Janice Thompson's Blog, page 25

The Dance of Purity

Swingin' Scripture: Psalm 51:10 – 12

Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a right spirit within me.  Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

David's Dance:

Incredible!  David was only human, just like us.  He fell from God.  He slipped away, in the same ways we do most every day.  But he cried out, "Make me pure again, Lord."  He wanted the Lord to take away his shameful sin and renew his mind.  He also asked God to restore his soul.  He was saying, "make what was once good, gone bad, good again!  Restore my way of thinking.  Help me realize I'm wrong, Lord and make things right again.  Restore (make know to me again) your salvation!"  David wanted a fresh start!

Questions to Keep You on Your Toes:

Isn't it great to know that David slipped and made mistakes too?  Explain why.
Is there a situation in your life where you need to be restored?
How does a person get "restored" anyway?

Set Your Feet to Dancin'

In the same way David fell, we fall almost every day.  What we neglect to realize is (like with David), God can restore us, make us new.  We can have a fresh start, each and every day.  The Bible says, "God makes us new every morning."  We must not forget how forgiving God is.  If we come back to Him after making mistakes, He will restore us our minds, our souls, our relationship with Him and even our relationships with others!

On Your Knees, Please!

Dear God,

Restore my soul!  Give me a fresh start!  Be to me like you were to David.  Make every day a new day in You. Thank You for being such a forgiving God.  I love you!  Amen.

And All That Jazz… (thought for the day)

Get ready to begin again!

 

Battling Injustice

Sword of the Spirit (Psalm 11)

I trust in the LORD for protection.  So why do you say to me, "Fly to the mountains for safety!  The foundations of law and order have collapsed.  What can the righteous do?" But the LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven.  He watches everything closely, examining everyone on earth.  The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked.  For the LORD is righteous, and he loves justice.  (For more about God feels about injustice, read all of Psalm 11)

David's Battle: Injustice

David knew that life wasn't always fair.  He had to deal with a lot of injustice.  We do too.  Every time something happens to us that's not fair, we fight this battle.  People might wonder why David had such peace when there was so much injustice in his life.   So many times, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the stuff that was happening.  The really cool part was that he knew God was watching everything on the earth very closely – looking carefully at both the good and the bad.  Even though David couldn't always take care of the injustice he saw, he knew that God could.  Because of that, he knew that he could trust God.  This was really important.  When he said, "The Lord is in His holy temple," it was his way of saying, "Don't stress about it.  God's in control.  He sees and He knows."

Strategic Questions:

When life is unfair, what do you do?
What does the Bible mean when it says "It rains on the just and the unjust?"
Is it possible to fight injustice?

Putting On Your Armor:

Fighting unfairness is tricky.  Often we just give up on this one before even getting into the fight.  We say, "Man, that's not fair!  But what can we do about it?" and do nothing.  Sometimes nothing is the right thing to do.  It's during those times that we have to completely put our trust in God like David did.  Even though things don't look fair, God knows.  He sees everything.  He is watching closely and has a solution for those who are unjust.  Sometimes God does give us ideas for things we can do to fight injustice in this life.  When He does, we have to move carefully.  God is there to protect us and to give us direction.  With his help, we can be overcomers against injustice just like David was.

S.O.S. (Speaking to Our Savior in prayer)

Dear Lord,

The circumstances in my life seem so unfair sometimes.  Please remind me that you are on my side.  You see the unfair things and they break your heart.  Jesus, help me to remember that you had to go through injustice too.  It wasn't fair that you had to leave heaven and die on the cross for my sins, but you were willing to do it.  Thank you for being a just God.  Thank you for reminding me that I can be victorious, even when life isn't fair.  In Christ's name.  Amen.

Which Side Are You On?  (Thought for the Day)

Don't let the things you can't do stop you from doing the things you can do. – Bobbie-Jean Merck

 

The Dance of Leadership

Swingin' Scripture: 2 Samuel 5: 1 – 5

Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, "We are all members of your family. For a long time, even while Saul was our king, you were the one who really led Israel. And the Lord has told you, 'You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be their leader.'" So there at Hebron, David made a covenant with the leaders of Israel before the Lord. And they anointed him king of Israel.  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all.  He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

David's Dance:

David was an amazing leader!  When he was in Hebron, many people came to him with thanks.  "You are the one who really led Israel, David," they said.  They appointed David the new king because David allowed God to lead him in His will.  He became an amazing leader as a result.  David was an open-minded leader – not afraid to lead God's people in the right way!  It was awesome how he let God lead him while God was using him to lead others!

