from a clay pot

Doth Job fear God for nought? - Job 1:9

2007-01-24T23:41:00.000-06:00

I just loved this encouragement from Spurgeon, and it naturally made me think of those I know who are enduring hard trials with faith and praise the Lord for His work and His care in their lives. It also reminds me that I am almost always more concerned about my own "comfort" that I should be, because ironically and mercifully, true comfort comes with trials, not in their absence.

Doth Job fear God for nought? - Job 1:9
This was the wicked question of Satan concerning Job, that upright man of old. Sadly, there are many people today about whom it might be asked with legitimacy, for they love God after a fashion because He prospers them. But if things were to go badly for them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God. If they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion they have enjoyed prosperity, then they will love God in their poor carnal way; but if they endure adversity, they rebel against the Lord.
Their love is the love of the table, not of the Host; a love of the cupboard, not of the Master of the house.
As for the true Christian, he expects to have his reward in the next life and to endure hardness in this life. The promise of the old covenant is adversity. Remember Christ's words, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit..." (John 15:2). What happens to a branch that does bear fruit? "He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (v.2).
If you bring forth fruit, you will have to endure afflictions. "Alas" you say, "that is a terrible prospect!" But this affliction works out such precious results that the Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ Jesus.
Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod. Sooner or later, every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Do not fear, but rather rejoice that fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be weaned from earth and make ready for heaven. You will be delivered from clinging to the present and caused to long for those eternal things that are so soon to be revealed to you.
When you feel that you would gladly serve God without the promise of any benefits in this life, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the future.

From Charles Spurgeon in Morning and Evening, January 22, Evening.

Quatro

2007-01-09T22:10:00.000-06:00

Here is a fun picture for you that was taken today!
Can you guess who this is?

Christmas Vacation

2007-01-04T20:52:00.000-06:00

Yes, it was definitely a vacation for me! Sleeping late several mornings, Kris' mom made breakfast for the kids, Kris' Dad cleaned up the dishes, we ate out almost every day. I am so undeserving of such pampering, but it was fun!
Kris' parents, Ted and Gabrielle, are so generous and warm-hearted, and they LOVE to entertain our family and fill our days with excitement. They also love the giggles and squeals and questions of young children, and never seem to tire of having the kids around!

Here's the trip, in numbers:

33 years God has given Kris (his birthday is Jan 1st
14 restaurant meals (3 of which were take-out)
12 tickets for the carousel at the zoo
9 nights we were there
6 breathing treatments Janet administered
5 tickets to the Children's Museum in Houston - a very cool place! The kids LOVED it!
4 trips to Potbelly - I guess it's the new Pate favorite in the fast food category!
3 parties at Bryan and Janet's house (Kris' brother and sister-in-law who live across the street from my in-laws): Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve. She is a wonderful hostess!
2 train rides at the Houston Zoo - a Pate family tradition, I guess!
2 trips to the park
1 fabulous night at Houston Ballet's The Nutcracker
1 visit to the Houston Zoo (actually, there were 2, but one of them was just to ride the train and not to view the animals)
1 case of pneumonia, treated by our very own Dr. Janet Pate

Except for Thomas being sick, it was a fun-filled trip, one that makes me especially thankful for the chance to make such fun memories. God has blessed me with a dear sweet family.

Addendum

2006-10-29T20:11:00.000-06:00

This is just an addendum to other posts on competition.

A dear sister from church encouraged me not to worry about whether I'm being too competitive or proud in pursuing a task, not to give much time to those types of thoughts. Instead, (in her words) "just ask the Lord to help you focus on doing all things with all your might as unto the Lord for his glory! Then let the Holy Spirit which dwells in you bear His fruit through you to others."

What a wonderful reminder this has served for me: not to use my thought time thinking about myself, and analyzing whether I'm being too competitive. Instead, I should turn my thoughts to God and PRAY! "Father, help me to serve You with all my might for Your glory."

If I spend that time praying for Him to work through me and praying that I can do my work for His glory with all my might, He will, by His grace, purify my heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (ESV)

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

Songs in the night

2006-10-20T08:10:00.000-05:00

This is from Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon.

