Jesus

More and More

| Marie Griffith

I began a ten-week study of the book of Philippians this week. I’m using a resource by Keri Folmar as a guide. Let me know in the comments if you’re interested in joining me in the study. I’d be happy to give you more information.

Philippians is the inspiration of this Monday School and I feel certain will be a source of several more in the coming weeks.

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians in chapter 1 verses 9-11 jumped out at me when I read it the other day. I’m currently reading the ESV Bible, but often pull out other versions to compare the wording in each. One of my favorite study Bibles is my NIV and this one is marked up and highlighted, with notes written in margins and passages dated.

On May 17, 2000, I marked the same prayer.  IMG_7015

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”                   Philippians 1:9-11

It was my prayer then and is my prayer now, that my love may abound more and more. A love that is grounded in knowledge and understanding, and knowledge and understanding saturated in love.

Paul told the Philippians why he prayed for their love to abound more and more at the beginning of verse ten. Different versions say it different ways.

The NIV – to be able to discern what is best
The CEV – to understand how to make right choices
The ESV – so that you approve what is excellent

My favorite phrase is in the NLT.  “For I want you to understand what really matters.” I love that. Paul wants our love to abound more and more so we understand what really matters.

Here’s the thing: we’re learning to follow Jesus as we’re following Jesus. We don’t learn everything then follow. We learn as we go. More and more.

It’s been 18 years of learning since I dated that prayer and I can confidently say I’m better at discerning what is best. I love better because God is causing my love to abound more and more.

In verse 11, Paul makes it clear that ultimately it’s all for God’s glory and praise. All the abounding love and knowledge and depth of insight. All the discerning what is best and growing more and more like Jesus. It’s to point others to Him.

I’ve marked today’s date at the top of Paul’s prayer for the Philippians in my newest Bible because I have more and more to learn about what really matters.

May our love abound more and more.

Photo by Michael Fenton on Unsplash

Greater Than Gold

| Marie Griffith

Have you ever received a gift you didn’t like? Or maybe you hated it? Maybe you even returned it, exchanged it or re-gifted it. I know I have.

God is the Ultimate Gift Giver. Unfortunately, we don’t recognize the good gifts and a lot of times, we take them for granted. Some of them don’t feel like gifts at all.

Because some of God’s greatest gifts are disguised as trials.

James tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.     James 1:2-4 (NIV)

The Message Bible puts it this way: “consider it a sheer gift.”

And Peter had this to say:

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  I Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)

James and Peter agree that faith under pressure is for our good. The pain has a purpose. Trials make our faith deeper, purer, and stronger. Did you catch what Peter says of our faith? It’s worth more than gold, and like the fire refines the gold to make it pure, trials refine our faith. With a stronger and deeper faith we praise God and touch more people with His love. But we have to “let perseverance finish its work.”

When the trial seems never ending…

When the pain feels like it will swallow you…

When you can’t see how it will ever be better…

Don’t lose heart. Persevere. Stick with God and move forward. Some days that will be as basic as breathing and putting one foot in front of the other. Believe God’s promises even when you don’t feel full of faith. See it through my weary friend, see it through. God is faithful and He will never leave you.

This is a rewrite of a post I wrote five years ago. I wrote the original, The Gift, during one of the most painful seasons of my life. The pain was so cruel and deep I could hardly see beyond it.

But here I am……changed forever.

I’ve endured painful seasons since then and am living through trials now with a deeper faith. A stronger more pure faith. As He was then, God is holding me close and giving me the strength and courage to move forward. He’s revealing hidden places in my heart, healing me and always changing me. God is doing His work so that I will be mature and complete and I’m praising Him through it.

Thank you, Abba Father.
Thank you for the gifts that I would have never chosen.
Thank you for your relentless love.
Thank you.

 

The faith of good people is tried, that they themselves may have the comfort of it, God the glory of it, and others the benefit of it.        Matthew Henry

 

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Photo by Nynne Schrøder on Unsplash

 

The Same Old Thing

| Marie Griffith

Paul wrote his letters with lots of love and passion. His letter to the church in Galatia is no exception but it’s especially harsh. False teachers convinced the Galatians they had to be circumcised, which was an outward ceremony of the Mosaic law. Paul chastised the Galatians for their foolishness because they turned away from the Gospel of Christ.

