GodandMe2theMax

Pulling off the blindfold...

When I was a teenager, my friend Anne and I used to take turns blindfolding each other while the other would drive around town. When we were done, the one who was blindfolded had to try to guess where we ended up. We always tried to be pretty creative with our turns and circles, so much that in the end, no matter how hard we tried to follow the turns, the guess of the final destination was usually wrong. Our sneaky lefts and rights had left the other disoriented enough to not know the truth.

That's where I was last night. Blindfolded by some sneaky lefts and rights thrown at me from the deceiver himself...so much to the point that I was disoriented from the truth.

Do you ever get in one of those moods? Maybe you can relate. Everything sets you on edge, and you have this angst in your spirit. Well yesterday evening, I was overcome with that exact emotion. I didn't feel it earlier in the day, but I have a feeling it's been there for a while...building. One thing set me off, and needless to say I got pretty ugly. And stayed that way. Even after everyone went to bed, I laid in bed, unable to sleep, just being plain miserable. Miserable with everyone around me. Miserable with situations out of my control. Miserable with my emotions. Miserable with...me.

As I often do when I can't sleep, I started praying. It's amazing when you ask God to reveal Himself to you how His Holy Spirit does just that. It didn't take long for me to see the problem. Me. (It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out - the problem is always me!) I've had a busy week, back and forth to Jacksonville, Florida, lots of extra hours at work to catch up from being out of the office, and something had to give. Unfortunately, I made the wrong choice, and the thing that "gave" for me was my quiet time.

As a seasoned Christian, I made a calculated error. "It won't matter if I miss spending a few days with my best friend. I'll catch up later, when I have time." The truth is, for me, if I'm not seeking God every single day, then I'm not growing. I went to bed thanking God that His mercies are fresh every morning. I went to bed knowing changes needed to be made in my morning schedule, and today will be different. He removed that blindfold that was disorienting me.

This morning as I sat down to read, the Lord brought my attention to these verses in 2 Peter 1:5-9.

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. "

"Make every effort." Hmmm...nope, definitely I haven't made every effort to do much of anything but work lately. Ok, well, maybe I've made every effort to do the exact opposite of some of these things. Truth is, it comes so naturally that I didn't have to try much at all. I've defininitely not made every effort to add to my faith goodness, knowledge (and we won't even go there with the self-control issue when it comes to my raging temper the last few days!)...perseverance, godliness, mutual affection (what's that?!?) and love. Love? I've been so blinded.

"Add to your faith." ... "Increasing measure." Not only does God give me a big list of things I should be working on here, but He says to add to my faith and possess these qualities in increasing measure. If I can't measure my growth, if these things are not being added to my character daily, then it doesn't matter how seasoned of a Christian I am, I'm not in God's will, and I have been blindfolded.

You know, most people who are blind do not lose their sight overnight. Sure, some are born blind, and some have injuries that cause immediate blindness, but the majority of people lose their sight, over time. It's a process. And that's just how satan gets us. A little at a time. He chinks away at us when we least suspect it, when our guard is down, hoping to disorient us to the truth of who we are and where we should be in Christ.

I decided I would write what was on my heart about this, and I was shocked to see that I haven't even blogged once this year. Not once. Shame on me. I love writing. I love sharing what God's been doing in my life. But it looks like that blindfold has been attached a little longer than even I was aware.

Let me never forget what God has done for me. How he saved me. What a filthy person I could be and am without Him. Let me never allow the enemy to blindfold me, even for a moment. He is the great deceiver. He will go to no lengths to make lefts and rights and trick me into thinking I should be somewhere else. I am God's child. I will add to my faith. Increase in measure. And I refuse to go blind.

--Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

Do it ALL for Him...

I Corinthians 10:31 "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God."

It's early on a Friday evening, but bedtime for me is right around the corner. I'm a resident chauffer and judge for Amber's debate tournaments, and tomorrow's tournament is 90 minutes away. We have to be at the high school at 5 AM, ready to pull out of the parking lot. (What was I thinking by volunteering! Someone please slap me!)

Anyway, tonight, Amber was working on her speech for the tournament tomorrow. She has memorized and prepared a 8-9 minute speech which she will delivery without notecards in a category called OO - Original Oratory. If you know Amber, you know she's a perfectionist. She got second place at the last tournament. Tomorrow, she wants it perfect, she wants it right, and sure, let's be honest, she would love to have first place. What child wouldn't after putting all that work into something? But the problem is, this week, Amber is fighting a bad throat infection, she's had little sleep, averaging about 4 hours a night, due to all the homework, and she's simply sick and exhausted.