October 19
Evening

"God my maker, who giveth songs in the night." Job 35:10

Anyone can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspration from it. When wealth flows around him in abundance, anyone can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest or sends home a ship loaded with goods. It is easy enough for an aeolian harp to whisper music when the wind is blowing. The difficulty is in getting the music to swell when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight. Yet the one who can sing when there is not a ray of light to read by - who sings form his heart - is skillful. No one can compose a song in the night by his own ability. He may attemp it, but he will find that it must be divinely inspeired. If everything is going well, I can weave songs wherever I go, forming them out of the flowers that grow on my path. However, put me in a desert, where nothing green grows, and then how will I create a hymn of praise to God? How can a mortal man make a crown for the Lord where there are no jewels?
If my voice is clear, and my body is full of health, I can sing God's praises. Yet silence my tongue, and put me on a sickbed, and then how will I sing God's high priases, unless He Himself gives me the song? No it is not in man's power to sing when everything is going badly, unless a coal from the altar touches his lips. (See Isaiah 6:5-7.) Habakkuk sang a divine song when he said, in the night, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab 3:17-18). Therefore, since our Maker gives "songs in the night," let us wait on Him for the music. O Chief Musician, let us not remain songless when affliction is upon us. Tune our lips to the melody of thanksgiving.

...For a dear one close by, who has not remained songless in her affliction. There have, no doubt, been many melodies lifted high unto Him who loves her. What a privilege to experience His grace abounding in all circumstances!

May He continue to give you songs to sing, and may the beautiful sound of His grace continue to bless all the hearers in earth and heaven.

It's the Process

2006-10-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Judy says that having a competitive drive is a blessing, because it drives you to excel in areas that otherwise you may not be as motivated in. Being made with that drive to do well is a good thing. But I feel particularly vulnerable to having sinful desires because of this drive.

For those of us with this drive, we need to be careful that we are doing an activity for the right reasons. So, if I am in a game, I need to be mindful that winning is not the most important object. The competitive set-up of the game is a structure that helps us learn self-discipline and hard work. It's all about the process of competing, not the result. In the process we learn how to work hard. We learn to push ourselves beyond what we did last time. To try things we wouldn't try otherwise. To run the race a little faster, a little longer. To try our best. These are very important lessons for us as Christians living the Christian life and wanting to devote ourselves to good works, in our families and churches.

It's not that we want to do it better than everyone else so that we can be seen as the best. This is pride and wanting self-glory! No! We should strive to do our best, and if we want to do as well as someone else, I suppose it's okay, as long as we are checking our motives. Is it a proper goal for us, considering our husband, family, etc (like Mindy's comment)? The proper motive should be to do our best for the Lord! For His glory! I need to ask myself: "Who is this for, for me or for God?"

I'm still trying to sort this issue out, but I guess I have to be careful not to swing on the side of the pendulum that all competition is bad. That kind of extremism is usually a red flag.

In a nutshell, our goal shouldn't be as much to be the best, but to do our best. I suppose there are instances when God may want us to BE the best too, but those are opportunities to point the attention to Him. If we get recongnition for anything, we can use that attention to point to God.

I Corinthians 1:13 Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Pictures!

2006-10-07T22:13:00.000-05:00

This is exciting! My first try at posting pictures on Blogger! (Actually my third try, but you didn't have to know that did you?) This was in July at the Grand Canyon. It is such a beautiful place!

As iron sharpens iron

2006-10-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

More thoughts on the competition thing...

An example of a sister of mine who spurred me on and didn't incite me to competition happened a year ago this month when we visited the Mayhews in Maryland. As I watched Mindy get up early and take care of her household chores and especially planning ahead for meals for all of us, it really helped me. I've thought of it bunches of times since our delightful visit.

I feel like she spurred me on by her example. I was able to see how she did it, and I got some ideas that I could try with my family. And I was able to inwardly say, "OK, Mindy can do this for her family. I can plan better for my own family." This wasn't a competitive thought, to do it better than Mindy, but just a very helpful example. I saw what God enabled her to do and it helped me strive for something higher than before, not to excel over her, but to better fulfill my role as a wife.

This seems to me where iron sharpening iron comes in. We see what someone else is able to do and it gives us the courage and gumption to try it ourselves.

Obviously, humility is key. If we start to care about self-glory (pride!) instead of God being glorified, then we begin to resent that someone else is doing a better job that we are. That is PRIDE - wanting to look more significant than someone else.
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

Competition

2006-10-07T21:18:00.000-05:00

Kris and I got to discuss the subject of competition with some friends of ours. I have thought about the idea of competition quite a lot over the last few months, and the more I think about it, the more I don't like it. PLEASE fill me in on the proper place of competition in the life of a follower of Christ. I have heard that there is a such thing as "healthy competition" but I am not yet convinced.

Philippians 2:3 Says to "do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves." That just doesn't go along with competition.

But what about spurring one another on toward love and good deeds? Don't brothers and sisters in Christ help one another along by letting their light shine bright so that others can see it and glorify God? Sure! But not in rivalry.

