Hopefully, all the changes I've made (over and over again) haven't been too distracting. Apparently looking at free blog templates has consumed many hours of my life during the previous 24....I think I'm happy now....we'll have to wait and see. I was hoping for a beachy scene to go with "Buckets of Insight." Not only am I now a Pailes (lovingly called a Bucket from time to time), but buckets are almost always used at the beach when building sandcastles....which is one of my favorite things to do while at one of my favorite places on earth.
Now to the Friday Five!
I must admit that this is not the most original idea out there, since I've seen it from time to time on a blog I have followed for over a year....Treasures from the Cardboard Box. Plus some radio stations across our great country have a daily five at five for the drive home. (This concept has always confused me....since most people I know don't consistently leave their job at 5 PM....but this is a different topic!)
So for my first Friday Five I'm going to focus on five things I've learned from David (as in the author of many Psalms, and the man who is described in great detail in 1 and 2 Samuel).
This summer I've been blessed with an "uncommon" group of ladies to study and learn about David, through the Beth Moore study entitled
David: Seeking a Heart Like His. I must say that having grown up in the church, attending Sunday School, and summer camps I felt like I already knew a lot about David. However, the beauty of following Christ and studying the scriptures is that no matter how much I think I know, God makes the scripture come alive in new ways to suit whatever stage of life I'm in.
5. Jealousy hurts! (From Weeks 1 and 2)
Saul was the first King of Israel, and became quickly jealous of David, whom God had anointed to be the next King. (For more of the story see 1 Samuel 18.)
My lesson learned....jealousy hurts relationships whether or not the words are spoken or kept inside our own minds. Jealousy hurts when you feel it may be directed at you. Jealousy is a real emotion, that I'm guilty of at times...more often than I'd like to admit. Saul's example in 1 Samuel 18...teaches an important lesson because he continued to harbor jealousy towards David that eventually lead to his death at the beginning of 2 Samuel. Not that our own jealousies will lead to our death physically, but how many relationships in our lives do we kill slowly with jealousy?
4. Common Bonds, Uncommon Friends (Week 2, Day 4)
David became once-in-a-lifetime friends with King Saul's son Jonathan. Despite David's life on the run to avoid Saul's jealousy, Jonathan and David enjoyed a relationship that rivals most (if not all) of my friend relationships. Beth Moore made three big points during this lesson that helped me reflect on the relationships in my life.
#1: Uncommon friends can speak their minds without fear.
In how many relationships can you honestly speak your mind without fear? I know that this fear can come in various packages....will they make fun of my comment, what will they think when I speak up, will my thoughts be respected no matter if they agree, and on and on the list of fears can go....
#2 Uncommon friends can speak their minds without shame.
How vulnerable are you in your relationships? I mentioned in my first post that I don't like to reflect, well I, also, am not a fan of putting all of me out there to be vulnerable with others. This is hard! I think because it so closely connects to Beth Moore's first point....fear! I'm afraid to be vulnerable due to fear of how I'll be received and whether or not I'll be met likewise by those I'm with.
#3 Uncommon friends stay close even at a distance.
David and Jonathan weren't often together to hang out and be friends in person. David spent much of his youth running from Saul, Jonathan's father, and living in caves. Yet, whenever David and Jonathan were together they could pick up where they left off.
I've realized that this type of relationship is very difficult to come by... because as we live the lives God has for us, our friends are living theirs... and sometimes our lives start to take different paths. We can still connect, but our interests could change, changing our bonds.
3. Why I've continued to feel lonely....
This lesson came from the fifth DVD video session. I know that each of us in our group were greatly impacted by this lesson for a variety of reasons, which is why studying scripture in a small group is so amazing....it can touch each of us in a different way!
This lesson began with a target that Beth Moore used to illustrate Christ's model of relationships for which we, as Christians, should follow. So visualize a target, one like at Target (the store), it will need to have more rings....but I think you get the idea.