Amber's coach is awesome, and he really knows how to motivate the students to better themselves. That's the sign of a good coach, really, when students want to do better to make the coach proud. Anyway, of course Amber wants to do good for him, too. But as she got frustrated with her soar throat and inability to speak the way she wanted, I finally had to remind her of our little family motto, one we've used over and over as she's grown up and been in different competitions. "You don't have to be the best, you just have to do your best." (She quoted it with me once she heard the first few words!)

We talked it through.

"Have you done all you can to prepare, Amber?"
"Yes, mom, I really have. But I'm still struggling with this."
"It doesn't matter, if you've done your best, that's all that matters" I said.

And then I reminded her, "First place doesn't matter. You do not need to win for your coach or even for yourself. You are doing this for God. Period. If you've done your best, that's all He expects, and you've already accomplished your goal."

God used the truth of His Word to relax her. I could see a change. Sure, her throat was still hurting really badly, and yes, she still had things to get done tonight, but I know He provided peace in her stress.

So as I write tonight, I'm contemplating that same thought. In all things, do I give 100% for God's glory? In my work? As a mom? In my domestic duties? (A-hem, no laughing! This is time for self-reflection!) As a wife? In my quiet time? In my prayer time? With my friends? Do I give it my best? Do I do it for His glory?

I love how God uses my children to teach me how far I still have to go. I can't be a know-it-all mom with all the answers when He's teaching me how imperfect I am, with so many failures. And that's just it, even when I give my best, I'm never going to be FIRST, because I AM SECOND, and that's cool with me...as long as I do it ALL for Him.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Twenty more hours...

Twenty more hours.

That's how much longer I have until my husband returns from Africa. Just twenty more hours. In many ways, this has been the roughest trip for me with him away. You see, when we're most vulnerable, that's when the enemy tries to attack. And attack he did the last two weeks...mostly in our family. Many of you know Jacob's past health struggles, and unfortunately, they have decided to come to the forefront again, just in time for me to deal with them all on my own.

And therein lies the problem. The words "on my own." How often do we go through life, thinking we're 'on our own' with the feelings we have. We have our little pity parties because things aren't going the way we think they should. We think we're the only one who feels this way. We focus so much on ourselves that we forget to look outward. It's when we look at others, we realize how insignificant and small the problems we deal with really are. We get ourselves up in a tizzy thinking about all the issues at hand instead of thanking God for his bountiful blessings.

And truly, I am so blessed and rich with friends in my life. While Frank has been gone, one friend brought me dinner, another family had us over for dinner, and another family took us out to a restaurant for dinner. How awesome is that? Beyond words. Lord, forgive me for thinking "I'm on my own." Even more, Lord, You are here. You are here when Jacob struggles with behavior. You are here when Amber struggles with more hours of homework than she gets sleep. You are here in my sleepless nights of solitude. You are here, and I am never alone. Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave you or forsake you."

And so, twenty more hours. That's twenty hours to turn my frown upside down. Twenty more hours to offer a helping hand to someone else. That's twenty more hours to try to encourage someone else. And that's twenty more hours to praise my God in the storms of life.

So when you're in a countdown, like I currently am, holding your breath until that moment you've waited for finally arrives, instead of trying to hold out, use every minute that you can for God. Praise Him. And thank Him that you have just twenty more hours.

 

Psalm 66:1-7 "Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, the sing praise to your name. Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf! He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot, let us rejoice in Him. He rules forever by His power, his eyes watch the nations – let not the rebellious rise up against Him.’”

Who is my god? The object of my affection...

Yesterday I downloaded a new book on my kindle called "Craving God: A 21 Day Devotional" by Lisa TerKeurst.  It was free, and published by Zondervann, so I figured I couldn't go wrong.  The book is about craving God instead of food.  (At least with the given title and my limited reading so far, that's what I can tell.)

