Sharla, Author at Sharla Fritz

3 Secrets to Waiting Well

Sharla September 13, 2022

Waiting is never our favorite activity. We squirm when God seems to press the pause button on our lives. How can we learn to wait well? We can turn to the examples of women in Scripture.

Sarah is famous for her long wait. She and her husband Abraham waited decades for the child that God had promised.

But Sarah is also infamous for her rash actions when she grew tired of waiting. She abandoned her trust in God and put her confidence in her own ingenuity.

Been there. Done that. I could have a hundred T-shirts commemorating my tendency to step ahead of God and try to fix things on my own. I’ve attempted to repair a relationship with my own comments instead of turning to God for the right words to say. I’ve said yes to a new volunteer opportunity before first asking the Father if those plans fit into His. And regrettably, I often follow my own DIY project until it falls apart in my hands. Usually, I don’t tap into God’s grace until my self-sufficiency has proven useless.

You too? We probably all relate to Sarah. Our long waiting periods often drive us to try something—anything—that will heal our pain or fix our problems. Discouragement multiplies. Frustration escalates. Anger intensifies. We fall into First Commandment sins: doubting our loving God and questioning His timing. Trust runs dry and we think, If God won’t, then I will.

But we can learn from Sarah too. We can learn that nothing is too hard for the Lord. We can realize He specializes in coming through when everything appears hopeless to us.

When I read Sarah’s story, I wonder if God included it to demonstrate that when life seems to be nothing but a dreadfully long wait, we need to change our perspective. Instead of viewing a pause in our plans as an inconvenience or as a disappointment or as an excuse to step out of God’s will, He wants us to interpret it as an opportunity to grow in trust. A time to relax and watch the Almighty work. A chance to grab on to the Lord’s rhetorical question “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” and respond with a resounding “No!”

Isaiah 26:8 says:
In the path of Your judgments, O Lord, we wait for You; Your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

This verse gives us 3 secrets to waiting well–teaching us the what and how and why of waiting.

What are we to do while waiting? We are to follow “the path of [God’s] judgments.” We are to observe God’s laws. Obey His Word. Trust in His provision. Don’t try any DIY projects that are contradictory to Scripture. Do what God has already instructed us to do—and no more.

How do we wait? The New American Standard Bible translates Isaiah 26:8 as “We have waited for You eagerly.” I don’t know about you, but I am not eager to wait. I’m not wild about waiting for a loved one to return to the fellowship of a Christian church. I don’t choose extended periods of uncertainty when I’m searching for purpose. I don’t jump at the chance to languish in pain if my health suffers. But when I looked up the Hebrew for this verse, I was relieved that the word eagerly doesn’t mean to be excited about waiting. Instead it means “to look eagerly for.” We are not to wait with feelings of hopelessness or impatience. We aren’t meant to dwell in a pessimistic attitude, thinking, God will never come through for me. Waiting well means enthusiastically anticipating what God is going to do—even if He chooses a different plan from our own. It means praying, “Thy will be done.”

Why do we wait? We wait because what we want more than anything is for God’s name to be glorified. His “name and remembrance are the desire of our soul” (Isaiah 26:8). When we attempt do-it-yourself projects, we are flaunting what we can do. But when we wait for God to act, we are giving God a chance to show us what He can do. Waiting until the age of ninety to have a child wasn’t easy for Sarah. But certainly God received all the credit. God allows “in-between times” to give us opportunities to trust. To demonstrate there is nothing too hard for Him. He wants nothing more than for us to let go of our projects, our schemes, and our self-sufficiency and allow Him to work.

What DIY project have you been attempting in your life? Demanding your way in your marriage? (Ahem. I resemble that remark.) Ignoring God’s leading and insisting on your own life plan? (Yep, I’ve done that too.) Relying on your own energy as you pursue your career? (Sorry, Lord.) God is asking us to let it all go.

Nothing is too hard for the Lord. He longs to demonstrate that in our lives.

Next step: What DIY project have you been attempting in your life? Remember God’s words to Sarah in Genesis 18:14: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Give your desire to the Lord. Trust Him to come through with the best plan for your life.

This post is an excerpt from my book Waiting: A Bible Study on Patience, Hope, and Trust.

