Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • crux

    —

    Dana

    “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6

    Here’s an imagined conversation with Jesus regarding the crux of the matter:

    Me: What was the big deal about circumcision?
    Jesus: Circumcision was a huge point of division in the early church, and Paul was challenging those who were adding to the Gospel. ‘Believe in Me!’ was My message. ‘Righteousness is the gift of God to those who put their faith in Christ’ was the message of Paul. I fulfilled the Law… What matters is that you truly trust Me.

    Me: So the object of this faith is You… What if someone says: ‘OK, I believe,’ then never does anything?
    Jesus: Yes, I am the object of the faith that pleases God. I am the ‘life-giver.’ My brother James argued that ‘faith without works is dead,’ but isn’t that obvious? Faith in Me brings true life. The Holy Spirit is given to those who believe in Me. My Father pours His love into your hearts by His Spirit. This love is active… it is not dead.

    Me: I would probably describe my walk as faithless most of the time. How can my faith be stronger?
    Jesus: Come to Me! I am the Author and Perfecter of faith. When you are faithless, our Father is faithful; you are a part of Me and He cannot deny Himself. Trust Me; obey Me; follow Me; remain in Me. Don’t you remember the faith struggles of My apostles? I was their hope, just as I am your hope.

    Me: I’d just like faith the size of a mustard seed so I could move mountains…
    Jesus: Good… but without love, you are nothing. I trusted My Father and did mighty works, but all these works were an expression of His perfect love. God is love… and love is alive.

    Me: I need Your help…
    Jesus: Your life is in Me. Because I live, you live. I am in My Father. You are in Me. I am in you. You can rest in this fact: My life in you will express itself in love.

    “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

    “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5

  • hands

    —

    Dana

    “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11)

    IMG_2732The top hand is larger now as this picture was taken a few years ago. Wilkes turns 7 on March 21! The bottom hand belongs to Rex who turns 89 on March 19. My hand is on his and Taylor’s is on mine. As we lead our young so the Good Shepherd gently leads His sheep.

    “I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (Isaiah 46:4) The One who created us cares for us… whether our hair is dark and thick or white and thinning (or absent), He carries us.

    “For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’” (Isaiah 41:13) The Good Shepherd says: ‘Fear not; I am with you.’ “He guides me along the right paths for His Name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:3-4)

    ‘My sheep hear My voice and will not listen to others…’ Why would we listen to enemies or trust the hired hands who run away when there is danger? No… we will listen to the perfect Shepherd who laid down His life for us and promises to be with us forever.

    “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:5-6

    “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep.” John 10:11-15

    “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

  • believe

    —

    Dana

    “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:19)

    The writer of Hebrews says to examine those who went before us… learn from the faithful and learn from the faithless. After the twelve spies, one from each tribe, returned from Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb said: ‘Yes! We can take the land!’ The other ten cried: ‘No! We can’t do it!’ Unfortunately, the people sided with the ten and God said: ‘Because you did not believe in Me, you will not enter the Promised Land.’ All the Israelites wandered the wilderness for the next forty years, one year for each day the spies were gone. Only those who had been under twenty years old… and Joshua and Caleb… entered Canaan.

    What was the difference between the two and the ten? All had witnessed God’s power as He judged Pharaoh and the false gods of Egypt. All walked through the Red Sea. All ate manna and quail sent from above. All drank water from the rock. But only Joshua and Caleb stood strong and exclaimed: ‘Don’t you see? God delivered us from bondage! He has cared for our needs and protected us on our journey. Nothing is too hard for Him!’ Faith was the difference.

