Great Expectations

by Brenda Williams

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, You must be holy because I am holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16†(NLT)

I have experienced God up close and personally -- there are so many times I’ve been aware of His presence and, while rare, there have actually been a couple of times I’ve known He was speaking directly to me. But lately there have been reminders that God has more in store for me, and more He expects from me.

Along with obedience, prayer, tithing and grace-giving, I am called to strive for purity and righteousness. To be like God. What a daunting prospect and so easy to sweep under the rug when tidying up my spiritual self! What does it mean to be holy? I think it starts with an understanding of God’s holiness.

God is our Creator, Father and Friend. But He is also unblemished, all powerful, awesome. Worthy of praise, even in the darkest hour. Why do I conveniently seek out His comfort and protection while overlooking His majesty and holiness? Maybe because it means I will have to face my own tarnished heart -- my UNholiness. I must pay attention to God’s demand that I become more like Him.

Father, come in and sweep clean the corners of my heart; forgive my unwillingness to face my unholiness. Help me strive to truly be like You. Amen.

The Path of The Storm

by Brenda Williams

“…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

--Matthew 5:45b (NIV)

A dear friend who has been through a harrowing year recently confessed to me, “God must be really mad at me.” We both laughed, but I knew she was partly serious. As I write this, our community recovers from horrendous flooding; so many people have lost so much. I have to confess that if it were me, I would probably be thinking, What did I do to deserve this?

The truth is He did not promise a trouble-free, flood-free life. In fact, He promised there would be trouble, and that He would be our refuge and strength in the midst of it. There may be a reason for our troubles -- they are of our own making or for our growth -- or there may be no reason other than we were in the path of the storm.

Charles Spurgeon said, “He Who has fixed the bounds of our habitation has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation." God knows the extent of our suffering and knows what will come of it. As Author, Creator, Father and our Fortress, we can trust that His love is unwavering and turn to Him when the rains come.

Father, in troubled times, I want to trust that You are in control and that You are beside me. Amen.

Dust to Dust

by Billy Williams

Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris. Remember, man, that thou art dust, and to dust you shall return.

This Latin phrase is the loose translation of Genesis 3:19 where God tells Adam he will now face physical death as part of the punishment for the Fall. But there is more to this than just a limit being placed on our earthly days. It is at this point that God recreates our relationship with Him. Chardin says, "We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey." God is pointing out that until creation is set back in order we must remember that this earthly life is horizontal -- dust to dust. The life that matters is the one we live vertically -- spirit to spirit.

I spend a lot of time doing things in my life that only move me along the horizontal plane, sometimes forward, often backwards. What God wants from me are the things that move me to a higher elevation with Him -- prayer, praise, worship, meditation ... all the things a horizontal life seems to have no time for.

Heavenly Father, help me to look up for my strength. Place a vertical relationship drive in my heart. Teach me to live my life for You on both planes, that my day-to-day life would reflect You and that my spiritual life would rise to meet with You.

Street Corner Confession

by Brenda Williams

11 “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!”

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’” Luke 8:11, 13 (NLT)

I am someone who is very familiar with negative self-talk -- what woman doesn’t struggle with that voice in her head telling her she’s not spiritual enough, thin enough, organized enough, or is a horrible mother? I also struggle with the Pharisee attitude, I just don’t usually stand on a street corner to do it. Nope, it’s inside my head: Wow, these Hollywood types are really messed up. My friends are getting a divorce. Someone at church is not living the Christian life as I define it. I’m SO glad my child didn’t turn out like theirs.

According to Jesus, I am more likely to be reconciled with the Father if I have wandered far away, royally messed up and then truly laid my black heart out before Him, than if I live a churchgoing yet self-absorbed, smug existence. I will be justified in His eyes only if I learn from the outcast tax collector, who beat his chest in grief and shame and couldn’t even lift his eyes to heaven. I’m getting the message that instead of self worth, what I should be aiming for is self truth -- seeing myself as I really am in the eyes of The One Who Matters, asking forgiveness, and doing what it takes to make sure His heart and mine are united.

Father, I am no better than anyone else out there in Your world. Please help me to daily seek your forgiveness and grace and to look to You for the true understanding of who I am.

Drowning with Land in Sight

by Billy Williams

Mark 4:38, 40 (NLT)

38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

⁴⁰Jesus asked his disciples, "Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?"