Check it out! The book studies the lives of:

Sarah
Hannah
The Widow of Zarapheth
Esther
Anna
The Woman with a 12-year Hemorrhage
Martha
Ten Virgins

Through their examples, we find hope for the delays in our lives. We learn how to wait well.

Find the book on Amazon or CPH.org

Success 101: A Biblical Primer on Success

Sharla August 30, 2022

Ever wonder about God’s view of success? His Word gives excellent instruction on the topic. Here’s a biblical primer on success. Start reading here and then head over to iBelieve.com for the full article.

Signing up for any college course means studying. You listen to lectures. Read textbooks. Conduct research online. Education helps you become an expert in your field.

Learning about success is much the same. We can sign up for webinars about productivity. Listen to leadership podcasts. Buy one of the 80,000 books on success that online retailers have to offer.

But the best source for wisdom on success is found in a book you probably already own—the Bible. Inside this familiar book, you can find timeless principles about achievement, accomplishment, and prosperity. The values taught in Scripture are just as true today as they were when they were written thousands of years ago.

Read God’s textbook and learn His view of success. Below, you’ll find eight passages on the subject—plus a few questions to get you thinking about how you can apply God’s perspective to your work and personal success:

Proverbs 3:3-5

“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.” (ESV)

The world’s formula for success may be: Claw your way to the top. Don’t worry about stepping on others’ toes on the way up. And don’t depend on anyone else for your success.

But the Bible says love and faithfulness are keys to success. Hesed, the Hebrew word for love used in this verse, is characterized by strength and kindness. Instead of clawing our way to the top, God asks us to show grace and consideration to others. And faithfulness leads to success because people will turn to reliable and stable workers rather than those who seem changeable and erratic.

This passage also instructs us to trust and rely on God instead of ourselves. When we depend on the Lord’s wisdom instead of our limited understanding, we have an advantage over others. Plus, wholeheartedly leaning on God will make you successful in His eyes.

Questions to consider:

How can you apply steadfast love and faithfulness to your work?

What do you need to trust God with regarding your job or home responsibilities?

Where have you perhaps leaned on your own abilities instead of God? How can you change this?

Proverbs 16:3

“Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.” (ESV)

In our world, it seems like whatever success we have totally hinges on our efforts. So we work longer and longer hours to get ahead. We take on more and more responsibility to attract praise from our bosses.

But God says we can commit our work to Him. Another version of the Bible says it this way, “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him]” (Proverbs 16:3 AMPC). Our heavenly Father invites us to roll all our burdens of balancing budgets and managing schedules onto Him. We can trust Him to help us with everything from gigantic corporate projects to our weekly menu planning. God will establish our plans when we first go to Him in prayer and ask Him to show us His will.

Questions to consider:

What work and plans do you want to commit to the Lord?

How does faith make a difference in your work?

How does praying that God’s will be done change your attitude about your plans?

Go to iBelieve.com to continue reading a biblical primer on success. There you’ll fine 7 more Scripture passages and lessons about success.

3 Reasons Success May Be Your Favorite Idol

Sharla August 22, 2022

Not sure if success may be your favorite idol? Learn more from this article I wrote for iBelieve.com. Start reading here and then click to continue on their site.

When I traveled to Israel, I visited the famous Israel Museum where I saw many examples of idols. Molded bronze images. Carved wooden figurines. Statues of fertility goddesses. Even though God had commanded the Israelites, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:3-4), God’s people often disobeyed. And we wonder: How could they worship an inanimate object—something so obviously lifeless?

We may not bow down to statues or figurines, yet our culture has its own idols. A counterfeit god doesn’t have to be made of bronze or wood to become an object of worship. Martin Luther said, “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior.” An idol is anything that captures our hearts, anything that becomes more important than God.

Using this definition, we can see that modern idols might include 3000-square-foot houses or big-screen TVs. Our culture sometimes worships social standing or advanced degrees. Instead of inanimate statues, we might put our favorite sports teams or entertainers up on pedestals.

The Idol of Success

Another common modern idol is the god of success. Our culture tends to worship the winners. It idolizes wealth and fame. It places achievement and accomplishment above all else.

You might not recognize this man-made god in your life, but here are three reasons why success may be your favorite idol.

