Author: Polly

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Positive or Negative?

When I teach my students about signed numbers, we generally have a discussion about real-life situations in which we would encounter a positive or negative number. Because my students are not as familiar with negative numbers, I place the emphasis on those. When we brainstorm this topic, my students almost always come up with temperature and bank accounts as examples of where we may encounter negative numbers in real life.

Is a Negative Always Bad?

If the temperature dips below zero, we represent it with a negative number. Since I’m not fond of being cold, it also indicates that it is time for me to go to Florida!! Another negative scenario would be having an overdrawn bank account. That too, would be represented with a negative number. It would also prompt notification from the bank in the form of an overdraft charge. Generally speaking, situations where we use negative numbers have a negative connotation. But there are exceptions. Usually, I have to give a hint before anyone comes up with one though. When I give “sports” as a clue, eventually someone in the class comes up with golf. I can’t imagine there are many golfers who would be disappointed with a negative score!

Backwards Thinking

This anomaly is not limited to math. God is delighted by some words that typically have a negative connotation. The converse is also true—God is grieved by some words that we view in a positive light. The Holy Spirit brought two such words to my attention recently, one of each type. The words—independent and surrender.

Is a Positive Always Good?

When you think of the word independent, don’t you think of it as a good thing? As a parent, my goal was to raise my kids to be able to stand on their own two feet. In other words, I wanted them to grow up and become independent adults. I believe most parents would consider that to be a good goal. And it is! BUT, an exception should be included in the parenting handbook. We were never intended to live independently from God. Jesus longs for us to acknowledge our deep need for Him.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 NLT

We are totally dependent on Him. But it sure is hard to admit that!

Could Giving Up Be a Good Thing?

Independence has a positive connotation from a worldview, but not with God. The opposite is true of the second word, surrender. What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear that word? When someone surrenders, I think they quit, or gave up. It seems to be one for the loss column, right? Who wants to be known as a loser or quitter? Not me! Yet, surrendering to God and acknowledging His sovereignty would be the wisest of choices. Surrender is generally looked at negatively in our world, but, for our own benefit, that is exactly what God calls us to do.

“Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you.”

Job 22:21 NLT

Though the word isn’t identical, submit is a synonym for surrender. Just ponder the benefits for doing so from the preceding verse.

As you can see, dependence and surrender are closely related and something God desires for us when it comes to our relationship with Him. The desires of our flesh resist though, don’t they? I know I have a bit of “control freak” in me and I have no desire to depend on or surrender to someone else. But God is not just anybody else. He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God of the universe. There is no other, none like Him. He is the name above all names.

Maybe it’s time to wave the white flag and allow Him to run the show!

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Remember

A Monument to Help the Israelites Remember

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.”

Isaiah 46:9 NLT

Focus Word and Verse of the Year

At my home church, we are encouraged to choose a word with an accompanying verse from the Bible at the beginning of each year. This word and verse are to serve as a battle cry of sorts as we seek to deepen our faith and keep our focus where it belongs—on Jesus.

The Search Begins

When we flipped our calendars earlier this month, my thought process was that it would be fitting to choose a word that had to do with vision in the year 2020. Get it? The search for my verse and word of the year only seemed to lead to a dead end. Or did it?

I panicked earlier this week when I realized that January was nearly over and I hadn’t found my word and verse yet. Was there a deadline? Only in my mind. My husband calls these my “self-imposed” deadlines. He would know! Surely, I can’t start February without having this settled.

I Think I Found It…I Think

Just the other night, I found a potential winner for 2020. And then I lost it! I was using the Bible App on my phone at bedtime when the Holy Spirit drew my attention to a verse that was at least somewhat related to vision. I already had it highlighted, so I simply filed 46:9 away in my brain. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t forget that because the verse after it is one of my favorites—“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) So, the next day I go to take a closer look at that verse on my iPad and literally couldn’t find it. Psalm 46:9 had nothing to do with vision. Now what? I stewed about this the whole day and kept checking verses that I could have confused with Psalm 46:9. But, to no avail. At bedtime that night, I was on my phone and looked at my recent searches. And there it was—ISAIAH 46:9. Oops…I was looking in the wrong book of the Bible!

My word for 2020 is REMEMBER. Apparently, I am deficient in that skill so it seems to be a very appropriate choice! My verse, Isaiah 46:9, states:

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.”

A Lesson That Stuck

The first experience I had in leading a small group occurred about 15 years ago when my whole church participated in the “Old Testament Challenge”. I often tell my students or my small group that you get out of it what you put into it. “It” is either the class I’m teaching or the study that I’m leading. It’s true! I get way more out of the studies that I lead than the studies that I am simply a participant. Why? Because I have to put time into preparing so I don’t look like a fool! So, I remember (LOL) one lesson in particular from that study that fits nicely with this verse. But first, allow me to set the stage.

God’s Plan

After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites, under the direction of Joshua, were finally ready to stake their claim to the land God had promised them so long ago. Their first obstacle was the Jordan River. God, of course, had it all figured out. So, He had Joshua relay His message to the Israelites regarding what was about to transpire. The priests would lead the way, carrying the Ark of the Covenant. When they stepped into the Jordan, the flow of water would be cut off and the river would stand up like a wall. This would allow the Israelites to pass through on dry ground while the priests stood in the middle of the Jordan riverbed with the Ark.

