To Live Is Christ!!!

The letter that Paul wrote to the church at Philippi is one of my most beloved parts of Scripture. I don't think that it is more important than any other piece of the Bible, but I find it's one of the parts that I visit over and over again. Like spending time with a dear friend, it never gets old - and it knows me well!

Today I was reading and meditating on a verse in Chapter 1 that many believers know and love to quote:

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

[1:21]

And I was thinking about how it's easy for me to get sucked into the lie that because I trust Jesus, my life should work out pretty well all the time. To live is Christ!! How exciting!! I know Jesus; I have an in with God. My life is going to be great!

But as I considered the weight of the second half of the statement, I was hit hard with the weight of the first half. To die, Paul says, is GAIN. For the one who has trusted Jesus for salvation, death is a bonus! It only gets eternally better after we physically die! Can I truly say that I am looking forward to the time when God calls me to my heavenly home by ending life as I know it here? ...some days, yes. I yearn for no more sin struggles; I yearn for peace in my relationships and I yearn most of all to just fall at the feet of Jesus and worship Him for all eternity. But some days, I beg God not to take me before I get to spend decades loving Will, or before I get to see my girls grow in grace and truth, or before I know that some of my family and friends have decided to trust in Jesus, too. 

To die is gain.

And to live is Christ.

What does that mean? 

Does it mean that life is going to be easier? Jesus is God! If living is like Jesus, then...will life be better? Will He prosper me by giving me all of the wonderful American Dream-y things that I want because I keep His rules and do lots of wonderful things in His name?

Christ lived a sacrificial human existence. He laid down all of His rights for the sake of His Father's plan to redeem and restore a wretched people (read: all of humanity). He did not live a Christian take on the American Dream. He wasn't pampered because He was God's Son. He did not complain. He did not whine. He gave. He healed. He prayed. He fasted. He extended dignity to the outcasts and sinners. He did not worry about His reputation as He called out the hypocrisy of the self-absorbed, self-worshiping religious leaders of the time. He did not fight with physical force, but He warred constantly and ferociously against the spiritual filth that was and is rampant. He spoke truth unabashedly even when it meant His dearest and closest friends and disciples left Him. 

He suffered. He was bruised. He was humiliated. He was hated. He was executed.

To live is Christ.

If you consider yourself a Christian, are you willing to proclaim "TO LIVE IS CHRIST!!!" and fully take on that identity? To be hated for Jesus' sake? To be bold and speak the truth in love even if it means you'll lose friends, or a job? Are you willing to give up your "rights" to all of those things you think you're entitled to (a nicely decorated house, a new car, that prestigious career you worked so hard to get) to carry the message of repentance to a world that does not know just how holy and righteous God is?

As I was thinking about this, I was overwhelmed by a fear of the Lord that I have not had in a while. My salvation, though it's a gift, was NOT a free gift. It is given freely - meaning that I need to do nothing except receive it by faith - but oh, Christian, after we have received the gift of eternal life, Jesus demands a radical thing. He asks that we die to ourselves and let Him live in and through us. After salvation, we are no longer our own - we are His. We belong to Christ. And a life lived to Christ is going to be a life full of trials and tribulation and suffering and being hated for His Name. The fear of not laying down everything that I am at God's feet daily (and moment by moment!) - that I am bringing reproach on the name and honor of Jesus because of my preference for comfort and predictability and being liked rather than unashamedly taking on the identity and suffering of Jesus - that fear just flooded me today. And provoked me to search and weed out those areas in my heart where I am coddling the flesh instead of exclaiming "to live is Christ!" with my life.

Are you ready to abandon all you have built for yourself, to live for Christ, should He demand it of you? If not, oh friend, spend some time in prayer and the Word, until you come to that place when you can proclaim that indeed, 'to live is Christ!" and find all joy in it.

To live is Christ, and to die is gain. What a beautiful statement. What a life-altering concept. What a holy, merciful, awesome God.

By His grace and

for His glory!!

Lisha

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Busy, busy, busy!

