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Ordinary Presence by Winn Collier

God blessed the world with all kinds of people—each of them a beautiful example of what it means to be the salt of the earth.

by Winn Collier

A commandment and a blessing are not the same thing. I may grab my sons’ attention and insist they clean their room now. Or I can hold their gaze and tell them they are the delight of their dad’s heart. Both of these interactions have their place, but they are vastly different. Commands point us in good directions, but blessings tell us who we are.

Sometimes, however, we miss moments when God pronounces blessing, because we expect to hear “shoulds”—things we must do to earn favor or be found acceptable. That’s why the Sermon on the Mount must have sounded radical to the crowd on the mountainside: In contrast to common assumptions of that day, Jesus pointed out that kingdom blessings aren’t limited to the wealthy and religious but are also for the outcast, the sick, the marginalized; the only qualification was faith. And He chose the word “blessed” for the poor, the grieving, and the peacemakers—the ones most likely to get run over in this violent world. Then He spoke another blessing over His followers: “You are the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13).

Notice Jesus says that they are the salt of the earth. He does not say they are to be the salt. He does not plead with them to take on salt-like qualities. Rather, Jesus looks across this ragtag band, raises His hands over them, and pronounces the truth of things: You are the salt of the earth. Can you imagine the wonder that must have fallen over them? How must it have felt to be seen with such honor by Jesus, to hear these powerful words spoken over you? Hope, possibility, and joy must have surged through the crowd.

Several months ago my son Wyatt sat in the kitchen with me, and he made a witty observation. My laughter was immediate. He smiled, but the longer I laughed (and lost control—you know those moments when you laugh so hard that you double over and can barely breathe), the wider his smile grew.

When I finally settled down, Wyatt was still beaming. Something beautiful had passed between us. Our interchange was about something more than a well-timed joke. Wyatt felt my delight in him. My laughter told him there was something deeply good in him, just as Jesus’ blessing told those on the hillside of the deep good God had placed in them.

Salt had numerous uses in the first century. It provided flavor, served as a preservative, and operated as a purifying agent. Today, this pantry staple still occurs naturally—it simply exists as it is, where it is. And while the seasoning can be described in lots of different ways, we can all agree that salt improves most everything it touches.

I am amazed by the simple lives I encounter—people living in quiet ways, often unhurried and unnoticed, as they seek to devote themselves to the way of Jesus and be loyal to the kingdom of God. Faithful people spend their days at work and tend to their children; they love their neighbors and engage with issues they believe reflect God’s justice and shalom in the world. Students diligent with their studies prepare to give their lives to good work in Jesus’ name. Single moms hold down a job and hold together a family so their children will know the power of selfless love. Neighbors regularly stop by to check on the elderly widow down the street. Business owners create good jobs and contribute to an honest, stable society. Gardeners and painters, craftsmen and nurses, web designers, and retirees—all practice the art of ordinary presence. Each of them is the salt of the earth.

With our zealous addiction to gusto and our fascination with brilliance, we often forget that if we keep the long horizon in view, it is ordinary faithfulness—ordinary presence—that makes the deepest impact. I understand that we are Americans, so one thing we know is how to marshal a plan and get things done. However, most of us don’t need more to do; rather, we need to recognize the gift of our presence (and the gift of others’ presence to us). It is not duties that we need, but rather encouragement to listen and pay attention, to do our work and give ourselves to friendship. We should watch for the particular joys and stories that surround us. In other words, our frantic effort to be salt can keep us from actually living as the salt we are. Our stress and strain can keep us from offering our truest selves to others.

We must not miss the fact that Jesus spoke His words to a community, not an individual. The “you” Jesus blesses is plural. Frederick Dale Bruner makes this explicit by translating it as, “You folks are the salt of the earth!” This means that the pressure does not rest on any one of us to span the globe. Rather, we each are simply to do our own part. We are to live well in our little piece of the world, practicing ordinary presence on the soil God has given us to tend and dwelling among the people God has given us to love.

The body of Christ is vast and expansive; it exists across history and geography. The community of Jesus is sturdy and, empowered by the Spirit, equal to the calling God has given us. The work each of us contributes is significant, but not ultimate. Breathe easy. Be who God has made you to be—no less and no more.

