Category: faith

“I’m Going to Your House Today!”

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When we were children, friendship and community seemed easier, didn’t it? We were in school together, when you had a deskmate or someone who shared your seat on the bus, 8 year olds could be pretty simple. (Well, at least when I was an 8 year old, life was simpler – not sure if it’s simple for the 8 year old in 2025!). However, as adults, we have to make more of an effort.  Godly friendship doesn’t happen by accident!

One of my friends and I laugh often about how we became close.  She had moved to a new city, and I thought, “she needs me” – so I called her up and said, “Hey!  I’m coming to sleep over at your house!” I called another friend and said, “Hey – we are going to a sleepover!  Get packed!” LOL!  Today, we are still BFFs, and we still laugh about that story!  

You might be thinking, “I could never!”. I know – it sounds embarrassing, but this is not without precedent. You know who did this way before I did?  

“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”  So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed Jesus gladly.” Luke 19:5-6 NIV

(Anyone else singing the children’s song in your head right now?  “Zacchaeus, you come down!  For I’m going to your house today! I’m going to your house today!”)

To be honest, at the moment of that phone call when I invited myself over, we weren’t really that kind of friends yet. The Holy Spirit, in His kindness, allowed me to see a need – and it turns out that it was a need I had in my life too.  The result is one of my most treasured friendships!

Okay, so you don’t have to cold-call people to get friends, LOL!  However, the faith journey should not be a solo one.  God’s idea is for us to be in families and in community – He was the one who said, “it is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). The enemy of your soul wants you isolated – don’t fall into that trap.  

A few tips for you:

  • Be Vulnerable: Let others see the real you. Friendship grows in the soil of authenticity.
  • Make Time: Busy-ness is one of the greatest threats to community. Prioritize people over productivity.
  • Pray Together: Shared prayer deepens bonds like nothing else. Make prayer a regular part of your friendships.
  • Speak Life: Be generous with encouragement, grace, and affirmation.
  • Pursue Reconciliation: Conflict is inevitable, but godly friendship chooses forgiveness over offense.

Friendship is not just emotional support—it’s a spiritual discipline. When we surround ourselves with godly companions, we position ourselves to hear God more clearly, walk more faithfully, and live more fully.

Don’t wait for friendship to find you. Sow seeds of intentionality, vulnerability, and prayer. Water them with consistency and grace. Trust that God, in His perfect timing, will surround you with the kind of friends who make you more like Him. I have found that this effort is worth it, and I have been blessed with godly friendships in my life. Today, I want to encourage you to make that investment! You will find it to be a treasure ❤ 

p.s. I’m continuing this discussion on the podcast this week! New episode will drop on Thursday. Subscribe on Youtube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts this week so we can connect again! Here’s the link tree so we can connect!

Are You Receiving a Sabbath?

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God includes Sabbath-keeping among the Ten Commandments, placing it alongside commands against idolatry, murder and adultery. Whoa! Considered in this context, the seriousness and sacredness of Sabbath is surely underscored here. It’s not just a spiritual tip for well-being, it’s an act of obedience and reverence.

I have to be honest: I didn’t always observe a weekly Sabbath consistently. Even now, there are some weeks when I allow this time to be crowded out (I say “I allow” because I’m taking responsibility – this is a result of my own choices). BUT, it’s important and ought to be a priority in my schedule (and yours!).

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; He rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; He set it apart as a holy day.” Exodus 20:8-11

I had some wrong ideas about Sabbath – I thought it meant only Sunday. This wasn’t possible for me: as a pastor’s wife (until a few weeks ago, my husband recently resigned his pastorate), Sundays were not a day of rest – Sundays were a workday for us.  I also wrongly thought that Sabbath meant 24 straight hours of NOTHING, no activity at all.  This was hard for me too – I’m a “mover and shaker” generally, and enjoy being happily busy.

Ken Shigamatsu (one of my favorites authors/pastors) defines Sabbath as “a chance to step off the hampster wheel and listen to the voice that tells us we are beloved by God. The sabbath heals us from our compulsion to measure ourselves by what we accomplish, who we know, and the influence we have”. Take a deep breath, take a pause and quietly consider that!  Now this is a concept I can get behind! The Sabbath is a divine invitation to rest, reflect, and realign with God—and with ourselves.  Sabbath is 24 hours set aside for rest, for life-giving activity. 

