The Centrality of the Home

There are some sermons I wish I could memorize. Last week's message at my church, Rest for the Weary  is one of them (you can listen, watch or read the manuscript of it here). And the following message, The Centrality of the Home, by Voddie Baucham is another.

Whether you are old or young, married or single, parent or not, this message is for you. Wow. It is so great. Please take the time (49 minutes) to watch. It is worth it.

Treasuring Christ in Singleness

As I look back on the last year of my life, one thing stands out above the rest: a shift in mindset and a refocusing of the heart, will and emotions.

Just nine months ago you could have found me at Murray State University borderline  obsessed with my future marriage. This was made obvious by my conversations, thought patterns and constant planning of the wedding of my dreams (made especially easy by Pinterest). Just one glance at my Pinterest ‘Future’ board shows what I was constantly thinking about, and if the mason jar decorations, barn wedding photos and unique ceremony ideas pinned carefully for future reference didn’t give it away, my journal entries did.

But then it all changed.

The Shift

At National Conference with Campus Outreach in January, God met with me during a worship song by Matt Papa in a way that rocked my walk with Him.

The song was “Open Hands” and one line said:

“To finally let go of my plans,

These earthly kingdoms built of sand

Jesus, at Your cross I stand

With open hands”

I began praying, searching my heart and asking God to reveal what I was holding onto that hindered the pursuit of holiness, knowing He would answer. And answer He did. He answered with three words in a whisper that resonated louder than a scream:

Your future marriage.

Despite Pinterest, my conversations, journal entries and emotions that often led me (and not the other way around), I truly believed I had become neutral in the aspect of marriage. But in a sweeping, overwhelming billow of grace, God showed me it was still an idol I was clinching with grimy hands and hadn’t surrendered to Him.

Don’t get me wrong, marriage is a beautiful, God-designed representation of Christ and the  church and He gives desires to His children including the desire for marriage, but I was past the point of desiring it—I was consumed with and even idolized my future nuptials and wasn’t even dating anyone (not that it would have made a difference).

But God being rich in mercy and overflowing with unfailing love helped me once again surrender to Him, laying down my potential future marriage and lifting up open hands to Him. With that surrender, the realization and belief came that God is enough for me whether I ever say “I do” to a man or not, and along with that acknowledgment came a fountain of freedom that I’ve been swimming around in ever since.

He has replaced my obsession for a future marriage with an intense desire for Him, stronger than ever before in my life, and I’m so thankful He loves us so much that, like the husband He is (Isaiah 54:4-5), He pursues our heart until He captures and captivates it fully.

He is a jealous God, One who will not compete with other idols for our attention and affection and thereby proving He is the only One who can fulfill and satisfy even the deepest of desires.

“And I lift my hands, open wide,

Let the whole world see

How You loved, how You died,

How You set me free;

Free at last, I surrender all I am

With open hands, with open hands.”

New Focus

Over the last couple months, the Lord has so filled my heart that I don’t even desire marriage at this time. Instead urgency has flooded my soul: we must redeem the time.

I don’t want to waste these days of singleness by pining for a time that may or may not come.

As Elisabeth Elliot wrote in her classic “Let Me Be a Woman”:

“Single life may be only a stage of life’s journey, but even a stage is a gift. God may replace it with another gift, but the receiver accepts His gifts with thanksgiving. This gift for this day. The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it has to be lived—not always looked forward to as if the “real” living was around the next corner… It is for today we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow.”

I want to live today and everyday showing the world that Christ is my supreme treasure. He is my fulfillment, not a man or relationship status. God sustains. He uplifts, satisfies and quenches the thirst of the heart that yearns for a man’s approval, affirmation and acceptance.

God, not marriage, family or kids, guarantees my future, and by living life not for an earthly marriage but an eternal one, single people can show others all around them that Jesus is enough.

The Call

Paige Benton Brown, in her article “Singled Out by God for Good,” sums up my heart:

“Let’s fact it: singleness is not an inherently inferior state of affairs… But I want to be married. I pray to that end every day. I may meet someone and walk down the aisle in the next couple of years because God is so good to me. I may never have another date… because God is so good to me.”

There’s the balance.

Singles, we have a unique opportunity to live wholly to the Lord at this point in our lives (and for some of us maybe the rest of our lives). Let us not waste this time or wish away the gift we’ve been given, but let us seek to use this undivided time to cultivate our hearts, serve the Lord and others with an undistracted spirit, and seek to glorify God and make Him known to all peoples as we die to ourselves and live to Him, our supreme Treasure.

“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.”

May the Lord say this of me:

"And now the Lord says, He who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him; and that Israel might be gathered to Him- for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength-- He says:

"It is too small a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." 

-Isaiah 49:5-6

Make me a light for the nations, God. Make our church a light for the nations, that Your salvation may reach the end of the earth. 

Forcing it

Journal entry from Friday, 7.6.12:

Dear Lord,

I woke up today and I don’t feel it. You know what I’m talking about. No desire in my heart for which to motivate me to jump out of bed and into Your Word. But even now You are helping me, showing me truth and igniting my heart once again. You are a great God and fully worthy of every ounce of praise I can give whether I feel it or not. Therefore, like David, I command my soul to bless You.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” –Psalm 103:1-2

God, I do praise You. Thank You for working in all the details of Dave and Allison’s water heater- You are so good. Thank You for giving me godly parents and sister and brother-in-law who seek to pursue You in all things. Thank you for my True Beauty girls and for ministry opportunities and for using me, of all people. Thank you for an awesome church family.

Please show me how blessed I am. Teach me to know Your ways, lead me in paths of righteousness for Your namesake. Thank You for Your steadfast love and faithfulness and for Your unfailing love.

Thank You for not forsaking me when my strength is spent, but instead pouring Yourself out for us. May we follow Your example and pour ourselves out for You- a living sacrifice.

You are good. And Your love endures forever. Blessing and honor and glory and power be Yours forevermore. Glorify Yourself today, God. Bring honor to Your name. Anoint this day and do great and mighty things which we don’t know. Amen.

What I learned

Sometimes You just don’t feel it. I didn’t feel it Friday morning and after complaining that I didn’t feel anything and had no desire to spend time with the Lord before work, I went to Psalm 103 where David literally commands His soul to bless the Lord.

“Not feeling it” is an excuse. A sorry attempt by the enemy to get our minds distracted from the One who gave us life to our measly selves. Satan will always take us back to ourselves and without the Lord’s grace we would let him.

This is why leading your emotions is so important, because God is no less deserving of everything we have to give Him when we’re not feeling it as when we’re filled to overflowing and having an over-the-moon flooding of the soul experience.

Despite our feelings, He is worthy. 

Therefore, as we get ready to corporately worship this morning, clothe yourselves in praise and bless the Lord, forgetting nothing He has done for you, and worship Him. Not necessarily because you feel it, but because it’s what He deserves, feelings or not.

You might say you feel like a hypocrite if you sing some of the songs at church because it’s you don’t feel it. That’s another scheme of the enemy- Satan doesn’t want you to praise, but those songs are still truth and God is still worthy even in the times where you don’t feel it.

Faith will never follow feelings. Feelings follows faith. Therefore, lead your emotions.

He gave everything, will we give everything to Him?

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

– Matt Redman

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning

It’s time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

 Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and the time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I will worship Your holy name

Lord, I will worship Your holy name

I will worship Your holy name.