I wish I could say the title to this post was original; actually I lifted it from an album by the 77's. If you have never heard the 77's you have not yet lived. I have walked with Christ since I was a sophomore in high school and many times felt like I was drowning with land in sight while Jesus slept in the boat. I think we read this passage with a prejudice against the disciples. Silly men, that is Christ in the boat with you - how dare you have no faith? But consider this: at that point they were living without the benefit of knowing the end of the story...like we do. How would I have fared in this situation? Remember these were fishermen, they lived on the sea and knew that water well. It must have been a pretty big storm to rattle them.

The story I see here is still played out every day in my own life. Sometimes I fail to see the big picture. I think Jesus was in the boat asleep because He knew that nothing could keep Him from fulfilling his mission. Maybe the disciples should have followed His example and taken a nap while enjoying the ride. The question He posed wasn't so much "Do you really think I would let you drown?" as much as it was "Do you not trust God to fulfill His mission in you?" I have to keep in mind that even if I feel I am drowning with land is sight, God sees the bigger picture and will always make good His plan.

Jesus, let me rest in the knowledge that You have a plan for my life that will not be altered by storms.

Practice Makes Better (Not Perfect)

by Brenda Williams

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

--Philippians 4:9 (NLT)

I think I’ve stumbled onto a hard truth. Well, more like eased into it. After struggling with my own lack of discipline and asking God WHY I don’t have a desire to open His Word and spend time with Him in prayer … after hearing my pastor over and over again talk about "advanced decision-making" and choosing to do the hard things … after facing my own laziness and then finally sitting down and making myself actually read the Bible and spend time in prayer and reflection … I might finally have it.

It stands to reason that when something doesn't come naturally (and maybe even when it does), you have to practice to become good at it and then to stay good at it. And if you don’t, your lack of benefit and enjoyment are your own fault. Reading Paul’s words here in a new way made me realize this truth also applies to the things of faith. I'm reminded of the quote from one of my favorite “chick” movies, Pride and Prejudice, when Eliza Bennett admonishes Mr. Darcy for claiming to not have a talent for conversation and compares it to her own lack of skill on the piano: “…I have always supposed it to be my own fault," she said, " because I would not take the trouble of practising.”

So I need to own up to the fact that it is my own fault. No wonder I struggle to enjoy my quiet time and grow in my faith. How can I? I am not investing in it!

Father, forgive my lack of discipline. Strengthen my determination to invest my time and my heart in the practice of my faith. Help me direct my mind to thoughts of the good, righteous, true and lovely, and let me reap the benefits of your peace and presence. Amen.

The Act of Believing

“She worshiped God, and he opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying.“ Acts 16:14 (NCV)

by Brenda Williams

The act of worship and belief are described so simply and seem so easy for those people I read about in God’s pages. She worshiped. He opened her mind. Is it really that simple? Why is there struggle for me, even today?

In my youth it was easy to believe in something -- the magic of Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, that my eyes would stay crossed if I kept “doing that,” or even that Jesus had been born as a baby, came to earth, died for my sins and would someday take me to live with him in heaven. One by one my childhood beliefs were challenged and of course, some fell by the wayside. As I grew, that made it harder to actually put my whole heart, faith and trust even in things my mind knows are true. My point being that my belief in Christ today is a different kind of belief.

Speaking as someone who has actually “heard” God’s voice saying something specific to me (not once, but twice), you would think experiencing God at that level would permanently erase all doubts. It has … but it also left me to wonder and worry why I don’t experience Him that way all the time. Why it is so hard to worship and focus and praise and read my Bible? Why is it so hard to believe that the good news of the Bible really applies to me? Why wasn’t I given the gift of belief, if such a gift exists?

The act of believing takes some willpower! I find I have to remind myself of God’s grace and mercy every day; actually, every minute. So it’s not the same as when I was a child, but it’s where I am now and I DO believe that God knows where I am and is right here with me.

Lord, I believe You are with me, even in the midst of my daily struggles to believe and apply your word. I believe in You; help me in my unbelief. Amen.

Shadows & Mirrors

by Brenda Williams

3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. - Colossians 3:3-4 (NIV)

I recall one of the final chapters in C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” books speaking of the Shadowlands -- the idea that this world, in all its beauty, glory and mystery, is a mere shadow of the heaven to come. That the reality we currently see is as hazy as a reflection in a pond, compared to the real splendor that awaits. And that once we arrive in God’s domain, all will be revealed.

