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is suffering supposed to be a part of the christian’s life?
depending on what theology you embrace you might think that when you’re doing your best to DO RIGHT and serve God that bad things just “shouldn’t happen”.
if you take the bible in it’s complete context though you just can’t escape that sometimes suffering is a part of life in a “fallen world’. now i didn’t say you needed to “love seasons of suffering”. i’m certainly not saying you shouldn’t take time to ENJOY the small things and look for the bright side. but, we’ve got to face the facts that even God fearing God honoring people suffer on occasions.
i know that message doesn’t necessarily sell books, CD’s, DVD’s - and this title for a conference doesn’t pack out large stadiums. but it’s still true. suffering is a part of the believer’s life.
Thank God for seasons of joy, laughter, brightness in relationships. but it’s like everything else we take the good and the bad. Jesus Himself said the student is not better than the teacher. there if Jesus (our ultimate) teacher suffered on this earth - so will we. the good news is we don’t just suffer to suffer or be miserable.
there is a blessing in our suffering (provided we are not suffering for wrong doing). the Word makes it clear if we suffer because we break the law - there is no blessing in that (yes, we can learn from that and repent and go on to be blessed). but the point is we are not to break the law - then suffer and say hey i’m suffering for being a christian. no, in those cases we are suffering for breaking the law.
we are blessed in our suffering - when we do what’s right. let’s say for example you do your best in a relationship (business or personal). let’s say you are honest, forthright, loving, forgiving and the relationship falls apart. then let’s say you are falsely accused, or you’re talked about in a negative way. the Word makes it clear if you don’t return insult with insult but rather with a blessing you will receive a blessing.
we all wonder why things go awry. sometimes it’s a relationship, a business partnership, a church membership - maybe even a family reunion. there is NO guarantee that things will always be favorable. there is however a reward for all those who endure wrongdoing, suffering with the right heart and attitude.
i’m sharing the message of the christian life and suffering to help us grow in our faith with God in our relationships with one another. you can watch that message on WHTN on Monday at 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM you can also watch it online at www.ctntv.org. If you’ve got DirecTV or Dish you can watch Tuesday evening at 8 PM EST on Christian Television Network. There is also a free study guide available - you can call WHTN at 615 754 0039 to receive it.
let’s face it, suffering isn’t our favorite part of life. but God can do incredible things in us and through us when we can suffer and learn the ways of God. when you’re insulted and tempted to “speak your mind” - practice restraint. sure you can say what you need to say - but speak with GRACE and go ahead and bless the person. God sees everything. He will reward us. He is NOT mocked.
if you’re in a season of suffering -take heart. no season lasts forever. praise and trust God. look for pockets of hope. laugh when and where you can. He will make all GRACE abound to us. you can count on that.
shalom,
monica
What Mirror Reflects Your Image?
i had the opportunity to spend some time with some of the women from Grace Place in the nashville area. we had a wonderful time sharing, talking, praying, laughing and of course eating.
i spoke on Image. we’ve all the experience of walking past a mirror and feeling like UGH. but the image we were talking about is how we are made in God’s image. God says His Word is like a MIRROR that shows us who we really are. more than that His Word not only shows us who we are - but what needs to change - and then He gives us the power to change.
there are also other Mirrors that try to tell us about our image. just the “world’s system” for example. we’re told by the media, family members, friends, co-workers whether we are too tall, too short - think about really the world’s got a standard from everything from our height, to our weight and even our hairstyle. images are constantly touted before us as what we need to be and what we need to achieve.
sometimes looking at our image is like looking into one of those “distorted” mirrors at the carnival. you know the ones that make us look 7 feet tall and then 2 feet tall. then we’re 100 pounds and then uh oh we are over 400 pounds. we laugh as we look in those mirrors because the image is so ridiculous. we know we don’t really look like that.
the truth is the more we look into God’s Word as our mirror the more our reflection looks like Him. as we look intently into His Word as our mirror we can start laughing at what the world (and even others) say we need to be. when others say “hey you’ll never be able to achieve that”….or “you’ll have be a day late and dollar short”…we can gaze into God’s Word and say “no that’s not right. God says He’ll provide all of my needs”. if someone says “that just runs in our family”….you can say “but God says by the stripes of Christ I am healed”. you get the idea. we can replace the distorted images with God’s Word that tells us the truth. as we spend time in His Word and look intently our image (distorted though it may be) will be transformed into His image.
i had a great time with some of the women from GRACE place. great bunch of women who love God and each other. it was wonderful to talk and laugh with them. it was wonderful to look into His mirror with my sisters and pray earnestly to exchange our image for His image.