I noticed a couple of years ago that whenever someone asked me how I was, one of my top three responses was "Oh, busy!" And almost everyone I met understood, and justified my busy-ness because I have toddlers. I became entrenched in the cultural lie that it is normal to always be busy.

www.librarygrits.blogspot.com

I don't want to be busy anymore. I have come to loathe "busy."


Busy means "oh, I have to run here and do this and attend this meeting and bring my kids to drop them off here and I have to make and get to all these appointments and make sure I have some do-gooder things on my to-do list and...."


Busy means I don't have much time to spend with my God, minister to my husband, disciple my daughters or take care of my home - because I'm hardly ever there!


Ladies, if you are married and/or have children, the Lord does not desire for you to live a "busy" life. He desires for you to find your real, deep joy in Him and His calling on your life, which is 1) being a wife, 2) being a mom, and 3) caring for your home.

In Paul's letter to Titus, God says it is GOOD for women to love their husbands (of course!), love their children (don't we all?), AND to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, and obedient to their husbands. Those things are what God values in a wife & mom's life! Nowhere do you find anything exhorting you to over-book your life or your family's life with too many outside commitments.


Rather, the Lord desires that a woman live a FULL life. Full, not busy. There's a difference. The Proverbs 31 woman lived a full life. Her days were full of rising early to provide food for her household; to seek out the food and other essentials needed at home; to instruct the children and be a blessing to her husband in his work; and to stay up late providing for their clothing and home needs. Her days and her life were bursting with a massive investment of time in her family and her home. And you know what? She is praised for it. Because she was living out her God-appointed role joyfully. 


I want a full life. Full of time to soak in the Word and time to help Will run the Bible House. Time to do dishes, clean bathrooms, make beds, and cook healthy meals. Time to spend every minute necessary to teach my children about and how to imitate Jesus. Time to play with the girls and teach them how to effectively run their own home someday. Time to say to a friend "oh, yes, I'm available to watch your kids in a pinch", because I've got nothing much on the schedule. Time to invest in making my home a place where people can come, put up their feet, and experience the peaceful presence of Jesus Christ - because I've made my home a place for Him.


I reject a busy life. It's not that there won't be days when we have lots of things to do; it's that I defy the word "busy" to describe my general lifestyle.


Here's to a fullness of days in Jesus, and a lifestyle that is not dictated by appointments, lessons, and daycare schedules. Here's to enjoying each day and looking forward in anticipation to how Jesus can minister to others through me, because I am available. Here's to the joy of knowing that my life does not have to be busy to count eternally - the joy of a full life, thanks to Jesus.

For His glory,
now and forever!
Lisha :)

I'm sharing this post over at A Proverbs 31 Wife, The Modest Mom, The Better Mom, Splashin' Glory, The Time-Warp Wife, Growing Home, Teaching What is Good, Far Above Rubies, Cornerstone Confessions, Deep Roots at Home, Walking Redeemed, Raising Homemakers, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Hope in Every Season, I Choose Joy, Serving Joyfully, Simply Helping Him, and Essential Thing Devotions!

do justly, love mercy, walk humbly

{written 02.08.2008}

(6) with what shall i come before the LORD, 
and bow myself before the High God? 
shall i come before Him with burnt offerings, 
with calves a year old? 
(7) will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, 
ten thousand rivers of oil? 
shall i give my firstborn for my transgression, 
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 
(8) He has shown you, o man, what is good; 
and what does the LORD require of you 
but to do justly, 
to love mercy, 
and to walk humbly with your God? 
[micah 6:6-8] 

This was my Bible reading the other day (the book of the prophet micah, chapter 6). The Israelites were really big into sacrificing things to the Lord as a way of paying for their sins...it was a big part of the Mosiac Law (the law that God gave to Moses after the Hebrews were set free from Egypt). But they got so wrapped up in the sacrificing that they lost touch with the One they were supposed to be sacrificing these things to. In verses 6 and 7, I think Micah is being kind of sarcastic. If God would be happy with a sacrifice of one ram for my sins, how much happier would He be with 10,000 of them?! How about my very own child! Wow! Wouldn't God just love me so much if I sacrifice more, more, more? 

