Christian Criteria

So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we're given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God instead of trying to be right on his own."
If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it--you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked--well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift
                  Romans 4:1-5 (The Message)



When I was in high school, I remember enjoying writing reports and doing projects. Maybe that's why history and english were my favorite subjects. I would get excited when the teacher would hand out the criteria for an assignment. Yes, I'm a geek and know it. But, if the teacher said we could write on whatever we wanted and that there was no specific criteria, I always panicked a little bit. Why, because I liked knowing exactly what I had to do to get an "A" on my paper.

I'm still someone who likes to know the criteria for a project. When it comes to my Christian walk, I admit that I can very easily get focused on the "criteria". And we all have Christian criteria in our heads. That list that we go through each time we are faced with the question, "What does God want from me?", and then we jump to find out who needs a meal or what organization needs money.

Now let me be clear, making meals and giving money are not bad things. In fact, most of the things on our Christian criteria lists are extremely good things and wonderful ways of serving. But who are we really serving? God? Others? Or self.

We can get so caught up in doing the next right thing or checking off our list of Christian criteria that we forget to listen to God. And I mean really listen to what He wants from us. Serving Him by taking meals, serving on committees, or giving money are all wonderful things, if that is truly what He is telling you to do. But what if all God wants from you today is your attention. Picture Him sitting in your living room, waiting for you to come sit with Him, while you run around checking off your list of Christian criteria.

I have been guilty of doing just that, far too often. Would I do that to my husband? No way! But why do I do it to the God of the universe, when all He wants it for me to spend time with Him, trusting Him and putting my faith in Him. Because let's be honest, when I scurry around fulfilling my list of Christian criteria, I'm putting my faith in my own abilities and focusing more on making myself feel like I've accomplished something that makes me look better in God's eyes. But in that, I'm forgetting what Paul wrote about in  Romans 4:1-5.  Too often I get caught up in doing things for God, when I need to just spend time with God and find out what He really wants from me.

I will never be able to complete my own list of Christian criteria, and neither will you. Today, spend some time with God and ask Him what He wants from you.  Maybe, just maybe, it's your attention.

Getting Away From Going Through The Motions

And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts!"
                Isaiah 6:5 ESV



Have you ever felt like you are going through the motions of life?  More specifically, the Christian life?  I think a lot of us, if we're honest, would say yes.  Oh, we go through the motions of loving others, loving God, serving Him and living with all the "right" morals.  In other words, from the outside, life looks good.  All sunshine and roses.

But what is going on inside isn't so nice.  We have inner turmoil that most of the time we can ignore, but those questions keep plaguing us.  Do I really know God?  Do I really know how to love God and others? How is a Christian supposed to feel?  Why is my heart numb and calloused? How am I different than every other moral person?

Isaiah had a similar life before encountering God in Isaiah chapter 6. I don't know if he ever asked himself these questions, but he had a concept of who God was, as any good Jew should.  He also knew that he was supposed to serve God, which is probably why he was in the temple, going through the motions of his duties as one of the aristocracy of Jerusalem.  (Doesn't that sound like a lot of us, going about our duties in the church or charities?)

But on this particular day, God chose to reveal Himself and take Isaiah's nice, cushy life in a whole new direction.  Isaiah came face to face with the harsh reality of his own sinfulness and pride.  But even more importantly, God in all His glory and majesty, became a reality. (I encourage you to read all of Isaiah chapter 6.) From this day forward, Isaiah followed the call of God, prophesying God's word to the people of Judah, and lived a life that was not cushy.

Ultimately, I think living a life of "motions" does boil down to the first question: do I really know God?  So if that's the problem, what is the solution?  

Like Isaiah, we need an encounter with God, where He goes from being a concept to a reality.  Our encounter won't look like Isaiah's, but will be exactly what we need to change our beliefs and priorities; taking us from living for ourselves to living for Him.

Are you still confused about how to have an encounter with God?  I believe that if you take the time to spend in God's Word, pray to Him to become real to you, you will encounter Him.  He wants us to seek Him.  So why would He ignore your request?  But be prepared that your life will no longer be the same. 

More Than A Consultant

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
                      John 10:10 ESV



I was talking the other day to someone who is contemplating a career change.  This person isn't sure what to do, but knows he needs a change.  I made the joke that if he could figure out what a consultant does, he could do that.  I thought it was a pretty good joke.