The outermost ring: The World--Christ knew and loved the whole world. John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him will have everlasting life. The purpose of having a world view is to witness to the world by being aware that others are out there in the world in need of a savior! Christ was globally focused...he came to seek and save the lost!
All of the Lost!
The next ring in: The 72--represented today as the local church body. Within the body of Christ we are to serve. (Luke 10:1-2) This is something I'm missing in my heart. At the beginning of the summer we moved into our new home! YEA! But with that came the realization we both knew in our hearts that we wanted to serve, worship, and build community with fellow believers in our new community. So this leaves me missing Northwest Bible Church....very much....I'm missing everything from the people (a lot) to the pastor's heart to the worship on Sundays.
The next ring in: The 12--Discipleship (small group of believers to study and grow with in the Word of God). I've been blessed with a couple of groups of women that have provided discipleship in my life....and with the coming of a new school year the time to meet and study and pray together gets shorter and more difficult to arrange. Not impossible...simply more difficult....again finding and building relationships with women in a local church in our community could fill this coming hole in my target.
The next ring in: The 3--Transparency...these are the people closest to you, the ones that really, really know you, they know your good stuff and your really bad stuff. They probably know things about you that most people wouldn't know unless they lived in our house for a couple of weeks, dare I say months. Christ had a group of three out of his twelve that went with him further into the Garden of Gethsemane the night of his crucifixion to pray...they were his closest friends on earth that he wanted to be prayer warriors by his side as he prepared for the ultimate sacrifice....to save you and me!
The inner most ring: The 1, intimacy with God....for some stages of our lives God needs to take us deeper still beyond our relationships on earth to a place where He alone can suffice! This can be a difficult road for us to travel with Him, it requires trust of His plan at work in our lives knowing as scripture tells us in Romans that He works all things together for our good....even the painful things, that we may never know the good behind are for our good! Praise be to God the maker of all things!
Why do I feel lonely....well I think it's due to having some "holes" in my target! I haven't reached a place in many years where I haven't felt lonely....it's a strange thing since I'm often with people (and ones I care about a lot) yet, I feel lonely. This lesson spoke volumes to me as to possible causes of my lonesomeness and a way to begin to seek Christ to fill this very real feeling in me. {This does connect to David...however that was not my biggest lesson learned from this session.}
2. God has promised good things to me. I know that God has brought me "so far" because I've become convinced that God ONLY wants to do good. (My paraphrase from teaching point 3, of the session's notes.)
This lesson is from DVD session 6...Beth Moore paired these scriptures with each phrase to drive home the point that God is interested in doing good in believers lives. The theology of each truth could be difficult for some to believe...that is why one must have faith in a very big God who only wants to do good in our lives!
- Romans 12:2: God's will for us is good.
- Phil. 2:13: God's purpose for us is good.
- Phil. 1:6: God's work in us is good.
- 2 Thess. 2:16: The hope God has given us is good.
- Eph. 2:10: The works God created for us are good.
- 1 Tim. 1:18-19: The fight God calls us to fight is good.
- James 3:17: The fruit God produces in us is good.
- James 1:16: The gifts God gives us are good.
- Hebrews 13:21: God equips us with everything good.
- Romans 8:28: God works all things together in our lives for good.
1. I am righteous! (Psalms 32: 6,11 and Romans 4:1-8)
This is from DVD session 8....
I have a hard time believing with faith (as mentioned in #2) that God has really made me righteous....I think this is due to all the work I do in my own strength and self to try to make myself "righteous" by being good....when in reality I'm righteous because of my belief in Christ and His ability to make me a new creation, NOT my behavior or attempts to be "good enough!"
This is a lesson that God has been teaching me for many years....and each time it hits me square between the eyes. I can't do enough to earn God's favor! I can't say enough nice things, or do enough good things for others to guarantee eternity with my Savior.
Instead I must believe that Christ was sent to save me and all my faults from eternity separated from HIM! Praise God for his Saving Grace!
If any of my reflections have left you with questions about what I believe...please comment a question or talk to me in person. I would love to share my heart in person behind these lessons from David.
