Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. ~John 8:32

Monthly Archives: December 2015


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The Disciplined Life

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

I’m writing this before Christmas for you to read after Christmas. My mind is filled with all kinds of plans and emotions and memories. I envy children young enough to still be innocent and believe in the magic of Christmas! They are infectiously exciting to be around!

headache-reducedBut instead of bubbling with anticipation of Santa’s visit, I’m sitting here with a headache because I haven’t had breakfast yet. I can’t eat until after I have my blood drawn for a fasting blood test And I’m making my headache worse by worrying about whether or not my plans for all the holiday parties, gifts, and travel are going to work out. I’m letting my mind spend too much time on earthly things and that will get me into trouble.

It’s time for my quarterly check-up at my cardiologist. In my younger days, I took advantage of being healthy, not realizing I was carrying a time bomb in my body (a family history of heart disease). Just like the cliché says, “if I’d known I was going to live this long I would’ve taken better care of myself.” I have poor eating and exercise habits I’ve been practicing for 50 years that really have me in shackles now. Ever since my blood pressure went through the roof several years ago, it’s been an endless series of doctor’s visits, medical tests, new symptoms and prescription drugs.

I wonder why I bother going to doctors when it’s my poor lifestyle habits that are causing my health problems. I don’t need a doctor to tell me what I need to do because I already know. Maybe I’m hoping one of my doctors will say something that will motivate me to change? Not likely; I know it’s up to me to change and I need self-control.

It’s in Galatians 5:23 that Paul says that self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Most of the time, in most things, I have plenty of self-control and don’t have any problem doing the right thing. Paul goes on to say in verse 24, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” There you go: I haven’t crucified my flesh.

christmas-cookies - reducedI have a life-long habit of abusing food, and even if you don’t have an issue with food, maybe you can relate to my struggle with lack of self-discipline in another area. I belong to Christ but my flesh still desires too much harmful food and not enough exercise. It seems to me that I have failed to take that next step and surrender all my fleshly desires; specifically I’m holding on to foods that comfort me and help me tolerate stressful and anxious times.

When I pray earnestly for the self-control and discipline to stop overeating and start intentionally moving every day, it works. When I pray like that, the Holy Spirit kicks in and I start feeling better and start losing weight. When I focus my mind and make the commitment to accept the power that Jesus provides through the Holy Spirit, I have the discipline to eat less and move more. But so far, it’s not been permanent.

My sinful nature is still inside me and just waiting for me to slip up. In over 45 years of trying (and 40 of those as a Christ-follower) I have not been able to put together more than 3 to 4 consecutive years of healthy eating and exercising.

All it takes is a short interruption in my routine. Like right now, the place I normally exercise is closed for the holidays. That’s just enough excuse for me to quit. And it happens every year at this time. Even when I plan ahead and purchase a short-term membership at another facility, I don’t easily transition to the new place without a lot of anxiety first.

chocolate cake-Christmas - reducedAnd this time of year when everyone is baking special treats, sharing meals and celebrating with food, I’m really stretching my self-control to its limit. When I don’t have the structured routine of going to my job every week day for work, I’m in danger of following my fleshly desires to lie on the couch, watch TV and snack on potato chips.

I read in 2 Peter 1:3 that “God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” so we can “escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (2 Peter 1:4) I know as long as I stay aware that Jesus is the Lord of my life, I am headed in the right direction. Someday the disciplined life I want to live may get easier, but today it’s really a hard struggle, and I have to lean heavily on my Lord Jesus to keep from completely giving in to my human desires.


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I’ll Take the Gain without the Pain, Please

phone-1052022 copyI’ve recently had cataract surgery on both eyes. Because I’ve worn glasses since the seventh grade, my excitement was running high over the possibility that I would never have to wear them again. Even though my ophthalmologist cautioned prior to the surgeries that it could take several months for the eyes to adjust to their new lenses, I really expected that it would happen sooner rather than later.

For years I’d heard people talk about having cataracts. My husband had already had cataracts removed from both his eyes. I didn’t fully understand what that meant, though, until I experienced it myself.

Good sight is dependent on the lenses of our eyes remaining clear so that the light can enter and focus just as God intended. However, as our eyes age the lenses can become cloudy. It usually happens slowly, and we may not even realize our vision has changed or is not as sharp as it used to be.

I am simply in awe of the intricacies of the human body and especially the eyes. I’m also amazed God has given us the ability to learn about those intricacies and has even permitted us to join him in the healing process.

Cataract surgery allows the doctor to remove our old cloudy lenses and replace them with clear artificial ones. Unfortunately, my doctor was right. It does take time for the eyes to heal and begin working together again with the new lenses in place.

I’ve become rather impatient that the process isn’t working at the speed I envisioned. Not only is my closeup reading vision still slightly out of focus, but if you see me about town you’ll probably find me wearing sunglasses—sometimes even inside. That’s because the new lenses allow much more sunlight to enter my eyes than I can often comfortably endure.

Just as God designed our eyes to see the light of the physical world, so He intended that the eyes of our souls let in the perfect light of His Word. However, over the years our spiritual sight can become darkened. You might say we develop cataracts in the eyes of our souls. Sin darkens our spiritual vision in tiny increments and so gradually that we may not even realize we’re no longer seeing clearly.

