All About HIM

God Doesn’t Want Volunteers Part 5

Tammy M Cardwell4 Comments
Copyright Jennifer Jones Manley
Copyright Jennifer Jones Manley

What Does God Want?

            God wants children who love Him above all else, children who obey Him completely, children who walk with Him—following His lead instead of choosing their own paths and expecting Him to bless them anyway—children who not only know Jesus as Savior, but also as Lord.

God wants children who understand the truth of the words spoken to King Saul, that obedience is better than sacrifice, that He will not condone us doing things our way even if our way does look good in man’s eyes and seems to result in great things for the church.

God wants children who follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the One who did and said, and only did and said, what the Father wanted, who obeyed all the way to the cross and beyond when His Father called.

God wants children who don’t say, “I have decided I want to…,” but say instead, “I have decided to do what God wants me to do.”

God wants
sons and daughters
who understand what it means to be CALLED.

 

Scriptures Referenced

I Corinthians 12:18
Ephesians 2:8-10
Ephesians 2:10
Ephesians 4:1
Ephesians 4:16
Ephesians 5:17
Hebrews 10:25
Hebrews 11:6
James 2:17, 20, 26

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

God Doesn’t Want Volunteers Part 4

Tammy M Cardwell3 Comments
Copyright Jennifer Jones Manley
Copyright Jennifer Jones Manley

What DOES God Want?

Ephesians 4:1

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

The question is not, “Am I called?” but rather, “What is my calling?” Speaking specifically in the realm of the church, we must ask, “To which local church has God called me? To which ministry or ministries within that church has God called me?” We are to seek the answers to these questions and, having found them, lead lives worthy of His calling.

The Word is specific here as it refers to “your calling.” So first we are called with a specific calling. No man should walk in another man’s calling; God expects each man to walk in his own. A man’s flesh may declare that it wants to work in one ministry, but if God has called him to work elsewhere he would be walking in disobedience if he chose to follow his flesh’s lead—this would certainly not be an act of a life that was being lived worthily.

And we must consider carefully what it is to lead a life worthy of one who is called by HIM.

If one were called by the President—that is, if the President of the United States were to call on a man to do something—one assumes that he would not only do it, but do it to the very best of his ability. Who in their right mind would consider giving the President of the United States anything less than work of the highest quality? But we are not called by the President. We are not called by any mere man. Rather, we are called by GOD.

How is it, then, that we too often offer Him second or even third best…or nothing at all? Do we consider Him to be less important than the President? Do we subconsciously take advantage of His quickness to forgive? Do we find that, since we can’t see Him with our physical eyes, it is easier to ignore the fact that He is there and waiting for us to move, waiting for us to do (and do well) what He has called us to do?

When God calls us to a local church, He expects us to be active in that church. (Hebrews 10:25, KJV, …not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.) When He calls us to a specific ministry, He expects us to serve actively in that ministry—being where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there and doing all we are supposed to do to the best of our ability, with the right heart.

He has given us the great honor of calling us; it is also our honor to live lives worthy of this calling.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

God Doesn’t Want Volunteers Part 3

Tammy M Cardwell2 Comments
Copyright Jennifer Jones Manley
Copyright Jennifer Jones Manley

What DOES God Want?

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We have been created anew in Christ Jesus to do good things. Other translations say “good works.”

When being encouraged to do good works, some people answer by quoting Ephesians 2:8-9. (KJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.) Yes, we are saved by grace, through faith and not by our works; salvation is a gift. Now, if those who quote verses 8 and 9 would only continue to verse 10, they would see why God gave us the gift— “to do the good things he planned for us long ago”. God doesn’t give useless gifts; He gives gifts with a purpose. Knowing this, we realize we are responsible to find out what His plans for us are and to follow through and do what He expects us to do. As Ephesians 5:17 puts it, “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

God prepared these works in advance, expecting us to do them. How much clearer can it get? God had a plan in mind, works lined out for each one of us, even before we accepted His gift of salvation. Now it’s our turn. Now it’s time for us to learn what those works are, pull ourselves together, and go get them done.