Reason Number One

We live in a success-worshiping world. People would think us very strange if we bowed down to a golden statue, but they applaud those who pursue success at all costs. Books about achieving success sell millions of copies. People flock to movies about the person who makes it big after years of struggle because it makes them believe someday that can be their story, too. We even have awards shows for the biggest successes in entertainment and present little statues to the stars. Success is an acceptable idol in the eyes of the world.

Discover two more reasons why success may be your favorite idol at iBelieve.com. You will also learn three suggestions for overcoming any success-worshiping tendencies you may have.

You can learn more about a biblical view of success in my new book, Measured by Grace: How God Defines Success. If you’ve ever felt like your life is a mess or that it’s too small to make any difference, read how God defines success!

This book studies eight “failures” in the Bible–people who either made a big mess of their lives or simply didn’t look like a success in the eyes of the world. By examining their lives you’ll discover that God redeems our failures and doesn’t measure us by wealth or fame. He measures us by His grace! You can find out more about this eight-week Bible study book and download a FREE chapter here.

Order on CPH.org

Order on Amazon

5 Lies About Success You Might Believe

Sharla August 16, 2022

This post detailing 5 lies about success is from an article I wrote for iBelieve.com.

Start reading here and then click to continue on their site.

How do you define success? Our world seems to have definite ideas about who is successful and who most definitely is not. Elon Musk? Yes. He’s the world’s wealthiest man. Tom Brady? Of course. Everyone admires the GOAT in football, right? Meryl Streep? Sure. Her acting abilities are second to none.

But what about the clerk at the grocery store? The teller at the bank? The custodian at your son’s school? Are they successful too?

It depends on what you believe about success.

Here are five things that many people believe about success that is, in fact, lies. Have you ever believed any of these statements?

1. Success is Only Measured by Wealth and Fame

Most of our modern culture behaves as if this is true. The Elon Musks, Tom Bradys, and Meryl Streeps of this world get all the attention, headlines, and trophies. So we think we need to make a name for ourselves. We believe that we must do something outstanding or we will be considered a failure. If no one notices us, we wonder if we’ve wasted our lives.

But when I look at how Jesus interacted with people, I find that it wasn’t the rich and famous that He praised. One story about a woman who would never make the list of “Who’s Who in Jerusalem” demonstrates this point. Jesus went to the temple and sat down across from the place where worshipers left their offerings. He saw many wealthy people deposit large amounts of money in the treasury box. Yet, He praised a woman who only dropped in two small copper coins worth only a few cents. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44). Jesus measured success not by the amount given but by the amount sacrificed.

We don’t need to have great wealth to find success in God’s eyes. Instead, He notices those who give generously.

2. Success is a Destination

Often I find myself thinking: Once I reach this goal, I’ll know I’ve made it. Or: If I could only have this one particular possession or position, I’ll know I’ve arrived. But even when I’ve achieved the goal, I’m rarely satisfied. When we view success as a destination, disappointment may meet us at the end of the road.

Psychologists have a term for this success lie: arrival fallacy. This phenomenon is the false belief that achieving a particular goal will ensure happiness. Joy may come after completion of the objective yet quickly fade. Experts tell us pursuing goals can benefit us, but the problem lies in expecting the accomplishment to deliver contentment when it is actually the journey toward the aspiration that brings life meaning and purpose.

Apostle Paul demonstrated this principle when he wrote, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Like a runner desperate for a gold medal, Paul stretched toward the ultimate prize of eternal life. He admitted he had not yet reached the goal of perfection but continually pressed on and strained forward toward heaven.

We find joy not in reaching a destination but in delighting in the journey with the Lord at our side.

Discover the other 3 lies on iBelieve.com.

Order on CPH.org

Order on Amazon

For When You Fall Flat

Sharla July 26, 2022

When you fail or mess up, you may wonder if Christ will give up on you. But the life of the apostle Peter can give you hope when you fall flat.

Peter’s life with Jesus wasn’t a long string of successes. The bold, impulsive disciple got himself into a load of trouble. And often his failures began with stupendous success before he fell flat.

Peter’s Big Failure

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter began with swagger but experienced failure. On the way to Jesus’ favorite prayer spot, Jesus had warned the disciples that all of them would desert Him. He specifically told Peter, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times” (Matthew 26:34). Plucky Peter couldn’t even imagine this scenario. He boasted, “Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35).