But this morning I was listening to a sermon by Timothy Keller and he used the illustration of how some people use Jesus as a consultant.  I thought this was a fantastic analogy.  But then a voice whispered to me, "Do you treat Jesus that way?"

I had been stopped in my tracks, and it got me thinking about what do people go to a consultant to gain.  Wisdom?  Direction?  Expertise?  So I went searching for the definition of a consultant; "a person who gives expert or professional advice".  That doesn't sound like a definition fit for The King of Kings, does it?

Unfortunately, though, I often approach Jesus that way.  I seek His advice on my ideas rather than seeking His Truths, His Will and His Answers.  I take what I think and "run it past him" as I would do a consultant.

Instead, I need to approach Jesus, My King, My Savior, My Redeemer with reverence, humbleness and a moldable heart.  Because if I don't, I'm falling short of living the life He wants for me.  And what kind of life does He want for me?  As John 10:10 states above, He wants to give me abundant life.  Some versions say rich and satisfying.

So if I am truly wanting to receive and life this rich, satisfying, abundant life that Jesus has for me, I need to approach Him as He truly is and not just a consultant in my life.

Blah Days

Do you ever go through times in your life when you feel like the blah version of yourself? Oh you continue on like nothing is really wrong and put on a good front for others to see, but in your head, you know that things aren't quite right.

And deep down, you know why things aren't right. Your relationship with God isn't your priority. You've let it slip down a few notches.  Even if you get around to reading your Bible, the words seem hollow. And your prayers? They become something you say by routine, if you bother to pray at all.

So what next. You know you have a problem; how do you fix it.  Some people would say to just "buck up" or "just get through it".  In my opinion, that's when you become numb to God and it your blah days can turn into blah years.

There was a time in my life when I was good at going through the motions. Good at covering up when I felt blah.  But that was a time in my life when I didn't have people in my life who I would trust enough to tell all my struggles too. Because let's face it, during those blah times, aren't you glad that those you come in contact with don't have ESP. So now, thanks to where God has led me in my life, I have close friends and family who I can be real with.  Real about all the internal struggles.  Who will pray with me when I can't find the words.

Now those blah times are much fewer and far between. But occasionally, they do come back. And I don't think they are always a bad thing. Because there is one thing that runs through my head during my blah days, "Is this what it's like without God?"  My blah days, I truly feel, are allowed my God to reveal to me how my neighbour who doesn't know him feels. It gives me a fresh perspective on the daily life of an unbeliever and how struggling through a day on my own strength without God feels.

So next time you have a day where you feel God is far away, remember that there is someone who lives that way every day and needs to hear about Jesus Christ.

The Great I Am

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you.  Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with My victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10 NLT


My little 2 year-old daughter will often say to me "Hold hand, mommy" with a quiet pleading in her voice.  She will say it as we are walking down stairs, in a busy place or sometimes even walking down the hallway in our home.  Sometimes she is just wanting to hold my hand for fun, while other times it's because she is nervous or afraid of something.  My almost 5 year-old does not ask to hold my hand as often.  She's more confident in herself walking down a set of stairs or walking beside me in a store, even though there are still times when she just wants to be close to me; wants to feel my presence.  

I look at the way each of my daughters needs me or reaches for me and can't help but compare their needs to how I need God. There are times when I, like my 2 year-old, will cling the Word of God, desperately needing Him close and soaking up His presence.  These are the times when I usually see and feel the danger of being pulled away from Him.  But there are times when I feel confident in myself, like my oldest daughter, and don't feel like holding on to the Lord's hand or clinging to Him.  I walk along, thinking that I see everything around me clearly and that although I know God is there if I need Him, I don't need to hold on to His hand.

But how many times do I not see the danger of not clinging to God, just like my oldest who might not see the car backing up as we walk through a parking lot or the patch of ice at the bottom of the steps.

As I read this verse from Isaiah, I usually take these truths and tuck them away for a day when I am afraid or discouraged or needing help.  But the truth of the matter is that every day, no matter if I "feel" like I need God to be there or not, He is there.  He already knows my day, my stresses, my upcoming struggles and He is already victorious over them.  And although I may not be able to anticipate them, even if I try to, He is with me and I need to hold on to His hand whether I feel confident in myself or not.  I need to have the attitude of my 2 year-old, who wants to enjoy holding my hand, even if there is not any danger that I can see or feel.

Because above all, He is victorious over all that could harm me today.  