His Mirror tells us the truth…..and gives us the power to live out that truth.
shalom,
monica
from every plan there is a journey of steps, choices, detours and turns
from every plan there is a journey of steps, choices, detours and turns. it’s almost as if those steps, choices, detours and turns are roadblocks that challenge us in our goal to go the distance.
at some point we’ve all decided to go the distance. we’ve taken the word QUIT out of our vocabulary and worked with everything we have to ensure our success. if we look at our good friend the apostle peter we see a man determined. he vowed before Jesus that even if everybody deserted Him - he would remain faithful. almost immediately peter’s declaring of faith and commitment were challenged. peter failed and abandoned Jesus. but after failing Jesus miserably peter got back up and got in the race.
the truth is for all of us whether we are on a diet, going back to school, or striving to eliminate all the negativity out of our vocabulary we have goals. we have huge moments of clarity and determination. then the phone rings, an unexpected bill arrives, we lose our job or we see a candy bar too good to resist in the checkout lane…and we question our ability to go the distance.
sometimes it’s the i have been on the road so long are we there yet syndrome? if you’ve ever been on a road trip with a small child you’ve heard it before. it’s a 10 hour trip and 30 minutes into it you hear “are we there yet?”. it’s a question we’ve all posed.
it’s a question that can sometimes get us into trouble. we start praying for someone for example. then a few weeks later we find ourselves thinking how come they haven’t changed yet? God why haven’t you answered yet? in other words i have been at this for awhile now are we there yet …..can this trial be over?
i wish we could pick our “trial over date”. there are times i have prayed and it seems like FOREVER before there is even a trickle of HOPE. but our christian life is not a sprint, it’s more like a marathon. we may wonder if we are there yet but we must be committed to go the distance.
the distance may be filled with detours, roadblocks and choices but we can overcome. sure there is the temptation to stop short. and even if we fail miserably at some point like peter did we can always get back up and get in the race.
after all peter denied Jesus. but he didn’t stop there. he got back up and admitted and repented for his failure. he got back up and remembered what was important to him - Jesus and he committed again to go the distance.
we are confronted with some of the same challenges from time to time. at this time we can remind ourselves that despite obstacles, detours and even derailments we can get back up again and Go the Distance! peter did and we can too.
shalom,
monica
Go the Distance……
there is a supernatural level to forgiveness….
just yesterday i interviewed one of the attorneys for gaile owens. you may have heard or read about gaile owens on TV or in the paper. she is on death row at the TN Prison for women her execution date is set for september 28, 2010. her crime? she was convicted of having her husband murdered. she was an abused and battered wife.
you can read about her story by visiting www.friendsofgaile.com.
i talked at length with one of gaile’s attorneys, kelley henry. ms. henry and another attorney are appealing for clemency for ms. owens. as you read ms owens story you see that she pled guilty from the start. she plead guilty in exchange for having the death penalty removed from her sentence. to make a long story short - she ended up with the death penalty anyway.
amazingly gaile owen’s son stephen reconciled with her a few months ago. yes, amazingly, miraculously her son came to a place of forgiveness for his mom. her son is a victim himself. after all, he lost his father due to gaile’s actions - you can imagine his pain at losing a father - and having a mother who ended up in prison. his life forever altered by this crime.