How’s that for a plan? Of all the ways to get across the Jordan River, I have a feeling that this plan never crossed your mind. Mine either. Look how my verse for the year ends—“For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.” That explains why this plan never occurred to us!

It all shook out exactly the way God said it would. I wonder how many jaws had to be picked off the riverbed as the people made their way to the other side?

The Story Isn’t Over

Next, the Lord told Joshua to choose 12 men, one from each tribe, and have them take 12 stones from the riverbed where the priests were standing. They were to carry them out and pile them up where they would be camping that night. Joshua did as directed and the twelve men complied. These stones were going to be used to build a memorial. Why do we have memorials? To REMEMBER!

“Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.””

Joshua 4:21-24 NLT

Taking Action

That lesson from the “Old Testament Challenge” encouraged each of us to choose a “memorial” of our own to serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness in the past. Our memorial doesn’t have to be made of stones. The only qualification necessary is that it helps us REMEMBER.

The Point

When the going gets tough, and Jesus promised that it would, it’s easy to get discouraged. The enemy does whatever he can to drive a wedge between us and God, remember? You may be feeling hopeless right now and ready to give up. If you don’t feel that way now, I’m sure your turn is coming. That is, if you haven’t already had yours. It is at those times that it is critically important to look back and REMEMBER. Reflect on who God is and how He has been faithful in the past. Your vision is 20/20 when looking at your life in the rear-view mirror!

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.”

Isaiah 46:9 NLT

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Tempted by the Forbidden

I believe the verse from my last post deserves a deeper dive, so this time I’d like to focus more on Eve and the forbidden fruit rather than the serpent. Here is Eve’s response to the serpent’s question again:

“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

Genesis 3:3 NLT

Many Good Options

Granted, the serpent got the ball rolling by choosing words that put the emphasis on God’s restrictions, but it was Eve who made it even bigger than it was. God said she could eat the fruit from any tree in the garden, except for one. Because I don’t know how many trees were in the garden, I can only guess, but I imagine there were quite a number of them. Eve had options from which to choose, but it was the forbidden tree that captured her attention. However, she did get some assistance from the enemy.

The serpent went on in the next two verses to tempt Eve in a way that made that forbidden fruit simply irresistible.

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Genesis 3:4-5 NLT

Focusing on the Forbidden

If you don’t have kids of your own, I imagine you remember being one yourself. Aren’t we much like Eve when it comes to boundaries? Parents set boundaries for their children to protect them. And God does the same for His children. Kids aren’t real fond of boundaries! Do you remember thinking your parents were the meanest people in the world when the answer was “No”? Even when we’re allowed to do plenty of things, we tend to get fixated on the thing that we are forbidden to do! That, I believe, is called human nature.

Decisions Have Consequences

God has given each of us freewill, but there are always consequences to the choices we make. When Eve made the decision to indulge in the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, the consequences affected all of humankind. Because of Eve’s choice, sin entered the world and separated us from our Heavenly Father. But, God had a plan for our redemption. His name is Jesus.

“Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”

Galatians 1:4 NLT

So, Jesus bridged the gap between us and God as the final and perfect sacrifice for our sin.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV

Some might say the ULTIMATE gift!

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When Doubt Creeps In

Image result for truth vs lies images

That serpent is a crafty one! He has very subtle ways of casting doubt into our lives. I’m fairly gullible, so it doesn’t take much for me to fall for one of his lies. How about you? That snake can cause doubt to form in a heartbeat!

In the book 40 Verses to Ignite Your Faith, by Laurie Polich Short, she shares her insight on some lesser known verses of the Bible. This book had a powerful impact on me and my small group as we studied it last fall. The first verse she shared is set in the garden of Eden and is one I’ve read many a time. In Genesis 3:3, Eve tells the serpent, “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

You see, the serpent asked Eve a question a few verses earlier—“Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) Though quite subtle, the enemy was casting doubt about God into Eve’s mind by highlighting God’s restrictions.

Eve took that and ran with it when she responded by building even more restriction into her response simply by adding a few words. I’ll admit that I read both of these verses when reading the book and didn’t even catch the difference until Laurie pointed it out. I’m gullible AND also not very observant! Did you catch it? Eve inserted the words “or even touch it” in her response. Satan simply asked a question, but carefully crafted his words to get Eve to focus on the restrictions God was placing on her. Can you relate?

I believe I am a frequent victim of Satan’s lies. His mission is to drive a wedge between us and our Heavenly Father. One of his tactics is to get us to doubt the goodness of God. The enemy delights in the opportunity to feed us lies that will cause us to question God’s character. He’s so sneaky that I often don’t even recognize it for what it is—a lie. Remember, I’m not very observant!

What is the opposite of a lie? If you said “the truth” you get a gold star! Truth is the antidote we need to combat the enemy. If that’s our weapon, we’d best get familiar with it!

“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”

John 17:17 NLT

God’s Word is Truth. Jesus is described as the Word in John 1:1. Therefore, Jesus is Truth!

The more we know the Truth, the easier it becomes to recognize those lies. We all need to be armed when we go into battle with the father of lies. As I write this, I can just hear my pastor saying this familiar saying of his: “Read your Bible. Read your Bible. Read your Bible.”

Our relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship we’ll ever have. Relationships require an investment. The best way to get to know Him better is to spend time with Him. Nothing would delight Him more! Jesus is the Word. Happy Reading!