You all know my great passion for reading. My favorite is obviously those of a Christian nature or historical. I recently picked up a copy of the Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom when I saw a copy on sale at a book store. I had read the book years before and remembered liking it, so decided to re read it. As I've been re reading it I realize it takes my two favorite subjects to read about and throws them in one book. A book with encouragement for believers, strongly routed in faith in Jesus, while telling a story with historical significance.
If you have yet to read this book, pick it up. Let me give you a little background. Corrie and the rest of the Ten Boom family lived in Holland during the Holocaust. As the Jews began to be persecuted they sought out help from their peers. The Ten Boom family by helping Jews as they came seeking help one day woke up and realized their house was a base for the underground escape of the persecuted in Holland and Corrie, the leader. This book is written by Corrie telling the stories as the Holocaust begins, as she and her family end up in prison, and the goodness of God through it all.
The Ten Booms had incredible faith. I would compare it to the likes of the Patriarchs as you read the stories of their undying devotion to the Lord even through the worst persecution. For example, Mr. Ten Boom, Corrie's father, was old and unstable by the time he was taken into prison, the officer in charge of sending people to prison looked down at him and said, you are old, you don't want to die in prison, i'll send you back home to your own bed, if you just assure me you will not harbor any more fugitives or cause any problems. Mr. Ten boom replies "as long as anyone has a need comes and knocks on my door, I will help them." He was sent to prison and later died there. Mr. Ten Boom would not even tell a lie to save his life, yet we tell lies for sheer convenience.
I could tell hundreds of stories similar displaying the character of each member of the Ten Boom family and I have been greatly encouraged by them all, but the simple fact is I want you to see the faith, trust, and dependence that this family has on their God.
Now I will get to what I actually want to talk about. I was reading along in the book when one particular thing Corrie said, just hit me in the gut.
Corrie's sister in law had delivered her a package with several things in it and hidden inside were four individual little booklets of the gospels. Corrie split among her cell mates the different things her sister sent and then offered the gospels. None of the prisoners would take it. They told her anyone in the prison caught with Christian literature especially the Bible was given kalte kost! Kalte Kost was a punishment that consisted of eating nothing but a piece of bread while in prison. In response Corrie wrote this
"Even Kalte Kost would be a small price to pay, I thought, as I stretched out my aching body on the foul straw, for the precious books I held between my hands"
Corrie Ten Boom, yearned for the Word of God, she risked health and later life, to have the Word of God to read.
Corrie knew the necessity of the Word. She lived in a sort of hell on earth in a dark prison cell where she wasn't allowed to talk, move, eat, sleep, without consent of a guard. A place where there were no windows and she saw no sky, everything around her did not seem to be formed by an imaginative beautiful Creator, but rather a dark evil.
I live everyday enjoying the blessings of a good God and yet do I prize His words so highly? Did I give a value that is worth life on the book that God has written for me? How much is it worth to me? I just paid $80 for a bible and I'm not going to lie I sort of cringed at the thought of spending $80 on a Bible. Is the Word of God not worth more than money?
How much worth do I put on the book that God gave to me as assistance, truth, help, encouragement, conviction, He gave it to me so that I can have His life on this earth. What is it worth?
A few chapters later as the war is getting worse and worse, as the Holocaust is becoming more brutal and spreading not just to Jews, but to other ethnicity alike. Corrie and her sister are moved to another prison. They have to strip naked and walk in front of Nazi guards showing that they have no possessions and then they are to slide into a prison gown at the end. Corrie and her sister Betsie see no possible way to take the now small little Bible they had acquired after giving away the gospels with those that had found the Love of Jesus in prison with them. They were in a horrible situation again. Give up the Word or keep it and risk their lives. As they found out they had to give up their clothes and their Word Corrie says this
"Betsie needed her sweater! But most of all, we needed our Bible! How could we survive without it? But how can we get it past so many watchful eyes... Dear God, I prayed, You have given us this precious book, You have kept it hidden through checkpoints and inspections, You have used it in so many lives..."
Corrie was cut off by the thrusting of guards. I'll shorten the story and tell you that God provided a miracle. They found a way to get the Bible on the other side of the naked checkpoint and then shove it inside her thin prison gown before being caught. The Bible bulged out of her prison gown and there was still great risk that any officer could tell that was not her body form and corrie says
"And all the while I had this incredible feeling, the feeling that this was not my business, but God's, and all I had to do was walk straight ahead"
Later on many became converted because of the reading of the Word that Corrie and Betsie did every night in prison. Corrie risked her life to have what was a necessity in her life. The Word of God.
