God blesses His people with sleep

This morning we rose earlier than usual so we could be ready for a ‘date’ with our granddaughter. She lives and works in Sweden and we talk with her once a month using Messenger.

After that delightful conversation, I had a bite to eat and then laid down on my recliner chair and slept until noon. I’m still feeling a bit sleepy and have very little ambition. (After lunch, I slept several hours until dinner time.) Friends tell me it will be different when my pacemaker takes over, but these days all I want to do is sleep. Even eating is too much trouble. This is not like me, and at first am discouraged by today’s verses.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4–10)

Once dead in sin and now alive in Christ? For many years that new life in Him has motivated me and given me all kinds of ‘good works’ to fill my time. It is not normal to feel so useless. My hubby and others encourage me that sleep and healing go together, but that isn’t cheering me.

Usually the Bible associates sleep with laziness or other negative attitudes, but the Holy Spirit reminds me of these verses that are encouraging:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:1–2)

Whatever I do, if God is not in it, the activity is in vain, no matter how anxiously I work. I’m not sure this makes me feel better or less useless, but I am discovering things about myself during this sleepy part of life. For one thing, my dad’s work ethic gave me a strong sense of measuring my value by how much I get done each day. This is fine for healthy people but now I am unable to get anything done, it throws me into the arms of Jesus. I need His perspective. While I’m saved to do ‘good works’ He saved me as a total gift, a work of grace. My value is not in how many boxes get checked off by the end of the day. I’m valuable because Jesus loves me and saved me by grace. It is all about what He did (and still does) not about what I am or do.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, You know that I don’t like feeling useless, but this time of rest and recuperation gives me the opportunity to focus on Your value system, not mine. I’m saved by grace. I don’t earn it or have to do anything to get my name on Your list. You did it all. For that, I’m grateful. I’m also grateful that You give me sleep . . . at the drop of a hat, I’m in dreamland. You are using this to align my values with Yours. Thank You.

Eyes on what will change my life . . .

A man of prayer wrote that Christians are too satisfied with mediocrity to the point that if someone is living a ‘normal’ Christian life, others say that person is a super saint.

Tozer says, “We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone.”

“Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say, ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.’ Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” (2 Corinthians 10:7–12, italics mine)

In measuring myself against others, I might consider myself a cut above average, or a poor example of a believer, depending on how the day is going. The Bible says don’t do that. For one thing, my judgments are affected by pride and self-pity . . . 

“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2)

“For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:18)

Not only that, the standard for my Christian life is Jesus Christ. God’s goal is that I am like Him:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28–29)

Don’t compare myself with others, only with Jesus. The good news about that is as we look at Him, we become like Him. This is true with lesser comparisons — the more I look at and am with another person, the more I pick up their speech patterns and habits, including those less desirable! Who wants to be like other people when God wants me to be like His Son. Far better to gaze at the perfect One . . .

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Spending time with Jesus is not only profitable in discovering the will of God and deepening my prayer life. It is also vital in the transformation that God wants for me. Being like Jesus is the ultimate, the highest goal. How could I be satisfied with anything less? He sets me free from this trap of evaluating myself continually by the lives of other people and at the same time raises the standard for us all.

I’m not there yet.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, thank You for being the image that I am supposed to reflect. You forgive me when I fall, meaning I can forgive myself. You urge honest confess of sin so our sweet fellowship is not broken. You keep my eyes on You instead of letting me wish I was like so and so and glad that I’m not like that other person, helping me accept others where they are and encourage them to focus on You. Blessings to You and thanks for Your love.

Self-worth means being loved

To be emotionally healthy, a person needs a positive sense of self-worth. Most research says that for this to happen, people need to know that they are loved, accepted and capable. With those things in place, their feelings about themselves have a strong foundation.

After years of studying and teaching this topic, my conclusions are that the best love is an unconditional one, and the best acceptance is not based on my attributes or performance but the attitude of others. Also, the best sense of being capable comes from knowing that reliable help is always available.

My mother used to say that no matter what, a child’s parents always love them. This was before some of the horrors in our daily news where children are married off to old men and fathers lock their daughters in the basement. Even though Mom loved us and wanted her saying to be true, some parents fail miserably in the love department. I’m sure my mother based her opinion on her own love for her children, yet even a mother’s love is seldom unconditional. Besides that, true unconditional love is not restricted to “my children” only.