This is not merely something we can do; it is something we must do if we are to be pleasing to Him. After all, His Word says repeatedly that faith without works is dead. (James 2:17, 20, 26; KJV; Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead… But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?… For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.) Too, without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6, KJV, But without faith it is impossible to please Him…)

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Message Cards: A Simple Way to Witness

Tammy M Cardwell2 Comments

Sunday’s post on tipping and my latest project come together for this one.

As Christians, we have Good News worth sharing, but the thought of stepping out and speaking up can feel overwhelming. Trust me; I get it. I’m a serious introvert (if you’ve never picked up on that) and sharing Jesus used to intimidate me in a big way. But I discovered that it didn’t have to.

A Missed Opportunity and a New Idea
Many years ago, I realized I was missing a golden opportunity. I ate out frequently and wanted to share Jesus with the servers I met but was too shy to speak up. I am a good tipper and I soon decided I needed something I could leave with my tip.

Note:
If you don’t tip well,
you might want to check out my recent post,
Don’t Let a Bad Tip Ruin a Good Witness.

I settled on what I call message cards; I designed and ordered them fairly inexpensively from VistaPrint. My message was simple: “God loves you so much He asked Jesus to die for you. Jesus loves you so much that He did. John 3:16” After some thought, I decided to include my URL so people would have somewhere to go if they had questions. These little cards became a quiet way for me to witness without feeling awkward or pushy.

I prayed that each card would reach at least one person, then I left them with tips, used them as business cards by jotting my number or email on the back, and at one point even stapled dollar bills to a bunch of them and hid them in products in stores – coat pockets, wallets, etc. (I’m not necessarily advising this, but it was fun!)

These little cards were affordable and easy to hand out, but potentially powerful.

Time for an Upgrade
I recently realized my supply was getting low, and also that it was time for a new look. I had an idea of what I wanted them to say, but no design skills, so I turned to someone I trust implicitly: my son Terry, the owner of PixelDripStudio. He’s working on my website redesign, so he knows my branding (which he also created) and my heart.

I scribbled two lines on the back of one of my old cards and told him, “This is what I want to say.” After asking several questions to help refine the idea, he got to work… and he gave me more than I was expecting.

Watching him work was a joy (If you’re a mom, you know), and I’m proud to be able to share what he created. As silly as it sounds, I’m particularly delighted with the gloss accents! You’ll see them better in these two smaller pictures.

My message is two-fold.

1. John 3:16 is Personal
Yes, God sent Jesus “for the world” but, specifically, He sent Jesus for you. He was thinking of you when He asked His Son to become one of us, to live without sin, to show us how to live, then to give His life – knowing exactly who He was dying for.

…and…

2. Jesus Chose the Cross
Sometimes we gloss over Gethsemane, choosing to pass by the pain, but we shouldn’t. Read Luke 22:41-44 and you’ll see that Jesus was under so much torment in the garden that He sweated drops of blood. (Yes, it’s a real condition! Look up Hematidrosis.) Our Savior knew what was coming, what He would endure. He had every right to back out, but He didn’t. 

“Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.”

He chose the cross. He chose you.

This is the foundation of every piece of encouragement and advice I offer here and in my newsletter. Jesus’ love for us, for you and me, is beyond comprehension. The more I think about what it cost both God and our Lord to free us from bondage to sin the more in awe I am.

The Takeaway
These new cards carry my heart, and my contact information for those who have questions. They present a message that matters and they let me share Jesus without saying a word. 

Evangelism doesn’t have to be scary and hard. It can be as simple as handing someone a card.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

The Accidents that Didn’t Kill Me

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

Have you ever stopped to count how many times God has rescued you? That is, have you considered how many times He’s rescued you that you know of?

“Rescue” can mean many things, but right now I’m thinking about times when I know beyond doubt that I would not have survived without divine intervention.