When we live true to the blessing God has spoken over us, we operate in harmony with our truest selves. However, some of us live under a heavy burden, believing that we must constantly wrest ourselves away from our deepest longings in order to somehow become what the Lord expects us to be. Quite the opposite, God has fashioned us in His image and infused us with His own life. No wonder we’re salt for the world.

Jesus didn’t ask us to be salt. That matter is settled. Yet Jesus did warn of a tragic possibility, that God’s salt would “become tasteless” (Matt. 5:13). We have the option to reject the truth of our existence and our blessing. We can withhold the gift God intends to give through us. To do so, however, doesn’t mean that we are not salt. It means we have turned selfish and small-minded because we refuse to share our ordinary presence with others.

So rather than deny it, receive Jesus’ blessing spoken over you: You are the salt of the earth. Your sheer presence in the world is a gift to all of us. Be bold. Open your heart. Give yourself away. Allow your unique life to flavor us all with grace.

Copyright 2014 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. In Touch grants permission to print for personal use only.

Free at Last by Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth
So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law (Galatians 5:1, NLT).

Friend to Friend
The story is told of an Indian village that held an annual bazaar where villagers came to sell the crafts and wares they made and the animals they raised during the year. One year, a man brought a covey of quail to sell. In order to display the birds, he tied one end of a piece of string to the leg of each bird and the other end to a stake in the ground.

All day long, shoppers passed by watching the birds walk in a circle around the stake. No one seemed interested in buying the birds until a religious man approached and asked how much the merchant wanted for them. The merchant named an exorbitant price, which the religious man quickly paid, immediately instructing the merchant to set the birds free. When the merchant asked why he was willing to pay so much for the birds and then let them go, the religious man simply responded, “Because they were created to be free.”

The merchant didn’t understand, but shrugged his shoulders and cut the strings, setting the birds free. The quail continued marching in a circle around the stake. The buyer stepped into the middle of the circle, scattering the birds, which flew a few yards, landed, and once again began to march in a circle. The quail were free – but did not know it.

We all seek freedom. With our very first breath, we come into this world kicking and screaming for freedom. The desire to be free was tucked into our very soul by God Himself as He formed us in the womb. Because freedom is a God-given need, our Father promises to provide a right way for that need to be met and the longing for freedom to be filled.

Freedom comes through truth. In John 8:32 we find the promise, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (NIV). To know truth, we must know God because He is truth. In John 14:6, Jesus says that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him. When we come to Jesus Christ in a personal relationship, we will experience true freedom for the first time - freedom from sin, freedom from condemnation and death, and freedom to really live. Without truth, there can be no freedom.

Freedom comes through obedience. Obedience calls us to challenge and lay aside anything that hinders our walk with God. Instead, we sometimes refuse to forsake cherished sin, allowing wrong attitudes to take root and prosper while harmful habits hold us prisoner. The writer of Hebrews offers compelling direction for the captured soul longing to be free. “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Obedience brings freedom.

Freedom comes through understanding. Until we understand who we are in His eyes, we will never truly be free. Our value and worth rest solely in the fact that we were created, chosen and pursued by God – for God. We belong to Him. His unconditional love sets us free to become all He created us to be, and more than we ever dreamed we could be. In Romans 5:8, the words of Paul celebrate our identity in Him, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners.” Recognizing our worth and value to God sets us free from the chains of human expectations and earthly demands. Understanding brings freedom.

Christ really has set us free. The question is - are we living in that freedom? Don’t live another day chained to your old ways. Seek His truth, walk in obedience, and celebrate your God-created identity! Free – free at last!

Let’s Pray 
Father, I long to be set free in You but I have to admit that the idea of total freedom in You frightens me. I am not sure what it will require. I have allowed old habits, sins, and attitudes to keep me in bondage. I know that is not Your will or Your plan. Right now, I lay down everything that keeps me from the freedom You have for me. Help me to walk in that freedom.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

• Are there areas in your life that seem like a prison from which there is no escape?
• In your journal, write down the first area that came to mind.
• Turn in your Bible to Psalm 40:1-3. Read this passage several times, claiming it as God’s promise to

You. It is!

• Now look at the area of bondage you wrote down. Ask God to show you the steps you must take in order to be free from that bondage.
• In your journal, write your prayer of commitment to do what God shows you. Date and sign it.

