Nae's Notes

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that feel like they are beyond our skills. It happens in every area of life. When those situations arise, what is your first thought? Mine usually is something like, “What am I doing here?” Some days I don’t feel like I’m qualified or called. Thankfully, we have an assurance that if we follow God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to qualify or equip ourselves for the tasks ahead. God will equip us with the skills we need to fulfill the things He calls us to do for Him. It’s not an either/or situation. When we are in a situation where we don’t feel qualified or called, we need to look to His word for guidance and assurance that it is He that orders our steps. Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (NIV). Take heart today that no matter what you are facing, if you allow the Lord to order your steps, He will qualify you to the things He has called you to do. It is then that we move from merely surviving in our works to fully thriving!

One of the special things about the Bible is that you can read passages more than once and see something different each time. A popular passage is Hebrews 12:1-3, one you have probably read yourself several times. I read that passage today, at the end of a very long day, and some of the words used in the New American Standard version helped me see it in a different light.

Verse 1 starts with telling us to, “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles” (NASB). Encumbrance is not a word you hear everyday. According to Websters 1828 dictionary an encumbrance is something that impedes motion or renders it difficult. It also lists the word “clogs”. Then it mentions sin. The words “easily entangles” remind us how we can fall into sin without even trying. Both of these things work against progress towards God’s purpose for us. Laying these things aside must be a conscious action to continue our journey.

The end of verse 1 tells us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (NASB). Endurance means to continue without sinking or yielding to the pressure; the ability to withstand hardship (Websters Dictionary). We cannot keep moving forward with endurance if we do not first lay aside our hindrances. The hindrances become distractions that cause us to be weary. Focus and endurance is necessary because the race is the one set before us-no one else. Of course God has a purpose for each person’s life. However, your race and purpose is yours alone. No one else will fulfill the purpose God has for you.

The next 2 verses tell us to “fix our eyes on Jesus” and “consider what He did for us”. He went through things in His time on Earth. In all the trials He endured, He stayed fixed on God and God’s purpose for his life. The key to finding the strength to lay aside distractions and run our race comes from fixing our eyes on Jesus because He is stable. Not only is Jesus stable, but God’s purpose for our lives is stable also. We can survive our day even when we sin or encounter an encumbrance that impedes progress. We can thrive when we consciously lay those things aside and fix our eyes on Jesus to stay stable and steady in finishing our race!

There is always restoration. There is always a path back to the beginning. A new heart-a fresh vision-a new day.

At this point in the year (the end of January), many have given up on pledges they made to themselves at the top of the year. Why? If the story of the Israelites is any example for us it’s that the doors are never closed. Things come to interrupt our schedules, our budgets, our peace of mind. It’s not about the distractions, delays, or doubts. It’s about what to do when those things come. Turn from what you see with your eyes and fix your eyes on God for His plan and to see His goodness. You might not be able to see those things now. You can survive by trying to figure things out on your own. You can thrive when you turn to God’s word and seek Him!

There is a very short verse in Ephesians 6, “and find out what pleases the Lord”. V.10 NIV. Verse 9 lists fruit of the light as goodness, righteousness, and truth. Most people would think that those would be the things that please the Lord. It is implied that those attributes come naturally from living in the light of the Lord. It’s almost like we shouldn’t even have to try to exhibit those qualities. Naturally living as children of light pleases God because that is what He calls us to do. That is expected. So why add verse 10? What else could be pleasing to God? I think the key to that is the beginning of verse 1, “be imitators of God”. That involves so much more than just goodness, righteousness, and truth. Those qualities should be the foundation of our actions. There are so many things that happen in our day where we have opportunities to imitate God with our thoughts, actions, and words. We can find how to imitate Him by spending more time with Him. Imitating Him, acting like He would act in the moment, pleases Him. Pleasing Him comes with a promise.

“To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2‬:‭26‬a ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/ecc.2.26.NIV

As we please Him, we gain even more wisdom and knowledge to continue to imitate Him. It also brings happiness to you and God. You can survive by acting upon your feelings. You can thrive by seeking to please the Lord!

Ephesions 4:29 says,

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.4.29.NIV

The purpose of this verse is to remind us to watch what we say, which is always good advice. I read this verse the other day and looked at it through a slightly different lens, focusing on the phrase, “according to their needs”. Sometimes we speak out of our own needs. We need to confront someone because it makes us feel better. Some would say this is necessary because a few verses earlier it says, “don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry” (v.26). Most conflicts and hurt feelings can’t or aren’t resolved in the moment or before the sun goes down. If you carry the conversation to another day are you not obeying the Word?