Some of you are thinking what I thought at first: “there’s no way I can take 24 hours off!” Again, I have to be honest: when I first began to pray about Sabbath, when I first recognized my need for it, when the Lord started dealing with me about getting into the rhythm He intended for His children, there was no way. I had packed my calendar out.  I didn’t run my schedule – my schedule ran me. “Lord, how am I going to stop for 24 straight hours? Are You kidding? I’ve made commitments here.” 

I don’t know about you – but when the Lord starts to deal with me about disobedience, He isn’t kidding. (Oh – sorry, did I say disobedience out loud?  That sounded harsh…. But this is one of the Big Ten, remember?)

At first, it wasn’t realistic.  I had made commitments, I had over-scheduled, I had made promises that I should not have made, I kept once-genuine needs on the calendar past their effectiveness….  It was understandable that I needed time to rearrange some things on the calendar as well as needing to eliminate some things altogether. 

I realized that I needed to start budgeting my TIME the same way I budgeted my MONEY. The reason I can’t buy another car is that I made a commitment to the one I have.  If I want another car, I need to sell this one, right? The reason I can’t buy a new outfit today is that I bought a new outfit last week – I spent that money already. My time is just as valuable and needs to be carefully budgeted as well.

I looked at my calendar:

  • Okay, I committed to leading this small group.  I can’t quit immediately, but I can finish this semester and not volunteer for this again. (Is leading 4 small groups necessary?)
  • My weekly bible study is a priority for me – those friendships are life-giving, and the opportunity to be in community is valuable, I’ll keep that.
  • Okay, I committed to coaching this cheer squad.  Football season ends in 2 months, and I’ll end at that time too.
  • Family dinner every Sunday can’t be negotiated!  We all love it!
  • Work is a must.  My hours are 7:00-5:00 Tuesday-Friday.  I need to stop working past my hours on a regular basis, and I need to re-order my workday so I am not bringing work home. I wrote in Mondays off – why aren’t I taking that day?

Slowly, I got my calendar in balance and worked up to 24 hours of rest.  Most weeks, my Sabbath is Friday dinner-Saturday dinner. That time is for rest, for life-giving activity.  I’ll describe my Friday/Saturday to you, as an example: 

  • No obligations – if it is an obligation, I’ll do it another day
  • Friday dinner is usually with my husband – we like to order in Chinese or grill salmon and veggies
  • Saturday mornings are SLOW – I don’t make any plans that start before 10:00am.
  • Saturday 10am – Saturday dinner time is for me: let’s take out the kayak or take a bike ride.  Let’s go to lunch or coffee with a friend. Let’s turn off the phone and read. Let’s cuddle the pup or the grandbaby.
  • For these 24 hours, I’m going to purposefully invite Jesus into my daily, and let Him minister peace to me. Let Him remind me that my value is in being His child, not in what I accomplish.
  • If something comes up (and it does), I plan in advance and organize my week in a way that I get a different 24 hours.  I feel it keenly when I don’t take this rest.

A few last things about Sabbath:

Sabbath is an act of radical trust: Keeping the Sabbath means ceasing work, even when there is more to do. Sabbath rest is a weekly declaration that God is our provider, not our “hustle”. Sabbath reminds us that our identity is rooted in being and not in doing.

Sabbath is a return to God’s intended rhythm for us. The Sabbath is rooted in creation itself. “On the seventh day, God rested” (Genesis 2:2-3). If the Creator of the universe paused to rest – not from weariness, but from delight – then so should we. Observing the Sabbath with joy reconnects us with the divine rhythm of work and rest; helping us recover from burnout, anxiety, and striving.

Sabbath is a preview of eternal rest. The Sabbath points us forward to the eternal rest promised in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-11). Jesus is our Sabbath rest – He frees us from striving for righteousness through works and invites us into grace-driven rest.