Jesus, the Great Physician, wants to clear the lenses of my soul’s eyes. But He won’t do surgery without my permission. I have to want my vision cleared so that I can see the truth He has set plainly in front of me.

I must be patient with the process, though. Just as with my physical eyes, I want my spiritual healing to be amazing and instantaneous, and I don’t want any pain associated with it. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. As Rick Warren of Saddleback Church has said, “The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable!”

The problem is we don’t like to be uncomfortable, and when we are, we want to fix the situation immediately. Just as I wanted my doctor to fix my cataracts without discomfort and without waiting, I also want the Great Physician to simply heal my soul immediately and without any pain.

However, that’s usually not the way God chooses to work. When we truly know and understand God and what He wants for our lives, it’s not at all surprising that He takes his time to develop our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. He knows how quickly we forget. I think He often chooses to show us in the physical realm what he wants us to learn in the spiritual realm.

It takes time to learn to trust our physicians. As we see their knowledge, skill, and compassion bring us healing, we trust them more and more. The same is true in our relationship with God.

God doesn’t have to take time to heal us. He can do that instantly. It is for our benefit that He takes His time as we see in Ephesians 3:17: “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” It takes time for us to learn to trust God, and it may not be without pain, but where else can we go for healing?


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The Gift of a Child

“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)

 

My oldest daughter just had a birthday. She is now 11 years old. Baby girl, turn young woman over night.  She loves Christmas. It’s appropriate since her name in Hebrew means Christmas tree. She was an unexpected, unplanned surprise for her daddy and me. We were young, ill-equipped and unmarried. But we had love.

Natalie was not planned by her parents but she was carefully knit together by a Master Craftsman. He intended her to be just as she is. We delight and marvel at what a precious young woman she is blossoming into.

Whenever my children’s birthdays come around, I always get a little melancholy, reminiscing of their milestones, their challenges, memories of dance recitals and their first time riding a bike. I think of how much joy and delight I have in them, how precious their lives are to me, and how much God has blessed me to be the one that they are entrusted to.

Then I think: our God loves us like that too, but even more so. “As a mother comforts her child so I comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13)  As grand as my love is for my children, even on my “best mommy” day, my love does not compare to God’s.

And even if you are not a mother, you still love and, therefore, understand the grand-scale love I am talking about. It’s a kind of love worth fighting for, a love that requires sacrifice and attention. Yet, this love still falls short of the tremendous, wondrous, extraordinary, exalted, magnified love of our Abba, Father God!

I know without hesitation that my greatest earthly blessings are my children and husband. I know what a gift each child’s life is. I have learned more about God’s love for me through the tough lessons of motherhood. All the while, I know I am not doing this alone but with a Creator who knows my innermost thoughts because He crafted me carefully as well.

I find it absolutely perfect when I think about how God’s love story for all of His creation unfolds. What does God choose to do to win back his people? The solution was lying in a manger. “A child born to us.” (Isaiah 9:6) A child! The greatest example of pure love was given to us by our God. He gave us His own child, a son, so that we may have life.

As a mother, I have given life. I continue to give my life, but I cannot comprehend giving my child’s life. That is how we know God’s love. He found us worthy of such a sacrifice. “And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Sarah

Sarah Apa


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5 Tips for a Season of Peace

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

The fact that Thanksgiving comes during the month preceding our celebration of the birth of Christ reminds me of the importance of our gratitude for our Savior. Often, we focus our attention on what we want from our Lord, and then we approach Him with a laundry list of wants and needs, perhaps only afterwards remembering to thank God for being who He is.

We are instructed to model our prayers after the one that Jesus gave us, the one we call The Lord’s Prayer. In it, the first thing Jesus says is “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” If our Savior praises our Father first, so should we.

During this month, there are many reasons to be in conflict: over-commitment, financial over-extension, unfulfilled expectations, confusion, traffic jams…the list goes on.

Here are a few ways to ease the stress of the season so we can be called to peace.

  1. Just say no. Try not to schedule more than one event per day. However, when you must, try to also schedule time for a nap or at least to put up your feet.
  2. Pay by cash, check or debit card rather than credit card. This will help keep spending to a reasonable level. Be sure to put aside God’s portion before starting to shop. This will help prevent using His portion to finance overspending.
  3. Give without expectation of receiving. What you choose to give you will not resent if kept within reasonable limits and if given freely. It can, however, be uncomfortable for the receiver who is taken by surprise. It is perfectly acceptable to say to the receiver, “Let’s make a time for me to drop by. I have a little something I want you to have. It reminded me of you the moment I saw it.”
  4. Make room for your quiet time with the Lord. This is always important and never more so than at this time of year.
  5. Take time to plan. List and order your responsibilities for the day. Lay out a route in your mind using back streets where possible. This will help avoid excessive traffic and frenzied drivers.

Let us remember to praise God first and foremost, offering our hearts and allegiance to the One who is love and His Son who is love personified. If we approach our world as we do our God, we will ultimately live in peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Dear God, We love you so much and thank you for always inviting us to your throne. We praise you for the seasons of celebration at this time of year. Help us to keep things in perspective and to keep our priorities in order. Let us keep our eyes on you so that we may resist the many temptations of the enemy. Bless us with the peace that passes understanding and we will give you the glory. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.