As I read the first chapter, I was quickly allerted to the fact that this "devotional" had only a vague reference to Psalm 139 with us being fearfully and wonderfully made.  Sure, the content has been good so far, but when I finished the first chapter, I definitely didn't feel "fed" spiritually.  You know, just because something says "devotional" on it, doesn't mean it's filled with God's Word.  And to grow spiritually, we have to be cautious to not fill our mind with words from good people...we have to focus on God's inspired Word.  Ironic, yes, coming from a blogger.  But true, nonetheless.

Like I said, the content has been good, and I'm going to finish this book.  Struggle with food has always been a life-long battle for me.  Here's some quotes from the book so far...

"I had to get honest enough to admit that I relied on food more than I relied on God, I craved food more than I craed God."

"Is it possible we love and rely on food more than we love and rely on God?  Now before you delete this, hear me out.  This question is crucial.  We have to see the purpose of our struggle with food as something more than getting to wear smaller sizes and receiving compliments.  Shallow desires produce shallwo efforts...The process of getting healthy has to be about more than just losing weight and focusing on ourselves.  It's not about adjusting our diets and hoping for good physical results.  It's about recalibrating our souls so that we want to change for the right reasons."

But as I contemplated the words from the book, I turned to God's book, and for whatever reason, he led me to Psalm 23.  The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not be in want.  Interesting that the Lord led me to that.  If I am craving food, maybe I'm not letting the Lord be my shepherd.  Hmmm...  He leads me...He restores me...He guides me...He's with me...He prepares my table...

So as I contemplated the combination of my new little "devotional" book with God's book, He led me to write this poem this morning.  It's a question we each have to ask ourselves, not once, but every single day.  Who or what is our god?  Who or what is the object of our affection?  I'm renewed today with an even greater desire to keep my God with a big - G on the throne.

Who is my god?  The object of my affection.

Wake up super early, phone by my bed.
No time for breakfast, gotta get the kids fed.
Must have my coffee, can’t live without it.
Then find time to work out so I can stay fit.

Making good progress, now it’s my time for me.
Kids are at school, and I’m finally free.
On the docket today, shopping and fun.
And of course some facebook while I’m on the run.

A glance at my watch says it’s time to stop
Kids will be home soon and the floors still need mopped.
Dinner is served.  Homework is done.
Kids are in bed.  Watch out tv, here I come.

The end of the day, it’s quickly in sight.
I got it all done, with all of my might.
Almost asleep.  Whoops, gotta say a quick prayer.
Then God speaks back in the dark night air.

“Who is your god?  You’ve replaced Me, you see.
The day is over, but what about Me?
You have time for shopping, you have time for fun.
You have time for friends, but time for me, there’s none.

Who is your god, the coffee, your phone?
Is it your food, your chocolate, am I still on the throne?
Am I King of Your life, ruling supreme?
Or have I been replaced with more important things?”

“But God, I just had so much to do.
Tomorrow will be better.  I’ll find time for You.”
But the pattern continues.  Night after night.
“I’ll change, God.  Tomorrow will start off right.”

Truth be told, nothing changes until the heart is clean
With motives and sin on the table to be seen.
The object of my affection each day must be You.
My big G-God, my provider, my only love true.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

Opportunities Lost...

My daughter Amber is one of those teenagers that moms dream of.  She's a content girl who rarely asks for anything.  We are blessed, and considering the headaches that I put my parents through, I don't deserve her.  Definitely. 

Well, Amber's birthday was in May, and figuring out what to give her is always a challenge.  For example, at Christmas time, the only thing on her Christmas list was the Indiana Jones Trilogy.  For real.  True story.  But this year, I came up with a great idea for her birthday gift.  Amber loves American Idol, so I talked to my husband, and we decided to get her American Idol concert tickets.  We've been able to go twice before, and this would be a perfect gift.  However, we couldn't even find four seats together in any of the concerts in the entire state of Texas.  So we quickly made the decision to drive to the Oklahoma City concert.  It would be Amber's birthday gift, not to mention a nice time for our family of four to get away together.

The concert was incredible.  Of the three we've been to, it was by far the best, even though our seats were pretty high up.  As we were getting ready to leave, I stopped to ask my husband Frank if we could go check to see if they were signing autographs.  He quickly denied my motion.  "It's late.  They've never done it before.  Let's go."  Yes, it was a pretty matter-of-fact decision.  I asked again, and I received the same reply.

Now, I'm pretty strong willed.  Usually if I want something, I'll do it.  I have no idea why I didn't follow my normal Beth-instincts and do what I wanted to do...at least asking an usher to confirm my question.  Nonetheless, I complied with my husband.  Yes, a rare moment for me.  We went back to our hotel room, reminiscing about the great evening we had together as a family.