Questions to Keep You on Your Toes:

Are you a leader or a follower?
Are you afraid to lead the crowd?
Are you willing to let God lead you so that you can one day lead others?

Set Your Feet to Dancin'

We can all be leaders!  If we are willing to let God lead us, we will one day be able to lead others.  Don't be afraid to let God lead you in His own way and His own time because one day He will use you as a great leader like David!  Be on the lookout.  You never know who might be paying attention.  Younger siblings, friends and even strangers might be watching to see how you lead.  With God's help, you can lead them all down the right path.

On Your Knees, Please!

Dear God,

Give me the heart of a leader like David.  Remind me that if I let you lead me, I will one day be able to lead others.  I love you.  In Jesus' Name!  Amen.

And All That Jazz… (thought for the day)

Are you a leader or a follower?

 

Battling Troublemakers

Sword of the Spirit

… a wise woman in the city called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you." As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?"  "I am," he replied.   So she said, "Listen carefully to your servant."  "I'm listening," he said.  Then she continued, "There used to be a saying, 'If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the city of Abel.' I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying a loyal city. Why do you want to destroy what belongs to the LORD?"  And Joab replied, "Believe me, I don't want to destroy your city! All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand him over to me, we will leave the city in peace."

David's Battle: Troublemakers

Trouble, trouble everywhere!  David had a real battle on his hands when it came to a guy named Sheba.  Sheba was a troublemaker who wanted to make life miserable for David.  He told David's men, ""We have nothing to do with David. Come on, guys, let's all go home!"  David's men listened to this troublemaker.  They turned their backs on David and followed Sheba instead.  When David got back home to Jerusalem, he spent a lot of time thinking about Sheba and the other troublemakers in his life.  He had already put up with a lot of junk from his own son, Absalom.  But David decided this guy Sheba was even more dangerous than Absalom.  He decided to put a stop to this troublemaker before he actually did anything that couldn't be undone.  David sent his friend Joab to track down Sheba and keep him from causing any more trouble.  That's just exactly what David's loyal friend did.  In the end, David won this battle, just like he won so many others.  He faced his troublemakers head-on in a way that didn't hurt other people along the way.

Strategic Questions:

Is it better to ignore troublemakers or to deal with them?
Is there a right way to deal with troublemakers in your life?
Is there a wrong way to deal with troublemakers in your life?

Putting On Your Armor:

When people around you start stirring up trouble, how do you respond?  Do you get mad?  Do you make things worse by the way you react?  Like David, we all face troublemakers at times.  Sometimes we put up with a lot before we do anything, don't we!  We let people like Sheba cause division and turn people against us because we don't know how to deal with them.  There's really only one way to deal with a troublemaker.  We can follow David's example.  He went straight to the source of the problem and made it known that the trouble had to stop.  That takes courage, sure.  But in the long run we'll be a lot better off.  Does that mean that we get in the face of the troublemaker and stir up more trouble?  Of course not!  We have to pray for wisdom so that the situation doesn't get any worse than it already is.  Then, like David, we can experience peace.

S.O.S. (Speaking to Our Savior in prayer)!

Dear Lord,

Give me the wisdom to know how to deal with the troublemakers in my life.  Give me the courage to overcome in this area, and yet keep me a peacemaker.  Thank you for showing me that, with Your help, I can overcome all sorts of troubles!  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Which Side Are You On?  (Thought for the Day)

Do people see me as a troublemaker?

 

The Dance of Encouragement

Swingin' Scripture: Psalm 119: 25-28

I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your word. I told you my plans, and you answered.  Now teach me your principles.  Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful miracles.  I weep with grief; encourage me by your word.

