Comments Off

By Paula Marolewski, September 22, 2010 10:33 am

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” Mark 15:34

There has never been greater loneliness than the loneliness on the Cross. Jesus, who from eternity had been one with the Father, was separated from him. The weight of sin crushed him, causing him to be accursed. And at the height of his pain and suffering, the Father appeared to abandon him.

And while my heart breaks because of what Jesus suffered for me, I am so very, very glad that he did. Because it means that he understands. He is no distant God: immovable, unshakable, removed from the world he created. He came and walked this earth and suffered and died so that he could truly say, “Yes, I understand the pain. I understand the loneliness. I understand the grief. I have walked the same road that you are on now.”

• What does it mean to you to realize that Jesus not only intellectually understands pain and suffering and loneliness, but that he has experienced it?
• Jesus’ suffering isn’t the end of the story. His suffering qualified him for a very special role. Hebrews 2:17 affirms, “Therefore, Jesus had to be made like his brethren in all things, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest …” What does it mean to you to realize that Jesus is extending mercy to you, is faithful to you, and is interceding for you all the time? 
• Likewise, your suffering isn’t the end of the story. Your suffering qualifies you for a very special role. Ask God to use your loneliness and suffering to increase your sense of compassion and mercy for others, and to deepen your ability to serve them.

© 2010 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

Make life easy! Click here to have new blog postings sent directly to your email inbox!

Comments Off

By Paula Marolewski, September 22, 2010 10:33 am

“And Elijah was afraid and arose and ran for his life …. He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, ‘Arise, eat.’ Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, ‘Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.’ So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.” I Kings 19:3-8

This passage is, to me, one of the most tender images we have of God. We see Elijah – the strong, courageous, faithful prophet – exhausted. Completely done in physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. He actually begged God to let him die in the wilderness.

Does God rebuke his prophet? Get irritated and demand that Elijah stand up and get with the program? Tell him to snap out of it?

No. God comes to him. In person. This is “the angel of the LORD” – the preincarnate Christ. And God makes him a meal, bids him eat, and tells him to go back to sleep. And when Elijah wakes up, God has again been in the kitchen, and has made him a second meal. And as he eats, God says softly, “I know how hard this is. I know this is a tough journey. Take your time. Regain your strength. I’m here.”

• Imagine God coming to you in your pain and exhaustion and comforting you as he did Elijah. Take the time to imagine in the scene in detail. How does it make you feel?
• One of the places that God meets with us to extend us his comfort and his strength is during our quiet time: time we spend reading his Word and talking with him. How is your quiet time right now? What do you tend to do during your quiet time? How long do you spend? Are you spending enough time to actually be able to quiet your heart to hear God speak?

© 2010 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

Make life easy! Click here to have new blog postings sent directly to your email inbox!

Comments Off

By Paula Marolewski, September 22, 2010 10:27 am

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

With hope, we can get up one more time, no matter how exhausted we are. Hope brings determination, courage, and confidence. And the good news is: God is a God of hope.

Where do we find hope to carry on when we are exhausted? Here are four sources of hope that God provides:

Hope from the Word. As we study the Bible, we learn to trust in the character and promises of God, giving us a solid foundation of hope (Romans 15:4).

Hope from the resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we can be confident that God is at work in our lives now (Romans 8:11). 

Hope from the Spirit. God has set his Spirit in us! One of the activities of the Spirit is to fill us with hope (Romans 15:13). 

Hope from the future. Can the future be a source of hope? Absolutely! Romans 8:23-25 reminds us that we will one day be completely redeemed: body, soul, and spirit. In that day, anxiety will be no more!

• We often think of hope as a feeling, but the actual definition of hope is “a desire accompanied by some confident expectation” (American Heritage Dictionary). Therefore, we may feel terrible or exhausted or anxious, but still live in hope. Compare your understanding of hope with this definition: do you need to adjust your thinking about hope?
• What aspects of your life are most troubling to you right now? What hope does the Bible provide you with regard to those specific matters?
• Spend time in prayer, asking God to fill you with hope through his Spirit.

© 2010 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

Make life easy! Click here to have new blog postings sent directly to your email inbox!

Comments Off

By Paula Marolewski, July 11, 2010 4:18 pm

As I was reading through Exodus and Numbers, I was struck by how many times God came close to wiping out Israel in his wrath and judgment. Consider these passages:

• “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them.” (Exodus 32:10)
• “When the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.” (Numbers 11:1)
• “The anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very severe plague.” (Numbers 11:33)
• “I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them.” (Numbers 14:12)
• “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” (Numbers 16:21)
• “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” (Numbers 16:45)
• “The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.” (Numbers 21:6)

In each case, Israel had provoked the Lord to anger through sin, rebellion, and never-ending complaints. They had offended God’s holiness. As a result, God responded with wrath. Due to Moses’ humility and intervention, that judgment was turned aside or mitigated each time.

