Don't be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don't reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you're only being cute and inviting sacrilege.

Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better.

...Don't look for shortcuts to God.... The way to life- to God!- is vigorous and requires total attention.

...Don't be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned

Knowing the correct password - saying 'Master, Master,' for instance- isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience- doing what my Father wills. I can see it now- at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.'

These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeownder improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit- but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.

When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying- quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

(Part of) Matthew 7, The Message


This is what we will be discussing tonight at bible study. I doubt we'll be able to make it very far.... but I'm ruminating in it right now, and I feel like someone's just tossed me in the dryer with a few rocks. It's one of those pieces of scripture where I am all amens... but then a wave of fear of God tingles down my spine, and I just want to cry. Oh Lord- let me be sincere- purge my motivations. Whether or not we like to admit it, our natural tendency is to work for what we want, and that means manipulating others, by our emotions, our silence, our laughter, our clothing, and most blantantly, our words. I don't want any of those things to be true of me- but at times, they are. The deeper my desire, the more I catch myself dropping into this tendency. It's the opposite of trust. Trust isn't clouds and daisies- it's concrete faith in the truth that God is bigger, deeper, stronger, wiser, greater, more committed to us then us, more loving then any earthly example ever shown (besides, Jesus). I feel like the whole first half of this chapter (in the Message at least) is addressing those ways we manipulate to get what we want... even try to manipulate God into letting us 'have our way.' But the truth is, He genuinely is already more committed to good for us then we are. He just is strictly opposed to short cuts. To our earthly minds, good is possessions and comfort and happiness. Even relationships become 'possessions.' But to Him, goodness is something that He works into us all at our cores, and from there works OUT into every piece of our lives. "Good" in our lives are not possessions. He adds all those things along our path, but then they are not possessions, they are tools and blessings to grow MORE goodness. That's the point of my revelation at least at this point (I'm only 23- it's probably quite shallow in comparison to the fulness of the truth).

I want trust, not short-cuts. Thats the confession of my mouth, and the cry of my heart... though its in a battle right now.

The Lord has been speaking over me the last week, 'Surrender yourself to the battle.' And by that, he doesn't mean, start fighting. If you know me, you've probably recognized a certain quality about me- I fight. There are so many who need someone to fight for them, and so many truths I've had to fight to hold onto, and other lies I've had to defeat. There has always been a battle, and I assume there always will be. The Lord has created me strong to fight and hold on. And this week, He's teaching me something new.

Remember the classic moment in Alladin, where Jasmine in deep anger shouts, "I am not a prize to be won" and we all cheered? Well... I am a prize to be won. That's what the Lord has spoken to me. 'Surrender yourself up as the prize of the battle' and you'll be Mine, because I ALWAYS win. That's what He told me last Sunday as I cried in worship, "Lord, I just want to be Yours."

It's so practical though, and I guess in that, it is a fight. But it's the fight to sit, to wait, to trust and watch for my God to work His victory out in my life. It's not running or hiding, its not convincing myself 'oh it probably won't happen, so don't get excited' as has been my habit. No, it's telling myself "Something is near, something wonderful, dream, keep your heart soft, and get excited!" "Don't try to figure it out- don't try to uncover the mystery before it's time- but KNOW that there is something on the other side of this night." I'm closer to the reality of many of my dreams then I ever would have guessed I'd be. I've put my name in the hats. I've been surrendered as the 'prize of the battle.' Linda Cline's encouragement to me to "live in alert expectancy" takes on yet another facet of the Lord's voice- alert expectancy is a posture of waiting and watching, of expecting. It's the posture you have when you sit at night, wrapped in a blanket, waiting for the sunrise. Alert expectancy.