I can't put into words the value of the Word. The Word has promises for us, it has truth, it gives you the facts of the gospel, why you and I have the chance to go to heaven. It tells of Jesus, the way the truth and life, the only way to heaven. The Word will boost your faith and carry you on when the world is crashing down.
As Corrie read the word to those around her in the prison they grew a faith that knew whatever the Word said was truth. They found peace and hope.
"The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... Nay in all these things we were more than conquerors through Him that loved us. I would look about us as Betsie read watching the light leap from face to face. More than conquerors, it was not a wish. It was a fact. We knew it, we experienced it minute by minute- poor, hated, hungry. We were more than conquerors. Not we shall be, we are"
The Word of God is truth. It's the guidebook, it's faith, it's hope, it's love, it's the gospel, it's God, it's encouragement. The Word of God was invaluable to Corrie. It was either death by it or death without it.
How much worth do you put in the word? It is a monetary figure, is it convenience, it is life or death?
I'll say one thing I know, it'll be evident by the amount of time you spend in it. I doubt many would die for a book they pick up once a week. But for a book that gives you hope, for a book that encourages you on, a book that helps to change you into the image of Christ, a book that connects you with the beautiful creator, for that, well i'd bet most would be willing to give up almost anything for that, wouldn't they?
Some thoughts today,
As always be blessed,
J. Tate
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
I'm not a beggar, I'm a Daughter
Isn't it exciting when God begins to teach you things and an hour, one day, or some relatively quick amount of time later you get this great opportunity to practice what you've learned. God uses life to teach us, to test our faith, to prevent greater disaster later in life, to make us more like Jesus, etc.
I learn so much from my friends as we experience life together and share in the journey of following Christ.
I was talking to my best friend that lives over in the Dallas area over a week ago now. She is attending grad school at UNT and was looking for a place to live in Denton. Most of you know Kayce and if you read my blog at all you've found out God uses her a lot in my life. She'll say one line in a story that will stick out to me, i'll write it down in my journal, and somehow I will need just that specific phrase in my journey. This happened sometime this past week.
Kayce was looking for a place to live in Denton as she prepares to move closer to her school. The whole story is a really awesome story of God's love and favor for His daughter, but I'm going to stick to the details that display what I want to talk about. As Kayce goes in to a garage apartment her realtor was sure she would love, she was, to say the least a little disappointed. It was nothing like what she wanted and didn't really fit kayce's adorable old fashioned little style. :) When she left she begin to talk to the Lord about it. She remembered something the Lord had been teaching her. I'm not a beggar. I'm a Daughter. She told God that she knew God's infinite resources and that she knew that He could give her something better. I LOVE WHAT SHE TOLD HIM! (her words summed up) "God it's not my favorite, I know that you have the ability to do better, I dont have to beg of You for more, but no matter what Your will, not mine, and if this is what you want for me, ok."
In most cases I'm not too much of a talker and I'm more of a listener, so as Kayce is telling me the story and I hear the words "i'm not a beggar I'm a daughter" I let her continue on with the story as I just wrote the words down, and made a mental note to pray through that a little later.
As I thought and prayed about it later, I realized how little I live into this concept. I "know" it. I've heard it similarly put 100 million times in church, but this is how we know there is a complete difference in head knowledge and heart wisdom. I'll simply throw a request up at the Lord and then continue to try and find my own way to meet my need, if I take the time to ask of the Father at all.
James 4:2 "You have not because you ask not"
I think about my own natural father. Though we've been through many rough things when I need something of him I simply go to him in confidence and ask. Many times when asking for money, I'll go up to him with my hand already out, laughing, as I say "daddy, money?" I know my dad. I know that my dad has money and I know that what he has, is also mine. I'm his daughter. Any need that my dad can meet for me, he will do. He'll never leave me stranded, he'd never say psshhh you've never helped me, he won't turn his back on me. My Daddy loves me. I'm his daughter.
Imagine as we take this to the scale of me and my Daddy, my Heavenly Father. Anything I could have need of my Daddy God can meet that need. His resources are limitless, His mercy never ending, His grace unfailing, His willingness and desire to show His love through me is in His innate character.
(I hope those of you that know me, know me well enough to know, that I am not talking about God giving you everything you "want". I'm not talking about this in areas of lust and greed or pride. I'm simply talking about the heart of our Father to fulfill all your needs)
Matthew 7:11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him!
Here we see this again. The first thing we must note is He wants us to ask. It's all throughout matthew 7. I could quote the entire chapter here, if you don't know it, go read it. Ask and you shall receive... over and over again. God wants us to inquire of Him and Him alone. This is where I pinpointed my lack of faith.