1 Corinthians 13 paints this image and no doubt inspired Lewis’ theme, declaring that now we see through a glass darkly but one day will see with wide open eyes, face to face. Our life -- not this clumsy, blurry, faulty existence but real life -- awaits us and promises to surpass our hopes, wishes and dreams.

That life is hidden in Christ for now, so while we live and breathe and cry and shop and get our cars fixed and rage about government spending … that perfect, authentic life is elusive. It‘s just beyond the mirror and our fingers can‘t touch it, our eyes can‘t focus on it. I often wonder if we will ever see it. But God’s promise says at the perfect moment, Christ will appear to fulfill and reveal the life we’ve entrusted to Him. It’s been in His hands since the beginning and we can hardly wait.

Out of Focus

By Brenda Williams

Romans 7:13 (MSG)
Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover to tempt me to do what would finally destroy me.

I pondered the plight of a friend today as I read this verse. My friend was confronted with sin in a loved one’s life -- and the loved one did not agree that it posed any danger; their choices seemed harmless and perfectly acceptable to them. How could this happen, my friend wanted to know; she thought her loved one knew better.

Insidious sin is just that -- lurking, hiding, waiting for you to relax and acquiesce to the half-truths and dismiss the full truth. It’s possible that wrapped in the layers of what seem to be goodness and light and understanding are the tiny, inch-by-inch steps that lead to ultimate Darkness. In the face of right and wrong, sometimes our sense of wrong is diminished and blurred by daily exposure and cultural acceptance.

So are we doomed, unable to protect ourselves from being fooled by what looks like benign benefit? Not so! God’s word says even though we falter and fail, if we have His Spirit living in us and focus our being on Him instead of ourselves -- our own understanding -- we are free from being condemned, free from worry about our lack of discernment, free to see things clearly, to enjoy the good, to live and fulfill our promise and His vision.

God, help me to focus on You and allow Your Spirit to help me see the good from the feel-good, and discern Your life from sin’s deception.

My Pregnant Condition

by Billy Williams

Romans 8:26-27 (MSG) Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God.

I know all too well the “wordless sighs and aching groans” of my spirit. Lying awake at night, my mind spinning and churning in the worries of the day past and the day ahead. I want to pour it all out in a conversation between me and my Maker but I cannot make enough sense of it to form even the simplest sentence. Can God make sense of all that I am thinking if I can’t even bring it to Him? Does my lack of focus dismay or confuse God?

I think not. My ability to put thoughts and words together has absolutely no bearing on God’s ability to understand my needs, worries or thoughts. “He knows us better than we know ourselves...” I can remember so many times in my early Christian walk well-intentioned people trying to “teach” me how to pray... “Here is the formula,” “This is how Jesus prayed;” one kind soul just told me to say The Lord’s Prayer over and over -- you can’t go wrong there. But I need a deeper prayer life, one that lays me at the feet of God. Actually, God went one better and gave me His Spirit to present me before Him and interpret my senseless babble and random thoughts.

God, let me take advantage of Your Spirit and feel the freedom to express the weight of my prayers through wordless sighs and aching groans, knowing that You hear and understand me. Amen.

Sitting Idly By

By Brenda Williams

Hebrews 10:37-39 For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
Christ is coming without delay; we who are righteous live by faith until then and do not shrink back.

Here the author gives every believing heart a lift, encouraging us with the immediacy and urgency of our faith: Christ IS coming, he is coming SOON, and we are NOT to be faint of heart, NOT to “shrink back” -- from persecution, from ridicule, from challenge, from our tasks, or from our own doubts. Meet them head on, or He will be displeased with us!

He “will not delay,” it says. That gives me hope that though I await his return and wonder, Christ is not sitting there idly waiting. He is actively engaged in God’s plan, and will arrive in a little while when all is ready. There is no delay -- he will come right on time. And the time is God’s to determine. And we should be doing the same. Take heart and be encouraged to know that Christ is preparing and we are to be working hard as well.

Father, help me to trust in your timing, in your return, and to be engaged in the business at hand while we await your return.

The Will of God

by Billy Williams

Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see. (Heb 11:1 GWT)

Doing the will of God. The ultimate goal of all Christians should be just that - God's will. But what is God's will for our lives? We know the easy answers to this question: to love God, seek the kingdom, make disciples. Getting more specific seems to be the problem. What kind of job does God want me to have? What dreams and aspirations in my life should I seek out and which should I let go? How do I know for sure what God wants me to do? The answer is, we don't. If God laid out every move that we are to make like a road map in front of us, there would be no need for faith.