The first was when I was around 8 or 9. We were enjoying a day on the water when our boat hit a submerged log. When I came to, I was in my stepfather’s seat and he was in the water.

It is a heartbreaking thing to be completely helpless while watching a man drown.

Years later I realized something terrible: It should have been me. My sister and I were sitting up on the inboard motor and should have been thrown out of the boat, but we weren’t.

Another time I was driving down a mostly empty highway on a sunny day when a dump truck driver decided to cross the road in front of me. He said he didn’t see me, but let’s not go there.

I swerved just enough to slam into his rear wheel.

Had I instead gone between his wheels…? 

Then there’s the more recent wreck I can’t even let myself think about. It, too, should have killed me – and not just me.

And these are the times I know God had His hand on me, His angels looking after me.

I can’t help but wonder how many more there have been.

A demon once told my sister, “We’ve been trying to kill you for years.” Given the things that have happened to her – starting with the fact that she was sitting beside me on the day our stepfather died – I have no trouble believing it.

I don’t think we give God and His angels enough credit. We may wonder why certain bad things happen, but in reality… How much worse could it have been?

I often pray Psalm 91 over myself and my family. Verse 11 assures me, “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

I’m living proof. Maybe you are too.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

“Why Have You Forsaken Me?” A Hidden Message from the Cross

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

This morning, I heard a minister say something that stopped me in my tracks.

He reminded me that the Bible’s chapters and verses are very new additions. In that era, if you wanted to draw someone’s attention to a particular passage, you’d quote the first words – similar to how we often mistake a song’s first line for its title today.

During Jesus’ days, the Bible was shared orally, and memorization was important. The psalms would have been well known by those who stood watching. According to this minister, and the idea rings true, when Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?,” He wasn’t merely crying out to God in anguish: He was intentionally pointing their hearts towards Psalm 22, a song that begins in devastation but ends in victory and a changed world.

Psalm 22 is written by David and ostensibly about him, but it is definitely prophetic and depicts the Crucifixion in astounding detail.

Anyone who, on that day, went in their thoughts to that particular psalm, and paid honest attention to its words, saw it playing out before their eyes.

But here’s the beautiful thing.

This psalm begins with suffering, with the devastation of being without God’s presence, but it ends in hope, in victory, in redemption.

Here is Psalm 22:27-31 in the NET version.

Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the LORD and turn to him! Let all the nations worship you! For the LORD is king and rules over the nations. All of the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him, including those who cannot preserve their lives. A whole generation will serve him; they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. They will come and tell about his saving deeds; they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.

When at last Jesus shouted, “It is finished!” He knew the best part of our story was just beginning. Or, as I noted in the margin of my Bible, “The Cross was unimaginably horrific for Jesus to face, but He faced it knowing what would come as a result.”

And that’s why Good Friday is truly good.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

God’s Question That Stopped Me in My Tracks

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I was thanking God for a friend a few days ago. Some time back, she volunteered to handle a specific task every month. It’s not super complicated, but it does take time and requires her to run an errand that otherwise wouldn’t fall on her. Month after month, she consistently covers this project for me. “I’m so grateful for her, “I told God. “I know I can hand her this job and she’ll get it done.”

I meant what I said, every word of it. My heart was full of gratitude. Then God asked me a question.

He wanted to know why, if I trust her so easily, I sometimes doubt Him and whether He will “get the job done.”

OUCH!

We’re talking punch-in-the-gut stuff here. I like to think I’m a woman of strong faith, but He wouldn’t have asked me the question if it didn’t apply. Do I really, at times, trust a human friend more than I trust my God? I mean, this is GOD we’re talking about. Of course He will get the job done, whatever that job is!

I do tell Him on occasion that it’s not Him I’m doubting, but me. More specifically, I too often doubt my own ability to hear Him clearly. Did I really hear God’s voice, or did I go off on a tangent of my own creating? Yes, I have those moments – more than I like to admit. I wonder if this is part of what He’s talking about, that in doubting my own ability to hear Him I’m doubting His ability to help me understand. Possibly?