Maybe you need a little space to budget differently? Take that space and use it to re-order, work up to the 24 hours. Give yourself grace, it may not happen overnight. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. This time is a gift from the Lord – and receiving Sabbath from His hand with delight every seven days will become a treasure to you! ❤

A Second Time, Really?

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This is one of my favorites – it’s probably one of yours too: 

“Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ ” Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

(Before you get nervous, I’m not going to ruin your favorite verse like I did with Psalm 46:10 if you were with me back then: https://jenniferwspivey.org/2020/12/30/a-new-look-at-an-old-favorite/ You might even like Jeremiah 33:3 more after we visit!)

We like to say that God is a “God of second chances”, don’t we?  Have you ever heard that phrase?  I think it mostly references the second chances He gives to His children. However, I wonder if we are this gracious to God, if we are quick to give Him a “second chance” if we don’t like the way it went with Him the first time around.

Did you ever hear a word from the Lord that you weren’t too sure about?  A few examples from my life: 

  • Many many years ago, I sensed the Holy Spirit tell me, “A battle is coming”. I wasn’t excited to hear that, to be honest. Looking back now, I am comforted by the fact that He knew and offered a heads-up to assure me that I would not be alone.
  • When the Lord spoke to us about taking a position 13 hours away from our hometown…. Oh my. I bawled my eyes out on that entire drive (bawling is worse than regular crying, y’all!).
  • Recently, the Lord spoke to my husband and I about making a move from the pastorate to a new adventure.  I wasn’t too excited about that at first (though it’s turning out for everyone’s best!).  I am comforted that we are walking in obedience.

Perhaps it was a battle you had to face, a relationship you had to end, a hardship you had to endure…. Even a warning from the Lord is a gift, He always speaks for our benefit and nothing He says is without value.

When we look at Jeremiah 33:3 (or any scripture really), it’s important to get the context.  Sometimes I skip the history lesson for time’s sake (or word count, LOL!), but let’s go into it a little bit this time. I dearly love the history lesson!

Backing up to Jeremiah 32, the Lord comes to Jeremiah with a word that is not as encouraging as 33:3 – 

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ‘I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods. The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord’ ” 32:26-30

Yikes. Now let’s look at 33:1, we’re working our way back to 33:3, hang in there: 

“While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time”

A second time, really?  Jeremiah is still in his confinement, he’s still in the place of captivity, still under the attack that the Lord told him would be coming…. To be honest, if I were Jeremiah, I might have said, “Thanks but no thanks – not real crazy about the first thing You said, Lord, so I’m not sure I’m interested in You coming a second time.”

Thankfully Jeremiah had a soft heart and ears to hear what the Lord had to say, how much he would have missed:

“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ ” 33:3

But wait – there’s MORE!  Jeremiah does call out to the Lord, and the word is an encouragement in his distress: 

“For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah…. I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.  I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.  I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me.  Then this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’ ” 33:4, 6-9

WOW! I’m so glad Jeremiah was receptive when the Lord came a “second time”, and what an example this provides for me. Where else would Jeremiah had gone at that moment?  In his crisis, had he left the Lord, where else would have found healing and restoration and help? It reminds me of Peter in John 6:68, “Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Even in crisis, especially in crisis, there is no other source of help.  

Every time the Lord speaks, it’s a gift – let Him come to you a second time (and a third time, and a fourth time, and….) and it will be a treasure! ❤ 

3,037 – But Who’s Counting?

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We joke sometimes and say, “but who’s counting?” but the truth is that I am counting.

3,037.  That’s how many days it’s been between the first day and today.   The day my world changed and hasn’t changed back. I feel it every day, a weight on my chest that makes it hard to breathe sometimes.  The days when I wonder if God can hear me – I’ve prayed over this more than 3,037 times – multiple times every day, countless now. 

I know He could fix it, heal it, solve it, restore it.  Beyond that, I even have faith that He will fix it, heal it, solve it, restore it. Maybe you have a prayer, dear to your heart, that is still on the “not yet” side of the column? Maybe yours isn’t 3,037 days – but I bet you know how many days it’s been since day 1. We understand each other.  We’re in this together. 