After that bit of bravado, Peter was probably as surprised as anyone at the events that happened only a few hours later. When Judas came with a crowd of men with clubs and swords, Peter must have watched in confusion as Jesus allowed them to tie His hands and lead Him away.

Peter used the last bit of his courage to follow Jesus at a distance as the guards led Him to the home of the high priest. Perhaps everything would have been fine if one sassy little servant girl hadn’t stared at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean” (Matthew 26:69). Peter tried to evade her accusation by saying, “I do not know what you mean” (Matthew 26:70).

Peter then stepped away from the fire and stood at the entrance of the courtyard. Did his conscience bother him a bit? Did he feel he was in danger staying so close to Jesus? Did he hope to avoid any more questions? Unfortunately, stepping away didn’t stop the accusations. Another servant girl saw Peter in the doorway and announced to everyone nearby, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth” (Matthew 26:71). Peter’s denial then escalated. He replied with an oath, “I do not know the man” (Matthew 26:72).

An hour passed. What went through Peter’s mind during those sixty minutes? Did he want to run away, yet couldn’t bear to leave Jesus? Did he realize what he had done? Or was he too worried about Jesus and his own safety for the words that he had spoken to register? At any rate, another person came up to Peter and said, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you” (Matthew 26:73). Once more Peter’s failure progressed, “He began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man’” (Matthew 26:74). In other words, he said, “May a curse come on me if I’m lying. I promise I don’t know the man.” Before Peter’s sentence ended, a rooster crowed.

This account shows us how God included stories of human failure in His Word to comfort us. Although Jesus saw Peter at his worst and sees us when we fail, He still marched to the cross to take the punishment we all deserved.

When We Have Failed, We Can Still Run To Jesus.

Notice I didn’t write if we have failed but when we have failed. Because of our humanness, we will often trip up in following God’s commands. We will say the wrong thing or neglect to do the right thing. Maybe our collapse won’t match the magnitude of Judas’s or Peter’s, but we will experience significant failure. And when fall flat, we need to realize we have a choice. We can wallow in guilt like Judas did. Or we can discover forgiveness like Peter found.

In studying the life of Peter, I recently noticed an important detail in the Gospel of Luke. When the two men on the road to Emmaus returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples about seeing the resurrected Savior, Jesus’ disciples told the men from Emmaus, “The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:34). That little sentence tells us Jesus met Peter privately before He appeared to the whole group of disciples.

Scripture doesn’t give us any details of the meeting, yet we can imagine what that meeting might have been like. Peter a mess of joy at seeing Jesus and grief at knowing he had disappointed His Friend. Jesus holding out His nail-scarred hands to Peter, letting him know his failure did not mean an end to their relationship. I find it so touching that Jesus took time for a personal and private meeting to reassure the repentant disciple of His love.

At times we all need this reassurance. We may consider our failures too big for forgiveness and we begin to sink in shame. One woman I know constantly struggles with guilt even though all her friends would describe her as a wonderful person. Intellectually, she knows Jesus’ death has paid for all her wrongs, yet she can’t seem to accept that reality in a way that frees her from the burden of self-reproach. When I told her about Jesus’ private meeting with Peter to reassure him of complete forgiveness, she said, “Jesus needs to do that for me, too.” And I replied, “Oh, but He has! Jesus has given reminders of His forgiveness throughout His Word!” Here are a few:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

When you feel weighed down by your guilt, confess your sin and accept the pardon Jesus offers. Let Him remove the sin from your heart and the burden of shame from your shoulders. Then run to Him with the joy of forgiveness.

God’s Measure of Success

God doesn’t measure our success by our perfection. He instead invites us to a successful life of living joyfully forgiven. I love the story in John 21 where Jesus met the disciples at the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection. When the disciples lowered their nets on the right side of the boat at the suggestion of the stranger on the beach and pulled up so many fish they couldn’t haul in the net, John recognized the stranger as Jesus. But it was Peter—too impatient to wait for the boat to reach the shore—who jumped in and swam to Jesus. He no longer shrank back in fear, wondering what Jesus might think of him. He was joyfully forgiven!

Aren’t you thankful that Jesus chose bumbling Peter as a disciple? Because of Peter’s story, we find confidence in the truth that when we have failed, we can still run (or walk or crawl or even swim) to Jesus, the source of mercy and grace.