Rivalry: the state of being a rival. Rival: one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess b : one striving for competitive advantage (thanks to Merriam-Webster Online).

In the body of Christ, we are certainly not striving to reach something that only one can posess. There is no competitive advantage with God. I don't think He's going to say, "Julie, you were the best servant, so you get this crown, and everyone else, there's a consolation prize..." It's just ridiculous.

So sometimes I have this mentality of wanting to be the best. But why? I think this is the key: The best in whose eyes? It is so clear to me that in these moments it is self-glory in he eyes of men that I seek. This is sinful.

Instead of self-glory, we should all seek God's glory. He gave us unique gifts. He is the one who has predestined all our good works beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10). And He has placed us in our families, among our friends, in our specific circumstances. He has gifted us with our capacities to serve Him. And we will not necessarily serve Him in the same way as someone else. And I need to realize that and instead of feeling inferior, remember that it is not a competition; and realize that if I am seeking self-glory that is idolatrous; and realize that all my good works were prepared by God before time, and I shouldn't fret if I don't get to take part in something.

Oh! That my heart would beat: "To GOD be the glory! To GOD be the glory!" and I can pray for opportunities for good works and trust Him to bring them as He wills.

Weaned Child

2006-08-30T22:22:00.000-05:00

This is a moving prayer that I came across this weekend by Amy Carmichael:

And shall I pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
But, no, Lord, no, that never shall be, rather
I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee hush the hurrying, eager longing,
I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire -
See in my quiet places, wishes thronging -
Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it be with fire.

And work in me to will and do Thy pleasure
Let all within me, peaceful, reconciled,
Tarry content my Well-Beloved's leisure,
At last, at last, even as a weaned child.

Quoted by Elisabeth Elliot in A Chance to Die, p 223.

Be Still My Soul

2006-08-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, be leaving, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

He is gracious, He is strong!

2006-08-09T07:31:00.000-05:00

Psalm 77:4-9
"You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old, the years long ago.
I said, 'Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart.'
Then my spirit made a diligent search;
'Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?'"

NO!! I will NOT believe that God will spurn forever. I will NOT believe that his steadfast love has forever ceased. I will NOT believe that His promises are at an end for all time. He has NOT, nor will He EVER, forget to be gracious!

Verses 10-14: "I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wondrs;
you have made known your might among the peoples."

Psalm 78:2-8
"I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD,
and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointeted a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God."

John 16:33 "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

The Precious Blood

2006-08-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

I love a new song by Sovereign Grace Music called "The Precious Blood." You can download it for free until the Valley of Vision album is out. You can get it here.

This song is available as a free download until August 11th (I know this from reading girl talk).

A Worthy Fight!

2006-08-07T22:04:00.000-05:00

Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." It is a fight to believe this when I hear about suffering. A worthy fight! May I be found fighting, as hard as I can until I die and realize the sweetness of this precious truth!

We are not living for the here and now, but for Heaven. For now, I must fight to keep in mind that this life is not all there is.

Elisabeth Elliot on ordinary life

2006-07-31T15:57:00.000-05:00

This short but potent post from Amy Scott about living an ordinary life has been on my mind. God continues to use Elisabeth Elliot to encourage me!

From Ann Judson...

2006-07-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

Ann Judson wrote this, before she embarked on her life in Burma where she endured MUCH suffering, yet faced it with enduring faith:
"I have felt ready to sink, being distressed with fears about my spiritual state, and appalled at the prospect of pain and suffering, to which my nature is so averse, and apprehensive, that when assailed by temptation, or exposed to danger and death, I should not be able to endure, as seeing Him who is invisible. But I now feel willing to leave it entirely with God..." (From My Heart in His Hands by Sharon James, Evangelical Press, 1998, p. 37).

It encourages me to know that Ann Judson felt this way. She endured SO MUCH! She was scared when she thought of all the things that could possibly happen. But she entrusted her weakness to God. He made her, saved her, and knew her. He knew what she could handle. And He surely sustained her. He will sustain me too, come what may!

I shall not be afraid! Romans 8:32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Hunger

2006-07-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

I read several verses having something to do with hunger:

Psalm 107:4-9
Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of men!
For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Also...
Psalm 34:9-10
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

And...
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

It is very clear from these verses that if we hunger for God, He will satisfy us. What do I hunger for? Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? What does that look like? Do I hunger for Him?

Humility

2006-07-24T16:12:00.000-05:00

I read a quotation from Tamra's blog that she copied from Mary's blog: "Humility is not produced by comparing oneself to others or by self-abasement. . .Humility is produced by seeing oneself in the light of who God is."