Joel 2:12-14 is a big encouragement to me on these days when I feel the weight of the 3,037 more than others.  Want to go get out the dictionary and the Strong’s concordance and follow a few rabbit trails with me?

12: “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart; With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13: So rend your heart, and not your garments;

I have to pause here, it’s too good: 

rend, Strong’s H7167: cut out or tear

heart, Strong’s H3824: heart as the most interior organ, comfort, courage, understanding

garments, Strong’s H899: covering, rag – from H898: to cover with a garment

Let’s remove the “cover”, remove any barriers between us and the Lord, remove any barriers between us and people.  Live heart open, arms open, wide open. The moment we get brave enough to throw away the pretense and pretending is the moment when we begin to heal. Back to Joel 2:

13: Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”

Let’s go to the King James, where “relent” is translated “repent” and “return”:

repent, Strong’s H5162: to pity, console, comfort, ease

Doesn’t that sound like the Lord? Bringing comfort, as He always does when we allow Him to be our Comforter.

return, Strong’s H7725: to turn back, not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point; rescue, restore, retrieve, recover, fetch home again

I love the reminder that God’s perspective is not ours.  Let’s not wait for our lives to “change back” – what the Lord has for us isn’t behind, it’s ahead. Return here means to “turn back, not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point”. When there is a return (and there will be a return!), we’ll be better.

14: “Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?”

Here’s the best part: the blessing that He leaves behind becomes “a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God” when we receive it from His hand.  That means that these 3,037 days are not for nothing.  When God leaves a blessing, He’ll leave it in such a way that I can offer it all back to Him – and in His hand, my pain has a purpose. 

When we are able to move our “not yet”s to the “it is finished” column, we’ll be different for the experience and the testimony it brings – and that’s a treasure worth waiting for, even 3,037 days or more ❤ 

Are You Taking Him for Granted?

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You are familiar with the phrase, taking something “for granted”. We use this as an adjective sometimes, describing the action or item that is “taken for granted”: “the gift was taken for granted”, “her kindness was taken for granted”.  We have also used it as a verb, we might say that someone “takes” an action/item “for granted”: “Mildred took this gift for granted”, “Mildred took Hortense’s kindness for granted“. When we talk about something being “taken for granted”, this isn’t generally a good thing, we don’t generally have a positive feeling about taking something “granted”. It’s presumptuous, and we generally criticize presumption.

The dictionary defines “take for granted” this way: “to fail to properly appreciate (someone or something), especially as a result of overfamiliarity”.

A failure to properly appreciate – sounds right. Wait, sounds wrong.

Of course, like many things in life, there is another side, the other side of the coin, the other side of the story.  The dictionary has a second definition: “to assume that something is true without questioning it”.

Let’s take a “selah” right there, a moment to pause and think of that: to assume something is true without question. A deep breath, a release, a moment for peace. Assume something is true, without question.  Assume the possibility that something could be true without question. In our world where so much changes, the thought of something true without question gives me peace.

The Lord wants to be this one true without question in your life!

Imagine taking Him at His Word.  Imagine the peace that must accompany taking Jesus “for granted”. The second kind, not a failure to appreciate but living in the assumption/assurance that He is true without question. How would your behavior change if you were SURE, if you were CONVINCED? How would your behavior change if there was no possibility in your mind other than Jesus being absolutely true? Beyond salvation, truly experiencing the benefits of being His, enjoying the privileges of being a child of the Most High? 

Peace, not given as the world gives (John 14:27)

Healing, purchased for you, all you have to do is receive (Isaiah 53:5)

Joy, filled with all peace in believing and abounding in hope (Romans 15:13)

Restoration, of all the years you may have wasted in not truly believing (Joel 2:25)

And the list goes on and on and on and on…. 

Let’s do a smash-up of these two part of the definition (is a definition smash-up a thing or did you and I just invent it?):  “as a result of overfamiliarity, to assume that something is true without questioning it”. Let’s become so familiar with the Word of God, so familiar with the character of God, that we live in the abundance that only He can give as if He is true without question – because He truly is! Let’s also notice the part of the definition that we left out, and make sure that we never fail to appreciate His gifts.  