    The writer of Hebrews warns: “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12) We are not served by a human high priest, as were the Israelites. Our hope is in Jesus, the One “who has been found more worthy than Moses.” (3:3) “Therefore, brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our Apostle and High Priest.” (3:1)

    Faith in the Son is God’s path. As He walked the earth, Jesus constantly called people to believe in Him. To His skeptics, Christ said: “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” To His disciples, He asked: “Do you finally believe?” After declaring He was the Resurrection and Life, He challenged a grieving Martha: “Whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” After His own resurrection, Jesus said to Thomas: “Because you have seen you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

    “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” cried the struggling father of a tormented boy. This is a great prayer! Jesus will help us… He is the ‘Author and Perfecter of our faith.’ We don’t please God by working harder or determining to do better. He says: ‘Cast your burdens on Me for I care for you! Trust in My Son and believe what I’ve accomplished through Him. Have the confidence of Joshua and Caleb and experience My faithfulness and power!’

    “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrew 11:6

    “Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14

  • tree of life

    —

    Dana

    “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:9)

    IMG_5143This past week, Kinsey and Jordan invited Karlyn, Susan, and me to join their family for two days in Orlando. We spent one day at Animal Kingdom and one day a nice pool where we stayed.

    It is interesting how so many books, movies, and places of entertainment echo themes and messages from the Bible. In the middle of Animal Kingdom is a giant tree that took 18 months to complete. It is 145 feet tall, has 8000 branches, 102,000 leaves, 300 carvings, and is called ‘The Tree of Life.’

    The Author of Life placed two real trees in the Garden… one whose fruit was forbidden and one intended to bring blessing. When Adam and Eve sinned and were banished from the Garden, angels were put in place to guard a source of life. “The Lord God said, ‘… He must not be able to reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’” (Genesis 3:24)

    IMG_2722During our afternoon at the pool, Susan pointed up to the clouds at the work of a small plane. Spelled out was the Source our Heavenly Father offers all who will look to Him for Life. He wants all men and women everywhere to believe and receive His most precious Gift. Jesus is all about Life.

    ‘I am the Bread of Life. Come to Me and receive true nourishment. My Body is real food and My Blood is real drink. I came to earth and died on the Cross in order for you to have eternal Life. I am the True Vine. Those who live in Me are My branches. Apart from Me you cannot truly live. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. I am the Resurrection and the Life. My words are Spirit and they are Life. Listen, obey, and abide in Me… and I will abide in you and you will experience abundant Life.’

    “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-19

    “Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” John 6:57

    “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you: continue in My love. If you obey My commands, you will continue in My love, as I have obeyed My Father’s commands and continue in His love.” John 15:9-10

  • coaching

    —

    Dana

    Though he is currently not in season, our son Taylor and I were talking about coaching the other day and he said something interesting. “If I could have the discipline to live my life the way a great coach goes through a season, I would benefit.”

    I see truth in this statement IF God is first in the coach’s life… then the important things stay the important things. On a team, the players are far more important than a record… just as in life, a spouse and kids and loved ones are far more important than any professional accomplishment. A unified team that cares for one another, works hard AND honors God shines brightly in today’s world. A person who is honest, who works hard, who treats others with kindness AND who lives for Jesus ‘shines like a star in the universe.’

    In a season, as in life, there are highs and lows. The highs should not make one arrogant or complacent and the lows should not destroy. A coach and team must learn to persevere, as do all followers of Jesus. At the end of a season, a coach wants to be able to honestly say: ‘We gave our all; we did our best.’ At the end of life, we just want to hear our Heavenly Father say: ‘Well done My good and faithful servant.’

    “Taylor, I need to think about this. In your analogy, I guess I’m in the fourth quarter.” He replied, “Dad, you’ve been in overtime for the past ten years!” Not coaching now, dreams of constant fellowship with God bring much more joy than thoughts of competition. So here’s my prayer:

    ‘Heavenly Father, You knew the number of my days before I was born. Let me trust You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. Let me acknowledge You in everything and walk Your straight path. Holy Spirit, please work powerfully in me. Remind me of Jesus and His words each day. I want the mind of Christ. Lead me into truth; let me live a disciplined life; do not let me stumble. Dear Jesus, I want to run my race the way You ran Yours… in perfect fellowship with Your Father. Despite the criticisms and opposition, You gave Your all and won the victory. Let me remember that I am in You and You are in me. Amen.’

    “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” I Corinthians 9:24-27

    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3

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