Take Heart~~SELAH

About a week ago I started reading through Charles Spurgeon’s Treasury of David (even though there are 1528 pages, and I am only on page 15!).  

 

Today, a passage in Psalm 3 struck me. It actually struck me so hard that, as I read verse 3, I 'added words' in my head. This realization left me to say, “wow~that’s good stuff!”

Here is what led to that ‘added phrase’.

Spurgeon used the opportunity from verse 2 to introduce the word SELAH (I have a friend who named their daughter Selah. What a beautiful name when you consider the following description). He defines SELAH as a musical pause to prepare the voice or the instrument for a change in pitch or volume to introduce a dramatic theme or conclusion. I think of it as the high soprano taking that deep breath before ‘belting’ out the high note at the climax of the cantata! 

Spurgeon states that with a SELAH "there is always something excellent where we are required to rest, pause, meditate, or lift our hearts in grateful song." He encourages us to read and contemplate on what comes just before and just after the SELAH. 

So, I went back and reread the end of verse two and the beginning of verse three. In verses 1-2, David laments his troubles as he runs from his son, Abasolm. He admits that his enemies are taunting that even His God has turned His back on David and can’t/won’t help him now! David probably feels this as well as he recalls his sins against Uriah and Bathsheba (a Spurgeon note).

Then verse three follows the SELAH: But…..You, Lord….

At this point, I wrote in the margin~ But “no, they’ve got it all wrong”.  Actually I wrote “NOO-ooo, they’ve got it all wrong!” Can’t you just see David rising, placing one hand on his hip and shaking the pointer finger of the other hand and saying, “They may say you have turned against me too, but NOO-ooo, they have it all wrong, because you O, Lord are my shield, you lift up my head, and you hear my voice from your Holy hill!

Wow! Can’t you just hear (and feel) the confidence return? 

Spurgeon explains that the word shield is actually from the word buckler, which protects you from all sides. 

Are you in a tough spot? Going through tough circumstances? Feel like everything and everyone is caving in around you? Feel like even God has forsaken you? Take heart~~~

Take that deep breath and belt it out~~NOOO, I’ve got it all wrong! 

He is my shield (my buckler!)

          He will lift my head

                   He will hear my voice from His holy hill

Get out of the pit and move forward~~~The sovereign creator God has your back!

SELAH,

Debbie

...And All That in Them Is

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth~~Genesis 1:1.

It all began with His spoken word, "Let there be light”, followed by 5 more days of  ‘Let there be...’. It was concluded with that special phrase, “and, behold, it was very good!”

My husband and I took a 17 day vacation at the end of June. Our destination was the Portland/Vancouver area to visit family. Our route, however, was to see all we could along the way!

We ‘took’ the grandkids along as the Three Flat Stow-aways (like a Flat Stanley project) and took several (?), let’s try many, pictures with’ them’ at our different stops. That just made it all that much more fun and exciting!

We did Sioux Falls, which has a lovely little park in town that actually houses, the Falls of Sioux Falls. 

We did the Badlands (One of Greg’s favorite parts of the trip) and yes, Wall Drug. We even made a quick stop at the Corn Palace~for the kids!

We did Mt. Rushmore and drove the Scenic By-Way around the area. If you ever head up that way, the Scenic By-Way is WORTH your time!

Then we headed towards Yellowstone by way of the Bighorn National Forest.  This route may have taken longer than the so-called shortcut, but, WOW~it was worth the extra time! 

We spent two days in Yellowstone, plus the third day driving through Yellowstone to head towards Washington. One could not enjoy the full effects of Yellowstone with any less time than that! Oh, my goodness!!!

The trip across Montana and Idaho was beautiful.  Big Blue Skies and Wide Open Spaces-not to mention the BIG, TALL mountains!

Interstate 80 along the Columbia River in Oregon~~~WOW! Simply gorgeous! 

The forests and sights of Eastern Oregon/Washington were lovely! But, did you realize that only a small part of Oregon is forest? Western Oregon is a beautiful canyon surrounded by desert and mountains.

The Rocky Mountains through Utah and Colorado were just more icing on the cake!

To sum it all up would have to be the word~

BREATH-TAKING!!!

 I know that if I had counted, I would have had said the word “WOW” a million times on the entire trip!

So do you think Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:31 popped through my mind all throughout the trip? Nope! Actually, Exodus 20:11 was the first verse to come to mind.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and 

ALL THAT IN THEM IS….

