GLEANINGS from Claudia – The Abiding Life: The God Who Sees

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

I am forever changed by grief, but grief is not the full measure of my life in Christ. “GLEANINGS from Claudia — The Abiding Life” explores this life attached to the One True Vine.

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13

Used and abused by a couple who could no longer wait on the promise of God, pregnant Hagar fled to a spring in a desert place. The Angel of the Lord found her there and asked her where she came from and where she was going. Hagar’s answer was about where she came from “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai” but there was no place she was going and no answer for that question. Through His angel (who many commentators think is Jesus) God gave her the answer telling her to go back to her mistress and submit to her. Can you imagine? What did that response do to Hagar’s heart? But there was more – God saw Hagar and God affirmed Hagar’s personhood and value telling her that He would increase her descendants so that they would be too numerous to count. God provided justice and gave her a promise she could cling to. She no longer had to find her value in the approbation of the one she served on earth — rather she found it in the One who saw her from heaven.

Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her ‘El Roi’ translated ‘the God who sees.’ He saw her among the servants of Abram, He saw her serving Sarai, He saw her in the arms of Abram, He saw her mistreated by Sarai, and he saw her in the desert place. In every circumstance, in a life that was mostly out of her control, He saw Hagar. He saw the child in her womb and He saw the future for Hagar, for the child and for the descendants from this child. He saw the years of animosity to come between the lineage of Ishmael and the lineage of Isaac – a history of struggle born of the impatience of two people who couldn’t quite wait for the promise of God.  And He saw the coming redemption and reconciliation – that sure time when the plan of history would be complete and many people from each lineage would stand before the throne of God in total, awestruck worship.

El Roi – the God of justice, redemption, reconciliation, vision, compassion, mercy, provision, abundance – the God who sees! God give me the fortitude and strength to wait on Your promises, to wait for Your provision, to wait for YOU!

“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. …  You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalms 16:5-8, 11

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GLEANINGS from Claudia – The Abiding Life: I Believe, but …

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

I am forever changed by grief, but grief is not the full measure of my life in Christ. “GLEANINGS from Claudia — The Abiding Life” explores this life attached to the One True Vine.

 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6

This morning the Lord showed me some things about belief and faith. In Genesis 15 Abram has just come from a battle where he successfully rescued Lot and Lot’s possessions from four kings. The first thing God says to him is “Do not be afraid Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward.” Abram immediately asks “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” (Genesis 15:2, 3) The Lord’s response is to say that a child from Abram’s own body will be his heir and then he takes Abram outside and shows him the stars in the sky telling him “so shall your offspring be.” The next line is the one that blesses me “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” What I love best about this statement is what follows this affirmation from the Lord. The Lord reminds Abram that he brought him out of Ur to take possession of the land. Now remember that Abram has just come from a battle where he managed to rescue Lot, but he has gained no ground in the fight. Abram’s very natural question is “How can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Now to me, if belief relied upon accepting and understanding every nuance of God’s work and will in our lives, the next line should read “Abram doubted the Lord, and he docked his righteousness.” Instead the Lord takes Abram through an elaborate ceremony during which he gives Abram a glimpse at the future and seals his promise to give Abram possession of the land.

Psalms 15 and Matthew 15 described similar situations to me. In both I see pictures of people doing and acting right even in the face of daunting circumstances. I realized that ‘belief’ or ‘faith’ is only partially about what we think we can affirm and agree with, but is even more about acting upon our understanding of the character of the God we know.  The Canaanite mother in Matthew 15 knew Jesus could heal her daughter. She knew this so much that she continued to pursue Jesus and her daughter’s healing even when it seemed Jesus would have none of it. And in the final analysis Jesus acts on behalf of this mother and daughter. Walking boldly forward in the face of that which can’t be completely known is faithful. Asking questions of God and seeking His explanation and knowledge of the details of a situation is also faithful. Who better to tell us what He knows? Just keep following Him, keep asking the questions and know that He will guide one step at a time all the way to the place to which He calls you.

“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? … who keeps his oath even when it hurts … He who does these things will never be shaken.” Psalms 15:1, 4, 5

“Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Matthew 15:28

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GLEANING from Claudia — The Abiding Life: Sisters, Sisters …

Posted on May 4, 2012 by

I am forever changed by grief, but grief is not the full measure of my life in Christ. “GLEANINGS from Claudia — The Abiding Life” explores this life attached to the One True Vine.

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:3

Last weekend I was blessed to participate in our church’s wonderful women’s retreat on the beautiful Oregon coast. I missed this event last year and it was so good to be back with this group of women focused on listening to the Lord and enjoying each other. One of the speakers, Kim Simmons, shared in passing a little bit about Martha and Mary. I honestly can’t remember exactly what she said, but I’ve been pondering Martha and Mary and their respective relationships with Jesus ever since.