This post is adapted from my new book, Measured by Grace: How God Defines Success. If you’ve ever felt like your life is a mess or that it’s too small to make any difference, read how God defines success!

You can find out more about this eight-week Bible study book and download a FREE chapter here.

Order on CPH.org

Order on Amazon

God Uses The Least Likely To Succeed

Sharla July 19, 2022

We might think that God only uses perfect people, but He often uses those least likely to succeed.

Have you ever met someone and thought, That person will go places! I remember thinking that about one of my fellow students in college. We were both music majors and sang in the same choir. But this woman also had talents in the theater and starred in many of the university’s drama productions. While everyone on the stage of one of those shows did an admirable job, this woman outshone them all. The other actors knew their lines and delivered them well, but she became her character.

After graduation, I heard she went to the famed Yale School of Drama. A few years later, our university alumni paper highlighted her career on Broadway. “I knew she would make it!” I said when I read the article. Since then, I’ve seen her in movies and television shows. My fellow classmate whom I thought “most likely to succeed” actually did!

The Bible tells a story about a Samaritan woman who probably would never have received the title “Most Likely to Succeed.” Just the opposite. A woman with multiple failed marriages, she couldn’t seem to keep a husband. And when Jesus met her at a well near her town of Sychar, she lived with a man who didn’t even give her the dignity of legal marriage.

But isn’t it just like Jesus to choose “the least likely to succeed”? He could have chosen to meet with kings or governors, high priests or scribes. Yet He chose a woman who had experienced prejudice and rejection. Someone who perhaps didn’t have a single friend. She came to the community well at noon, probably to avoid the judging eyes of her neighbors. Yet her solitary visit to the community well became the perfect time for Jesus to tell her the Good News about living water.

What do we do when life feels like a string of failures? We see from the life of the woman at the well that even when we have multiple strikes against us, God doesn’t shout, “You’re out!” Her story teaches us about success in God’s kingdom.

Success Does Not Depend On Our Gender, Race, Or Reputation.

The woman at the well had nothing to qualify her for success in her culture. As a female, she was considered a second-class citizen, one not worthy to learn about things of God. Her Samaritan race was considered inferior because of its mixed ancestry. And her reputation? Well, let’s just say her neighbors probably didn’t invite her to the neighborhood barbecues.

Yet Jesus timed His journey to Galilee to meet with the woman, to teach her about living water, and to tell her about worshiping in spirit and truth. He chose to reveal His true identity to someone most people overlooked. He picked her to tell other Samaritans about the Savior of the world. “Come and see,” she told the people of Sychar. We don’t need a degree in theology to share our faith. We can simply tell others about the difference the Messiah makes in our lives.

You might think your gender or race limits the influence you have. Or that your lack of a big platform means your reach will be small. You might believe your reputation or past will prevent others from listening to you. If so, remember that Jesus used a woman with all of these strikes against her to bring many people to faith. Jesus can use you too, right where you are.

Multiple Failures Do Not Disqualify Us From Success In God’s Kingdom.

The Samaritan woman had numerous failures, including the loss of five husbands. “The Jews held that a woman might be divorced twice or at the most three times. If the Samaritans had the same standard, this woman’s life had been exceedingly immoral.” Of course, we don’t know her backstory, but probably everyone in her community would have viewed her as a repeat offender. Did the woman see herself the same way? Men discarded her. Women turned away. Maybe she thought she had messed up too many times for God to forgive her.

Sometimes our culture views God as a sort of cosmic scale. If my good deeds outweigh the bad, people think, then I’ll go to heaven. Of course, this isn’t true. One tiny sin tips the scale to our eternal punishment as much as ten thousand sins. Only God’s grace can tip the scale in our favor. Jesus’ death and resurrection outweigh all of our sins and enable us to live with Him forever.

God’s Measure of Success

Although most of us believe the truth of God’s grace, we might not live it. We may think, If my church knew how many times I snapped at my kids this week, they wouldn’t let me in. Or, If my Bible study friends knew how many men I was with in college, they would ask me to leave. While it’s true we humans often act in harsh judgment of others, we see in the Samaritan woman’s story that Jesus doesn’t see multiple failures as a deal breaker. When we trust in His saving work on the cross, He wipes out millions of sins as easily as He erases one. And when He has wiped them away, He sees us as clean as new-fallen snow. He used the woman with five failed marriages to change a whole town. However many times you’ve messed up, He still calls you to have faith in Him and still uses you to influence your world.