Jesus not only gives you what He HAS, He gives you what He IS. He will never be disappointed in you for presuming that He is true.  In this context, presumption is a good thing! The Lord never criticizes us for believing too much! I think that He is longing for you to take Him at His Word and receive His gifts to you with gratitude and praise.  Try it out – I think you’ll find result of taking Jesus for granted will be a treasure ❤

On the podcast this week, we are continuing the discussion about transitions.  You can catch up on part one here and the part two will come out on Thursday!

a new look at an old favorite :)

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What are y’all reading today?  What are you thinking about today? I am in Psalm 46, and I don’t mean to destroy your favorite verse, “Be still and know that I am God”, but here we go:

“be still and know that I am God”
Psalm 46:10

46 is a psalm of the “sons of Korah”.  To make the history lesson as short as possible (though you know I dearly love a history lesson!), Korah led a revolt against Moses (that story is in Numbers 16). Even though I can’t match this up chronologically, Psalm 46 and Numbers 16 seem to have some similarities.  The battle was fierce and the Lord prevailed.

In Psalm 46, we have 11 statements/11 verses.  I think that 10 of the 11 sound like man speaking about God, recognizing the difficult times and confessing God’s power to save (so I notated “we” say, because it is a statement from man).  I think one of the statements sounds like what God is speaking – our favorite, verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God”. 

Oftentimes, I think we receive this as God speaking to us, to still our hearts and quiet our spirits, be still before Him, let Him work on our behalf. I’m with you – to take that lesson here is not wrong. It doesn’t damage the Scripture to interpret it in that way. It’s good to be still before the Lord, to rest in total trust to Him. I’m just not sure that this is the context of this particular verse…..

Let’s look at it together:

We confess: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

We confess: “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;”

We confess: “Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”

Selah

We confess: “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.”

We confess: “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.”

We witness: “The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.”

We say: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”

Selah

We instruct: “Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.”

We witness: “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.”

GOD SAYS: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

We rest: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”

Selah

I’m just imagining, putting myself in the scene….. This is a BATTLE – heavens are raging, kingdoms moving, earth melting, bows breaking, chariots burning…. And this is the moment that God stops the battle to tell me to “be still”? I don’t know, but it makes more sense to me that this is the moment that God stands in between me and my enemy. This is the moment that God scoops me out of harm’s way and tells my enemy to back off.  This is the moment that God stands between me and the enemy, holding off the coming attack and THUNDERS to the enemy: “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD”. 

Naturally, I looked it up in my Strongs (you know I did, y’all!).  Want to know what “still” means? 

STILL, H7503: to slacken (in many applications, literal or figurative):–abate, cease, consume, draw, fail, (be) faint, be feeble, forsake, idle, leave, let alone, (be) slack, stay, be still, be slothful, weaken. 

Does it sound like something that God is saying to me during a battle? “Jennifer, you be weakened and slothful, faint and feeble, and know that I am God.”  

OR 

Does it sound like God is speaking to the enemy? “Enemy, you be weakened and slothful, faint and feeble, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen (which p.s., enemy – you are heathen).  I will be exalted in all the earth”.

It’s true: we need to rest in God’s everlasting arms and be refreshed in His presence and be still before Him in adoration and worship. After 2020, I find more comfort in that fact that God is telling my enemy to be still – then I can confess with peace and calm and quiet before the Lord, and have my selah in verse 11: “The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge”.

“The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold” Psalm 46:11

And after this year, the knowledge that the Lord of Hosts is with us is a treasure ❤ Praying you find peace in His presence today!

Jennifer

40 days later….

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40 days of “social distancing” – y’all, we might be tired, but GOD’S GOT THIS!


Sometimes I think “I can do ANYTHING” and I can endure – but an “end time” helps me tremendously. In a workout, I might think, “yes, I can do this for 3 more minutes”. I had a minor surgery last summer, and knew the recovery time before I went in: “yes, I can do this for 8 weeks”. If you asked me to run a mile, sure – I know how long that takes me and I can do it. However, if you said, “Just start running and I’ll let you know when you can stop”, I might have a harder time!