I don’t want us to lose sight of something very important here: God is still holy. He still hates sin. He still experiences wrath. Now, for us, Jesus’ humility and intervention at the cross turns aside or mitigates God’s righteous judgment against us.

We should never take that indescribable grace and love for granted.

We should never forget the holiness of God.

© 2010 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

Comments Off

By Paula Marolewski, May 3, 2010 10:26 am

Dedicated to the memory of Denton Conklin.

In Romans 11:33 we read, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

I’ve thought about that verse a lot lately. In July 2009, a good friend was killed instantly in a head-on car crash. He left behind a wife who suffers from a severe physical disability, and two children. He was a wonderful husband. An incredible Christian. A loyal friend.

And I ask God the age-old question:

“Why???”

Why did this happen? What purpose did it serve? Wouldn’t more glory have been brought to Jesus through my friend’s life and service on this earth? What of his family? Don’t you see their pain?

“Why???”

I don’t believe we will ever know “Why?” to many of the questions we ask. Especially when we are talking about deep things … the loss of a job, a spouse, a child, a friend, a ministry, a dream. We cry out in agony, “Why?” but heaven does not answer.

Why this divine silence? First, because of this simple truth: God’s ways, wisdom, and knowledge are unsearchable – unfathomable. He is God. We are not. I doubt we could understand the answers even if he were to tell us.

Second, because we are then presented with an important decision: will we choose to trust, love, obey, and praise God, even when we never know the “Why?” behind the tragedies we experience? Will we place our faith in his character?

Or, will we make our love for God conditional upon our understanding of him? If the latter, then aren’t we actually making ourselves equal with God – demanding that we know all that he does, and perhaps even requiring him to submit his decisions to us for our approval?

We can harbor bitterness and resentment against God when he does not answer our agonized “Why?” Or, we can by faith turn his very silence into a reason for praise, even though that praise may be mixed with tears:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

Make life easy! Click here to have new blog postings sent directly to your email inbox!

Comments Off

By Paula Marolewski, February 22, 2010 11:40 am

“By him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible … all things have been created by him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16

On occasion, I think we peg God in the Middle Ages. He seems to fit well in Gothic cathedrals, surrounded by candlelight and worshiped with antiphonal choirs.

Or perhaps we place him back even farther: on the shores of Galilee, preaching from the boat and breaking bread in the upper room.

If we think that way too often, however, he can seem removed and distant from our 21^st century life. He doesn’t seem to “fit” in a world of Blackberries, iPods, video conferencing, and satellite TV. I mean, where would Jesus have hooked his cell phone? On his sash? 

It’s important to take the time to realize that God is just as much the God of the 21^st century as he was of the 1^st century. And one way to help bridge that gap is to spend some time worshiping God by acknowledging how his creation – the physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, etc. – that he set up impacts us in our every day lives. The technology of the 21^st century comes as no surprise to him, my friends – God is the one who made it all possible!

So as you go through your daily life, consider: 

• God made instant telecommunication possible. Praise him when you make your next phone call or send your next email.
• God made the information age possible. Praise him the next time you hit “Search” on Google.
• God made cutting-edge medicine possible. Praise him the next time you open your medicine cabinet or visit your doctor.
• God made high-speed travel possible. Praise him the next time you get in your car or board a plane.
• God made modern conveniences possible. Praise him the next time you go to your fridge or use your microwave.

Copyright © 2010, Paula J. Marolewski. All rights reserved.

Click here to have new Seedlings sent directly to your email inbox!

Comments Off

By Paula Marolewski, January 31, 2010 3:33 pm

“For you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” – Exodus 34:14

Shepherd. Savior. King.

The Lord my Provider. The Lord my Banner. The Lord my Righteousness.

El-Shaddai. Elohim. Adonai.

But … Jealous? Are you serious? One of God’s names is “Jealous”?

Yes – and no less than that, it’s not even one of the descriptive names we gave him: it’s a name he gave himself.

That tells me that we should pay close attention to this name of God. He describes himself as Jealous. The jealous one. A jealous God.

Isn’t jealousy something to avoid? In most cases, yes. That is, when it has connotations of “envy, apprehension, or bitterness” (The American Heritage Dictionary). But there is another meaning of “jealous” listed in the dictionary: “intolerant of disloyalty.”

That is what God means when he describes himself as jealous. He wants our complete love, obedience, trust, and loyalty. He wants us: 100%. Anything less than that, and he experiences a holy, consuming jealousy.

• Have you allowed God’s rightful place in your life to be taken by any other person, idea, thing, or activity? If so, how and why did this happen? What steps will you take to correct the situation?
• Are you giving God 100% of yourself: your energy, time, love, obedience, worship, etc?
• Pray a prayer centering around this special name of God: Jealous. 

Copyright © 2010, Paula J. Marolewski. All rights reserved.

Click here to have new Seedlings sent directly to your email inbox!