The next morning, we went to IHOP before starting back to our home in Texas.  In the room, two other families were gathered.  We could hear them also talking about their experience at the Idol concert the night before.  Being the nosey person I am, I started to eavesdrop.  However, I didn't like what I was hearing.  One mom was talking about meeting Scotty and Lauren.  Wait.  How could this be?  I piped in across the room.  Did you meet them and get their autograph?  You know the answer I heard.

I looked at Frank with a glare, and a forced smile, trying to be a good example.  I missed my opportunity.  I couldn't believe it.  I had the chance.  I even wore my I AM SECOND t-shirt to the concert, in hopes of meeting Scotty.  I had the chance.  I missed my opportunity.  Over and over the thoughts ran through my mind.  I wasn't mad at him.  I was just frustrated.  I was so close, but obviously so far away.

I had a long ride in the van to think about the situation.  I even brought God into my thoughts.  Imagine that.  I prayed for a better attitude.  And just as quickly as I did, He told me there were plenty of other more important missed opportunites that I should be concerned with.  Missed opportunites to tell people about Him.  I had a chance to tell those people at IHOP about God, but I missed that opportunity as well.

If you follow my blog, you might note that I haven't been writing as much lately.  Actually, I have been doing a lot of writing, but just not a lot of blogging.  God's been using my writing to write songs with one of my best friends.  I don't publish most of them, because one day we hope to be able to get them recorded.  As I contemplated about "Opportunites Lost", the Lord just gave me the poem below.  I hope you'll look for opportunites to share His love with those around you.  Let's do it together!

 

Opportunities Lost
© by Beth Banfill

Colossians 4:5-6  “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Sometime things just happen
And I’ve got no control over them
I miss a chance to fulfill my dream
And I’ll never get it back again.

But life is filled with near misses
Opportunities gone.  Lost kisses.
And it’s so easy to cast the blame
“It’s not my fault.” - playing that game.

Then I hear God’s voice very clearly
While He looks at my tightly clenched fist.
“Just how many opportunities
To tell others about Me have you missed?

What about the lady at the store?
Did you tell her that I love her more?
And what about that dirty man on the street?
Did you walk by in fear as he begged at your feet?

And at church when they passed the plate?
Did you give willingly or hesitate?”
Missed opportunities – they abound.
God open my eyes, they’re all around.

Yes, sometimes, things just happen.
And we’ve got no control over them.
We miss a chance to fulfill our dream
And we’ll never get it back again.

But we always have an opportunity
To be Jesus throughout our community.
We just have to look with eyes open wide
Through the eyes of God and swallow our pride.

God let me be Your hands.  Be Your feet.
Let me sieze the opportunity.  Carpe Diem.
Let me be Your voice, no matter the cost.
So I have no more opportunities lost.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Do you need a spiritual fill-up?

Psalm 107:9  "For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

Easter morning finally came.  The day we've excitedly and expectantly waited for!  What an amazing day of worship and celebration of my risen Lord!  I don't know about you, but the energy was high at my church.  We had three services, and people made professions of faith in Christ in each service.  It was so cool to see God at work in our midst.  Afterward, we hung out with some good friends for lunch and played games.  Then I felt like I was about to crash.  I'm one of those kind of people that will push myself with a full schedule until every minute is booked up.  I love to have people over, entertain, and I don't always know when my tank is on empty until it's too late.  Let's just say that my energy level on Easter Sunday evening was below the "E."  Spiritually I was full from the day's events, physically, I was empty and exhausted.

Contrast that with the picture below that I took a few months ago after taking my daughter to a doctor's appointment across the other side of town.  I glanced down at my gas gauge and noticed it was on empty.  The light was on, and I was at least fifteen miles from home.  Decision time.  Do I push my limits and get the van home so my husband could fill it, or do I try to cut over through traffic to the gas station on the opposite side of the road and get home even later than planned?  Chance it, I did, but fear finally took over.  I ended up pulling over for gas, just a few miles away from my house.  By then, the tank was below the "E" and I knew I had pushed my little van as far as I could.  I really don't think I could have made it home.  I was running on fumes, and quite easily, all forward motion could have stopped at any moment. 

