Becoming Spiritually Mature

            I don’t know about you, but I have desperately wanted to be spiritually mature. Many days when I fail to read my Bible or spend enough time with God or  pray enough or give enough or I miss church one week, I beat myself up believing that God will never use me and I’ll never be a good enough Christian.

            Problem number one with that belief is that I, nor you, can do anything to earn or lose God’s love. He freely gave that to us, but despite knowing this truth, there are days I feel like this. I’ve been a Christian for years; so, I should be extremely spiritually mature doing all of this stuff such as praying for an hour a day, reading my entire Bible every year, and memorizing countless amounts of scriptures, right?

            Well, this weekend, I learned the major problem with this belief about spiritual maturity. What I’ve been taught spiritual maturity involves is actually wrong. Being spiritually mature doesn’t mean that we go to church 3 times a week and are involved with every activity known to man at church, nor does it mean we are the best at reading our Bible (though we need to know God’s Word). Where in the Bible does it say going to a church building three times a week makes you spiritually mature? I was asked that question this weekend and couldn’t figure out where that statement was.

            The teacher, Greg, reminded me of a truth that has been covered over by skewed views of the Bible in my life; a spiritually mature Christian is someone who reflects God well. How do we know if we are reflecting God well? We examine whether or not our lives are marked by the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (NIV, Galatians 5:22).  

            Instead of evaluating yourself on how much you do, look at your spirit. Are you loving people well? Is your life marked by joy (being content always) and peace? Are you kind and gentle to even the vilest person? Is your life marked by unwavering faith in God?

            What fruits of the Spirit do you possess? Which ones do you need to cultivate?

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas 

Just to Be with You

 All of heaven watched as Jesus Christ, the God of the universe, became a man. Leaving behind every luxury and comfort, Jesus left his throne for a dirty stable in which He was put in a bed that was meant to be a feeding trough. After thousands of years of watching His beloved creation worship everything but Him and turn their backs on Him repeatedly, Jesus began to fulfill the promise He made in Genesis 3:15—He was going to defeat death and sin once and for all to rescue sinners like you and me.

          How many kings have you read about who would give up being constantly praised for a life of persecution? Well, this Jesus did, and He left His home just to be with you—a sinner.

Not only did Jesus come to the earth, but He also taught us how to live through His life. Jesus was tempted just as you and I are. He was gossiped about, wrongly judged, mocked, beaten, betrayed by those He loved, laughed at, and He was even filled with sorrow over the death of His friend Lazarus. I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but Jesus knows what it means to suffer—just like you and I. He experienced all of this to show His unconditional and irrevocable love for us.

This week is considered “Passion Week” in honor of our God sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on a cursed cross so we can be saved (John 3:16). Isaiah 53:5-6 tells us that Jesus “was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed” (New Living Translation). Jesus did nothing wrong, yet he took the entirety of God’s wrath (meant for us) upon Himself so we can have a relationship with Him.

He chose to lay down His life for every one of us, no matter how badly we have sinned. The great news is that the story didn’t end with His death on a cross. All of heaven and earth rejoiced as Jesus Christ defeated death and the grave and rose again from the grave! Guess what? The story doesn’t even end there. Jesus is now in heaven so we can have the Spirit, and one day, if we believe in Him and become followers of Him, we will be with Jesus forever—what a day that will be!

Just to be with you, He laid down His life. Just to be with you and love you forever.

How will you thank God for His love this Easter?

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

To Be Known Is to Be Loved

           The sun scorched her skin as she trekked to Jacob’s well. She shielded her eyes from the rays of light blocking her view to make sure she’d be alone to draw water at midday. She checked to make sure nobody was coming with her—she was sick of the stares.

            No one else should have been at the well, but as she reached her destination, a man resting against the stone came into focus. Recognizing He was a Jew, she turned her eyes downward and began to draw water. Startling her, He spoke.

           “Will you give me a drink?”

           "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" she asked. 

            "If you knew the gift of God and who it was that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water," He answered (NIV John 4:4-10).

           She stood stunned for a second knowing that if He really knew her, He'd never ask her for anything, much less offer this "living water.” 

             I imagine this was something that went through the Samaritan woman’s mind as she first saw Jesus. She knew this man was a Jew who shouldn’t speak with Samaritans, much less a Samaritan woman. She was probably waiting for Him to stop talking to her because of her shameful past, but Jesus didn’t. In fact, He told her who she was (sins and all) yet loved her still and offered her new life. Jesus knew her and didn’t glare at her with judgmental glances. He simply loved her, and that love changed her life (John 4:39-42).

           We, like the Samaritan woman, are full of past failures, sins, and shame, but as Jesus offered living water to this lady, He offers us the same, freely. The truth is that Jesus didn’t tell the woman to get her life together before she could have the gift of God; He forgave her even in her sin and then, changed her life.

            We can come to Christ just as we are because “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NIV, Romans 5:8). Know this, there is nothing you have done that God cannot forgive, and you don’t have to work to change yourself.

Come just as you are, and leave the rest to Christ.