Of course, not knowing the “day or time” is not new for us, is it? Serving the Lord, we are told that we won’t know when Jesus will return (Matthew 24:36-44,1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, 2 Peter 3:10,Revelation 3:3). We are told that hardships will come (John 16:33, Romans 8:18, 8:35, 2 Tim 2:3-4, 2 Tim 4:5) but we are also told that Jesus has overcome and we will have the victory in Him (1 Cor 15:55, 1 Cor 15:57, 1 John 2:13-14, 1 John. 5:4-5)…. These are lessons that we know well, and we know to keep at it!

Paul encouraged the believers in Galatia,

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9)

I was thinking this weekend about growing weary before we reap the harvest…. if ever there was a time I might grow weary too soon, maybe it would be in this season. Who knows when we will worship together in our church buildings? Who knows when schools will reconvene? Who knows when the salons might open again (LOL)? For now, we must be content in the knowledge that God knows – and that He is preparing us for a great harvest. Let’s not get tired just yet – let’s persevere and see what will happen next! Let’s be ready when the harvest comes, not “asleep at the wheel” because we gave into our weariness too soon! 🙂

(or maybe its just me who feels this way sometimes!)

Hang in there, my friends!

faith works by love #3 :)

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Y’all know I’m the pastor’s wife – and I’m blessed to have many talented people in my life. They are gracious, gifted, successful and anointed – and when they operate in their gifts, they are doing it as unto the Lord and I benefit. When I operate in my gifts, I am doing as unto the Lord and they benefit. We celebrate each other because we’re on the same team! (insert BIG sigh of relief here – I don’t have to do everything because all of us can do something!)

However, there’s the scarcity mentality that we’ve talked about the past few weeks together. The scarcity mentality makes us wary of the team. The scarcity mentality can make us self centered.  The scarcity mentality can make us think, “If she is successful, then I won’t be successful” or “if people appreciate him, they won’t appreciate me”.  It’s just not true, my friend!  My associate pastor’s wife is a gracious hostess and a wonderful teacher – our congregation loves her!  Want a prayer warrior on your side?  Well, then you want my worship leader’s wife!  Do you want a sweet friend and trusted confidant?  I can point you to that precious young lady, she’s in my circle too! Every single one of these dear friends are “working heartily unto the Lord” (Col. 3:23), and as they share their gifts, they are thinking about being a blessing.

Col_3-23_v3_Chalk_Floral_Web_2000x

An attitude of abundance, of understanding that there’s enough to go around – and even more – makes me a part of a team. No room for competition in the body of Christ.  If my congregation loves someone else or appreciates someone else’s gift, it does not mean that they love or appreciate me any less. I like having a team – especially one as gifted as mine! 🙂

Here’s the original verse we started with a few weeks ago, and it seems like we’ve strayed – but thanks for staying with me!

“In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,  not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 3:10-12 NKJV)

Friend, if we are to be successful in love and righteousness and works and enjoy all the benefits that the Lord means for us to enjoy in this life with Him, we must eliminate the scarcity mentality.  We must practice righteousness and we must practice love: this is the message you have heard from the beginning. Cain murdered his brother because Cain’s works were evil and Abel’s works were righteous – he murdered his brother because he was afraid of the comparison.  I know the example is extreme, but the emotions that can rise in us as a result of the scarcity mentality can also be extreme.

Take time today to thank God the gifts He has given you – and take time to today to thank God for the gifts He has given to the people within your sphere of influence.  No room to be jealous, no room for competition: if someone on your team is successful, you are successful too! Rejoice and rest in that – the pressure is off now!  You don’t have to do everything (insert big sigh of relief here!). The gifted people in my life do not represent competition or take anything away from me – they give me space and Sabbath. I don’t have to be jealous, I don’t have to feel threatened. How about this for a perspective: the Lord loves me so much that He puts these amazing people in my life and surrounds me with people who make me look good! 😉

The gifted and talented people in your life?  They are treasures from the Lord to you!  Pray for opportunities to bless them and be blessed by them in return. We should love one another fully, without reservation, without competition, without fear.