We get so caught up in knowing the exact will of God that we become paralyzed, unable to make a move toward a dream or goal because we fear it might not be the move that God wants us to make. We choose to stand still when God wants us to move ahead, trusting (having faith) that He is in control. Doing God's will is desiring God's will. We should be willing to move ahead with reckless abandon seeking God's guidance and provision. If we do this, we are within the safety net of God's plan for our life. If we set out to accomplish a goal and our game plan is to trust God in every aspect, He will surely not let us go astray. Not to say that we will not experience failures and stops along the way. What we consider failure today might be God's success tomorrow - a way for God to fine tune our course. It is a great privilege to be able to live life knowing that we have the wisdom and assets of the Creator of it all. How can anything seem out of reach?

Heavenly Father, help me today to know that you guide my steps. Make me bold in my dreams and confident in my decisions. Bless the roads that I choose and in all things bring glory to Your name. Amen

Damned

by Billy Williams

Luke 13:5 (MSG) ...Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die."

I don’t like reading these words, especially since they were spoken by Jesus. The Bible is supposed to be full of light, hope and great children's stories, isn’t it? Coats of many colors, giant boats filled to the brim with happy animals -- a kind of floating zoo -- cute childlike angels, babies in starlit mangers with big-eyed animals and shepherds looking on. Not death, not actual dependence on God for life.

But truth is truth, no matter how hard it seems, and the thing about this verse is it is not talking about physical death but something much worse -- spiritual death. Physical death is inescapable; spiritual death is a choice. In this we practice God’s greatest gift: free will. We have the choice to turn to God and avoid the death Jesus is referring to. I also think that even after turning to God and receiving His eternal life, we can still die a little each day in our spirit life if we don’t continue to turn to Him. We can let sin and life take small bites of our spiritual life and keep it from being totally alive in Him.

God, thank you for the choice to turn to You for my salvation and life. Keep my face toward You in my daily life, also; don’t let me be robbed of the life You have for me here on earth.

Confidence

by Billy Williams
Psalm 23 (KJV)
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.



I remember having to memorize this chapter in Psalms in 7th grade English. What is more amazing than me actually memorizing something is that I attended a public school. This was in the days before the life-giving words of God were considered offensive. King David had such a wonderful grasp on who God is and even though David had done things that would most surely get most of us asked to leave the local church, he knew the unfailing love and care God had for him despite his failings and sinful nature.

A quick look at the Psalm and we know clearly how David knew God -- as Guide, Comfort and Rest, Restorer, Righteous Lord, Protector and Provider. He knew that God lifted him to a place of wealth in front of his enemies, covered his sin, lavished blessings on him, was merciful, good and would never disown him. I feel in my own walk that to claim these things from God for myself is vanity. I need to remember what David knew in his very soul, that we are all sinner-saints.

God, help me to grasp these things as mine. Give me a confidence that You love and care for me in the exact same way You did King David. Be my Shepherd.

Barriers

by billy Williams

Psalm 8:1,2(MSG) 1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name. 2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.

My mother always told me that when a baby is cooing and making the noises that babies do, they were talking to God and here it is in scripture. There is something so innocent and yet so unfathomably large when it comes to the faith of a child. When and why do we lose it? At what point do we begin to believe our own criterion of truth and lose the innocent joy of knowing our Creator without prejudice?

To really know God as “Brilliant Lord” and for His name to be a household name, spoken with an innocent and truly unscathed heart like that of a child, should be my daily goal -- to set aside what I think I should say and let my heart and mind embrace who God, as I knew Him at birth, really is.

Heavenly Father, remove the barriers that time and life have built between us. Grant me the great freedom of conversing with You with the intimacy of a child. Allow my heart’s song to rise above the talk of Your enemies and silence the voices of those who would count You as untrue.

These Two Things

by Billy Williams
Genesis 1:1,2 (MSG)

First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.

I love this verse, I always have. I love the way it is written -- no explanation of where God came from, no long dissertation on existence, just this: God created the heavens and the earth, period. A few months ago I heard a new take on this verse. The lead singer from Switchfoot posed this question to an interviewer: “What is the very first thing we know about God? Is it that He is holy? Is it that He is just and merciful or that He is all powerful? No, the first thing we know about God is that He is creative. “First this: God created...” I love that! The second thing we learn is that God is a protector. God’s Spirit brooded (verb; 2 To protect (young) by or as if by covering with the wings) like a bird above the watery abyss.

