Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The Gift of 2010

During this Christmas season, my son and I received so many beautiful cards and well-wishes. We also received financial gifts, a new set of tires, gift cards and a new website (www.rjthesman.net). It was a blessing to receive, because we knew God placed those gifts on the hearts of our friends and family. Someday, we will again be able to give back and the cycle will continue.

When I think back over the year 2010, my first thought is Whew ! Glad that year is over! But as difficult as it has been to go through unemployment smack in the middle of the Great Recession, it has been a year of growing closer to God, learning to trust more and watching how the Almighty took care of us.

Month after month, God provided – either in some sort of temp job or in a miraculous gift. We still have a roof over our heads and food in the fridge. We are still healthy and able to work. We are still looking forward to each new day and asking, “How can we bless someone today?”

The Gift of 2010 is that God allowed us to depend solely on Him. He taught us again, that He is a faithful God who cares about His children. He became, once again, the Creative One who devised a variety of miracles and used numerous people to make those miracles happen. He stretched our food, our laundry soap and even our dog treats so that we could wait a little longer before we had to buy more. He gently led us into new arenas of service and work, teaching us once again, not to put Him in a box.

I am glad this year is over, because the calendar places us one year closer to the day we meet Jesus. And who knows what 2011 will bring in the form of jobs, published books or speaking opportunities. The only constant I know is that the God of 2010 will be the same faithful God of 2011 and what a gift it is to belong to Him.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Becoming Fruitful

In Exodus 1:12, Moses records a history lesson for the children of Israel. They lived in slavery in Egypt, but continued to bear many children. Pharaoh was worried about this, so he increased the oppression and the work for the Israelite people. But his plan didn’t work. They continued to bear more children, to be more fruitful, to increase and grow. The oppression actually triggered more fruitfulness.

“The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread” (Ex. 1:12).

During this year of unemployment, God has been creative and mysterious in causing fruitfulness. Many people have told me how much this blog has meant to them – how it has reminded them to trust God for everything – how they have praised God for all the ways He has helped them. I’m so glad, so grateful that something good is coming out of this.

I also see God’s hand in my own life, to refine those places that might have become attracted to earthly comforts, to teach me more about trust and His faithfulness. When we have jobs and money in the bank, it’s easy to buy those extra things that comfort us – the pretty shoes, the colorful scarf, the chocolate sundae. But none of those temporary treats really satisfy. The shoes wear out, the scarf fades, the sundae leaves behind a sugar fog.

The only thing that matters is to find our satisfaction in the love of Christ and to let Him make us fruitful. If that includes some type of oppression, some hard place that is uncomfortable, then so be it. The more we are oppressed – if we let the Holy Spirit work through that oppression – the more we will multiply in godly traits and spread the good news of Jesus.

We can never become so focused on getting the job, making the money or doing the work that we forget the real reason we inhabit planet earth – to glorify God, to make disciples and to enjoy our faith walk forever.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Those Who Uphold

As I’ve been working on my latest book proposal, I’ve thought about the page for Acknowledgments. Usually, I don’t read those pages in other books. I don’t know the people listed there, and it’s really a thank you page for the author.

But as I’ve thought about my own acknowledgments, I’m listing all the people who have prayed for us this past year. Some of them I see every week at church or in cell groups. Some of them respond to me via e-mail: “I’m praying for you, asking God to give you a job.” Still others, I won’t see or even know about until I meet them in heaven.

God knows each of these prayer warriors and calls them by name. He even knows the number of hairs on their heads and the brown spots on their hands.

In the darkest moments of this year-long wait, I’ve often asked God to tell somebody to pray for me. I’m certain he has done that, because we’ve made it through almost a year of living by faith and trusting God to take care of us. When discouragement hits, inevitably, someone is enlisted to pray, because the depression lifts and we make it to another day.

The Amplified Bible expresses an important sentiment about those who pray, “Behold, God is my helper and ally; the Lord is my upholder and is with them who uphold my life” (Ps. 54:4).

God is with those who uphold me. Emanuel lives in them and with them. He triggers the times they need to lift up my son and me. God helps me, and he helps them.
In my list of acknowledgments, I hold those praying people as a special corps of dedicated folks and pray that God will bless them even as they have blessed me.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Advance Warning

God is so good to warn us in advance. Monday night, he sent me to Psalm 34, one of my favorite of David’s songs. It reminded me to not give in to fear. Several of the verses spoke specifically against fear and assured me that God is taking care of us.

“I sought the Lord and He heard me. He delivered me from all my fears.” Vs 4

“This poor man called and the Lord heard him. He saved him out of all his troubles.” Vs 6

“Those who fear the Lord lack nothing.” Vs 9

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. His ears are attentive to their cry.” Vs 15

“The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” Vs 17

The next morning, I received word that my email account had been hijacked and my contact list compromised. Although I’ve blocked everything and checked all my accounts, I don’t know how much of my identity has been stolen. But I do know that I don’t need to be afraid.

I am praying for those who have done this to me. They have the address of this blog. Maybe they will read it and learn about Christ who can set them free. I hope so. He is the only one who can deliver us, keep us from fear and restore our losses into something good. He is the only one who knows how to warn us in advance.