It’s a big idea, So I’ll keep the blog short.  I want to take a little selah myself right here – a moment to pause and reflect.  Want to pause and reflect with me?  Let’s visit next Monday!

Jennifer 🙂

faith works by love #2 :)

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When we left Cain last week (check it out here if you need to catch up!), he was angry, but his anger was displaced.  He was hurt, and probably embarrassed – his brother’s offering was accepted and his was not.  Rather than taking a moment to be teachable or reflect personally, Cain directed his offense and rash judgement at God and at Abel.  Rather than living out of love, Cain had a scarcity mentality that led him to the comparison trap. 

matthew

This “scarcity mentality” led Cain to think that there wasn’t enough. There wasn’t enough love, there wasn’t enough success, there wasn’t enough favor, there wasn’t enough fill-in-the-blank-here to go around.  He mistakenly thought that if his brother was accepted, then Cain would not be accepted.  He didn’t know there was room in God’s heart for them both.  In God’s economy, there’s always enough.

Let’s keep going:

“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8)

I wonder what that last conversation was, between the brothers. Cain felt unloved and unaccepted, and sadly he thought that the only way to make himself look better was to knock other people down.  He felt he had to get rid of the comparison. Rather than doing his own best and bringing his own gift (how do you compare a fruit and an animal? How could anyone?), he eliminated what he viewed as competition and killed his brother. How heartbreaking. Beyond heartbreaking.

God wasn’t comparing the brothers.  God wasn’t even comparing the gifts they brought. God was looking at their hearts, considering the level of sacrifice that those specific gifts represented.  Abel brought his best, and God accepted. Cain brought a leftover, and God rejected.

The scarcity mentality is a dangerous trap for anyone.  Friend, you need to be so rooted in the love of Christ that you realize there’s enough love for everyone. ALL of His children are precious – just because one is loved it does not follow that another is unloved.  Just because one has a talent, it does not follow that another does not have a talent.  Just because one receives a gift, it does not follow that another goes without.

Do you understand that another person’s gifts don’t take anything away from you? There ought to be no competition in the body of Christ. What cause did Cain have to be angry at Abel?  What did Abel do to Cain? Abel’s offering had nothing to do with Cain, it wasn’t a reflection of Cain, he didn’t make an offering for the purpose of showing anyone else up.  Abel was making an offering to the Lord, bringing his gift. Let’s not create some dialogue that isn’t here.

Saul did the same thing with David – remember when the people cheered “Saul slayed his thousands, David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). Saul received these words as a personal attack. It wasn’t. David was on Saul’s team then – Saul could have looked at David’s victories as his own.  There was room for more than one person to be successful. Cain could have taken an example from his brother, made an acceptable offering to the Lord. Both of their gifts would have been accepted. Cain thought it was an either/or, when it could have easily been both.

In his scarcity mentality, Cain felt as if the only way to make himself look better/feel better was to knock down anyone around him, even his own brother.  You know, we behave differently when we think we are unloved.

I was watching a movie the other day, and these two academics were walking outside on a beautiful sunny day.  One had an umbrella, and the other asked why. He answered, “I’m going to a cricket match, and I think if I’m prepared for rain, God won’t allow rain.  Watch this” (as he shouts at the sky) ” ‘God, I’m going to spend the afternoon in the library!’ See, that’s almost a guarantee that it won’t rain.  If I’m not prepared, that’s when God will send the rain and ruin my day. You see, I’m an atheist.”  His companion said, “You are not an atheist.  You believe in God, you just think that He doesn’t like you.”

If we could really get ahold of that, of how much the Father loves us and values us and treasures us, we would be at peace and confident and abundant and safe in a way that would completely change our us.  If we were changed that dramatically, the people within our sphere of influence would be changed as well.

Next week, let’s circle back to our original verse, 1 John 3:13-18 and tie this up.  This is the longest rabbit trail y’all have ever had to follow me on – thanks for staying with me!