Here in the first three sentences of God’s Word His deep character is revealed as our loving, protecting Creator. And I, created in His image, have these attributes breathed into me, to create and to protect, or brood over, the things that God cares for.

Father, let me be always reminded of Your wonderful creativity. Let me see You in the simple and the complex of my day. Remind me that You are protective of me as Your creation and You still brood over the entire of creation.

What Do You Think?

by Billy Williams

Matthew 26:66 (NIV) “...What do you think?" "He is worthy of death," they answered.

I find it interesting that the scripture says “He” is worthy of death, not his “offense” is punishable by death. They had left the reason of the law and had made Christ Himself the offense. The question I have for myself is, “Is He worthy of death?” I would have to respond, “Yes!”



Note that the question is not does He deserve death; it is a question of His worthiness. Without knowing, His accusers attested to the fact He alone was worthy -- though I am sure they did not understand the depth of their indictment. I struggle with the fact Christ had to endure punishment and death to reunite me with God the Father, yet I know this sacrifice was necessary and it really doesn’t have to make sense for me to believe in the worthiness of Christ to cover my sins by his death. 1 Corinthians 1:18,23-24 says, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 23 ...but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.”


God, thank You for the gift of Your Son. Thank You that You do find Him worthy of death, my death, so that I can live with You in eternity.

We Interrupt this Program

by Billy Williams

Matthew 17:4 (MSG)
Peter broke in, "Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?"

This is so me; I get caught up in what I think I should be doing that I almost miss the moment as it happens, interrupting God before He can complete the thought. I (much like Peter) am a doer. I tend to rush ahead and put my own plan into action to show what God has done. Was it wrong that Peter wanted to build a memorial to what he was seeing happen so that others could know and remember what took place?

The story here is not that Peter’s intentions were wrong -- the story is that we need to see what God is doing before we rush out and start a pile of stones. Always, in the Old Testament, when God did a great thing they would make a memorial or build an altar. But here God was doing a new thing. Verse 5 says God then interrupted Peter: “While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: ‘This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.’” What Peter and the other disciples almost missed completely was an intimate moment between God the Father and God the Son, with a few close friends thrown in.





God, teach me patience. Keep me from being busy piling rocks while missing the true moment you wanted to share with me. Open my eyes to Jesus, your delight, and teach me to listen to Him.

This Side of History

by Billy Williams

Matthew 9:2,3 (CEV)
2 Some people soon brought to him a crippled man lying on a mat. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, "My friend, don't worry! Your sins are forgiven." 3 Some teachers of the Law of Moses said to themselves, "Jesus must think he is God!"


It is so easy for me to stand on this side of history and say to myself, “Those arrogant fools don’t get it; of course He is God.” But doesn’t that make me just as arrogant? How would I have reacted or, better yet, how would I react now if someone showed up and claimed to be able to do what only God is capable of? It is often harder to believe than not to. Interestingly enough it is those in this story who are not encumbered with the teachings of the law who see Christ for who He is and readily accept His forgiveness and mercy without theological question.

With all of the commentaries and Christian resources available, I need to make sure that I don’t miss “seeing” God because I am focused on what I “know about” God. I have one of the greatest blessings at my fingertips -- the Bible and the ability to see the story of God incarnate in Christ in linear form.

Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you for allowing me to live in this time in history where I can read your story. Guard my heart, that I would stay open to who you are and what you are doing. Increase my knowledge of you but, more importantly, increase my heart.

One Bride for Seven Brothers

by Billy Williams

Mark 12:25 (MSG) After the dead are raised up, we're past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God.

For the title of this post to make sense you have to read Mark 12:18-27. I have read this passage of scripture countless times; tonight it hit me totally differently. I enjoy my marriage and the thought of eternity without Brenda as my spouse is a bit unnerving.

We are created as relational beings -- it is the basis of all we do and seek. Is the unsettled feeling in my soul about this passage driven by my fear of or lack of intimacy with God? It is so much easier to hold that intimacy and ecstatic connection with our earthly mate than with God, who we cannot physically touch or see.

The purpose of my marriage on earth is to teach me the intricacies

of love and relationship; at its best it is a shadow of what my relationship with God will someday be. To love my spouse like God loves me, unconditionally. To be loved without boundaries and with no lifespan time limit -- eternally. As we live out each day with each other, we should strive to love and interact with the eyes of God, in preparation and anticipation of being his eternal bride.

God, show me how to live in the now as I will live in eternity -- to love as I will be loved, to bask in the love of my wife and to love her with passion.