There is something about the awkward grammar of the King James Version that causes the phrase, “..and all that in them is” to stand out. THAT is what I thought of regularly as I viewed the many different aspects of God’s power and creation while on our 35^th anniversary tour of the western United States.

Oh, and seeing our daughter and son-in-law~~~that was pretty awesome too! (slight understatement!)

I considered posting a couple of pictures, but honestly, couldn’t decide on just a couple! Maybe later I will post one every once in a while. I even tried to pick just one to capture the whole thought—Yeah, right!

And, behold, it was VERY GOOD!

Debbie

Rule #10

After I posted last week’s "Public Service Announcement", I realized that I never really brought my thoughts regarding ‘leadership/potential’ to a close.

Since I used a quote from Dr. Henry Cloud’s 9 Things a Leader MUST Do as a springboard to my posts about the importance of following one’s potential, I thought I could conclude with what I have decided to be the 10^th thing to add to Dr. Cloud’s list.

Before sharing the verse that creates ‘my’ 10^th thing, I want to tell you about how cool I thought it was when I added it to my copy of the book. The verse that stood out was 2 Chronicles 1:10. So, on the title page of my copy of 9 Things a Leader MUST Do, I wrote, “#10-Second Chronicles 1:10". I thought it was pretty cool that #10 was from verse 10! (And to all of my husband’s chiastic structure fans—why not?)

Now, let’s take a look at what #10 from verse 10 has to say:

I had been reading from 2 Chronicles (BTW: 2 Chronicles has some ‘fun’ and interesting events-good reading! And, always begin with the end of 1 Chronicles). The Book begins with Solomon’s anointing as the new King. I imagine most of you are familiar with his first prayer/conversation with God in this new position. God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted (verse 7). Solomon replied by recognizing the greatness of God and the smallness of himself. (verses 8-9). Then he made his request, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people…” He didn’t ask for greatness, success. riches, long life, or health. He asked for wisdom and knowledge to lead. As we continue reading verses 11-12, we see that God honors this request over and above what Solomon ever dreamed.

Yes, there are a lot of leadership guidelines and suggestions whereby we can improve our leadership skills. There are many books that help us get started in handling leadership responsibilities. There are great sections of Scripture where godly leadership is exemplified. These are all good to consider and/or follow; however, let’s never forget to begin our leadership reign as Solomon did: 

Give me wisdom and knowledge to lead this people...

That has become my prayer as I face the ‘fear’ of taking another step towards reaching my potential.

Rule #10~~2 Chronicles 1:10

Debbie

Public Service Announcement

My son, if sinners entice thee~consent thou not.

Proverbs 1:10

I always enjoyed teaching that verse to my first graders, or to the kiddos from church. It was always fun to get to that last phrase and shake your finger in your verse partner’s face as part of the actions.

While teaching in the 80s it reminded me of Nancy Reagan’s drug campaign, “Just say NO!”   It was fun to quote, “ My son, if sinners entice thee~Just say NO!” and put a loud emphasize on the last three words!

Well, believe it or not, those same words play in my mind at the airport when the PA announcement states, “If any unknown person or persons attempt to give you any item….” That is as far as I hear it, because in my mind I hear, “If any unknown person or persons attempt to give you any item, ‘consent thou not’”!  Whenever we hear that announcement, my husband always waits for me to ‘shake my finger’ and say, ‘consent thou not!’ We always get such a laugh!

My dear friend, if sinners entice you, 

  consent thou not—

      do not give in-

         just say NO-

            refuse-

               walk away-

                  report it to an accountability partner-

                     tell God-

                        quote a verse (Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God)…

 DON’T DO IT!!!!

Giving in is just a serious as taking an unknown package through airport security-you just don’t know what you could be getting yourself into!

So if you travel by air this summer, be listening for the warning from ‘my friend’ and …

Consent thou not!

Debbie

Stepping Stones of Potential

Commit your way unto the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Psalm 37:4

Last week we used this verse to discuss the importance of recognizing the potential  God has given each of us. Here is my testimony about the Stepping Stones of Potential God has set before me throughout my life. 

POTENTIAL-A God-given gift and desire placed in your heart by God Himself that enables you to fulfill His purpose for your life~Debbie’s definition.