Once I got empty--really empty--all I could think about was finding what I needed to keep going.  I was desperate for one thing, gas.  That was all I could think about. 

Sometimes , especially on days when I'm exhausted, it's easy to think that running on empty is a bad thing.  But think of it in a spiritual sense, and take some time to read through Psalm 107, especially the verse for this week.  Psalm 107:9  "For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

Just like a car running out of gas, we have to empty ourselves of...ourselves.  We need to be so empty we are desperate.  Desperate to be filled by the Lord.  Desperate to not do life on our own.  Desperate for Him.  Desperate for more.  If you are hungry for Him, He will fill you.  If you are thirsty, He promises to satisfy you.  It's only when we get rid of the "me" in our life and and replace it with "Him" that we will be able to keep our engine of life running smoothly.

Let's make sure we're having a Spiritual fill-up every day..not just on the big days like Easter. 

  

 

 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

  

Pass the oranges, please...

Proverbs 11:25  "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

On Saturday, I sat outside in the sun at my son's soccer game.  The wind was gently blowing, but frankly, it was stinkin' hot for being so early in the season.  The sun was beating down on my already sunburned arms from last week's game.  Now, I've never been a big fan of oranges...they're just too messy for me.  But as the sun was beating, I started to think how refreshing an orange would be about that time.  You see, it was our turn to bring oranges for the half time snack.  We were well into the second half of the game, so I went on the hunt for some leftovers.  I found several bags were left, still on ice.  Wow!  For someone who doesn't really care for oranges, I inhaled in a matter of minutes the equivalent of about three entire oranges.  "Refreshing" doesn't even begin to describe it.

Now think about it.  What if you could offer ice cold, fresh oranges to someone in the hot Texas sun?  What if you saw someone out there who was dehydrated, and you could offer exactly what they need?  How would that make you feel?  Take a look at the verse to memorize for this week.  Proverbs 11:25  "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." 

Our Sunday morning worship service was a tremendous example of this verse.  Our church is involved in a community development  project in a little village called Bukabwa, located in the Mara region in Tanzania, East Africa.  Bukabwa is a community of about 5,000 people that before a few weeks ago, literally had no hope.  Two of our pastors and my husband Frank just returned from Bukabwa last week.  Our church's vision for this community is to not only meet their spiritual needs (there's no church even in this entire area) but also to partner with the African Inland Church to teach them micro-finance, transforming little by little, the entire community.  Our pastor shared with us that to sponsor a pastor for one year, build a church building and a home for the pastor next to it, it will take only $5,000.  He then did an uncharacteristic move.  He asked our church family to donate on the spot to meet this need.

Now, he didn't just take an offering.  He asked people to come forward and lay their offering on the platform.  I sing on the worship team, and I can't even start to tell you what this did for our team as we sang.  "Give me one pure and holy passion."  People started lining the aisle.  "Give me one magnificent obsession."  One by one they came forward and left their offering on the alter.  There was a line to get to the front of the church.  "Give me one glorious ambition for my life.  To know and follow hard after You." 

God's people gave generously Sunday morning.  It refreshed me.  It refreshed so many on our worship team that at one point in the response song, several of us were so filled with tears that we couldn't even sing.  I don't know the final numbers yet, but I do know that there was a lot more than $5000 given. 

As if God didn't already show up and show off, a friend unexpectedly handed me a generous donation today for the mission trip to Colombia my daughter and I will be going on this July.  Fundraising has been slow for us, and this gift definitely was an unforeseen blessing.  Half of the money is due by the end of the month, and we are still far from that goal, but this gift definitely helped boost us closer.  Yes, in more than one way, God's people brought ice cold refreshing oranges to church.

We have probably all been recipients of unexpected blessings like I've mentioned above.  But, how many of us have been the giver?  Have you ever given out of obedience, even though you don't really have the money to do so?  The Bible is very clear about the principle of giving.  Give, and it will come back to you.  I've seen it over and over again.  (Luke 6:38)  There's been several times in our family's life that we knew God was definitely telling us to give, even though we really didn't have the means to do so.  I can testify that every time we've been obedient in giving, God has refreshed us in return.  Sometimes the refreshment is monitary, but always it's spiritually refreshing.

Break out the oranges and give where God leads.  Abundant, refreshing blessings are waiting.  Try it.  You might just find you like oranges!

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

How far will you go?