In our culture, the wealthy, the privileged, and the supertalented succeed. Those who experience even a little success are more likely to get noticed. Once they’ve made it to the first rung of the ladder of achievement, they have a better chance of climbing to the top.

But in God’s kingdom, we see over and over again how Jesus picks the least likely. He welcomes those the world has shunned. He chooses to reveal Himself to people society ignores or has rejected. God’s love doesn’t depend on our perfection for we are measured by grace. The Lord uses people with multiple failures for staggering success in His kingdom.

You can find out more about this eight-week Bible study book and download a FREE chapter here.

Order on CPH.org

Order on Amazon

God Uses Flawed People

Sharla July 12, 2022

I love how God uses flawed people. How the Lord doesn’t give up on those the world labels also-rans, might-have-beens, and good-for-nothings. We see this over and over again in the stories of Bible characters. God continually chooses the smallest person, the one the world overlooks, the one that messes up big-time. He even opts to work through the person with the bad reputation.

Case in point: Rahab. You may remember her story from the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. The Israelites are about to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Their leader, Joshua, sends some spies to check out Jericho, the first city they will need to defeat in order to possess the land. When the spies encounter danger, God uses Rahab, a “lady of the evening” to hide the spies on her roof. She realizes that these men are representatives of the Almighty God. Seeing that her city had no chance to stand against the Lord, Rahab sides with the Israelites instead of her own people. She makes up a cover story to protect the spies and then lets them out of the window of her home (conveniently located in the city wall) for a quick escape. Her quick thinking helped the Israelite nation defeat the city of Jericho.

If God planned to destroy the wicked city of Jericho, why did He save a prostitute? His grace shines out as He chooses a broken, imperfect woman to further His plan for His chosen people and the world. Rahab was a sinner, no doubt about it. She led a life that was immoral. Improper. Indecent. Most likely the majority of the citizens of Jericho shunned her. Yet God reached out—and gave her faith.

I love the lessons of grace from the life of Rahab:

Lesson One: God uses imperfect people.

If I were in God’s position, I doubt I would have chosen a prostitute to save my people. I’ll bet a city councilman or prominent merchant also had a home in the city wall and he could have used his influence to save the spies. God could have chosen to work through an “important” person.

But He chose Rahab. The Bible continues to emphasize the fact that God uses broken people when it mentions Rahab in the New Testament. Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 both praise this Old Testament woman, yet continue to identify her as “Rahab the prostitute.” You’d think after 600 years, the poor woman could get a break from her shameful past. But I think Scripture includes her former profession as an encouragement that speaks to our own weaknesses. It tells us, “See, God loves broken people. He can take the shame and inadequacies of His baptized and forgiven daughters and turn them into spectacular triumph.”

Lesson Two: Know you may not see all the success that your faith brings about.

Rahab had a long-lasting effect on the history of Israel and the salvation of the world. Because of her help, when the Israelites defeated Jericho they purposely saved Rahab and her family. She and her family all became part of the Israelite nation. Later, Rahab married a prominent Jewish citizen and became the great-great-grandmother of King David. She is also mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus.

Rahab did see an immediate result of her faith in the saving of the Israelite spies and her own family. But I doubt she lived to see her great-great grandson become king of Israel and she would have had no clue that she would become an ancestress of the Savior of the world. We can’t always witness the successful results of a faithful life.

Perhaps you think: I’m only a stay-at-home mom to a couple of unruly boys. But consider a possible scenario. One of those boys grows up to become a teacher. His kindness leads one of the boys in his class to believe in Christ. As a teenager, this young man starts to volunteer at a soup kitchen where he befriends a drug addict who learns about the grace of God. This grace turns her life around. Years later, this former drug addict teaches a Bible study at her church where her remarkable story inspires another young woman visiting the church. She decides to join the congregation. She’s “just” a stay-at-home mom who brings her children to church every Sunday so they can learn about the life-changing Gospel. One of her sons….

We can’t know the full success God works through our frailties and flaws. We can only trust that God will work through us as we act with His gift of faith in our hearts.