I have always been interested in education. My mom says she knew when I was 3 that I would be a teacher. My junior year of high school I dedicated my life to Christian Education. I attended Baptist Bible College in Springfield to prepare myself for that goal. I spent nearly 25 years teaching in various Christian Schools and working heavily in Children’s ministry in our church. For the past 4-5 years I have headed up the Children’s ministry at our current church. I have assisted my husband in leading youth groups. I have planned, organized, or have had lead positions in numerous VBS programs.

So, why is it that when my current role landed ‘plop’ in my lap, that I feared and doubted my ability to take it on? God has provided me the experience. He has directed my paths. He has led the way. For me throw up my hands and say, “no way” would lead to those dreaded words from last week:  “She had so much potential.”

Here is the story:

My latest school needed to make cut-backs, and I was ‘economically eliminated’ in 2010.  Even through that, I now know God was preparing my heart and increasing my potential for His next ‘job’ for me.  Little did I know at the time that it would stre-e-etch me to reach that God-given potential.

I broke through my comfort zone and became involved in a Party Sales company which increased my confidence with the adult world.

Last fall, just days before school started, I was approached to co-direct a preschool/childcare facility through the reorganization process.  I felt very comfortable about MY responsibilities, knowing that my co-director could take care of my ‘weak’ areas.  Well, guess what! In the spring the co-director resigned due to her pregnancy. The administrator says, “Debbie, why don’t you just take the Director position”.

I started to say,”UH, I Uh….” You know, the stammering around….

But then it all started to make sense. I knew God wouldn’t place me in a position I couldn’t handle. I began to recognize—He had been adding potential all throughout my life, and I was at another stepping stone.

So, deep breath~~~lots of prayer~~~~continuing to build confidence~~~God and I can do this!

Years and years ago God gave me a desire—and the potential to fulfill that desire~Now it is my responsibility to reach that potential.

The same is true in your life. Like we discussed last week, if you are truly seeking God’s direction, your desires are His desires-follow the stepping stones~~REACH YOUR POTENTIAL.

Keep Stepping~~

Debbie

The Desires of our Heart: Reaching our Potential

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a quote from Dr. Henry Cloud’s book, 9 Things a Leader MUST DO, on my social media page. I stated that the concept reminded me of one of my favorite verses, and that I would be getting to it soon.

The quote: “One of the worst things you can die with is potential.”

The verse: Psalm 37:4~Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

That quote, in the very first chapter, really jumped out at me. Can you imagine someone at your funeral saying, “She had so much potential!” How sad. 

What a waste of God-given talent. When you are done here, take a moment to read the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-28.

God sure doesn’t want that said at our funeral! He directs our steps throughout our lives to lead us to His plan for our life~to that particular ministry at that particular time. He has prepared us for the task at hand!

When you consider Psalm 37:4, you can go so far as to say He gave us the desire to reach that point in the first place! Have you ever stopped to consider how often we want to do a particular ministry or career, then find ourselves to ‘too scared’ to pursue it!

You see, this verse isn’t just saying God gives you whatever you want. I believe if we are truly seeking His will and plan for our lives, that our actual desires come from Him. And, when you think about it~when we want what God wants, we are getting what we want! Maybe I should go through that again: 

When WE want what GOD wants, we WILL get what WE want!

The first part of the verse states that we should delight ourselves in the Lord. That is the command.  In Treasury of David, Spurgeon states, “Make Jehovah the joy and rejoicing of your spirit”.  We must make God the center of our joy, our satisfaction, our contentment, our happiness, our  peace...

When we do that, our faithful, trusting spirit is rewarded with pleasure~~Godly pleasure! You may think, “God doesn’t promise to give us everything we want!” However, according to this passage, He does~~IF what we always desire pleases Him. Obviously in our human bodies and minds, we don’t always desire to please Him. Often our desires have selfish motives.

Spurgeon goes on to say in his commentary on Psalms, “Saints who delight in God desire or ask only for what will please God. Giving them a free hand is safe, because their will is subdued to God’s will, and now they may have their innermost desires and not just their casual wishes.”

If our desire is to allow our desires to come from God, we will receive them.

Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with our potential, as mentioned above.

I look at it this way~If we are allowing God to direct our lives, and we choose to do seek His plan (our God-given potential) for our lives, and we allow that potential to become our goal (desire),~then He will give us the ability to make sure it comes to pass.

Next time, we will look at how I am allowing this to encourage me as I am embarking on a new road of leadership-that basically has me ‘scared to death’. God has allowed this verse and the concept of potential to ease my fears and build my confidence. 

So we will see exactly how the quote and the verse go hand in hand.

Delight in the Lord~

Debbie