The only love I know that is fully unconditional and totally inclusive is the love of God. The reason for this is that His love is not about who I am; it is about who He is. God is love. It is His very nature to love, and His love is pure and without restriction.

Yet even as a Christian, at times I’ve felt unlovable and unloved. During one very dark period of my life, I discovered Jeremiah 31:3, “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’”

“Everlasting love” needs no explanation. I memorized this verse. Whenever it seems that no one cares or that I’ve been particularly undeserving and ashamed of myself, I remember that God loves me. He proved it too. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God loved me even when I totally rebelled against Him. That kind of love fulfills that need in my life. It isn’t that other loves have no importance, but human love inevitably lets me down. God’s love never does. My devotional reading says it like this:

We can, therefore, assign no beginning to the love of Christ, for it existed when He existed, which was from eternity. Neither can we put any end to that love, for it can only end with Himself; and as He had not beginning, so He has no ending. His love then is as Himself, which as it knew no beginning, shall know no end. O what a mercy it is for those who have any gracious, experimental knowledge of the love of Christ, to believe it is from everlasting to everlasting; that no incidents of time, no storms of sin or Satan, can ever change or alter that eternal love, but that it remains now and will remain the same to all eternity!

Does that make a difference in daily life? It sure does. So many people spend a great deal of energy and time trying to be loved, doing things that they hope will make people love them, or worrying about whether or not others even care. Knowing that Almighty God loves me sets me free from all that angst and anxiety.

Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Without Jesus, I’d always be looking out for myself, but because He meets my needs, including my need to be loved, I am set free to obey this verse and care about others.

I’m tired today though. Yesterday was a high day with answers to prayer and excited emotions. On top of that, the phone rang many times with people and their requests. Loving and helping others takes a swack of time and energy too. I’m just glad that this verse says “look out not only for his own interests, but also...” which indicates to me that occasionally I’m allowed to turn off the phone and have a nap!

The Lion and a lamb

Living the Christian life is a contradiction. Strength made perfect in weakness? When I think I am strong I am weak? When I think I am weak I am strong?

It is true, but it is a hard lesson. Reading in Numbers 13 this morning, I realize that the Israelites also learned it the hard way. They left Egypt for the land God promised them. When they got to the borders of the new land, Moses sent in spies to check it out. The spies came back with good news and bad news. The land was superb, but the inhabitants were formidable.

Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” These men later proved to be men of faith, men who looked at God instead of the size and power of either themselves or their enemies.

But the other spies gave a different report, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. . . . The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its in habitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Seeing a threatening enemy before them, they forgot to look at God and remember His power to deliver, a mighty power He demonstrated not that long ago as they fled from Pharaoh in Egypt. Instead they made a judgment call on their ability to enter the land by what they thought of themselves and what they thought other people (the giants) thought of them.

What I just wrote is a description of today’s version of self-worth. A person bases their value on what they think other people think. If you can come up positive, then you can walk in confidence. If not, you are fearful and lack courage.

Christian living is not supposed to be like that. Like Joshua and Caleb, I’m supposed to look at God and have confidence. I’m supposed to base my worth and my ability on what He can do in my life, not put my confidence in whatever abilities I have or don’t have. My reliance and confidence is supposed to be in Jesus.

Looking at giants can make me feel like a ‘grasshopper,’ but looking at God can have the same effect, and even worse. His power and wisdom are so much greater than my puny abilities and efforts that before Him I feel helpless. So if the challenges before me also make me feel helpless, then what?

Paul learned the lesson that the Israelites took another forty years of wandering in the wilderness to learn. God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Joshua and Caleb were the only surviving adults from that original group that refused to enter the land of promise. They eventually led the remaining people into the land. They didn’t do it in their own strength. In fact, that first victory at Jericho was a total contradiction to human reasoning, never mind fighting power. God showed them that in their weakness, even in what seemed total foolishness, His grace and power could and would deliver them.

In my human sinfulness, I resist this truth. I dislike feeling weak. I want bold confidence, but life with Christ is not like that. He is the Lion, the bold One. I am only a vessel and the best that He allows me to feel about myself is something akin to a helpless lamb.