Martha and Mary are sisters and about as different as two sisters can be. There is so much you can sense from reading the passages about Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-3; John 12:1-8). It seems likely that Martha is the older sister and responsible for managing the household. Martha may also have had the gift of service. She is a realist and in control of her emotions. She has a good grasp of truth and she is direct in speaking that truth. She is the first person that the gospel of John quotes as stating that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Mary, whom I suspect is the younger sister, is a feeler through and through. She is extravagant in the depth of her love and in the expressions of the same. She was completely prostrate with grief at the death of her brother, and collapsed at Jesus’ feet when He came to Bethany. Both sisters knew that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus’ death, but I don’t think either fully understood that He also could raise Lazarus to life again.

I so appreciate the way Jesus interacts with each of them. He loves them each just the way they are and in a way that resonates with each of them. He gently rebukes Martha in Luke 10:38-42, not allowing her to become small and self pitying as she serves Him, but encouraging her to understand the better thing. When emotional Mary grieves deeply in His presence He joins in her grief even though He knows that Lazarus’ resurrection is just moments away. When I see Jesus deeply accepting, teaching, loving, and communicating with the two sisters it encourages me to accept both myself and the way I’m made and to accept and love my ‘sisters’ who are completely different than me in their approach to Jesus. We can learn so much from each other and the way we love Jesus. And I think we can learn so much from Jesus and the way He loved these two very different sisters. What a blessing that the Lord made sure His relationship with this family was included in the gospels!

“Yes, Lord,” she (Martha) told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
John 11:27

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GLEANINGS from Claudia – The Abiding Life: Purity Through Pruning

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

I am forever changed by grief, but grief is not the full measure of my life in Christ. “GLEANINGS from Claudia — The Abiding Life” explores this life attached to the One True Vine.

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8

This morning as I read Matthew chapter 5 I was drawn to the statement of Jesus “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” I found myself wondering “Where will they see God?”; “When will they see God?”; “How will they see God?” and “How in the world can I ever be that ‘pure’?”

I decided to do a word study on the Greek word translated ‘pure’. Pure is the word Katharos, an adjective, which means clean, clear, pure.  The word is used 27 times throughout the New Testament and seems to generally mean simply ‘clean’ as in ‘clean linen’ or a ‘clean heart’.  There is another use of the word that really struck me. In Titus 1:15-16 I saw “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” I so distinctly remember when I first surrendered my life to Jesus and decided to follow Him one of the first evidences of the presence of the Holy Spirit in me was that He cleaned up my impure mind. I was a 17 year old young lady with a mind that went readily to double entendres. No matter the innocence of statements made in my hearing, my mind would impute some impure connotation and I would snicker and smirk in response. I blush to think of this now. Within weeks of coming to Christ my mind was cleansed and the innocent words of others retained their innocence …. all things became pure.

When I saw the word Katharos, I remembered an earlier study I did on a similar word. In John 15:2 the word translated ‘prune’ is Kathairo, a verb, which means to cleanse, to prune, to expiate. Katharos, pure, is the root word for the verb Kathairo, to prune.  In John 15:2 Jesus uses the very ‘common to his disciples’ analogy of a vineyard, fruit, and the vinedresser’s work to explain what His Father does in our lives.  What I experienced at 17 as a new believer, was that pruning work of the Father cleansing me and taking away the ‘suckers’ that would sap my young life in Him of strength and power. He cleansed my mind and gave me the ability to hear communications in a pure manner. Interestingly there is debate among Bible scholars about the translation of the word airo that results in the phrase ‘cuts off every branch’ early in John 15:2. Many Bible scholars think that word should instead be translated ‘lifts up’. This process is common to vineyards where a young branch is lifted up off the ground out of the dirt and pests. It is then pruned and given the optimum situation so that fruit can result. I have sensed the Holy Spirit doing that over and over for me. He encourages my growth, being patient with me, lifting and pruning so that fruit-bearing maturity can come. How thankful I am that He didn’t call me to Himself only to throw me away when He saw the impurities of my life. How thankful I am that instead He is the one who creates a pure heart in me so that I can see Him!

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”John 15:2

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GLEANINGS from Claudia -The Abiding Life: Firstborns

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

I am forever changed by grief, but grief is not the full measure of my life in Christ. “GLEANINGS from Claudia — The Abiding Life” explores this life attached to the One True Vine.

“Offer right sacrifices and trust the Lord.” Psalm 4:5

I had the pleasure of spending time with our kids and grandkids in Athena this last weekend. Kristin is our firstborn and our granddaughter Helen is Kristin’s firstborn. I also bear that standing in my family. Helen is five and does the title firstborn proud. There were several times over the course of our few days together when she organized and directed just how a certain activity or experience should go. I took Helen and Patrick in to Pendleton for a McDonald’s lunch one day and Helen let me know in no uncertain terms that I was not taking the right roads to get to the restaurant. When we arrived at our destination she was willing to admit that the way I went worked, but it wasn’t the best way to get there! I laughed silently at her precocious directions even as I saw my own firstborn tendencies reflected in her.