Today’s treasure?  God’s love can transform us from the inside out. When we know He loves us and we know that He has our very best in His heart, we aren’t threatened when we see that He loves the people around us too. I’m praying that you don’t fall victim to some sort of scarcity mentality: in God’s economy, there is enough (enough love, success, peace, provision, enough fill-in-the-blank-here) for ALL of us.  God does bless us, every one. ❤

Jennifer 🙂

faith works by love #1 :)

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I want to spend a couple of weeks on this verse.  It’s all about love – being able to give it, and being able to receive it. Operating in the love of God, resting in His love, sharing His love with the people in your sphere of influence…. Our faith works by love (Galatians 5:6), so let’s explore a little about love!

“In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,  not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 3:10-12 NKJV)

Let’s just take a quick look at Cain and Abel – y’all know I can’t resist a history lesson 🙂  We’ll circle back!

“Then Eve bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,  but He did not respect Cain and his offering.” (Genesis 4:3-5 NKJV)

A few things to notice:

  • Cain made an offering of the fruit of the ground.  Abel made an offering of an animal. On the surface, that may not look like it was a lesser gift.  Cain was a farmer, and Abel was a herdsman – so one offered fruit and the other offered an animal – big deal?

  • The big deal is that the offerings were not equal.  The Bible says Cain offered “fruit of the ground”. The Bible could have said, “Abel offered an animal” – if he had only offered an animal. However, Abel’s offering was described as “of his flock”, but Cain’s offering did not say it came “of his harvest”.  This may have been a wild fruit that he didn’t even grow.

  • Moses specified that Abel’s offering was a firstborn.  Again, Cain’s offering isn’t specified as a firstfruit, and when you take a look at the rest of Moses’ writings, he does use a word in other places that is means firstfruit.  It’s a different word – when you translate it back, there’s a word for fruit and there’s a different word for firstfruit.  There was definite significance to the first in scripture.

  • Abel’s offering was a firstborn and all their fat – fat here signifies the best, the richest, the choicest.

Cain’s wasn’t a firstfruit offering.  To be honest, this fruit might not have even come from his own harvest.  Cain’s was an offering which cost him nothing. Abel brought the best he had to the Lord, and apparently Cain picked a few wild fruits and called it a day.

Their offerings were not the same – but the Lord wasn’t looking for the same in value (never that, even today).  He was (and still is) looking for the same level of sacrifice. When you read the Old Testament, take every opportunity to apply the character of the God you know today to the God of the Old Testament – He’s exactly the same, yesterday, today and forever.  When it seems harsh, take a deeper look.  Let’s move on, because we’re about to see a little more character revealed – both God’s and Cain’s.

“And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:5-7 NKJV)

When God called Cain out, Cain was angry, but his anger was displaced. Before he even spoke a word, the Lord read his heart: “Why are you angry?  If you do well, won’t you be accepted?”  I think God is saying to Cain, “Hey – you don’t have anything to be angry about, Abel’s offering didn’t have anything to do with you. I’m not comparing gifts – if you had done well, you would have been accepted too.”

Cain took Abel’s offering to a place it didn’t have to go.  I think that God is gracious enough here, and Cain could have said, “Lord, you’re right and I’m sorry.  Here’s a firstfruit from my harvest” and I think God would have accepted it.  He could have accepted God’s question in the way it was meant: as a correction and opportunity to get back on track. Cain didn’t go that way, though.

We can displace our emotions at times, too, can’t we?  Have you ever been angry at a person or a situation that really didn’t affect you?  We’ve all been there, but it isn’t necessary. Comparison is a trap, and everyone loses. Cain compared his gift to Abel’s gift (even though the gifts were not at all the same).  Cain also compared God’s response to him with God’s response to Abel (even though the response to the gifts were not at all the same). It was a moment for personal reflection, and Cain decided that there was only one way to bring himself higher, and that was to push his brother lower.

Have we had similar thoughts as well?  Lord, please help us. Let’s continue this next week, find out what Cain did do with his displaced emotion, and talk about how we can avoid the same trap.

What’s the treasure today?  It’s knowing that God loves you as you, and doesn’t compare you to anyone or expect you to be like anyone else.  Praying you can be confident in His incomparable love for you today! ❤

Jennifer 🙂