David's Dance:

Being discouraged is really hard to "just get over."  David had difficult and discouraging times in his life, just like we go through.  All he needed was a little encouragement.  So, being the smart guy he was, he went to God first.  David prayed "Oh God, help me!  Everyone and everything seems to be discouraging me!"  He sought God's encouragement over and over again.  As he began to dance the dance of encouragement, he reminded the Lord, "If you will help me, I will run to follow your commands."  God loves that kind of dance!  It showed David's heart – just how desperate he was for the Lord's encouragement.

Questions to Keep You on Your Toes:

When you are discouraged, who do you run to first?
Do you ever feel like you are so beaten down that even God couldn't help?
How does God encourage us?

Set Your Feet to Dancin'

Man!  I know we can all be discouraged at some point in our lives.  No matter the situation – being cut down, or feeling like a failure – it still hurts.  We need encouragement in these times, don't we?  Go to God first, like David did.  Maybe the Lord will send you a special someone to encourage you, or maybe God will just do it Himself!  You never know unless you ask.

On Your Knees, Please!

Dear God,

My heart hurts.  It's carrying a heavy load of discouragement.  Please help me to dance with encouragement like David did.  Teach me to run to you first.  I pray that You will heal my pain and send me encouragement.  Help me to be an encouragement to others.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen!

And All That Jazz… (thought for the day)

Am I discouraged or discouraging?

Battling Fear

Sword of the Spirit

David was now afraid of the LORD and asked, "How can I ever bring the Ark of the LORD back into my care?" So David decided not to move the Ark of the LORD into the City of David. He took it instead to the home of Obed-edom of Gath. The Ark of the LORD remained there with the family of Obed-edom for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household. Then King David was told, "The LORD has blessed Obed-edom's home and everything he has because of the Ark of God." So David went there and brought the Ark to the City of David with a great celebration.

David's Battle: Fear

Here's the deal… David was in the process of bringing the Ark of the covenant to Jerusalem when an awful thing happened.  The Ark was up on a cart, being pulled by oxen.  The people were celebrating as they traveled along.  Then, completely unexpectedly, one of the oxen pulling the cart stumbled and the Ark began to tumble from the cart.  One of the guys who was helping put out his hand to steady it.  This made God angry, and God struck him dead.  Naturally, the whole incident scared David half to death… so much so that he was too afraid to bring the Ark to Jerusalem at all.  Have you ever let fear do that to you – stop you in your tracks?  David took it to another location, to the home of a man names Obed-edom, and waited for months as he dealt with his fear.  He found out that God was blessing Obed-edom, and decided that perhaps it would be OK to go ahead and bring the Ark into Jerusalem after all.  Conquering his fear, he brought the Ark home with great joy and celebration.

Strategic Questions:

Why do you suppose God struck the man dead who touched the Ark?
Have you ever had your celebration turn to fear in an instant?
How do you conquer fear?

Putting On Your Armor:

Fear can be like a prison that locks us away from where we need to be with God.  Like David, we often let our fear keep us from doing the very thing that we're supposed to be doing.  David was supposed to be bringing the Ark into Jerusalem.  That was his plan.  That was God's plan.  He let his fear completely stop him in his tracks.  But that's just what happens to us too, right?  We're going along just fine – convinced that we're headed in the direction God is leading us.  Then something unexpected – sometimes even bizarre – happens, and we come to a grinding halt.  We get so sidetracked by our fear that we seem to freeze in place.  We can't go forward.  We can't go backward.  Just like David, we sit frozen for a time until our fear finally thaws out and we realize that we must come to life again.  We can learn to fight like a King when it comes to fear.  Like David, we can and will overcome it.  It will not overcome us!

S.O.S. (Speaking to Our Savior in prayer)

Dear Father,

Sometimes I'm so afraid!  I feel locked up in the prison of fear.  I just can't seem to find my way out.  Help me, Lord!  Show me how to release the fear and to trust you.  I do trust you, Father!  Help me to jump back in the race again, to trust you to release me from this prison of fear, and to overcome like David did.  I thank you Lord for shining your light on this area of my life.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Which Side Are You On?  (Thought for the Day)

What are you afraid of?

 

The Be-Happy Attitudes for Writers

Blessed are those who are poor in contracts, for they will surely reap their reward if they do not give up.