I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter. As I walk up to my earthly Father I don't say Dad I need $30 to get my oil changed, ok now I'm going to go scrounge around the house to see if I can find $30 or where is my debit card, so that I can go pay for it myself. I go to my Dad, I ask him, and I wait. I wait until Dad pulls his wallet out. As I ask of my Heavenly Father I do not wait upon Him with the same faith, the same confidence, the same trust. Ok God here is my prayer request, well you may or may not help me out so i better go see what I can do just in case You don't come through. It sounds laughable doesn't it? That I trust Randy Tate to provide for me more than I trust God? Perhaps, but I have to confess, that many times, it's true.
Soon after I was convicted and learned this lesson. I simply began to make more conscious decisions to pray specifically for my needs. I was already reading a book by Andrew Murray titled "Waiting on God", so I incorporated that in and began to wait to hear the voice of my Father before taking actions. Then the test came.
I had a situation come up that really challenged me. It confused me. It messed with the plans I thought the Lord had given me and there seemed to be no natural way of resolving the situation. After one round of tears, i sat up, and remembered. I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter.
I don't come to the table crawling not making eye contact whispering self consciously my requests of my Father. I come BOLDLY to the throne room of GRACE, stating my needs, and asking of my DADDY GOD, who DESIRES to meet my needs. I got in my car went for a little drive and said Lord, here it is, this is what I'm feeling, this is what I need, I'm not going to panic, I'm not going to have a break down, I'm going to wait here until you fix this situation or You give me confirmation that this is your will. Not my will but Yours. I called a few close friends let them in on the situation to have them praying with me and within 3 hours half of the matter was resolved and by the end of the weekend all of it was.
My God knows my needs and He desires to meet them. He can and He will. If we ask, if we have faith, and if sometimes we'll take our hands off. I like this line from the Jason Upton song Teach me How to Pray:
Not my will or my plans or the way I want it I’m so tired of my hands in the way So reveal to these eyes the true heart of my Father, today
Lord teach me how to pray
Kayce and I talked again and she told me some things the Lord was teaching her about not being a beggar. After the garage apartment she didn't like (amazing story details not mentioned) she got a little cottage that she LOVED. She told me how the enemy tried to attack her throughout the process. Different thoughts of you're never going to get any better than this so just settle for it, or you don't deserve this, but she said something very wise at the end
"I realized the enemy didn't care what I believed, as long as I never realized that I'm a daughter"
How true that statement is. We bounce from one side to the other, I don't deserve this, I guess I should settle for this, God won't help me with this because i've done this and this, ... We could wall paper the walls of the white house in 8pt font with the lies the enemy tries to sell us. The one thing he wants to make sure you don't realize is YOU ARE A DAUGHTER. or for you men it applies as well, YOU ARE A SON! Jesus Christ tempted and tried, spotless, blameless, sinless, died a horrific death, displayed on a cross for all to shame and humiliate him, with pain beyond my imagination, blood poured out, so that WE, could be fellow heirs. Sons and Daughters of the most High. The true Son, crucified, for YOU, so that you can be called daughter or son. Live into what Jesus paid for. He paid for your ability to pray, to go to heaven, to live as a child of the Most High.
I'm not a Beggar, I'm a Daughter.
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
I learn so much from my friends as we experience life together and share in the journey of following Christ.
I was talking to my best friend that lives over in the Dallas area over a week ago now. She is attending grad school at UNT and was looking for a place to live in Denton. Most of you know Kayce and if you read my blog at all you've found out God uses her a lot in my life. She'll say one line in a story that will stick out to me, i'll write it down in my journal, and somehow I will need just that specific phrase in my journey. This happened sometime this past week.
Kayce was looking for a place to live in Denton as she prepares to move closer to her school. The whole story is a really awesome story of God's love and favor for His daughter, but I'm going to stick to the details that display what I want to talk about. As Kayce goes in to a garage apartment her realtor was sure she would love, she was, to say the least a little disappointed. It was nothing like what she wanted and didn't really fit kayce's adorable old fashioned little style. :) When she left she begin to talk to the Lord about it. She remembered something the Lord had been teaching her. I'm not a beggar. I'm a Daughter. She told God that she knew God's infinite resources and that she knew that He could give her something better. I LOVE WHAT SHE TOLD HIM! (her words summed up) "God it's not my favorite, I know that you have the ability to do better, I dont have to beg of You for more, but no matter what Your will, not mine, and if this is what you want for me, ok."
In most cases I'm not too much of a talker and I'm more of a listener, so as Kayce is telling me the story and I hear the words "i'm not a beggar I'm a daughter" I let her continue on with the story as I just wrote the words down, and made a mental note to pray through that a little later.