I’ve recently started reading a chapter from the Old Testament, a chapter from Psalms, and a chapter from the New Testament together each day. Today’s reading really spoke to my firstborn tendencies. I read in Genesis 4 of the firstborn Cain’s rejected sacrifice. I puzzled over why the sacrifice was rejected and came to the conclusion that Cain brought ‘some’ of the fruits of the soil as an offering whereas Abel brought ‘fat portions’ from some of the ‘firstborn of his flock.’ Cain brought a lesser gift while Abel brought the best of the best. And then when Cain’s offering was not pleasing to the Lord he took matters into his own hands and attacked his brother Abel and killed him. I somehow sensed a first born entitlement reflected – an “I can do what I want in the way I want and woe to any who get in my way” attitude.  I then went to Psalms 4 and found the verse “Offer right sacrifices and trust the Lord.” What a great word from the Lord. When I bring the best of my first-fruits to the Lord, I can trust Him for everything else. His pleasure in my love-inspired trust offerings comes back to bless me abundantly. And then flipping to Matthew 4 I saw Jesus, the One who is the ‘Firstborn over all creation’ and the ‘Firstborn from the dead’ extravagantly love and follow Father God as he used scripture to tell Satan in no uncertain terms that He would trust God and not listen to Satan.

This morning’s readings felt like a Spirit orchestrated primer on offering my first-born tendencies and my right sacrifices to the One who is worthy of the best I have to offer. Praise Him!

 “Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:10

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GLEANINGS from Claudia: The Abiding Life – Stirred, But Not Shaken

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

I am forever changed by grief, but grief is not the full measure of my life in Christ. “GLEANINGS from Claudia — The Abiding Life” explores this life attached to the One True Vine.

“Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear …” Psalms 112:6-8

Never shaken … remembered … no fear of bad news … steadfast … trusting … secure … no fear.  This scripture passage doesn’t say the righteous man will never experience hearing bad news, bad news will come, but the righteous man will not fear it.  In the face of bad news the righteous man is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. How I would love to see these qualities characterize my life. 

The last week of life has been a challenge for me. Long laid plans were changed and then completely canceled. A day that was full of joy ended up also being full of deep pain. A couple of primary relationships in my life encountered some struggles that perplexed me and brought out my desire to impact and control things. And I spent a day soaking in tears again … something I’ve not done in a while.

In all of this, God has been faithful. I’ve experienced turmoil, and God gave me the freedom to completely express that turmoil to Him and wait on Him to answer. And He has answered … His message to me is simply ‘wait’. Don’t try to control the situations, don’t manipulate, don’t run away, don’t change anything. Wait.

Life’s situations – even those I’m in the middle of – aren’t always about ‘me’ or my happiness. Sometimes I get to sit in the situations squirming and uncomfortable, but present and praying. Waiting. What will God do? How will He redeem these situations? What does He want to accomplish through that which appears to be a shaking mess to me? I don’t know, but I trust Him immensely. He has shown Himself faithful over and over and over again in my life. He is present and speaking and not the God who is distant and silent. I know His character and I know He loves me and mine completely and without reservation. So I’ll wait and trust and be stirred, but not shaken. My heart is secure and I will have no fear.

“Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:20-22

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GLEANINGS from Claudia: The Eternal Dimension

Posted on April 8, 2012 by

On December 29, 2010 my 32 year old daughter, Becky, lost her life in an automobile accident. ‘GLEANINGS from Claudia’ is a mother’s journal of grief.

“What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.

It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

‘I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know about you; I’ll join them in worship and praise to you.’

Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says,

‘Even I live by placing my trust in God.’

And yet again,

‘I’m here with the children God gave me.’

Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.

It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself — all the pain, all the testing — and would be able to help where help was needed.” Hebrews 2:9-18

He is risen; He is risen indeed! It is early on Resurrection Sunday and I’m eagerly anticipating worshipping the Lord this morning at Suburban, my church home. Jesus will be there joining us in worship and praise to God Almighty who raised Him from the dead. Holy Spirit will be there moving in and through us to magnify God the Father and Jesus Christ His son. And God Himself will sit enthroned on our praises.

We serve an amazing, ‘God is love’ God who doesn’t leave us to our own devices when we chose sin and death. Instead He takes on flesh to live out a life just like ours so that He can really come along side us when we struggle. And then in the ultimate act of servant-hood He becomes obedient to death and overcomes death as the Firstborn from the Dead! Talk about a ‘Servant Leader’! And oh how I love that title ‘Firstborn from the Dead’ because it implies that there will be more to come!

Resurrection Sunday affirms the truth that those who are lovers of the Lord and have died before me are more alive today than I can even imagine. Today I will worship in a timeless dimension and stand with Becky and my Mom and dear friends from my church family to praise and glorify the One who lives and gives eternal life!

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