John 14:21  "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him."

How far will you go to get something you want? 

Back in November, I wrote about my son Jacob, and how he reacted to a pickle that was put on his plate in pre-school.  Clearly, pickles are something he detests.  But this week, an interesting phenomenon happened.  Let me start by saying that trips to McDonalds are a rarity in this house, especially since "Super Size Me" was aired in Amber's Jr High School health class.  Nonetheless, McDonalds had some special happy meal toys being advertised: "Young Justice."  It was spring break, and we caved.  Off to McDonalds we went.  To help out Jacob with his quest for Young Justice toys, I ordered a happy meal, Amber ordered one, and of course, Jacob ordered one.  Clearly, Amber and I ordered the meal with the intent to give Jacob the toy inside.  At first, Jacob assumed our toys were his and started to open them, until I pointed out that they were not his property until we gave them to him. 

Amber then got the most devious look on her face.  "Jacob, you can have my Batman toy if you eat this pickle.  No washing it down with lemonade.  Now extra food.  Straight pickle." 

I ask again, "How far will you go to get something you want?"  Jacob has such a history with and disdain for pickles, I never thought he would take Amber up on the deal.  Truly, Amber planned on giving him the toy anyway.  But those were the ground rules, and Jacob was willing to go pretty far.  He stuck with the deal 100%.  He ate that pickle, even though he clearly was disgusted.  From a parent's point of view, it looked like an episode of Pediatric Fear Factor.

I started to think about what was playing out before my eyes.  This child wanted something so badly, he was willing to do about anything to get it.  But do we ever want to please God so badly that we're willing to experience a bit of discomfort to make Him happy?

Take a look at Judges 4.  In it Deborah the prophetess was leading Israel.  She summoned Barak and told him God was commanding him to take ten thousand men and march to Mount Tabor.  She then told Barak God was going to hand over the enemy to him.  Barak's response to Deborah, "I'll go only if you go with me."  There's been a lot of studies on Barak, and we can draw some of our own conclusions, but what I want to focus on is God's command.  God didn't say, "I'll hand over your enemies to you if you take Deborah with you."  No, it was "Go," without conditions.  It was Barak's job to obey.  It didn't matter if he was uncomfortable in the position God was calling him to.  His job was not to change the game plan.  His job was only to do what God told him...completely.

Now look at the verse to memorize for the week, John 14:21.  If we know what God commands us to do and we actually do it, then that proves our love for Him.  One of the key things here is to actualy contemplate the thought, what is God commanding me to do?  Clearly, there are obvious Godly character traits in the Bible that we should exemplify.  But what specifically is asking you to do?  Is it out of your comfort zone? 

Is He asking you to go work with inner city homeless people?  Is He telling you to go get uncomfortable on a mission trip?  Is He asking you to dig deep in your pockets to help support a friend raising support to go on a mission trip?  God doesn't always call us to do things that are easy.  If it's easy, what kind of faith would that take?   

How far are you willing to go to obey?  Are you willing to be uncomfortable, no matter the cost?  Will you even eat a pickle?

 

 

 

 

 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Grow my roots...

Colossians 2:6  "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Roots.  It's what a plant needs to keep growing stronger.  A root anchors the plant and absorbs nutriments and moisture to help it grow.  You can have the biggest, healthiest plant ever, but speaking from experience, if left unwatered without sunlight, the roots will begin to surface and the plant will eventually die.  A green thumb, I have not.  In fact, with the exception of one, I have successfully neglected all plants I've ever had to the point of no return.

Well, this last week, God has been teaching me the importance of growing my roots deeper.  You see, I kind of think I know my Bible pretty well.  I don't mean to sound proud when I say that.  It's just that I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian school for thirteen years, went to a Christian college, and well, I've been growing in Christ a long time.  But sometimes it's easy to be complacent and forget the need for continual growth.  Our pastor has been challenging us about this very directive of growth from God the last few weeks at church, too. 