Speaking those grievances in the moment often lends itself more to speaking out of emotions than wisdom. The goal is not to harbor anger or ill feelings towards others and tear them down with your words. We can release the anger and hurt to God before the sun goes down and then see the situation through His lens. Intentions and words can be misinterpreted, and Satan can use that to distract us. By releasing the situation to God “before the sun goes down” we don’t allow Satan to distract us. We can release it to God and let Him heal us and lead us to confront and reconcile if a sin has been committed against us. We need to have His words, wisdom, and leading in the situation in order to avoid further hurt and conflict. This pause will also allow Him to reveal if the conflict is one that needs to be addressed in order to build up the other person or if we misinterpreted the situation and need to allow Him to help us heal. The Bible does instruct us to confront others when they sin against us (Matt. 18:15). How many times do we confront others based on how we felt in the situation and not actually evaluating if they sinned against us? As humans we often get too far into our feelings and don’t see or understand motives. Many times there is a simple, reasonable explanation for something we think is a wrong brought against us. Seeking God in the situation allows Him to show us how to proceed with wisdom and not with feelings.

Emotions can lead us astray. God’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit will lead us in the right direction. When we truly look at things through God’s eyes, we will thrive not just survive!

Cast. The Webster’s 1828 dictionary lists some definitions as to throw, fling or send; to drive away by force. My mind initially goes to fishing when I hear this word. Casting in fishing takes practice in order to be effective. You aim for a certain spot in order to have the best chance of catching a fish. If you’re anything like me, you don’t hit the target the first time. It drops too close to the boat, and I have to reel it back in to try again. Sometimes I’m too close to a tree and get the hook stuck on a branch. It can be somewhat similar when we go to cast our cares on God. We don’t cast it far enough to truly let go and end up taking it back. That doesn’t do us any good because we haven’t truly released it. Other times think we have cast it but it gets stuck on something. We try to throw it out and get it as far away from us as possible. However, there’s something that sticks with us where we have to keep trying to get rid it. That’s where the practice enters the picture. In order to effectively cast my cares on God, I have to practice daily letting go of the things that I can’t control. You will survive by casting only when you feel overwhelmed. How much more would you thrive if you practiced casting everyday?

Jeremiah 29:11. Known by most people and usually quoted just as, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” That was on the front of the journal I had out and started thinking about the word hope to write about today. Then I opened my Bible to see if that matched the version I had and noticed a missing phrase in the middle of the verse. The verse in the NIV actually reads like this:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why is it that the middle phrase often gets deleted when the verse is being referenced? For many people just knowing God has a plan for them is just enough comfort to get them through whatever situation they are facing. That’s understandable since we mess up often and know God is still in control of the future.

When we take out, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you” we are missing a vital piece of how we could be living. God doesn’t just have a future for us. His plan for us is that we prosper. Webster’s 1828 dictionary lists these words in the definition of prosper: to favor; to succeed; to grow; to increase; to thrive; to make gain. This does not necessarily apply to money. It applies to all areas of our lives including peace, faith, trust in God, and relationships. His plan for us is that we have the absolute best in the future He has for us. We can survive by knowing and trusting He does have a plan. How much more can we thrive if we remind ourselves that His plan is for us to prosper!

Two times in the New Testament Jesus asks who can add a single hour to his life by worrying (Mt. 6:27, Luke 12:25). Jesus knew there would be trials and situations we would face each day that would cause us to worrying and try to solve them ourselves. That was not His plan for us. We were not meant to try to solve problems or figure things our on our own. We spend more time worrying than we do seeking God and His help for the situation. Philippins 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV). The thanksgiving part is the hardest piece to remember. While we are seeking God, we should thank Him for all the things He has already done for us. We can survive trying to navigate things ourselves. How much more would we thrive if we spent more time with God than we did worrying?

We have all had those days when we went looking for something and could not find it. We know where it should be. Most of the time we know (or think we know) the last place we saw it. As we look for it, a moment of panic sets in thinking it is lost forever…which sometimes it is. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV) Applying a bible verse to some of those situations may sound a little extreme. For example, you lose your warehouse membership card. It is a small fee to replace it, so it is not the end of the world to get another one. However, it causes some anxiety thinking about having to wait in line to get one before you go shop. You need to allow extra time in your already packed day. God is running the world- He does not have time to help you find your card. That is the misconception we make. He cares about everything that concerns us, from the little minor details to the big life changing ones. He can help us be calm and get through the situation without losing peace because sometimes those little things are the ones that distract us the most. When we are distracting by those things, we tend to miss what God has for us that day. He wants us to be focused on Him and serving Him. The next time you lose something do not just survive. Ask God to help you, so you can continue to thrive!

We have all heard the following verse, most likely in the these words;

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.15.12.NLT

Or maybe you’ve heard this version;

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.15.12.NIV

Reading the verse in the above versions seems like an impossible task. We can’t love others the way Jesus loved us because we are not Him. We aren’t God and haven’t been asked to sacrifice ourselves for others. It’s easy to ignore or discount what the verse says because we are human and don’t see others the way God and Jesus see them. We only see them through our eyes. The version below helps clarify how this should look.

““This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭AMP‬‬
So loving others like Jesus commanded means seeking the best for others. That is something that we can do but often times is missed. How many times when we deal with others do we want them to experience the best, especially when it comes to conflict with others? We act in a way to assure that we are the ones who benefit from the situation without thought of how it affects others. If we truly want to follow this commandment we need to seek the best for others. The next time you have conflict don’t just survive. Try to think about how Jesus views them and seek the best for them also and you both could thrive!