Author: Rebecca Edwards

Posted on

The Eternal Internal Power

Dear Sister,

Don’t you just love stories of an underdog’s triumph? The poor, weak individual who overcomes great obstacles, finds strength, defeats the stronger foe, and stands on top with great victory and power at the end! All throughout, the storyline shows how the feeble character finds, develops, and builds their previously undiscovered power. These stories rarely fail to fire me up and cause me to dig deeper into my soul to conquer whatever challenge I face at the time. I. Will. Win.

But, then I read Jesus’ message: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9b. This is still part of an underdog story, but it has a different ending. Instead of a vibrant winner (Paul, in this case) being carried jubilantly to the front of the church, a model of health, he continued to limp along in their midst. This ending is all the more significant because Jesus gets the glory. For, in spite of his ailment, and perhaps because of it, Jesus is seen in Paul’s actions—in his life. Jesus is glorified, not Paul.

I delight in precision, order, and perfection. I strive and goad myself to reach goals that have tangible evidence of success. Now, I am dismayed to find that I may have been investing a great amount of time ‘painting the outside’ and neglecting the much more important eternal inside. That is not to say our physical well-being, careers, and the state of our possessions do not matter; but they cannot compare to the value of our relationship with Christ. And, above all, all aspects of our lives should point to and give glory to our Lord and Savior.

If I am in the spotlight, beautiful and strong in my own right, I can distract others from the Lord. No, I can never take away from His glory, but I do not want to impede another’s access to our precious Savior, nor do I want to bask in that which is fleeting. So, while I do not want trials and struggles (here, I freely admit I am weak and treasure my creature comforts), I do echo Paul’s desire that Jesus’ power dwell in me. Lord, if You are glorified more because I suffer—please, grant me Your mercy and Your power to persevere and let this unworthy vessel shine transparent for You.

Stumbling with you,

 

Rebecca

Posted on

Delightful Presence

Dear Sister,
All too often I am driven, focused, and fulfilled by completing my to-do list. The goals of the day tend to consume my thoughts, time and energy. I find a great amount of delight in recounting all the accomplishments of the day—much as one might finger precious jewels. Until recently, I felt such an approach to life was, ahem, a rather superior one.

Suddenly it dawned on me though cleaning, laundry, cooking, creating, grading, managing the finances, etc. are all important, they will not last—in fact, they are often undone or need to be done again in a matter of moments. 1 Cor. 13:8 came to mind: “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.” Finish laundry or stop to love on my kids? Rush home with the groceries or spend a moment talking with the bagger? Jump into the morning to get some early work done or spend time with God before the craziness begins? Frankly, I feel the Holy Spirit telling me love should always win—relationships are the trump cards. It is not that God does not want me to work or to take delight in my work, on the contrary—He just wants me to do so in the right context, with the right priorities.

Yes, the work is crucial, but as a means to an end—it is the background for delighting in God’s presence and relating with others. The world, things, our creations are simply the playing field for our real work: relationships. The Greatest Commandments are to love God and to love others (Matthew 22:36-39). Those are the ultimate achievements in our world—nothing else matters in comparison.

I have discovered that I was glorying in the exquisite way I could manicure the field where the game was to be played. Oh, it was beautiful! I had disciplined myself to produce an excellent piece of work. Unfortunately, the actual game is of infinitely greater value than the field upon which it is played. With tears of regret, I am beginning to restructure my priorities to reflect my Lord’s. The necessary surgery is a painful one, for pride is involved; but He is gentle surgeon, and I know though the recovery may be long and difficult, He will not stop healing me until I too can play the game with great skill. It is a wonderful thing to find delight in His presence!
Running with you,
Rebecca

Posted on

Affliction Seen

Dear Sister,

I found an unlikely source for this month’s topic: Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian maid in Genesis 16. When her name comes up, Abram has already been promised a son by the Lord, through whom the creation of a new nation would come. This son had not materialized in a pregnancy of her own, so Sarai determined the baby must need to come through her maid, Hagar. In due time, Hagar was pregnant and suddenly disdainful of her mistress. Sarai, whose objective was met in her maid’s pregnancy, was furious with her maid’s new attitude and treated her (with Abram’s approval) accordingly. So, Hagar ran away.

The Lord met Hagar in the desert and told her to return to her Sarai and submit to her authority. He said that Hagar’s descendants would be too many to count. And, He noted her affliction.

He did not take away her pain, trials, or frustration. In fact, He told her to go back to them and face them. He told her He was going to bless her with many descendants, but her son (who God called Ishmael: “God hears”) would be a man full of struggles.

Hagar’s story certainly did not have the fairy tale ending for which we have a proclivity. Her story was one of difficulty and disappointments—she never rose above her servant status; but then we read Hagar’s words in Genesis 6:13, “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God who sees’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?’” The Bible records an obstinate servant girl’s name for God! El Roi – God sees.

In the midst of our affliction, especially those of us who are believers—children of the promise through the blood of Jesus Christ—we can be confident that He is El Roi. He sees, works with and through our trials to bless us, to perfect us, to bring honor to His name through us. God does not idly flip through the channels of our lives, missing our pain. Rather, He meets us in our deserts, confronts us and blesses us even in the dust. He sees!