“You people in Galatia were told very clearly about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But you were foolish; you let someone trick you.  Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the Good News and believed it.  You began your life in Christ by the Spirit. Now are you trying to make it complete by your own power? That is foolish. Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not!  Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you follow the law?  No, he does these things because you heard the Good News and believed it.”   Galatians 3:1-5 NCV

Paul was astonished. I’m guessing he was heartbroken too.

The Galatians did what we tend to do. We add works to our faith to keep God’s favor. We may begin by trusting Jesus then we add rule-keeping to the mix and eventually we’re just like the white washed tombs Jesus called out in Matthew 23. Outwardly we appear righteous, but inwardly we’re full of hypocrisy and lawlessness and pride because we’re convinced we’re doing all the right things.

It’s called legalism. And it’s dangerous.

Legalism is the belief that we can earn or keep God’s favor by what we do. Legalism demotes Jesus, promotes performance, and keeps us focused on ourselves.

Before we assume our modern day and contemporary churches are immune to this, let’s think again. We may have eliminated the dos and don’ts we or our parents grew up with, but we’ve replaced them with others.

The long list of things we do or don’t do to gain God’s favor and unfortunately, man’s favor. The requirements of a man made system created to force and measure spiritual growth. The kind of work that has nothing to do with following Jesus and making disciples but is really a self-designed salvation.

If we are in Christ, we have his favor, forever! There’s nothing we can ever do to add to what Jesus did on the cross. Nothing.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,     Ephesians 2:8

Our checklists don’t require faith, but salvation does. Transformation does. Learning to love God wholeheartedly and love others the way He wants us to does. The kind of work James wrote about in chapter two of his letter does. Those works are fueled by faith in Jesus and a hope anchored to God’s promises.

And so we pursue Jesus and seek to know him better and better. Not to earn God’s favor, but because we live in His favor. Because we know He’s our All in All. We believe Him and we’re overwhelmed by the grace He shows us every day. We know apart from Jesus we can do nothing. He gives us our very breath and sees into the deepest part of our hearts.

Paul ended the letter to the Galatians in a dramatic way. He took the pen into his own hand and wrote with large letters to make his point.

I’ll do the same but not with a pen:  IF YOU’RE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE FAVORED FOREVER.

Now get to know him. You can start with the Gospels. For more about what I wrote in this post read Galatians, Colossians, and James.

If you have questions or comments, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

 

She Gave it All

| Marie Griffith

Yesterday, I read the story in Mark 12:41-44 about the poor widow giving all she had. Jesus sat near the offering boxes and noticed the crowd tossing in their contributions. Maybe some in the crowd gave their offerings thoughtlessly, just another item on their religious checklist. Maybe others thought a lot about what they gave and walked away with puffed up chests and noses in the air. The rich gave their large sums, and a poor widow gave her two pennies. Jesus let his disciples in on the truth they probably missed.

“The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”    Mark 12 (MSG)

The story reminded me of another widow who gave all she had. God could have sent Elijah to another home, another family…..with more to give. But he chose the widow in Zarephath with nothing but enough flour and oil to prepare one last meal for her and her son. Instead, she used all she had to make a small loaf of bread for Elijah.

“…For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”  1 Kings 17:14

If you don’t know the rest of the story, I urge you to read it. It starts in 1 Kings verse 7 and ends in verse 24. I wonder if the the poor widow in Mark’s account knew the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. Perhaps it inspired her to give all she had.

The Bible tells us what happened to the widow of Zarephath, but we don’t know about the widow in Mark. What happened to her after she placed her coins in the offering? Did Jesus speak with her? Did the disciples help her?

We only know what Jesus said of her: she gave it all.

Maybe both widows inspired part of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. In the letter, Paul shared the story of the Macedonian churches’ overflowing generosity with the hope of encouraging the same in the Corinthian church. Titus delivered the letter which included this counsel:

And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.    2 Corinthians 8:10-12

It’s our willingness that matters, not how much or how little. There’s no need to compare our gifts because mine will be different than yours.

It’s about the motives in our hearts.

Is is duty? Is it a check mark on our religious to do list? Are we showing off? Are we buying our way into the inner circle, or trying to buy God’s favor?