Better Than I Do

"I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him." - Psalms 62:1


Quiet time.  Right now, at this moment in my home, it is quiet.  The clock reads 9:29 pm and my two sleeping princesses have crashed for the night.  Hopefully it lasts until I'm ready for them to get up in the morning, but it might not.  That's one of the joys of motherhood, expecting the unknown.

As I sit here with my cup of tea, the silence almost feels overwhelming.  In a world where our lives are constantly bombarded with the sound of the phone ringing, music on the radio or ipod, dishwasher running, kids playing hide-and-seek and a miriad of other noises, I can honestly say that I'm not really comfortable with quiet anymore.  Are you?

Unfortunately, I think the noise of our society and lives is one of Satan's biggest weapons.  Why?  Because if you look at the verse from Psalm 62 quoted above, you'll see that when we wait quietly before God, we are victorious in The Lord.  So why wouldn't Satan use ever tactic he can think of to distract and muddle our minds with noise.  He doesn't want us to be victorious over anything.

Yet, amidst all Satan's distractions, we are called to be quiet.  How many times have you heard Psalm 46:10a quoted?  "Be still, and know that I am God!"  I even have it on a painting in my living room.

As a mom, I have struggled so many times with this, personally, in my life.  And after talking to countless other moms, I know I'm not the only one.  We struggle to stay awake if we do get a chance to sit still in a chair for 5 minutes because the baby started teething and kept us up half the night.  We are so desperate for adult conversation that if we get any "quiet", we jump on the phone to catch up with a friend or make that dentist appointment for our husband.  The receptionist at the dental office is an adult, so that counts as our adult conversation for the day.  We try to get up earlier than anyone else to enjoy the calm before the day, but in our morning fuzzy brain forget about that one floorboard that sqeakes and wakes up the toddler.

So is there an answer to finding quiet time with God as a mom of young, noisy blessings?  I think it comes down to this.  Who or what is our priority and what are we seeking to fill us?  Is it Facebook?  Is it a gossip magazine?  Is it Pinterest?  Unfortunately, I have to admit that I don't always utilize the time I do have.

I don't believe that God measures our devotion to Him by the amount of time we sit at the kitchen table in complete silence.  I do believe that He knows our lives, better than we do.  He knows our limitations and obstacles, better than we do.  He knows me, better than I do.  He knows what I have to face that day, better than I do.  He knows that I won't get to sit down until 9 pm, better than I do.

So why can't I find even five minutes with the One who knows, better than I do, the joys and sorrows ahead of me and also the One who gives me my victory.  As my clock now reads 10:01 pm, I'm going to end this post, and go utilize my time with the One who is my victory and knows my tomorrow, better than I do.

The Basics of God's Will

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
                  1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

If you're like me, at one point in your life, you've probably tried to get into shape. You research different kinds of workout programs and meals plans to find the perfect one for you.  You watch the interviews of people who have successfully toned, sculpted and transformed their bodies.  You tell yourself that you can do this and look forward to the end result.

But what happens if you only do part of the program? If you ignore the meal plans, or only workout out 2 days a week versus the 6 days that are recommended, will your body get the results that are promised in the program?  Probably not.

Our walk with God is kind of like that too.  We so often search for God's will in our life. We read all the books.  (Just for fun, I went to christianbooks.com and typed in "God's will" in the search bar and got 14,815 results.)

Like physical fitness, searching for spiritual fitness is something sought after and researched. But as I studied the verses from 1 Thessalonians that are quoted above, something stood out to me.  This verse tells us what God's will is for all followers of Christ.  It is to be joyful, never stop praying and be thankful in all circumstances. 

But like physical fitness, we want to shortcuts.  We want to skip steps and get the same end results. We are thankful in most circumstances, joyful sometimes (if our kids are being good and the sun is shining), but only pray in front of others.  Yet, we get so frustrated when God doesn't seem to be moving in our life the way we expect. 

Doesn't that give you a fresh perspective on being thankful, prayerful and joyful?  It does for me. As much as I enjoy books and studies on learning and following God's will for my life, I'm going to get back to the basics and make the following the theme for my days:  "Erin, always be joyful.  Erin, never stop praying. Erin, be thankful in all circumstances. Erin, this is God's will for you.  Erin belongs to Christ Jesus."  Thanks to Melissa Taylor from Proverbs 31 ministries online bible studies for issuing this challenge :)