But then Micah reminds the Israelites: God does not require more and more sacrifice. God isn't as impressed with the physical sacrifice as He is with the attitude of our hearts. "what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (v.8) 

And oh, how true it is for us, even today. We are bombared with the message that if we just live better, if we try harder, if we give more, God will be more pleased with us, perhaps earning us a spot in heaven when we die. 

God never said that; man made that part up. 

Maybe it's because we feel better when we do more good things than someone else. It's easier to feel better about ourselves when we have tangible proof of our 'goodness.' 

But, my friends, I am pleading with you to realize that you and I cannot please God with things or with multiple good deeds. The season of Lent started yesterday...many people (you may be included) give up something for Lent. For some, it's chocolate; others, gossip; still others, shopping. Do you do it out of love for the true God, or do you do it because 'it's the right thing to do?' God isn't happier with you when you say more Our Fathers or do more penance; it doesn't please Him more when you get involved with more community activities and more church committees. What He cares most about, what He requires of you and I, is simple: 
 

Do all that you do out of a heart of love for God. Read His very words (the Bible), and see how much God loves you already (even without all of those good deeds! He loved you before you were born, and He will love you always, even if you don't do a lot of good things, and even if you've done some really, really bad things! Even if you question right now whether or not He even exists!) Admit that you are not the god of your life; admit that there is no other God; humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up. There is nothing God desires more than for you to have a real relationship with Him, and for you to believe that He loves you enough to send Jesus to die for everything that you have ever done wrong. My dear, dear friend...you will not get into heaven for just being a good person or by following the rules of your church. God, through His sacrifice of His own Son, has already opened the door of heaven to you. You don't have to do anything to earn His favor and eternal life except believe that. But don't take my word for it; take His! 

"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.' [Isaiah 28:16] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.' [Joel 2:32]" -Romans 10:9-13 

He came to serve, not to be served

Here is another old Myspace post (Jan 2009). Was really convicted after reading it; I've been living in a season of selfishness lately. So. I won't say enjoy it, because it was painful for me to read, but I'll be praying that God will use it in your life to draw you closer to Him! 
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[Jesus said,] Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (matthew 20:26-28) 

[Jesus said,] He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. (john 12:25-26) 

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.[leviticus 19:18]” (galatians 5:13-14) 

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (revelation 7:15-17) 

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. (john 8:33-35) 

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (romans 6:1-6) 

And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. (romans 6:18-19) 

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (romans 6:20-23) 

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people are selfish. inherently. since when did you ever see a little kid who wasn't out for himself? you don't have to teach kids to love themselves more than anybody! 
adults are just older kids. they are just as selfish. most adults want that dream job, no matter the cost of acquiring it (even if it's at the expense of the wife and kids, or an old friendship); they will work ridiculous hours to afford all the things they have to have like internet and cable and that nice house and that nice car and those 1,000 pairs of shoes and that new diet food; they would much rather fork over thousands of dollars for a vacation to a tropical island than give that much to kids overseas who don't know what it's like to have electricity or running water or a toilet. 
what is it exactly that you're feel like you're entitled to? 
Jesus turned the world upside down when He showed up and started teaching, because He pointed out that being great has nothing to do with what other people think about you. It has nothing to do with your graduate degree or your job or how much money you married into or your corporate title. He could not stand the religious leaders of the day who were so selfish and self-absorbed that they were neglecting the needs of their people so they could live in comfort and security. Jesus said that in order to be 'great,' you have to lay down your selfishness and your pride and serve other people. live a life where others come first. (not just show up on volunteer days for a few hours or give canned goods once a year to the food bank - but daily laying down your needs and wants for the good of other people!) 
i think that makes people really uncomfortable. 
nobody wants to be labeled a 'servant' or a 'slave.' why would you? i think most people want to be know as 'their own boss' or 'independent' or 'self-sufficient' or 'master of their own fate,' not as someone who lives a life indebted to someone else - it's humiliating! 
but that is what Jesus calls us to do and to be. not because He glories in our humiliation, but because He knows that the only way for someone to be truly fulfilled is to dedicate his or her life to serve God and to serve other people in love. think about the most joyful people you know. most likely, it's not the ones with a six- or seven-figure income with the broken marriage and large house that they can't afford the mortgage on and kids that they have to hire a nanny for. it probably is your friends or family members who rejoice in a life of volunteerism and spending time helping other folks out for no reason other than they love to help people. 
i would encourage you to give your life to God; serve Him and serve the people around you. be a servant to those you know, and those you don't know. i think you'll find that it is way more rewarding than any material gain you could dream of! 
p.s. as you give your life to serving the Almighty God, and as you accept the fact that Jesus (as the ultimate servant of man) laid down His life for you and paid the penalty for your sins, you will no longer be a slave to the sin that has held you captive for so long...being a servant brings freedom. but don't take my word for it...believe it because God says so in the Bible!