Or are we giving from the overflow of the grace we’ve received?

Grace can be a loaf of bread or two pennies. It can be donating a $1000 a week or a full day at the rescue mission. Grace can be giving up a career to raise your family or going back to school to get a good job for your family. It can be giving up a dream or going for it.

God knows your heart. Ask Him to show it to you.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8

 

 

 

 

Photo by Ullash Borah on Unsplash

 

 

 

Choosing Surrender Instead of Success

| Marie Griffith

This is the guest post I promised by author Carrye Burr. Her new book is How to Be a Moon: Embrace Your Worth. Reflect God. Light Up Your Generation. You can read my book review here and purchase the book on Amazon here.

What can the moon teach us about success?

The world refers to success as one’s arrival at status, wealth, power, or prestige.  It measures success by accolades, accomplishments, ability and authority.

When we feel like shrugging off the larger culture’s definition, we declare that success should be defined by the individual: “What does success mean to you?”  We decide for ourselves what would make us feel satisfied, significant, or sufficient.

The world might say that I’ve truly become successful as a writer if I end up on the New York Times Bestseller List, but a personal goal might be selling 1,000 books.  As a mother, the world may suggest I’m successful if I produce honor roll kids that don’t throw tantrums in public, but a personal success marker might be to find a healthy meal that all of my kids will eat.

Ultimately, success is a vague bar to measure the value of my life and endeavors.  The bar is always changing, and I find myself striving and never quite arriving at ultimate worth.  Maybe you’ve experienced your own emptiness in trying to seek success in the roles and to-do lists of your own life.

Whether we’re using the tape measure of the world or our own personal ruler, God has an entirely different way to gauge our lives, outside of productivity and performance.

If we want joyful, purposeful lives, I believe the moon gives us two lessons about God’s version of success.

First, success isn’t measured by what we do, but Who we reflect.  The moon is only as bright as the sun it reflects; likewise, there is no greater mission in our lives than to intimately know our Light Source, Jesus.

Our goal isn’t to accomplish and influence more, but to rest in the presence of the Maker who gives us our worth and gifts for His purposes.

The second thing the moon teaches is that our goal is really not to be successful but surrendered.  The moon shines brightly not by striving, but by resting as a reflector.  To live like a moon, then, is to die to ourselves and allow the far greater light of God (our Sun) to shine off of us.

In Luke 9:23-25, Jesus puts it this way:  “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

I’m not confident that God would even use the word “success.” If He did, His version wouldn’t include climbing up, accumulating more, or achieving greater goals.  Over and over we find Jesus using counter-cultural language to describe a full life:  Lose your life.  Be last. Deny yourself.  Be a servant.

Jesus never sought to gain authority in a physical kingdom, win a popularity contest, or leverage His speaking opportunities to get wealthy.  His greatest promotion was straight to the cross.  And He asks us to die to ourselves too.

Only in Christ do we find that we have more joy, purpose, and hope by seeking less.  Our surrender is actually accomplishing more than our strengths and gifts could on their own.  There is no greater goal than becoming like Jesus and allowing Him to reflect His light and love to a broken world around us.

How are you tempted to define success or worth in your own life?  Are you so caught up in your to-do list or goals that you’ve neglected to make time to rest in the presence of Jesus?  This is a daily struggle for me, but I know it’s worth the battle.  Join the conversation and share how you keep your eyes focused on Jesus and His definition of what matters!

by Carrye Burr

You can read more from Carrye on her website Less to Be More.

 

 

Got Questions?

| Marie Griffith

This installment of Monday School is inspired by a man named Nicodemus. I think I love Nicodemus.

The only information we have on him is in the Gospel of John. He was a Pharisee, which means he was a scholar who studied the Law and was intentional in the keeping of it. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews. He was highly regarded by the people and, obviously, an influential man.

One night he went to Jesus. John doesn’t give us any insight into why Nicodemus went to Jesus at night. Maybe he doesn’t want the other Pharisees to know. Maybe this was the only time he could speak to Jesus alone. We’re just not sure. But we do know Nicodemus respected Jesus because he called him Rabbi. Nicodemus acknowledged the fact that Jesus was a teacher from God. Then Jesus confronted him with a truth he didn’t understand.