Blessed are those who mourn as a result of rejection slips, for they can be comforted in the fact that they are not alone.

Blessed are the meek, humbly accepting God's call and recognizing that any accomplishment comes from His Mighty hand, for they will inherit the respect of fellow authors, as well as the favor of God.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for great-writing, for their computers will be filled with well-written manuscripts.

Blessed are those who are merciful to editors and agents, for they will be shown abundant mercy.

Blessed are the pure-hearted authors who seek to serve the Lord with their writing,

for they will see God – both in their work and their worship.

Blessed are the peacemakers, doing all they can to humor cranky critique partners, for they will be called "godly mentors."

Blessed are those who are persecuted because they wear the name "Christian writer" – for they carry the indisputable call of God on their lives.

Blessed are you when editors insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against your well-loved and beautifully-written manuscript. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the many Christian authors who walked before you.

You (writers) are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

You (writers) are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The Dance of Prayer

Swingin' Scripture: Psalm 63:4 – 8

I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.  You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.  I will praise you with songs of joy.  I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.  I think how much you have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.  I follow close behind you; your strong right hand holds me securely.

David's Dance:

David had a heart for prayer.  In every situation of his life he would pray.  He found peace in his prayer time.  "You satisfy me more than the richest of foods," he told the Lord.  He found himself full after a good prayer time.  He praised God at all times and in all ways.  His prayer life was very strong and that made him really strong!  He thanked God and even laid in bed at night, thinking about how good the Lord had been to him.  God gave David much peace as he spent time in prayer.  He also knew that God would help him, which is why he didn't mind praying so much.  In fact, his times of prayer would often become times of praise.  He'd start out moaning and groaning, and end up praising the Lord, instead!

Questions to Keep You on Your Toes:

Do you pray in praise?
Is praying just a routine to you?
Why do you pray?

Set Your Feet to Dancin'

We can dance the dance of prayer like David.  Prayer is more than just talking.  It's one of the ways we praise God!  You'll find that when you open up in a time of prayer and praise, amazing things will happen.  God delivered David from lots of bad things because he chose to praise the Lord as he prayed.  We can do the same thing and He will bless us too!

On Your Knees, Please!

Dear God,

Give me a heart for prayer.  I want to praise you in prayer like David did – not for my own sake but for yours.   Remind me that you are listening and that you care about me.  Thank You for always answering.  I love you.  In Jesus Name, Amen!

And All That Jazz… (thought for the day)

Do you pray with a heart of praise?

Morning Edict

Dawn awakens and I attempt to do the same.  With diet soda in hand and eyes still crusted over from sleep, I drag up the stairs and cross over into hallowed territory.  In this sacred place I have witnessed miracles, waged wars and struggled to maintain my sanity. I love this spot nearly as much as I despise it.  A turn to the left, my heart aiming to the right, and I sit to translate His daily symphony.  My ritual has become almost commonplace, and I fear I might one day forget the awesome responsibility of this call – this blissful, gut-wrenching call.

The sublime dances alongside the mundane and I witness it all as my fingers prepare to transcribe the notes on the page.  These two worlds confuse and delight me.  Oh, the wonder of such a majestic composition!  Oh, the fragility of a heart aching to be used.  How great, the ensuing battle between the two.  I find myself forever torn between wanting to do His will and wondering if I am capable of constructing even one intelligent sentence.  Can I lay down my insecurities and selfish desires long enough to pencil the message the Lord places on my heart this morning?  Will there be a message worth conveying?

The instruments begin to warm up – a harsh contrast to my ears as each one pits itself against the other.  For a brief moment I'm baffled by the cacophony of sounds, the sheer confusion of it all. Then, miraculously, all of the dissonance fades into one clear, singular note and I am free to begin.  My fingertips dance across near-silent keys, a stark contrast to the plinking and plunking of yesterday's typewriter.  Today's message tip-toes out onto a stark white screen, and I come alive as the oil begins to flow – blessed, holy oil that washes over me with its invigorating power.  The music is pouring now, and I am tuned in as never before.  I race.  I sit idle.  I sing in three keys at once.  I hold back, suspended in time.  I press anxious keys.  I wait in silence.