I’m still thinking about this one, about how I have at least on occasion failed to trust The Creator of the Universe, how at times I apparently put more faith in the one who holds my project in her hands than in the One who holds my whole life in His hands.

This faith walk? One of its most important factors is self-assessment – making sure we are who we think we are, and repenting if we’re not. If we’re not listening and judging ourselves when He asks questions like this one, we’re not getting the job done.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

When Darkness Fell: The Day That Changed Eternity

Tammy M Cardwell3 Comments

Like many people, I’ve been reading through the book of Luke this month, and today we reached one of the hardest and most beautiful chapters in the Bible: Luke 23.

Reading about how Jesus was treated on that last day is painful. To see Him accused unjustly and witness Pilate and Herod toss Him around like a ping pong ball hurts. Then, watching Pilate give into the crowd’s demands not because Jesus had been found guilty of anything, but because the crowd was overwhelming… You see just what a wimp Pilate was, really.

But when I keep my eyes on Jesus, I’m blown away. At any point, He had the right and authority to put an end to it all. He could have, but He’d already settled His course in the garden. He was determined to do God’s will no matter how much it hurt. So, rather than potentially say something that might hinder the process, He remained silent except for the one time He confirmed what Pilate had said about Him being king of the Jews. He literally could have called ten thousand angels and chose not to.

On the walk to Golgotha, He spoke only to the weeping women, giving them warning of what was to come. Then, once He’d been raised up on the cross, what did He say? “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (verse 34, NET) Every time I read those words, I come to a full stop and consider: If Jesus, who was in a worse position than any man ever had been or would be again, could ask God to forgive those who were crucifying Him – even though they didn’t want or ask for forgiveness – who am I to hold grudges? Seriously? In eleven words He preached a sermon I will never forget.

His heart being what it was, it’s no surprise that He told the second criminal, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (verse 43)

At verse 44 we reach the beautiful part of this chapter. As the devil was no doubt rejoicing, God turned out the lights. Some have theorized that this was a solar eclipse, but it happened at Passover, so that’s not possible. Whatever God did, the result was no sun and no moon for three hours.

What would it have been like on that hill after three hours of darkness? I’m guessing it would have been nearly silent, maybe with the painful moans of the dying, the sound of weeping, and the steps of any soldiers who were on patrol. And then something completely unexpected happened.

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”

Luke 23:46 NET (emphasis mine)

And then He breathed His last. And…? Can you imagine? It might as well have been the dead of night and a man who should have been barely breathing SHOUTED out such a declaration. Luke doesn’t tell us much beyond the impression it made on the centurion and that the crowds “returned home beating their breasts,” but you know it was a kick in the gut to every one of them.

About that same time, the veil in the Temple was torn completely in two from top to bottom. This “veil” was actually a curtain that was around 60 feet high and, according to ancient Jewish tradition, about 4 inches thick. It separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple, protecting man from God’s holy presence. When Jesus gave up His life as the sacrifice for our sins, that protection was no longer necessary.

Light dawned in that moment, and today we have the right to enter boldly into God’s presence!

I get to the resurrection tomorrow as I appropriately finish the book of Luke on the day we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but I end today’s reading in joy for what Jesus had already done at 3:00 in the afternoon on a day darkness had ruled.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

God Has a Reason

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Story time, and it’s a story with three lessons.
1. When God says, “Move,” you need to move.
2. When you know you need help, ask Him.
3. When He tells you what to do, do what He says.

WHEN GOD SAID, “MOVE.”

I was having a rough night. Allergies ruled and I could not settle down to sleep even though I’d been in bed for quite a while. In the midst of my struggles, God told me to get up and use my neti pot. I didn’t want to, but I’ve been trying to practice quick obedience, so I did. I got up, turned on the light, and headed to the sink.