Nicodemus knew a lot, but he didn’t know it all. He did what anyone who wants to know and understand would do. He asked Jesus a question. Then he asked more questions.

Someone I love is doubting what she thought she knew. She’s asking hard questions and I don’t always know the answers.

Her struggle would be unnerving except I know that God knows what is needed to make her faith real and strong. Coming to truly see, treasure, and trust Jesus Christ almost always begins in a crisis, one filled with questions.

I tell her to ask all the questions she needs to. Ask God. Ask me. Ask those she trusts to tell her the truth. Go to the Word with a desire to learn. Tell Jesus what she’s thinking and what she’s doubting.

Because she wants and needs it to be real. And don’t we all?

The last thing we learn of Nicodemus is that he, with Joseph of Arimathea, prepared Jesus’ body for burial. “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.         John 19:39-40

Nicodemus was brave and humble enough to ask the questions that night in the dark. Then he was brave and humble enough to prepare his friend’s body for the grave.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Matthew 7:7-8

My prayer for those I love is the same one I pray for myself:

God, may we seek you wholedeartedly. Give us a wholehearted devotion to You and cause us to love you with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds and all our strength.  

 

Sandcastles

| Marie Griffith

My kids love the sand. When they were younger, they spent hours building sandcastles. They smoothed over the perfect spot for the castle, then gathered wet sand near the edge of the ocean and hauled it back to the construction site. They pressed the sand into molds, turned them over and patted carefully so the tower or wall of the castle came out perfectly formed. They worked diligently to create their sandcastles. Sometimes they finished their project before the tide came in and sometimes they built the castles in a place the tide couldn’t reach. But eventually and always, the sandcastles were destroyed. Either by the ocean or the beach walkers.

Jesus told a story about building in the sand. It’s found in Matthew 7:24-27.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

In this short parable, Jesus compared two types of hearers and two types of builders. Here’s a simple way to look at what he said:

The hearers who do what Jesus says = wise builder

The hearers who don’t do what Jesus says = foolish builder

According to the story, both the wise and the foolish hear the same words and both builders work to build their houses. The only difference is the foundation.

Jesus mentioned two foundations – rock and sand.

Do the words of Jesus = rock foundation = house stands

Don’t do the words of Jesus = sandy foundation = house falls

Jesus closed out the Sermon on the Mount with this story, but offered no editorial comment. He let the crowd sit with the image of the collapsed house. The crowd was amazed at His teaching, but Jesus wanted more than that for them.

Jesus started the same story in Luke 6:46-49 with these words:

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

Doing what Jesus says makes all the difference. It’s the difference between heart change and lip service, integrity and duplicity, a tender heart and a calloused one. It’s the difference between choosing the hard work of forgiveness and holding a grudge. It means we walk the walk, not just talk the talk, and we reflect His glory instead of seeking our own.

I’m learning to be a wise builder and I’m thankful God won’t leave me to do it alone.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.   Psalm 40:2

 

All the chisels I’ve dulled carving idols of stone
That have crumbled like sand beneath the waves
I’ve recklessly built all my dreams in the sand
Just to watch them wash away
Through another day, another trial, another chance to reconcile
To One who sees past all I see
Reaching out my weary hand, I pray that You’d understand
You’re the only One Who’s faithful to me
All the pennies I’ve wasted in my wishing well
I have thrown like stones to the sea
I have cast my lots, dropped my guard, searched aimlessly
For a faith to be faithful to me
Through another day, another trial, another chance to reconcile
To One Who sees past all I see
Reaching out my weary hand, I pray that You’d understand
You’re the only One Who’s faithful to me

Jennifer Knapp

 

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What’s Next?

| Marie Griffith

Last year, I took my commitment to grow as a communicator to another level when I attended the Speak Up Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I signed up to attend again this year, but was stressed over the time away from my family and the time off from work. I almost backed out.

I’m thankful I made the trip, because it was exactly what I needed. I didn’t believe it was possible for this year’s Speak Up Conference to be as outstanding as last year’s, but it exceeded my expectations again.

I reconnected with friends, made new ones, and learned a wealth of new information from the remarkable staff of publishing and speaking professionals. I’m summarizing my time at the conference this year differently than I did last year, because this year’s conference was a heart check.