yet stephen owens came to a place of forgiveness for his mother. you can even see him via video on the website above pleading before the Governor of TN to commute his mom’s sentence. he says “forgiveness on this level is hard to understand”. and yes, it is hard to comprehend. yet forgiveness has a supernatural element to it. when we open ourselves up to the love of God - all things are possible. stephen goes on to say to the Governor “please don’t let the legacy of my family end in a death sentence”.
after all this is how God forgives us. He forgives us out of His love. it’s true that Love NEVER fails. Love overcomes all things. just read 1 Corinthians 13 where true love is described.
as i consider the gaile owens story. i see a woman very remorseful for her actions. i see a young man who came to the place of forgiveness for his mom. i see great tragedy. i also see a life change and hope for the future. forgiveness brings us to a place of renewed hope.
in our individual lives the forgiveness of Christ gives us new life and renewed hope in this age and the age to come. in our relationships with one another forgiveness brings our relationships into proper perspective. betrayal can come to a place of hope where there is forgiveness.
some will tell you that forgiveness is a choice. some will tell you that forgiveness is NOT possible. the Word of God say that with God ALL things are possible. certainly, forgiveness begins with a choice to obey God’s Word. bu there is also a supernatural element where the power of God works in our heart to make forgiveness possible.
that’s what happened in stephen owen’s life. God took his hurting broken hurt and filled it with His love. God worked in stephen’s heart through His love to allow him to forgive his mom - to be reconciled to her and to be so filled with love for her that he will ask the Governor for clemency for his mom.
this story of supernatural forgivness touches my heart deeply. it is confirmation of God’s goodness. God will make is possible for you to forgive those who have wronged you. yes, it begins with your choice - but God will work in you supernaturally also to make it possible. just ask Him. He will answer.
join with stephen owens now and hear his cries for his mom’s life. please go to the www.friendsofgaile.comwebsite and sign the petition. God has already done so many miracles in gaile’s life. let’s join together and see one more miracle for the owen’s family. they have all suffered enough.
shalom,
monica
ps i just received the good news today that:
Governor Bredesen announced Wednesday, July 14, that he has commuted Gaile’s death penalty sentence to life in prison. Gaile will be eligible for parole in late 2011. The Friends of Gaile committee would like to thank everyone who signed the petition, wrote the Governor and helped spread the word about Gaile’s case. We are so grateful for your support. Thank you.
forgiveness matters
this week on CTN we launch my new teaching series on “Forgiveness Matters”.
every last one of us at one point or another have stood in the place of needing forgiveness. we have also been at the place where we need to forgive. if you’re a believe in Christ you’ve probably heard about how God requires us to forgive if we want to be forgiven. and that’s true. you’ve also probably heard how forgiveness is a choice and that’s also true.
we must also realize though that forgiveness is supernatural. it is God that gives us the GRACE and ability to forgive those that wrong us. now, i am not saying that so that you hold onto your anger, bitterness, etc and just say God when you supernaturally enable me - then i will forgive.
we must do our part. we must honor scripture - we must make the choice - but we also must depend on God to make us able to do what we cannot do on our own. i encourage you to watch forgiveness matters this week on bridges. check out www.ctntv.org for complete program listings and air schedules. on DirecTV you can watch Bridges on channel # 376 at 11:30 Sundays EST and 9 PM on Tuesdays EST.
i watched a news story this week of a young man whose father was murdered when he was a child. his mother hired the man who actually killed his dad. his mom now faces execution and is on death row. it took him some years but he came to the place of forgiving his mom. he even visited her in prison. he even pleads with the Governor of the State of TN to have mercy on his mother. he says “please do not allow the death penalty to be the legacy of my family”. read more about this story and the miraculous gift of forgiveness at www.friendsofgaile.com he further explains i know forgiveness on this level can be hard to understand. yes, it is hard to understand with our natural minds.
but God and only God can and will give you the ability to forgive if you ask Him. scripture requires us to forgive. we must decide or make the choice to forgive. but God makes us able. He takes even deep hurts and places of betrayal and will give us the willingness to forgive. He will give us hearts so filled with His love which make us able to forgive.
you can contact me via this site if you’d like a study guide on forgiveness matters.
shalom,
monica