As I was washing the neti pot afterwards, I literally said something along the lines of, “Well, I don’t know why you had me do that; it doesn’t seem to have done anything.” And it hadn’t, not really, BUT.

I should stop a moment and explain that after the horrible reaction I had to all of the gnat bites back in June/July, I got a gnat tent (Like a mosquito tent, but with tinier openings) for my bed, and it’s still there. I’ve about decided it’s going to stay there, to be honest.

So I got back to the bed, pulled aside the curtain, and saw why God had me get out of bed. It wasn’t because I needed to use my neti pot. It was because there were two of us inside my tent and He knew what would happen if the other came upon me unawares. That’s my Kindle in the lower right corner, so you can see how big it was.

Yes, I’m now aware this is a wolf spider, which would not have hurt me and is beneficial, but I remind you that this giant spider was trapped inside the tent with me, in the dark. God alone knows what would have happened if it had crawled on me in the middle of the night. As I stood facing the thing, we were both frozen. I knew I was in trouble if I didn’t handle this the right way, and I know next to nothing about spider behavior. So…

I KNEW I NEEDED HELP.
I ASKED THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD HELP ME.

As I stood there, I recognized that I was way out of my element. The spider had to not only leave my tent, but also my little apartment or I might never have peace again. I literally told God, “This one’s on You. You are going to have to handle this because I can’t!”

He told me to step outside and get the net we use to sweep leaves up off the surface of the pool. I had no idea the net was even there because It’s often attached to the pole, but I slowly crossed to the door, never taking my eyes off the spider, and took a super quick glance outside to find that the net was exactly where He said it would be.

Then I stood there, glancing back and forth between spider and net, and informed God that He had to make the thing stay right where it was. Does it sound like I was desperate? Good, because I was.

I DID WHAT HE TOLD ME TO.
I DID IT THE WAY HE SAID TO DO IT.

I was back at the bed, net in hand, in about two seconds, controlling my breathing and reminding myself that God always has my back. Again, I was talking to Him, telling Him I needed precise instructions so I wouldn’t blow my part of this adventure. (No, I didn’t think of it as an adventure at the time, but I can laugh about it now.)

God told me to move slowly and to gently put the side of the net right by the spider. I did, and that spider stepped onto the net as pretty as you please while I stared in shock. I then moved very slowly, backing out of the bed and heading for the door. I only disturbed it once on the way out; it was actually a lot more calm than I was.

I would love to say I settled right down to sleep after the spider and I parted ways. I didn’t. Every time I thought about what could have happened if the thing had crawled on me in the middle of the night, I thanked God one more time for telling me to get out of bed. I had that thought and reaction over and over for hours. In fact, this situation made me even happier that I’m aphantasic, because as a total aphant my imagination couldn’t toss visual possibilities at me, only concepts.

We live and we learn, and sometimes we just get reminded of basic truths. God knows what’s going on, and if He tells us to do something there’s always a reason. Unlike this particular experience, we don’t always actually see His plan, but we can be confident that He has one and trust that our obedience is serving a purpose.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Get Face to Face with God

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

There is no substitute for one-on-one time with God, for uninterrupted, undistracted, face-to-face time with God. Yes, praying without ceasing, talking with Him as you walk through your day, is vital, but there must also be times when you literally set aside all else, look Him in the face, and speak heart to heart.

Why? Because it’s easy to “miss” what He’s saying, and the importance of what He’s saying, while you are busy with other things. It’s easy to accidentally overlook or even forget His point because… “Squirrel!”

You know it’s true. How many times, in general conversation, have you been distracted at a critical point? And have you been known to occasionally ignore a question you didn’t want to answer, behaving as if you didn’t hear it? How many times have you accidentally-on-purpose misunderstood something someone was saying? Such things happen easily when you and your companion are out and about. But when it’s just the two of you?

Whether it’s you and another person, or you and God, when you pull aside, get alone, and carry on a private, face-to-face conversation with no distractions, everything changes.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C