The conference was exactly what I needed because I was reminded of a few things.

First, I was reminded God loves the broken and uses us too.

That’s all He has, because we’re all broken and we all, deep down, want to know our lives matter. We all want the day in and the day out of our lives to mean something, to know it’s not all a waste.

Sometimes, it’s easy to think there’s no way God could or would use the mess of my life for His kingdom purposes. But He has, He does, and He will.

Second, I was reminded why I do this.

God gave me the gift of writing, so I write to share my story, others’ stories, and the story of Jesus and how I’m learning to follow him wholeheartedly. I write to encourage, inspire, and connect. To give hope, to make you ponder a question you’ve never asked before, to make you laugh or cry. To help unlock a memory stored away. I write to help you see someone in a different light, or help you start the journey of forgiving, or put into words what you can’t seem to.

I write to pass it on.

If my experiences teach you something, reveal a truth, make you think about something you’ve never thought about before, or simply make you feel less alone, that is enough.

Lastly, I was reminded of Who this is all for. It’s all because of Him and for Him. When I gave my life to Jesus decades ago, I told Him to take it all. I meant it with all my heart, but I had no idea what I was in for. All I knew was He loved me and I didn’t want a life without Him. I’ve said yes to Jesus again and again since then and I’m saying yes now.

So what’s next? What do I do with all my ideas and dreams?

I’ll seek Him and pray. I’ll keep following Jesus, living my life, and loving the people God gave me. I’ll serve my family, do my job, and look for ways to love others. Prayerfully, with a heart to do it all well. I’ll learn as I go with plenty of mistakes. I’ll pray for opportunities to teach and serve and share my stories. I’ll write and I’ll dream.

And I’m more ready and determined than ever to live like it matters and inspire others to live like it matters.

What about you? What are your dreams and what’s next for you?

 

Photo by Raul Petri on Unsplash

 

 

 

The Greatest of All

| Marie Griffith

Have you ever been embarrassed for someone? Like when American Idol aired some of the most awful auditions at the beginning of the season. Watching the ones who couldn’t sing, try to sing.

I have the same feeling when I read the story about the mother of James and John asking Jesus for her sons to be placed in seats of honor beside him, one on his left and the other on his right (Matthew 20:20:28). Jesus basically answered them with, You have no idea what you’re asking. The other disciples were furious when they found out, probably because of their own selfish desire to be at the top.

Did the disciples hear anything Jesus said ever? Were they blinded by their self-centered concerns?

There are more “greatest of all” discussions among the disciples. One of them happened shortly after Jesus washed their feet and shared a meal with them. The night before Jesus was arrested and would soon die for them, the disciples argued over who of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24-30).

It’s embarrassing and unsettling to read these stories. Unsettling because I’ve done the same thing. In a different way, but the same thing. I’ve never asked for a place of honor, but I’ve thought I was more honorable. I’ve thought I was more than. More faithful, more loving, more deserving. I’ve thought I was less than. Less faithful, less loving, less deserving.

The disciples were just doing out loud what we do in our heads all the time. We don’t argue with our friends about who’s the greatest, but we think we’re favored because of the books we read, the Bible studies we teach, or the classes we take. We feel entitled to the good life because of our great faith and good deeds. Or we compare and feel less than, and in our silent quest to feel important we strive and push our way to the top of a religious system that has nothing to do with following Jesus.

Thinking to ourselves or saying it out loud, comparisons are rarely a good thing. Unfortunately, it’s what we do and we must work really hard not to give in to feeling more than or less than others. If the disciples walked with Jesus and still had trouble with this one, we know it’s going to be a difficult one for us to grasp as well.

We define greatness in terms of human endeavor, accomplishments, and status, but Jesus turned that upside down. He said things like:

But it should not be that way among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must serve the rest of you like a servant.  Luke 22:26

The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.  Matthew 18:4

Whoever accepts this little child in my name accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me, because whoever is least among you all is really the greatest.  Luke 9:48

You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.   Mark 10:42-43a

Not so with us.

Father, create in us clean hearts. Let us see when we’re comparing and striving, then cause us to turn to You, our All in All, the Greatest of All.

 

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