Sometimes, truth be told, I forget to wait.  Some days I forge ahead, anxious to meet the deadline, state my case and impress potential readers with carefully crafted words.  On those days, pride becomes my friend.  We feed one another tasteless foods and toast our victories with empty glasses. Then, just as quickly, arrogance gives way to defeat. There are days when I search aimlessly for words, unable to locate even one.  On those days, hopelessness seeps in and the enemy of my soul whispers the phrase I've grown to dread, "How can you offer up what you don't even possess?"  Just as quickly, the voice of the Lord echoes loudly in my ears, reminding me that I possess heaven and earth.  Heaven, I can share with those on earth.  Heaven, I must share with those on earth.

I clamor for forgiveness and the Lord whispers words of solace. Hope kicks in and I'm on my way once more.  Faithful fingers begin to dance with joy and something miraculous occurs.  In that moment, as heaven and earth meet, self gives way to the Spirit of God.  I cease typing and He begins. Tiny black words tumble out onto a barren white screen, then somehow plunge forward into paragraphs.  Paragraphs gently press their way into full pages.  Pages majestically align themselves to compose chapters, and chapters gloriously sing until they erupt into books.  I don't mind playing the role of spectator as His stories take shape.  In fact, I have grown rather accustomed to it.

Tomorrow morning I will rise from my bed and wipe the sleep from my eyes.  I will once again face the challenge of the call of God on my life – to write, or not to write? As I step foot onto that hallowed ground I call my workspace, I will empty myself of all I desire and give myself over.

Again.

 

Battling Misunderstanding

Sword of the Spirit

Some time after this, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king. David said, "I am going to show complete loyalty to Hanun because his father, Nahash, was always completely loyal to me." So David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to Hanun about his father's death. But when David's ambassadors arrived in the land of Ammon, Hanun's advisers said to their master, "Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the city so that they can come in and conquer it!" So Hanun seized David's ambassadors and shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame.  2 Samuel 10: 1 – 4

David's Battle:

Man!  David just couldn't seem to win for losing!  King Nahash had always been especially nice to David.  When he died, David felt really sad.  He sent a sympathy message to Nahash's son, Hanun.  Nothing unusual about that, right?  But when David's men arrived with the message, Hanun's advisors misunderstood why they were coming.  They assumed that the men were there to spy on their city, not to offer their sympathies.  There was nothing David's men could do to clear up this misunderstanding.  Things just got worse and worse.  Hanun's men kidnapped David's guys and did something really bizarre to humiliate them.  They shaved off half of each man's beard, (that's pretty weird), and then they cut off their robes in a very embarrassing place.  All of this over a misunderstanding.  Can you imagine how David felt when his men returned home in such a messed-up state?

Strategic Questions:

Why didn't Hanun's men believe that David just wanted to offer his sympathies?
Has anyone ever misunderstood your intentions?
What can you do when someone misunderstands you?

Putting On Your Armor:

Wow!  This is a tough one, isn't it?  It seems like we are misunderstood a lot!  We do something or say something, and people take it a different way than we mean it.  They assume something, or maybe they just don't trust that what we're saying is the truth, so they come to their own conclusions.  Just like David and his men, we have to learn to deal with the embarrassment of having others misunderstand us.  That's tough, but it works both ways!  Sometimes we're the ones who misunderstand others.  We take our friends' comments too personally or we can't figure out where they're coming from.  Instead of trying to understand them, we often just get our feelings hurt or get mad.  But where does misunderstanding lead?  Sadly, it always leads to division.  That's why it's important, as Christians, to respond like David.  He always tried to make the best of every situation.  He didn't assume.  He tried to use reasonable thinking skills at every turn.

S.O.S. (Speaking to Our Savior in prayer)

Dear Father,

It's hard to figure people out sometimes.  Maybe I'm just too sensitive.  Please help me not to make a big deal out of misunderstandings.  Please also help me not to be the one to create misunderstandings.  Make everything clear to me, Father.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Which Side Are You On?  (Thought for the Day)

Which is worse – to misunderstand, or to be misunderstood?