Desperate Housemom!

I have been overwhelmed lately at the number of people who have encouraged me by telling me how much they are uplifted by what God has put on my heart. It astonishes me that people enjoy reading what I write; I have always preferred math to language arts! I was checking my MySpace blog earlier this week (for the first time in about 6 months! Sorry, MySpace!)...and found some old posts. Here's the first one I ever wrote. It was fun and humbling to see how God has worked on my heart over the last 3 years! I pray that God use this to encourage and edify you today! 

Only by His grace- 
Lisha 
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This was written November 29, 2006 (Elizabeth was 8 months old; Abby was still a dream in our hearts!) 

I had been told multiple times before Elizabeth was born that Will and I would get a lot of grief from people for deciding that I was going to stay at home with our child. I got a lot of questions, like "Why are you leaving teaching? It's been your dream since forever!" and "How could you waste your college education?" and "You're coming back to teaching after next year, right? This is only temporary until the baby's old enough to be in daycare?" and so on. 

Then our sweet blessing Elizabeth arrived, and it seemed like all of the people in my life who had questioned our decision realized that she was indeed worth being home all day with! 

I found recently though that the novelty of me being a full time mom has worn off for some people, or that people I don't know well seem to think less of me because Will and I do things the "old-fashioned" way. Somebody the other day asked me what I do for work. I told them that I taught math for 2 years before leaving to stay at home when Elizabeth was born. "Hmm," they said, "I see"...with that look of "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that you're just a mom..." Some people are offended by our belief that Will is supposed to provide for our family, and his hard work allows me the privilege - the privilege! - of staying home with our child and someday, children. 

Today's society and culture try to make people believe that a mom who stays home to raise her babies is worth less to the community and world at large. I am no longer instructing the minds of 7th graders in Windham, nurturing them and preparing them for "real life." My days are filled with dirty diapers, a half-clean living room, and trying desperately to make time to make dinner for my husband when he gets home while entertaining a cranky little girl. But it's also filled with small joys that teaching other people's children cannot bring: her first smile, when she's learning to sit up and reach for toys, when she squeals with delight when she recognizes herself in the mirror, and when she's learning to stand up on her own two feet. 

As she grows older (and as any potential siblings do, too), where will my worth be? When I can return moral, responsible, strong, intelligent, compassionate, and faithful young adults to the "real world," there you will see my value to this world. 

Isn't that the ultimate goal of parenting? 

I consider it all joy to stay home. We don't make a lot of money, we don't have an SUV or an HDTV or our own $250,000 2-bedroom house with a 30-year mortgage that we have to charge on our credit card. We don't even have a credit card. We don't eat out very often (I cook. Real food. Very well.). And we are happy. Will and I, though our relationship is human and we have our arguments and frustrations, have a wonderful marriage. We have an amazing daughter. And most of all, we have a solid faith in the one true God who has a wonderful plan for us and for our children. 

You may have thought that the title of this blog alluded to the fact that I was desperate to complain to you about staying home. The only thing that I am desperate for is living out the life that God has so beautifully prepared for me! 

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." -Ephesians 2:10