Living Life Together, 

Rebecca Thomas

Popping Your Bubble

            I first learned about bubbles when I was in my elementary school’s music class. Our teacher would have my class spread out around the room with our arms stretched out as wide as they could go. Then, she would declare that space our bubble, and no one could get inside that small space but you. I didn’t interfere with what went on in my classmates’ bubble, and they didn’t get in my mine.

            American culture has taught me that bubbles are necessary and completely normal, but how can we as Christians obey God’s command not to forsake the fellowship of other believers if we live in our own little bubbles?

            Hebrews 10:24-25 states that we as brothers and sisters in Christ  are to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (NIV). Later on in James 5:16, we are told everyone is to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (NIV).

            I don’t know about you, but for me, my bubble is security, and letting other people in is hard, but God has taught me that bubbles are constraining and will drain the life out of you. God  doesn't want nor expect us to walk this journey of faith alone. He has placed some amazing people in my life who not only spurred me on in my walk with Christ but also hold me accountable for my actions and sins. (Remember, healing comes from confessing our sins—not condemnation).

            Living life together takes more than sitting in a chair beside someone on Sunday (though I do that too). We are to live in community with other believers so we can grow in our walks and be held accountable. Plus, you have the blessing of gaining eternal friends who will “stick closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

            Last night, I was reminded why I decided to pop my bubble and live life with other people. God teaches and encourages me so much through my brothers and sisters in Christ at my community on Tuesday nights. I pray you will find people to hold you up today. And, be encouraged knowing that you don’t have to walk this journey alone, and it’s okay to let people in—a full life is there.

            Are you willing to pop your bubble?

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Desiring a Blueprint

             I’m finally a senior in college, but I’ve found myself more scared than excited, and more worried than peaceful, basically, the opposite of relying on Christ. But, I’ve been trying so hard. Questions kept pounding my thoughts one day last semester, such as “What am I going to do after college?” “If I do grad school, how am I going to pay for it?” Should I write, teach, event plan, what?”

Suddenly, I found myself begging God for the same thing He told me I didn’t need a long time ago—a blueprint.  Then, He whispered to my heart a truth that I never realized before: only a professional knows how to read a blueprint.  

When I was a little, I found the blueprints to my home. My small hands unraveled the code and I stared in wonder. Being an inquisitive child, I had to know what the blueprint meant. Blue ink covered the pages, and I had no idea what to make of any of it; so, I called in an expert—my dad.

My dad has to interpret blueprints often. So, we sat down with the instructions stretched out to size. He pointed out every detail he thought would interest me. I showed him, in pride, \ the walls, but those lines actually illustrated the perimeter of the foundation. The one part I thought I could pinpoint by myself ended up being something completely different.Through my eyes, I saw blue ink on a page, but through my dad’s trained eyes that ink wasn’t a big mess; it was a house.

Just as I couldn’t read the blueprints to my house, I also can’t interpret God’s plan for my life. I need Him to sit with me every day and tell me the next step. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (NIV).  This verse reminds me that I’m not the expert when it comes to the big picture of my life and my understanding fails me every time.

Jeremiah 29:11, states, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’” (NIV). God has a plan for us and doesn’t hand us the blueprint because it’s a God plan. Even if He hand it to us, we would never understand it without Him, and it’d probably overwhelm us. God’s ways are not our ways, and instead of seeing a beautiful future, we’d probably just see a big blue inkblot.  

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Making the Most of Every Opportunity

            Writing this post has been a long time coming. I’ve sat in front of my laptop for countless hours creating the perfect background and making sure the colors are flawless. I want to help others through the written word, but I’ve been too much of a perfectionist to actually begin. Many days I find myself not finding time to write a blog. Having to have everything perfect and not having enough time are the two biggest lies I allow into my mind. This spring break, God exposed those false truths for something else they are—excuses. These excuses are not only keeping me from writing a blog but also from obeying God.

            One day, I was reading when the Holy Spirit compelled me to open God’s Word. At first, I pushed against His leading because I was about to find out if the heroine ended up with her prince and besides, it was a Christian novel—I was learning about God. Soon, I couldn’t stand it any longer; reading God’s Word had become a need as imminent as my next breath. So, I opened to Proverbs 14.

            Until I read verse 23, I didn’t understand why the Holy Spirit had led me there. Now, the morsel of wisdom still echoes in my mind: “All hard work leads to a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (New International Version).  I realized what I had been doing—talking. I’ve talked about the blogs and books I’m going to write and the deeper relationship with my Creator I long to have, but I haven’t acted. Sure, I’ve planned out each step; planning is my strong point. But, as the verse says, talk leads to poverty, deficiency, insufficiency, death.

            Ephesians 2:10 declares that God has a specific work for us, but talking about what doors He has opened will hand us nothing but poverty. We must work hard to have a profit. Papers can’t be written, lives can’t be changed, and calls can’t be answered without hard work.

            God hasn’t desired for our lives to end in poverty. He has good plans as Jeremiah 29:11 states, but we have to step through the doors He opens and make the most of every opportunity. People’s lives are at stake because if we as Christians merely talk, many people may never know the grace of God and we may just miss out on part of that good plan.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas