Keep On Keeping On

This past week, I would say, was a successful first week of school for me. I joyfully enforced the school dress code, encouraged my students to introduce themselves in a new language, instructed them not to use "retarded" and "stupid" to describe each other, and modeled new vocabulary. Every school year I make resolutions to improve my teaching and, therefore, my students and myself. And so far, I feel as if I've done well.


But we have 176 more school days left.


I've only just begun.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14).

Perhaps I'm taking Paul's words a bit out of context, but I think this passage is fitting for this time of the year for me. While it's appropriate to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done, we must remain alert, "live up to what we have already attained" (Philippians 3:16), and "stand firm in the Lord" (Philippians 4:1). It's easy to exercise that first week of a new fitness routine, limit your carb intake the first day or two of a different approach to eating, do your homework the first week or two of school, write love notes to your spouse those first couple months of marriage, read your Bible after an uplifting weekend at church.


And then the newness wears off. The to-do list looms large in your mind. The fast food restaurants lure you to make a stop on the way home from work. Watching TV seems more interesting than doing homework or having a conversation with your spouse or children. It is so easy to backslide.


So then what do we do?


Get back on track. Remember that "[His compassions] are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23a). Also, "[f]orget the former things; do not dwell on the past;" see that "[God is] doing a new thing!" (Isaiah 43:18-19a).


I can't help but think of the yellow wristbands that urge us to "live strong." "[B]e strong in the Lord and in His mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10). Every day is a battle, so suit up. Get in the game. What is our equipment, then?

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:14-18).

My husband and I both have something of a fondness for swords. Not really sure why. But I love that the word of God is illustrated by a sword. It's a mighy powerful thing, this word of God's. Use it daily.


I have thought a lot lately about being Jesus to my students. I may be the only Jesus they see on a regular basis. And what about that check-out clerk at the grocery store who always has a sour expression on her face? We must be Jesus for the world out there. For that matter, we must be Jesus to our families and friends.


With that thought in mind, I'll close with the next verse from Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus:

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19).

Stand firm, friends. Be alert. Live in the Spirit. Abide in Him.

Unity

God blessed me with more sleep than usual (well, so did Benadryl), so just a passage today:

"...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).

As a teacher, I want each of my classes to operate as one happy family. This rarely happens naturally. But I have thought about this a lot lately and have realized that I must guide these teenagers how to have unity; if we cannot achieve harmony, we can at least live peacefully with each other.

Getting along with each other can be difficult. I have heard it pointed out in sermons that the key to verse 3 of the passage above is that we are to "keep" the unity that the Spirit has already created among believers. We must focus on the fact that every human being is God's child. That somehow can make it easier to realize that we're all His.

May God show you how to apply this today.

Happy New Year!

If you're not a teacher, you don't understand the title of this blog post, as it's August. If you are a teacher, you get it. I mean, you get it. Summer has flown by for yet another year. Your classroom isn't ready, you're not sure how many students you'll end up with, and you know there's no amount of coffee in the world that will keep you awake during those inservice sessions. But take heart: it is a new year! Our pastor once said that pastors get two new years: one in January and one at Easter. Similarly, teachers and students get two: one in January and one in August (or September). And I love it -- not only one chance to make resolutions, but two! One of my favorite quotations is from L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables: "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." So today I'm on the hunt for some "new" verses to guide me through the start of this brand-new school year.


And really, we have a "new year" every day. As our pastor said this past April, today is the day of salvation. Each moment is a fresh start with our Father, our Savior, and our Spirit.

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40:3).


"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:18-19).


"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:21-23).


"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Ezekiel 36:26-27).


"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Now, getting down to specifics, what are my new-school-year resolutions?

1. Pray for my students and colleagues
2. Have "God time" every morning by praying, listening, reading the Word
3. Exercise (The body is a temple, is it not?)

Whether you are a teacher or a student or whether you're not, I pray for a peaceful and prosperous new year for you today.

P.S. A side note about the Ezekiel passage: He puts His Spirit in us so that we are "moved to" follow what He says --- NOT the other way around! So, please do what you must to let His Spirit in and work in you. Set aside time to do that today.

Define "Minister"

When I was about 16 or 17, a young woman at our church told me that she thought I'd marry a minister or a missionary. I really didn't like this comment. I have to confess that at the time, it didn't set well with me because I had no desire to go to some other country or to be the poster child of some church. No thanks, I'd pass. But as I've matured, this comment has still rankled, but for other reasons. And much of it has to do with the definiton of "minister."

According to Dictionary.com, a minister is:

1. a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor.



2. a person authorized to administer sacraments, as at Mass.


3. a person appointed by or under the authority of a sovereign or head of a government to some high office of state, esp. to that of head of an administrative department: the minister of finance.


4. a diplomatic representative accredited by one government to another and ranking next below an ambassador.


5. a person acting as the agent or instrument of another

Now, most of us think of the first definition when we think of a minister, don't we? Someone who is on staff at a church. Their name is listed on the website or on the back of the church bulletin you receive when you walk in the door. But I really like the simplicity of definition #5. And take a look this: "Not that we are competent in ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant --- not of the letter but of the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:5-6a).

So, you see, I am a minister. Being a minister is the equivalent of being a Christian. In the past few years, verses such as those listed below have come to mean a lot to me, as I've learned what all this God/church/Christian thing is all about.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27).

As I was growing up, it seemed that the more you talked about God, the more godly you were considered. But as our pastor pointed out last night, sometimes people do too much talkin'. I'd rather my actions, behaviors, and supernatural peace be the product of my faith, not how much I talk about the Bible and "churchy" topics.

So speaking as one minister to another, let's start doing and quit talking quite so much. As my mother always said, people don't care what you know until they know how much you care.