Raging Rita

by Angie Thomas

Man, if there is ever a lesson that could nail me to the wall, it would be a lesson on anger! Let’s just say this is an area where the Lord has revealed much sin in my heart as a result of the anger and words that fly out of my mouth at times.  I had to laugh as I reread Laurie’s devotion as she talked about “Lovely Rita” turning into “Raging Rita”. How true! What amazes me at times is that I can be standing in my kitchen, singing along to some worship music, praising Jesus, and in the next second one of my children do or say something to really upset me and the words that spew out of my mouth and the tone I use are anything but worship! How sad, but true. Perhaps James struggled in this way too, because he wrote in James 3:6a, 8-10, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

Laurie mentioned in that lecture that anger is often just a symptom of greater problems in our heart.  Again, James seems to have this figured out, because following the above passage in James 3:11-12 he says, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” James is basically saying, if your heart is righteous and pure, there ain’t gonna be any “word vomit” (as Kate called it) spewing out. But the reverse is also true.  If there is a lot of sin and unrighteousness in our hearts, there is going to be plenty of “shocking” things that come out of our mouths. Jesus aptly said in Matthew 12:34b, “ For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Ouch, that steps on my toes.

My prayer ladies, is that we won’t try to just “fix” our anger by taking more deep breaths and counting to 10 before we speak.  Those are awesome ideas and should be implemented as we become quick to listen and slow to speak.  But ask God to gently reveal to you the sin behind those outbursts of anger, the jealousy or grudge you are holding, or the gossip. He is so loving and wants to cleanse you and free you from all unrighteousness.  Instead of complaining about the circumstances that might have produced these behaviors and justifying them, thank Him for allowing those circumstances, that you might have a greater understanding of your true heart condition.

I know for me, this summer the Lord really allowed me to see the often horrible way I would lash out at my children.  No surprise to anyone, they are not exactly always angels, but I was not responding to them in a biblical, loving way. I was often disciplining them in anger which is a definite affront to God’s grace extended daily to me! God sweetly and gently showed me that part of the problem with my heart in these situations was that I was still trying to live for man and not for God, basing my identity and worth on how well my children behaved instead of wholly on the truth that I am a daughter of the King, adopted into His family, a friend of Jesus.  When I bask in His amazing, completely undeserved love for me, I can love my children so much more like Him, and extend much grace because I have been offered so much!

Let’s let Him do some heart surgery on Raging Rita, girls! I know the life and abundance that will result will be well worth every temporary pain of our surgery!

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Mountains and Children

by Susan Sampson

I’m sitting here reviewing my lecture notes and thankfully see the note of what to say to myself when I feel like I’m getting ready to lose it:

GOD’S KINGDOM — GOSPEL — GRACE!!

Of course I had already forgotten that Laurie said that just yesterday.  Thank you, Lord, for giving me the responsibility and privilege of writing the weekly email which causes me to have to review my notes — you know how weak I truly am and how easily your words go in one ear and out the other.  Please help me hear you and learn and take your truth and apply it to my own heart.  I could have used this reminder as I woke this morning from a terrible nightmare, and then as my children woke later and began bombarding me with questions as simple as, “What’s for breakfast?” and as we made a feeble attempt at doing a morning devotion with our Ambassador’s of Christ book when all of our flesh was balking big time.  And this is all before noon!  Praising God for His grace upon grace.  Thank you, Lord, that you do not judge us based on our performance!  Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross in my place.  Thank you for fulfilling the law perfectly for me.

Oh how I see more and more how desperately I need you, Lord.  The visual image Laurie gave us of Mt. Everest was so helpful.  That is exactly how I feel!  And then this morning it occurred to me that I have 3 children so I have to climb Mt. Everest, Kilimanjaro, and Fuji!  Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gift of your Holy Spirit.  You have not left us alone. You dwell within us.  This morning I was in tears, beginning to fall to the weight of it all and feeling that I was giving in to the temptation to be overwhelmed.  BUT — I cried out to the Lord and He heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair!

Remember how Laurie told us that it does no good for our children to put them in a backpack and then proceed to climb the mountain perfectly?  This was something I definitely needed to hear.  The Lord encouraged me sweetly this morning as I thought about this.  We are not to carry our children, but to come alongside our children as servants and ambassadors.  However, it is the Lord who carries each one of us.  “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Is. 40:11).  And also Deut. 33:27 says, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” 

Jesus speaks the truth, “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible'” (Mat. 19:26).  

The Lord has chosen and appointed us to be His ambassadors.  We represent Him here on earth.  To be the one chosen from all of the citizens of the United States of America to be the ambassador to any country is a huge honor that very few receive.  The honor we have been given is so far greater!

Thankfully we are all walking this journey together.  We are not alone.  Let us together work out our salvation with fear and trembling and look to Christ to enable us by His grace and power to battle in putting our flesh to death so that the Spirit comes alive within us and our children no longer see us, but see Christ in us.  Remember, the Lord looks at our heart, not our performance.

Take time this week, prayerfully depending on the Lord’s wisdom and grace, and come up with 3-5 simple household non-negotiables that have consequences already thought through and discuss them with your children and post them.  If you are like me, your flesh is not going to want to do this and will find every excuse in the book.  Lord, we need you. Please enable us to climb the mountain one step at a time, looking to Christ, the Author and Perfector of our faith!

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Our First Love

by Dottie Ryan

Day 3 “Walk on Truth” lead us to Revelation 2-3 and challenges us to ask God to search our hearts to reveal where we may have ‘lost our first love’ — where we may love things of the world, have unbelief, or where we may be holding on to false teaching.  For some reason, the message of this whole week took me to the story of Hosea and Gomer and God’s costly and unending love toward a rebellious people.  In chapter 11 verse 8 our Lord cries: “How can I give you up?”  (NIV). God’s love is a costly love. It cost Him the life of His Son. If we are to follow Him, it will cost us to.  We are admonished by Jesus Himself to count the cost.

God’s love doesn’t always look like love to us.  Have you ever asked yourself how we can really know God’s love? The path of God’s love, as Ed Welch points out in his book When People are Big and God is Small, is not without suffering.  In fact those who love more will suffer more. Yet the path of God’s love is a path that leaves us overflowing.  Welch suggests that people may ask questions concerning God’s love because His love may seem so distant — and not even look like love.  He suggests that the answer is to repent of seeking God “so that I can feel better about myself.” Then think about Jesus (like through the story of Hosea). Ask God to teach you about this love, so you can both know it and give it.  Ask other people to pray for you. And believe God’s promises that He will teach you.

Laurie asked us to consider what it means to truly mourn your sin. She suggests we ask God to give us the ability to see our sin as He does. To ask Him to reveal it in our hearts. To cry out for mercy to help us agree with Him, confess, and repent. To call out to Him in prayer knowing he hears our cry. To return to our first love!

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