Are You Proud of Me?

My grandsons live in Nebraska so I often write to them or call. Last week I wrote Ashton, age 12, telling him how proud his Papaw and I are of him for being baptized. In their church, even youngsters have to stand and testify about what they believe about Jesus. Our daughter, Miriam, reported that Ashton, though fearful, had read in a clear, loud voice before his large church congregation. I was proud of him and told him so.

I’ve been asking the Lord over many days how he wants me to pray for Buck, my dear son-in-law, who has a new tumor in each lung and has just found out he has cancer.  I want God to be proud of me, pleased with me, not ashamed of me in this trial. In seeking God’s mind, I thought of Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. I was familiar with the long list of men and women who had faith: Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson and more.  On first reading it seemed there were two categories of people; those who were delivered after their prayers, and those who weren’t.

Daniel in the lion's den

Exhibit #1: You recall Daniel, who, because he feared God, had jealous enemies. In vain they looked for fault in Daniel’s business, so these men attacked his worship of God, and baited the king into signing a law against worshipping God.  Knowing this, Daniel continued praying “as he had done previously,” (Daniel 6:10) and was thrown into the lions’ den.  A wonderful miracle happened that night, as God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths. There was deliverance for Daniel, and commendation from God for his faith.  

The stoning of Stephen

Exhibit #2: Stephen, a follower of Jesus, is identified in Hebrews 11 as ‘stoned to death’. Like Daniel, he was a man filled with the Spirit. When he had the opportunity, he told the large crowd of Jews that they had betrayed and murdered the Righteous One, the promised Messiah. With hands over their ears, and screaming furiously, the leading religious leaders stoned him to death. It was death for Stephen, and commendation from God for his faith.

The people listed in Hebrews 11 were commended for believing in God’s promises, but Hebrews says that none of these men and women of faith received what they were really looking for (Hebrews 11:39). And what was that? That God was proud of them, not ashamed of them? If not deliverance, or the miracle promised in Isaac, or Moses’ momentous leading of Israel through the Red Sea, what then?

I told the Lord I needed to know. We women need to know because we want our Father to be proud of us. We want what he wants, don’t we?  The answer is in Hebrews 11:16 and it is easy to see why God is so proud of them: 

“They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (ESV)

He prepared for them

a city.

“They were after a far better country, a heavenly country.”  (MSG)

Miriam and Buck have three boys, soon to be 12, 10, and 6. Wouldn’t the Lord want them to have a father?  Perhaps… and he gives me faith to believe Him for that. What are your deepest needs, hardest trials today? Are you looking for deliverance, healing, help out of deep financial trouble? God is willing and able to give those answers.  

But what if he doesn’t?  We can still be sure that if we consider ourselves strangers here, like the men and women of faith did, we’ll be women who look more toward eternal things. We’ll look ahead to the better country God has prepared for us, for our beloved children, and grandchildren. It’s a far better place than anything we have on this fallen earth. That eternal perspective will change the way we think and act. And He will be proud of us, “not ashamed to be called our God”.

Susan Hamlin, Prayer Chairman
CBS Rutherfordton Day Class

A Proper Fit

A new year has begun for Community Bible Study-Rutherfordton Day Class and what an adventure it is.  Some are new to CBS this year, some have been around for years and some have shifted positions, taking a leadership role this year.  Is anyone wondering, “What have I gotten myself into?” “Why did I agree to do this; this is really hard?” 

Are you perhaps feeling like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole?  Even those of us who seem to have it all together feel that way.  Trying to get every I dotted and every T crossed in our lessons, getting acclimated to a new Core Group leader, and meeting new ladies that you’ll spend thirty weeks with being real and sharing thoughts can feel daunting and challenging. We may second guess ourselves, and that's okay, as long as we are fitting into God's plan with our focus on Him.

Think about a puzzle: some puzzle pieces fit in perfectly, while others just don't seem to fit anywhere.  If we persevere and get the whole puzzle together then we can stand back and see how every piece had its place and how each piece needed the ones around it to make a complete picture. 

That is the way I see each of us in CBS. God has given us talents and gifts to use to complete His beautiful picture.  Each of us is here because God made it clear that we are to be here.  When He calls, He equips.  Each of us has different talents and abilities and personalities, which He expects us to use uniquely as individuals.  We aren't to try to do things like the person next to us, because we aren't that person, but we are to work together in unity and harmony to achieve the goal of providing an in-depth and caring Bible study available to all. 

Maybe some ladies feel that their talents and abilities are nothing special.   In Exodus 31:1-11, God, through Moses, appointed skilled craftsmen to construct the Tabernacle and all its furnishings, but it also states that God GAVE these craftsmen their abilities.  It says in verses 3 & 6 that God filled them with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and all kinds of craftsmanship and PUT skill into them. 

However, it took more than these few men that are named to complete the whole Tabernacle.  There were many workers who gathered fuel for the metal workers to use in the refining process for the gold, silver and bronze.  Others hand stitched the various fabric items needed.  There were those who carried water to quench the thirst of the sweaty workers.  Some gathered wood to build the furnishings.  It took EVERYONE working together, doing what they could, the best they could to complete the task that God had commanded.  They were working as a body.

Just as our body parts have varied functions, but are all necessary for complete physical health, so all the workers functioned together as a unit, for a common purpose.  Individually each person was just a puzzle piece, but when they all came together and put their piece(s) to work where they fit, a great structure became a reality.

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men." 

                                                                               Colossians 3:23

Each of us has been called to be a part of God's perfect picture, not because we are perfect, but because God is putting the pieces of our lives together to honor and glorify Him.  Each of us is unique and special and nobody else’s puzzle piece will fit where yours is meant to fit.  One of my favorite Bible verses is II Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” 

So as we have embarked on this study of Corinthians, I encourage each of us to look to God for guidance and not compare ourselves with each other.  We are all workmen together.

Prayer: “Lord help each of us see where the puzzle piece of our life fits into your plan and then give each of us the skill to use the talents and abilities you have given us to further your Kingdom.  Amen.”

by Lorna Hawley

Core Group Leader