledge, so that we can continually be amazed at His riches and feel genuinely thrilled at giving to others.
That’s where the good works come from.
So too, when we “get” the gospel we will “get” a heart for the poor. HEART. Not “obligation” to the poor. Not “guilty feelings about the poor.” A HEART for the poor. A LOVE for the poor.
1 John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
Throughout the entirety of Scripture we see that God has a special love and concern for the poor, the widow, the downtrodden, the broken (James 2:15-16. Ex. 23:10-11, Lev. 19:10, Deut. 15:7-11, Jer. 22:16, Amos 2:6-7, Luke 6:36, 38, 2 Cor. 8-9.)
When the true gospel truly changes us we will have a special love for those same people.
When we understand the gospel, what we’ve been freely given, we will freely give. God’s grace makes us just. Just as Peter urges Paul, remember the poor, God would urge us today, remember the poor. Do whatever it takes to remember them. Pictures on the fridge or prayer for them or going to where they are – remember them. We’ve been given so much.
When we’ve really seen and understood the gospel, that free grace is given to those who deserve it the least, we’ll want to help others by extending free gifts of grace. The true gospel motivates us to good works.
{Thanks for reading}
*Looking for ways to love the poor? Yesterday was World Malaria Day. My sister-in-law wrote this post with stats and suggestions for giving. Or visit World Vision, Compassion, or GFA and buy mosquito nets (only $10 at GFA— it’s a steal of a deal!)