September 2013 – Fourth Day Adventures

Swung the door open on Sunday, expecting normal late summer Texas weather, only to be shocked by a cool breeze. Fall arrived right on time. I ran back inside telling everyone to plan to spend the day outside. Our week of fall was here and you don’t want to waste it.

I have the same sense that a new season is blowing into my life.

My two oldest children have left the nest and only the youngest chickadee remains. College tours and the stress of waiting to receive acceptance letters is still ahead of us, but I feel the breeze of a change in seasons.

My friends talk about retirement, financial plans and how they want to spend their after work years. And a breeze ruffles my hair reminding me a change of seasons is coming.

Ecclesiastes 3
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²    a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³    a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶    a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷    a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸    a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (NIV)

A question arises from this thought. What purpose will my empty nest years serve. This new season follows years of secular work in business and lay work in churches; years of babies, children and teens, and years of mistakes and sound decisions.

I traveled with my Lord through a season of needing forgiveness and a season of His teaching me to forgive myself. What a wild season. It followed a season of pain that I brought on myself. He didn’t just heal me. The Lord took me on an exciting trip where He taught me he acts in our world today. He taught me to listen to his voice. (I slip away at times, but I have never ever again doubted He is out there and cares about my day to day). God taught me walking with Him can be fun.

We traveled together through a season when He gave me an advance education regarding letting go of fear. He showed me that fear highlights an area where I have not given something over to God. That summer every where I went and everything I read dealt with one topic. I didn’t seek out this education. He chose it for me. We worked through how fear results from idols in our lives. Peace comes when we trust God even accepting the loss of what we love. I had to learn to daily give what matter most to me over to God. I actually would awake in the morning and place everything important on the altar before God as a symbolic way to remind myself it belonged to God. Man is it hard to not take things back off that altar.

Now, I get hints of a new journey God wants me to take with Him. Just as with Fear, God keeps prodding me with the idea of Charity (Christian Love) and Mercy. My intuition tells me this journey is preparing me for the new season of life gently blowing into my life over the next few years.

Well, I am ready. I don’t want to waste this season as I have wasted some seasons in the past.

Reading the letters to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

Christ repeats the phrase ” I know your deeds” (or also interpreted works in some translations)

Rev 2:2; Rev 2:19; Rev 3:1; Rev 3:8; Rev 3:15

Christianity stands on the foundation that we are saved by faith. We trust in the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. We claim Him as our Lord and Savior. We know we are sinners and can not work our way to salvation.

But

We are called to good works.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The reality is that our actions, our deeds, the way we spend our time demonstrates what we believe and what we value. Christ repeats the phrase “I know your deeds” because the way we use the hours and minutes of our day mirror our true beliefs. The path we take indicates who or what we trust.

You say you believe in prayer, but when faced with a challenge your last action is to say a pleading prayer after all your efforts have failed. Would your deeds indicate that you believe in prayer. Given an hour to accomplish a task would you spend the hour in prayer? Two minutes in prayer and 58 minutes working? Or would you pray and work through the full 60 minutes?

When you know Christ’s teachings are in conflict with something you want, would you say “Well God would want me happy so I am sure He will understand this time.” And then proceed to satisfy your desires rather than following the teachings of Christ.

Do you worry more about politics and campaigning for a political party then you do sharing the love of Christ?

Do you worry more about securing your financial future than you do about building the Kingdom of Heaven?

Lately, I feel convicted by what my works say about me. I believe Christ called me to specific works, good works, but I allow all kinds of businesses to fill my days. I reach the end of each day having raced around but barely touching the things of God. My deeds show my priorities even if my words would claim different.

What do your deeds say about your beliefs and priorities?

Month: September 2013

The Soft Breeze of a Change of Seasons

Christ knows your works