More from the Girlfriends
Are you ready to accept the truth that you were created to live in freedom? Great! But that’s not enough. Are you willing to give God permission to work in your life in order to experience His freedom? I sometimes think it is easier to stay in the darkness, to be content in a familiar prison. It becomes our identity…and we are not sure if there will be a new identity waiting for us in the light. Friend, do not listen to the lies of the enemy! He wants you to stay where you are, settling for so little when God wants to offer you everything! Don’t wait another minute. Cry out to God, and take your first step out of bondage into freedom.

NEW from Mary! An E-Bible Study that will change your life.The Power of Forgiveness is a five-week Bible Study that will help you choose to forgive when you really don’t want to and show you how to let go of the hurt in your life.

Join women across the world in Mary’s weekly online Bible Study, A Glimpse of Heaven beginning August 11. Enroll now and receive all 2014 lessons.

Going through a tough time? Get Mary’s CD, MP3, or E-StudyStrength for the Storm and find new hope that will strengthen you for the hard times you are facing. Be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email. She loves hearing what God is doing in your life!

Seeking God? 
Click here to find out more about 
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 1311
Huntersville, NC 28070

info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

Avoiding Burnout Part 2 by Sharon Jaynes

Key Verse
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed (Mark 1:35, NIV).

Friend to Friend
In my last devotion, we looked at the problem of burnout or exhaustion. Burnout is defined as “a state of mental and/or physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.”

Sound familiar? We also looked at several men in the Bible who struggled with spiritual and mental exhaustion. So if the great leaders of the Bible struggled with exhaustion, how do we avoid it?

The most effective way to avoid burnout is to be in constant communion with God, the Father. In Mark chapter one, Jesus gives us the key to avoiding overload: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Early in the morning Jesus went off by Himself and spent time alone with His heavenly Father. Interestingly, Simon and his companion interrupted Jesus’ time of prayer.

“Everyone is looking for you!” they exclaimed.

The day before, Jesus had healed many men and women. No doubt, the disciples and the townspeople wanted Him to return to perform more miracles. But Jesus had a different idea. ”Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also,” He said. “That is why I have come.”

I don’t know about you, but by 8:00 in the morning, my phone begins ringing with people making requests and demands on my time. Emails flood my screen, tweet chirp for a response and texts pop up as soon as I refresh my screen.

How do we know when to say “yes” and when to say “no”? How do we know when to respond and when to prayerfully click delete? How do we know what God’s will is for us on any given day?

Jesus gives us the answer right there in Mark 1:35. We begin our day with God by praying and asking Him to give us our marching orders.

Would it have been a good and noble thing for Jesus to go back to Capernaum and minister to the people there? Yes, it would have been good, but perhaps not God’s best. Because Jesus had spent time with God in the morning, He knew what God’s plans were for Him that day and He could say “yes” and “no” with confidence.

Inviting God to fuel and fan the flames of enthusiasm for life each day is the key way to avoid burnout. Let’s go back to our friend, Elijah, who gives us an example of how God tenderly re-ignites that flame if it has dimmed to a mere flicker. No matter where you are on the continuum of blazing spiritual passion or smoldering wick, here are some ideas to avoid burnout or rekindle the fire.

• Rest often. (God rested on the seventh day.)
• Refresh with proper diet.
• Re-evaluate priorities and responsibilities on a regular basis (monthly).
• Relegate and delegate.
• Review commitments regularly (monthly).
• Resist saying “yes” to demands and requests that do not line up with what God has called you to do.
• Resist being ruled by your schedule and allow for divine appointments from God that may not be on your schedule.
• Remove superfluous activities that interfere with or choke out God’s agenda.
• Refocus on what God has called you to do rather than what others would like for you to do.
• Remain in close and constant communion with God.

Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, You know that I have a tendency to take on too much. Please help me to hear Your still small voice telling me when to say “yes” and when to say “no.” Today, I commit to remain in close and constant communion with You. You are my strength and my provider.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn
Go back and look at the activities that you engaged in last week and ponder the following questions:

Were they all necessary?

Could someone else have done those tasks more effectively?

Was there anything on your schedule that you wished you had said “no” to?

