Seasons

This morning I started thinking about seasons. Sometimes you have to completely finish one season before you begin another. But that doesn't mean that God has not been preparing you for the next one all the time.

In December of 1997, I finished up my associates degree at the local community college. Around that same time, I started going to a church pastored by Rhema graduates. In January I started attending a four year university about 45 minutes away. I drove back and forth, commuting for an entire semester. I was in the midst of trying to figure out what I wanted to do, or more importantly what I thought God wanted me to do with myself.

I didn’t really enjoy going to school there. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had switched my major to communications and was just taking random classes. The classes I was taking were unfulfilling. I did make one friend who was a Christian during the time. And I got to eat lunch at this fun bagel place with one of my best friends who was attending college there too at the same time.

Also, during that time, I was developing relationships with people who would eventually help me make my way to Bible school. I started dating a Rhema Bible Training Center graduate. My pastors were Rhema graduates. And I became friends with another lady in my church who was also planning to go to Rhema.

God orchestrated all of that. Without my help.

When I look back on it, it was seriously amazing. It was one of the most pivotal moments of my life. As I followed his lead, it changed my life.

Throughout that winter and into the spring, God was preparing me to go to Rhema. But, I had to finish up the season I was in, which was being with my family, finishing up school, and getting ready to say goodbye to everyone.

After I finished the semester at the university, I filled out the application to go to Rhema. Within just a few weeks, I found out that I had gotten in!!! A new season was beginning.

Maybe you are in the middle of a transition right now. Maybe God is wrapping up one season for you, because you are about to start something new. He is preparing you for it, but you have to finish up and close out where you are nicely first.

Don’t try to jump out of that season into the next. It will go smoothly, and he will make you ready as you listen to the Holy Spirit and you follow his leading.

He is placing people in your path to help you transition from one season to the next. It might not be totally easy, but you will see his hand in it, and it will give you courage and confidence to move forward!

When I write or speak about something, I always want to make sure that I include some story from the Word to go with it.  I didn't think of a specific story while writing this, but I did think about Peter.  He started out as a fisherman, and then became a fisher of men.  If you want to learn more about him, you can read the blog posts that I have written that mention Peter here.

Peter had struggles, he had failures, but he had Jesus.  And Jesus, and those around him, the ones who came alongside him, and the ones who needed him, both propelled him forward.

Many blessings to you on your journey with Jesus!


Beth

Loving the Real Jesus

I never get tired of hearing about Jesus, about the true Jesus.

I know why people sat there and just listened to Him until they were hungry. I know why women followed Him around and gave Him their money and supported His ministry. I know why the woman with the alabaster jar of ointment poured it out on His feet. I know why people got healed so easily and frequently in His presence.

Because He was just oozing love for them. His presence was one of perfect love and perfect peace.

One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is after He was raised from death. The disciples had gone back to Galilee, and were fishing. They hadn't caught anything. Jesus is standing on the shore and He yells at them, "Children, do you have any food?" There is something in that one sentence that blesses me so much. It is so endearing that He called them children.

They were in some in-between moments where they didn't really know what was going on, so they went back to that life before Jesus. And Jesus appears and meets them where they are at. They are just fishing. And then Jesus directs them, and they catch a lot of fish, 153 to be exact. It is reminiscent at the beginning of His ministry, how when Jesus used Peter's boat, and He filled the boat up with fish afterward.

And then Peter jumps out of the boat to swim to Jesus. What kind of love would evoke a grown man to jump into the water and swim to Jesus?

He is still the same Jesus. He is still lovingly calling to us. He is still caring for our emotions. He is still caring for our physical needs. And I believe that if we hear enough about and get to know the real Jesus, we would all be just like Peter, willing to cast it all aside and just run into His arms.

My prayer is that we would all grow to know His love to this measure. Blessings to you on your journey,

~Beth

Passion in the Life of Peter

This morning I woke up thinking about passion and the life of the apostle Peter.  He started out almost afraid of Jesus.  When Jesus filled his boat full of fish, he said, "Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8)  That didn't deter Jesus.  He told him, "From now on you will catch men." (Luke 5:10)

He was probably the most vocal of the twelve.  He said so many good things during Jesus' time on earth.  One of my favorites is when people were leaving Jesus and Jesus asked Peter and the others around him if they were going to leave Him too.  Peter says, "To whom would we go?  You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

Then, when they come to take Jesus, Peter grabs a sword and cuts Malchus' ear off.  Jesus had just told him he would deny Him three times, and Peter still defends Jesus with his whole heart. (John 18:10)

After they take Jesus away, Peter follows.  He is only one of two disciples the Bible records as being there when they are interrogating Jesus.  Then he denies Jesus.  (Matthew 26) He is not recorded as being at the cross, but we see him on Resurrection Day. (John 20)

Later when Jesus appears to them in Galilee, and the disciples are fishing.  Peter is the only one to jump out of the boat and swim to Jesus on land.  Jesus restores Peter at that point with a beautiful conversation about love, and the job He has for Peter.  He does it for Peter, not for His sake.  (John 21)

Peter is in the upper room with the 120 on the day of Pentecost, and preached an awesome message and 3000 people get saved! (Acts 2)

Later, he is responsible for the first Gentiles coming into the Church! (Acts 10) People are healed through him and one woman, Tabitha is raised from the dead! (Acts 9)  He later writes 1 & 2 Peter, two of the epistles found in our Bible today!  

It is remarkable what Jesus can do with the human heart.  He took this timid, fearful man and turned him into a man full of passion and love and a heart for His Lord!  What can He do with you and me?

but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.- 2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)