As I thought and prayed about it later, I realized how little I live into this concept. I "know" it. I've heard it similarly put 100 million times in church, but this is how we know there is a complete difference in head knowledge and heart wisdom. I'll simply throw a request up at the Lord and then continue to try and find my own way to meet my need, if I take the time to ask of the Father at all.
James 4:2 "You have not because you ask not"
I think about my own natural father. Though we've been through many rough things when I need something of him I simply go to him in confidence and ask. Many times when asking for money, I'll go up to him with my hand already out, laughing, as I say "daddy, money?" I know my dad. I know that my dad has money and I know that what he has, is also mine. I'm his daughter. Any need that my dad can meet for me, he will do. He'll never leave me stranded, he'd never say psshhh you've never helped me, he won't turn his back on me. My Daddy loves me. I'm his daughter.
Imagine as we take this to the scale of me and my Daddy, my Heavenly Father. Anything I could have need of my Daddy God can meet that need. His resources are limitless, His mercy never ending, His grace unfailing, His willingness and desire to show His love through me is in His innate character.
(I hope those of you that know me, know me well enough to know, that I am not talking about God giving you everything you "want". I'm not talking about this in areas of lust and greed or pride. I'm simply talking about the heart of our Father to fulfill all your needs)
Matthew 7:11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him!
Here we see this again. The first thing we must note is He wants us to ask. It's all throughout matthew 7. I could quote the entire chapter here, if you don't know it, go read it. Ask and you shall receive... over and over again. God wants us to inquire of Him and Him alone. This is where I pinpointed my lack of faith.
I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter. As I walk up to my earthly Father I don't say Dad I need $30 to get my oil changed, ok now I'm going to go scrounge around the house to see if I can find $30 or where is my debit card, so that I can go pay for it myself. I go to my Dad, I ask him, and I wait. I wait until Dad pulls his wallet out. As I ask of my Heavenly Father I do not wait upon Him with the same faith, the same confidence, the same trust. Ok God here is my prayer request, well you may or may not help me out so i better go see what I can do just in case You don't come through. It sounds laughable doesn't it? That I trust Randy Tate to provide for me more than I trust God? Perhaps, but I have to confess, that many times, it's true.
Soon after I was convicted and learned this lesson. I simply began to make more conscious decisions to pray specifically for my needs. I was already reading a book by Andrew Murray titled "Waiting on God", so I incorporated that in and began to wait to hear the voice of my Father before taking actions. Then the test came.
I had a situation come up that really challenged me. It confused me. It messed with the plans I thought the Lord had given me and there seemed to be no natural way of resolving the situation. After one round of tears, i sat up, and remembered. I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter.
I don't come to the table crawling not making eye contact whispering self consciously my requests of my Father. I come BOLDLY to the throne room of GRACE, stating my needs, and asking of my DADDY GOD, who DESIRES to meet my needs. I got in my car went for a little drive and said Lord, here it is, this is what I'm feeling, this is what I need, I'm not going to panic, I'm not going to have a break down, I'm going to wait here until you fix this situation or You give me confirmation that this is your will. Not my will but Yours. I called a few close friends let them in on the situation to have them praying with me and within 3 hours half of the matter was resolved and by the end of the weekend all of it was.
My God knows my needs and He desires to meet them. He can and He will. If we ask, if we have faith, and if sometimes we'll take our hands off. I like this line from the Jason Upton song Teach me How to Pray:
Not my will or my plans or the way I want it I’m so tired of my hands in the way So reveal to these eyes the true heart of my Father, today
Lord teach me how to pray
Kayce and I talked again and she told me some things the Lord was teaching her about not being a beggar. After the garage apartment she didn't like (amazing story details not mentioned) she got a little cottage that she LOVED. She told me how the enemy tried to attack her throughout the process. Different thoughts of you're never going to get any better than this so just settle for it, or you don't deserve this, but she said something very wise at the end
"I realized the enemy didn't care what I believed, as long as I never realized that I'm a daughter"
How true that statement is. We bounce from one side to the other, I don't deserve this, I guess I should settle for this, God won't help me with this because i've done this and this, ... We could wall paper the walls of the white house in 8pt font with the lies the enemy tries to sell us. The one thing he wants to make sure you don't realize is YOU ARE A DAUGHTER. or for you men it applies as well, YOU ARE A SON! Jesus Christ tempted and tried, spotless, blameless, sinless, died a horrific death, displayed on a cross for all to shame and humiliate him, with pain beyond my imagination, blood poured out, so that WE, could be fellow heirs. Sons and Daughters of the most High. The true Son, crucified, for YOU, so that you can be called daughter or son. Live into what Jesus paid for. He paid for your ability to pray, to go to heaven, to live as a child of the Most High.
I'm not a Beggar, I'm a Daughter.
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
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