Running with you,

Rebecca

Posted on

Glory

Dear Sister,

From Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of The English Language:

“GLORY, n. [L. gloria; Fr. glorie; Sp. and It. gloria; Ir. gloir, glory, and glor, clear; W. eglur, clear, bright; Arm. gloar glory.   It coincides with clear, and the primary sense seems to be to open, to expand, to enlarge. So splendor is from the Celtic ysplan, open, clear, plain, L. planus; hence, bright, shining. Glory, then, is brightness, splendor. The L. floreo, to blossom, to flower, to flourish, is probably of the same family.]

1. Brightness; luster; splendor.

The moon, serene in glory, mounts the sky. – Pope

For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. 2 Pet. i.

In this passage of Peter, the latter word glory refers to the visible splendor or bright cloud that overshadows Christ at his transfiguration. The former word glory, though the same in the original, is to be understood in a figurative sense.

2. Splendor; magnificence.

Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Matt. vi.

3. The circle of rays surrounding the head of a figure in painting.

4. Praise ascribed in adoration; honor.

Glory to God in the highest. Luke ii.

5. Honor; praise; fame; renown; celebrity.

The hero pants for the glory in the field. It was the glory of Howard to relieve the wretched.

6. The felicity of heaven prepared for the children of God; celestial bliss.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory. Ps. lxxiii.

7. In scripture, the divine presence; or the ark, the manifestation of it.

The glory is departed from Israel. 1 Sam. iv.

8. The divine perfections or excellence.

The heavens declare the glory of God. Ps. xix.

9. Honorable representation of God. 1 Cor. xi. viii.

10. Distinguished honor or ornament; that which honors or makes renowned; that of which one may boast.

Babylon, the glory of kingdoms. Is. xiii.

11. Pride; boastfulness; arrogance; as vain glory.

12. Generous pride.   Sidney.

MoreGlory

 

 

 

 

 

 

GLORY, v. i. [L. glorior ,from gloria.] To exult with joy; to rejoice.

Glory ye in his holy name. Ps. cv.   1 Chron. xvi

2. To boast; to be proud of.

No one should glory in his prosperity. –Richardson.”

God’s glory is all around and within His creation, within us; His glory is waiting for us in heaven; and it is our purpose, goal, ambition, our hope to glorify Him!

Running with you,

Rebecca

Posted on

Wisdom at the Gate

Dear Sister,

I have a confession to make. I love to read. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping, I’ll sneak in some reading. I will slip away from the kids and my husband to read a few pages. I read in bed, while multitasking (not very well), on the computer, in the bathtub, outside, in the car. I read, read, read, read, read. Books, articles, dictionaries, reference works, all types of genre, on the Kindle, on the computer, in newspapers, and magazines; but my favorite mode of reading is snuggled a comfy chair with a good, well-worn paperback book and a steaming hot cup of tea.

I read for entertainment, new ideas, how-tos, and for insight. Besides my occasional inability to appropriately budget my reading time, the hunt for insight can get me into trouble. We do not have cable TV in our home. Early on in our marriage, we determined we did not want to have to pay for TV, nor did we want the distraction of all the TV channels pumped into our home. So, if we want to know about the current events of the day, we read (yes, we do have the internet). That is where the trouble begins. I can ask any number of questions (do I vaccinate, should I recycle, what about the situation in Ukraine, is evolution a verifiable fact, is the Bible truth?); but the real question is how do I discern the truth?

Our society leans heavily toward listening and following the polished, bombastic, handsome person delivering an answer (and to the answer most beneficial to self); more than it does toward discerning actual truth. Our pastor at Azorean Baptist Church in Portugal liked to say that as a society (this was an American-Portuguese community), if given a choice between hard work and flying pigs, the flying pigs would win every time. I also find myself suckered by gimmicks, and worried over inflammatory articles. Neither indicates a wise response.

During ancient biblical times, governing and economic business occurred in the gates of the cities—those who had wisdom in their fields of business were found in the gates, conducting business, governing the city, imparting wisdom. The Israelites could look to those who had experience for their counsel. Solomon himself says, “Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice? On top of the heights beside the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates, at the opening to the city, at the entrance of the doors, she cries out: ‘To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O naïve ones, understand prudence; and, O fools, understand wisdom.’” Proverbs 8:1-5.

We are not born with wisdom; we have to seek it out. But, while we may not be blessed with innate wisdom, we do have the ability to choose where we find our counsel. Dear sister, this is crucial! Look past appearances and around the easy answers you know you are naturally drawn to. Select marital guidance from someone who has a marriage that has gone the distance and works instead of from flippant lines on the newest witty sitcom. Find economic advice from those who have built and maintained successful, honest businesses that are a benefit to their families as well as to the community. Search out counsel about societal truths from those working in the depths of humanity and making an impact for good, not just from teachers (or politicians) who sit and pontificate their newest theories.

It is nigh impossible for me to get out from behind my computer and search for those truly making a difference; but I know in the long run, discovering wise counsel is a journey worth sacrificing for. “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:34-35.

Running with you,
Rebecca