Consider memorizing today’s Key Verse and making it the filter for your daily activities.

More from the Girlfriends
This devotion was taken from my book, Building an Effective Women’s Ministry. If you are a woman in leadership of any kind, you’ll find this book packed with resources and ideas for leading an effective team. And did you know that I have a storehouse of free resources on my website? I have free chapter downloads from most of my books, videos, living life resources, interviews, and magazine articles. Check it out at www.sharonjaynes.comand while you’re there, don’t forget to sign up for my blog.

Seeking God? 
Click here to find out more about 
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 1311
Huntersville, NC 28070

info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

Avoiding Burnout Part 1 by Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth
Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile’ (Mark 6:31, NLT).

Friend to Friend
I sat on the edge of my seat as I watched my son’s first track meet. The crowd was abuzz as moms and dads chatted, waiting for their teens to dash, sprint, or endure the eight laps of the thirty-two-hundred-meter race. But when the boys lined up for the hurdles event, the visiting stopped and the crowd watched with rapt attention.

Why? In the hurdles event, the stakes were higher. It became less about who would win, and more about who would gracefully leap and clear the metal roadblocks or tip and topple over the intentional barriers.

Hurdles—they are not simply found on the asphalt of track and field but also in the great race called life. As women, we struggle finding balance with our many roles and responsibilities. Our flame of enthusiasm begins to diminish when we are doing more than God intended or when we are doing what God intended, but on our own strength rather than His.

In the Bible we see many who experienced times of burnout. After Jonah’s miraculous delivery from the big fish and prophetic announcement to the people of Nineveh, he sank into a depression and wanted to die (Jonah 4:3).

After Elijah called down fire from heaven that miraculously burned up the sacrifices of Baal, the fire in his own life went dim (1 Kings 18-19). Elijah prayed, “I have had enough, LORD. Take my life” (1 Kings 19:4). Both of these men wanted to quit.

How do we avoid those same feelings of emptiness and despair? The first step is to realize that it can happen and does happen to the best of us.

What was God’s response to Elijah? Let’s take a look at 1 Kings chapter 19.

• He allowed Elijah to sleep (19:5) –rest.
• He sent an angel to provide food for him to eat (19:5) –refreshment
• He allowed Elijah to sleep again (19:6) –more rest
• He sent an angel to provide food for him to eat again (19:7) –refreshment
• He caused Elijah to ponder what he was doing: “What are you doing here?” (19:9) –reflection
• He spoke to Elijah personally (19:11) –response
• He caused Elijah to ponder what he was doing, again. “What are you doing here?” (19:13) –reflection
• He told Elijah what to do next (19:15) –redirection
• He showed Elijah who He had appointed to help him (19:16)
–reinforcement

Let me sum that up:

Rest
Refreshment
Rest
Refreshment
Reflection
Response
Reflection
Response
Redirection
Reinforcement

Girlfriend, exhaustion is epidemic among us gals. I tell you what; let’s talk more about this in my next devotion. For today, just rest in knowing that God has a plan for your life and that He loves you dearly!

Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, I’ll admit, I’m tired today. I need the refreshment that only You can give. Send the Holy Spirit to reinforce my spirit today! I am expecting His energizing force! Help me to reflect on You and Your goodness all day long.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn
Go back up to the Rs. What would each one of those look like in your life? Be realistic. I know Hawaii would be a great idea for refreshment, but that probably won’t happen in my life today☺.

For example: Rest—stop all activities at 8:00 p.m. rather than 10:00 p.m. and soak a long hot bath.

Share your ideas over at my Facebook page. I’m ready to learn from YOU!

More from the Girlfriends
This devotion was taken from my book, Building an Effective Women’s Ministry. If you are a woman in leadership of any kind, you’ll find this book packed with resources and ideas for leading an effective team. And did you know that I have a storehouse of free resources on my website? I have free chapter downloads from most of my books, videos, living life resources, interviews and magazine articles. Check it out at www.sharonjaynes.com and while you’re there, don’t forget to sign up for my blog.

Miracle Prayer Fire Favor : Day of Praise 2014 - Maryland

Miracle Prayer Fire Favor : Day of Praise 2014 - Maryland:                                             Annual day of Praise and Worship to God!                                                  ...