Well, last Wednesday, when our worship team finished practicing a song, our worship pastor opened up his Bible and started reading a passage from Revelation.  Now, I've read through the Bible, cover to cover, several times.  But as he read, I heard some things I don't remember hearing before about how John describes the return of Christ.  In it, he said Jesus will have written on His robe and thigh, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."  Hmmm...yep, I definitely never remember reading this description of Jesus.  Sure, I knew Jesus is called the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" but does that mean Jesus will have a tattoo on his thigh with this title?  I'm not sure, but it kind of sounds like that, doesn't it?  And then another thing in the passage caught my ear.  It said Jesus will bear a name that no one knows but He Himself.  I listened as Pastor Steven kept reading.  I stood there captivated by this phrasing from the Bible that I just had never remembered hearing before.  How could I have missed this in all my years of being a Christian?  I got home and re-read the passage.  In fact, I've probaby read it at least 5 times since.  We know so many names for God, and yet, there is one name that will not be revealed to us until He returns.  Take a look for yourself at the passage - Revelation 19:11-16. 

Now take a look at the verse to memorize for this week in Colossians.  Paul says, just like we've received Christ, we should continue to live in Him.  Continue.  It's a verb, but it's one that calls for action in the present tense.  We need to persist.  Last.  Endure.  And how do we do this?  By building up our roots in Him.  This strengthens our faith, and the bi-product is an overflow of thankfulness.

The story from Revelation is just one example of how God hit me upside the head this week with the need to grow my roots.  Sometimes when you've been a Christian a long time, it's easy to not look for new things in Scriptures.  "Been there, done that" should never be a mantra of a Christian.  Instead, it should be "Show me.  Teach me.  Help me learn."   The more I learn, the more my roots grow, the more I realize so little I know.  I wrote this poem this week, in response to the passage from Revelation.  God, keep growing my roots so that I am a life-long student of Yours.

A Name No One Knows...
Revelation 19:11-16

We think we know Him, this Jesus of ours,
but is that really the case?
If He returned today, right in front of our eyes
would we recognize His face?

Provider, Healer, Messiah, Friend
Lover of our souls, No Beginning, No End
Righteous Judge, defeating all foes
And He’ll bear a name that no one knows.

His eyes will be like a blazing fire. 
On His head will be many crowns.
He’ll be dressed in a robe dripped in blood
And His name is the Word of God.

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Will be written on His thigh and robe
He’s faithful and true.  Immeasurably pure.
And He has a name no one knows.

Such a mystery, this Christ in me.
I spend my days trying to know Him more
Realizing I’ve got so far to go 
To really know that name no one knows.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Heartburn...

Judges 2:10  "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel."

Heartburn.  A burning sensation in your chest that once you get it, seems to stay with you for a really long time.  It hurts.  It's constant.  And it's a reminder of what you ate (or shouldn't have eaten.)

I started a study in Judges this last week, and as I read through some of the corresponding Scriptures, Judges 2:10 struck me with a burning in my heart like I can't explain.  Yes, it's true, this verse gave me Spiritual heartburn.  In context, Joshua, the great leader of Israel had passed away.  Time elapsed, and everyone who had seen God do mighty things in Joshua's generation, anyone who was an eyewitness to God's hand of deliverance, eventually died as well.  When they died, they left behind a generation that had no personal experience or interaction with God Almighty.  That generation, according to verse eleven did evil in the sight of the Lord and served other gods. 

As I said, this verse burned in my heart when I read it.  It's a reality check for me, and a scary one at that.  Re-read the verse, making it personal this time.  "After 'Beth Banfill' died, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done in 'her' life."  You see, one of my biggest fears is that my children will become adults and decide they don't have any need for God.  Sure, as a parent, I can instill in them God's love as best I know how.  And by the grace of God, I can see Him at work in their lives even as a twelve and fourteen year old.  But am I doing everything God wants me to do to make an eternal difference for Him, not only with my children, but with everyone I come in contact with?

To me, that is a daunting and chilling thought.  It begs several questions that demand personal answers.  When I die, will others know about the mighty works of God in my life?  Regardless of my age, what am I doing to impact my generation or the next for Christ?  Am I passing along the importance of a relationship with Christ to my children, or am I more concerned with making sure they are popular, excelling at sports, fitting in, and having an overall good time growing up?  Where are my priorities, and are they evident enough in my life that others see them, too?

It doesn't matter how old you are at this moment, what matters is that you are making a difference in your generation so that the next one will know of God's mighty works in your life.  We have one life to live for God.  We have one voice, and one generation (our own) to impact for Christ. 

My heart burns to make an impact.  What does your heart burn for?  Do you suffer from spiritual heartburn at all?  Or have you taken so many antacids that you're immune to what God has called you to do?

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com