It reminds me of what CJ Mahaney quoted from someone else (paraphrased): "How can anyone be proud when he stands beside the cross?" (I apologize that my paraphrase is bad and that I don't know exactly who said it!).

Anyway, while we were in California, I had a few fleeting thoughts on humility too, and vanity, and competition. We visited a cousin who had just delivered a baby by Caeserean, and as she lay there in the hospital bed, the nurse was giving her instructions right in front of us. I would have been embarrassed by them, but she was un-phased. She also was just there in her hospital gown, not well covered. I would have been vainly embarassed. But she wasn't phased by it at all. Why?

I think she has a form of humility that I lack. She is not trying to impress anyone at all by her appearance. She doesn't have a need to look like the best, happiest, most beautiful Mother-who-just-delivered-a-baby. She doesn't feel a need to hide the bodily issues that a new mother has to deal with. She is very real. We are all subject to human bodily functions, and she wasn't needing to hide them.

Her mother, my husband's aunt, recently (over the last year) has lost a great amount of weight following stomach surgery. She seems very humble too. She went from being a very large woman to looking quite normal. She is not trying to be a Barbie doll. She is just wanting to be healthy. She may have extra skin here and there, but she is not self-conscious. She is not at all trying to put herself up alongside the supermodels.

These two women stick in my mind because they are not trying to be the best. They are not motivated by vanity. They are just themselves. I think the key is that they are not trying to impress anyone. Now, they may not seem humble because they view themselves in light of the cross, but certainly if I viewed myself more in light of the cross, I would have more of their characteristics.

When I am vain, or competitive, it's just plain and simple PRIDE. I want to be the best. I want to impress someone. I am wanting people to think of me. That is NOT RIGHT. I need to take those thoughts captive and think of my Savior. To think of the cross. Jesus was crucified, and bled, for my sin. What does it matter where I measure up in the world of vanity? What does it matter if my skills are the best? If I am known as the best at anything? I should want people to look to Jesus, not to me! How foolish of me!

What a sweet relief to know the Lord and His grace!

Seeking the Lord

2006-06-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

While I was talking with Judy, she encouraged me (among other things) to really seek the Lord, in my parenting, but also in life in general. This scripture has been on my mind (and I SO want it to be on my heart, more):
Psalm 63:1 "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
My neighbor has really inspired me to ask myself, "Do I really seek the Lord?" (She has done this by example). These are some questions I have been asking myself, and need to continue to daily revisit:

Is my utmost desire to know the Lord? To please Him in my daily tasks, and the way I carry out those tasks?
Do I really LONG to know Him more? Do I really want, more than anything, do obey Him?
Do I want to search the Scriptures so I can know what it is that honors Him?
Do I want His ways, His will, more than my own (I mean REALLY?)?
Do I really want to obey Him, even if it means doing uncomforable things?
Am I really seeking Him, or just liking the idea of it?

If anyone has any questions or thoughts to add, I would love to know what other ways you "encourage" yourself in seeking the one true God!

Thoughts!

2006-06-13T07:10:00.000-05:00

I seem to have trouble at times, on days, in circumstances, keeping my thoughts in check. Sumbit them, Julie, to the qualifications of Phil 4:8! Also, I often am bothered when I feel like someone has passed me by in excelling in some area, whether VERY insignificant or not! Life is not a competition! Father, help me strive to live my life accordign to your word, and not for selfish gain. Help me to seek You with all my heart, and not look to the left or the right to see how I measure up compared to the people you've put in my life!

There is a healthy place for companions spurring me on to seek the Lord, but it crosses the line when I am feeling competitive.

Phil 4:8 "8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Phil 2:3 "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

My First Post

2006-06-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start a blog to jot down thoughts I have from time to time (because I'm sure I will forget them if I don't - although most of them are worth forgetting!) But anyway, some of my goals with a blog are to challenge myself with expression of ideas and to improve my writing ability. I also want to have those close to me know a bit more about what I'm thinking so they can be an encouragement to me (and maybe be encouraged too if the Lord wills). Also, since I am not naurally a planner or thinker or very intentional about things, I think it may help me to have an outlet of personal expression to help me be more focused on what I am learning and where I need growth.

About my title, it's based on 2 Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." And also on Romans 9:21-24 "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-- even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?"

I know that I am a clay pot. A vessel that God has created, foreknown, and called to know His glory, by His amazing grace. I long to be a vessel of mercy, and believe that by His grace, I am and will be! What a treasure, we who know Him have, in our humble clay pots.