Going Deeper with the Message:

Compromising With Kids
by: Michelle Lemley

This Sunday, Andrew shared a powerful message about Daniel, and how he trusted that God was in control. He shared one particular quote by D. A. Carson that really spoke to me. It reads:

“People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

Now, I wouldn’t call myself a control freak, per se, but let’s just say I’ve been known to throw internal temper tantrums when things don’t go the way I want them to. I guess that’s where my kids get it. Recently, we’ve been butting heads about bedtime. With school starting next week, we’ve been more conscious of their bedtimes and trying to get them to sleep earlier. We’ve always started getting ready for bed at 7pm, but somehow over the summer we’ve slipped into the habit of starting later and later. It started with a night out when we got home late and they went to bed at 7:30pm. Then they wanted just one more snack, so it was 7:35pm. And so here we are, prepping for school to start, and they’re used to going upstairs at 8pm. What a rude awakening, and what a fight. 

My oldest son is especially frustrated with this turn of events. He’s 10, and wants so badly to be in control of his own schedule. We have had more than one conversation about why mommy and daddy are in charge of keeping him safe and healthy. And bedtime isn’t exactly the easiest time of day for rational discourse. 

And so the line from Carson’s quote, “We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance” has hit especially hard (not that he was pulling any punches with the rest of it). I have found myself drifting toward compromise, telling myself that a little change won’t hurt here and there. But there are some times in my parenting where I need to stand my ground and recognize that, while none of us may like it at the moment, in the long run it’s the right choice. 

Just as these moments are difficult in my house, similar choices can be difficult in my relationship with the Lord. Just as my kids need healthy and firm boundaries to know that they are safe in my care, I also need the reassurance of knowing that my Heavenly Father is in control and that I can trust Him to always be with me through it all. 

And that’s not a place where He will ever compromise.

Going Deeper with the Message:

The Soft Whisper
by: Barb Barnhart

Life is fair! NOT!

This has never been a true statement. Life is not fair. We live in a sinful world that is out of bounds and in chaos. We may even say that it mirrors the time of Elijah. On Sunday, Andrew shared with us that during the time when Elijah was the prophet of God, the people were “shouting at nothing.” The Kingdom of Israel was far from God, worshiping Baal. 

Elijah’s job was to bring God’s message to the people in order to get their attention and bring them back to Him. These were not messages of “rainbows and butterflies.” They were filled with truth from a broken-hearted God to His beloved people, who chose to turn away from Him. Elijah had a huge responsibility on his shoulders.

Like us, holding tightly to God’s message and going against the norms of society, Elijah got discouraged. God’s Word is not sugar-coated. We are given glimpses of both the successes and the failures of those who served the Lord. Though God had faithfully taken care of Elijah there were still times of discouragement.  

Elijah’s obedience to God brought the anger of Queen Jezebel. She proceeded to threaten Elijah’s life. He became afraid! He ran! Does this sound familiar? How often do we run from the problem? I have found that running often leads me to a place of despair. Despair overcame Elijah and he sought to give up completely.  

God had other plans! He provided for Elijah then sent him on a journey to hope. Hope was found in a solitary, quiet place.  In 1 Kings 19:10-18, we find God reaching out to Elijah.

“At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””

In the midst of your life do you allow God the time and place to speak to you? God will come to you. Listen! He is in a soft whisper with the plan for your life, to bring hope!

Going Deeper with the Message:

Struck Down, But Not Destroyed
by: Michelle Lemley

This week, Pastor Josh brought to us the story of David, whose incredible life can teach us so much about a relationship with the Lord. From his battle with Goliath to his crowning as king of Israel, his life had many shining moments. But what stands out most to me are the mentions of his failings, and his willingness to lament, repent, and turn it all over to God.

Several years ago, my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It was sudden and unexpected and it rocked my faith in a way I had never experienced. This beautiful, healthy, Godly woman couldn’t be allowed to suffer like that. I found myself turning away from God and everything else, retreating to a quiet place inside myself where I could deny what doctors and my own eyes were telling me.

But Mom took a different approach. Her faith seemed to multiply. She took every setback with a sigh, a moment of lament, and then she turned to the Lord. The example of her faith has brought me peace and awe, and after years and treatments and hair loss and pain, she is still a shining example to me in her relationship with the Lord.

I believe that a relationship with God begins to grow when we have a true relationship with ourselves. We must be willing to consider our own faults and failures and then turn them over to Him in order to allow peace and acceptance to replace guilt and pain. The first step is the willingness to accept your mistakes and to have a desire to change and grow. And that can be really, really hard. But it’s a growing pain that’s difficult in the moment, and necessary and worthwhile in the long run.  

Another Biblical figure who has brought me comfort and inspiration is Paul. In II Corinthians 4:8-9 we read, “We are pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”  

If we recognize the example of David and Paul, who endured so much and yet were still able to turn it over to the Lord, we can recognize, accept, and use these challenging times to not only persevere in our relationship with God, but to grow in our faith and trust in Him.