When You Feel Unqualified for Success

Rahab became a key component in the success of the destruction of Jericho. Don’t you love how God used a flawed woman—one certainly unqualified for success? Her role in the defeat of Jericho demonstrates that God doesn’t wait until we’re accomplished, cleaned-up, and respectable before He can work through us. He uses us in our less-than-perfect state. Even when the world looks down on us, shuns us, or overlooks us, He allows us to be a part of His plan to bring victory to His people and glory to His name.

When you feel too damaged and deficient to matter, remember that God uses flawed people.

Success in God’s kingdom does not depend on our qualifications.

You can find out more about this eight-week Bible study book and download the first chapter here.

Order on CPH.org

Order on Amazon

How Does God Measure Success?

Sharla July 5, 2022

How does God measure success?

When I examine how our culture measures success, it certainly looks like the world’s success meter rises with every dollar earned, promotion granted, or trophy won, and plummets with each financial loss, professional downfall, or athletic defeat.

But how does God measure success? When we examine the life of Joseph in the Old Testament, we discover how different God’s definition of success is from the world’s definition. Genesis 39:3 tells us this about Joseph, “the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” When did he experience this success? When he was the favored child of his father Jacob, wearing a beautiful coat that set him apart from his siblings? No, the Bible tells us that God made Joseph successful when he was a slave in Egypt. Working for Potiphar, a captain in Pharaoh’s guard.

Another verse in Genesis tells us something similar about Joseph, “Whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed” (Genesis 39:23). When did this success occur? When he worked for Pharaoh? When he was second-in-command of the land of Egypt? No, Joseph’s success happened while suffering in prison. Working for the prison keeper.

In these unlikely places, God granted Joseph success.

Is This Success?

But I wonder: Did it feel like success to Joseph? Before prison, the work he did for Potiphar made the Egyptian’s home thrive. His master noticed Joseph’s excellent efforts and gave him more and more responsibility, until “he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge” (Genesis 39:6). The jailer, too, noticed Joseph’s excellent management skills and put him in charge of the prisoners. (This in itself is remarkable. Who would put one inmate in charge of others?) Even one of the other prisoners benefited from Joseph’s unique abilities. Joseph’s interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream came true and this servant of Pharaoh was released from jail. Everything Joseph did turned to gold—for someone else.

If someone had said to Joseph, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man” (Genesis 39:2), he might have laughed out loud. Scripture tells us Joseph was seventeen years old when his brothers sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:2) and thirty years old when Pharaoh made him second-in-command (Genesis 41:46). Joseph spent thirteen years as a slave and a prisoner. I doubt he would have described himself as successful.

Not only do I find it remarkable that the Bible describes Joseph as successful when he is a slave and a prisoner, but it doesn’t label him a success when he later becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and saves the country from starvation. This doesn’t seem to make sense.

Joseph had success when he served as a slave and languished in jail, but not when he became the second-most powerful man in the world? Throughout the account of the famine and Joseph collecting grain and selling it to the people, preventing nationwide starvation, the Bible doesn’t include a phrase like “the Lord caused everything Joseph did to succeed.”

Perhaps Scripture omits the phrase because Joseph’s success is so obvious, there’s no need to point it out. But perhaps the omission of the word success when Joseph clearly obtains it demonstrates how God defines that word.

Success in God’s Eyes

Success in the world looks big—stadiums filled with fans. Success in the world looks impressive—fancy corner offices with diplomas on the walls. Success looks like fame—names on brightly lit marquees.

But success in God’s eyes doesn’t necessarily look big or impressive.

The Hebrew word for “success” in Genesis 39 is salah. It means “to advance, prosper, make progress, succeed, be profitable.”7 The word sometimes portrays worldly success that even evil people can achieve, such as in Psalm 37:7: “Fret not yourself over the one who prospers [salah] in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” But usually, success in the Old Testament doesn’t happen without the Lord’s help.

The success the Bible talks about is not primarily worldly prosperity but submission to the Lord and living in His presence. In Joseph’s story, God described Joseph as successful when he was a slave and a prisoner. God measures our success based on our dependence on Him.

Success is Doing Your Best Wherever You Find Yourself

One of the lessons we can learn from Joseph’s life is: Do your best in whatever position you find yourself.

When Joseph was a slave, he could have moped and complained to God and done his work half-heartedly, but the Bible doesn’t tell us so. As a slave, he could not have avoided work, but I doubt Potiphar would have put Joseph in charge of his household if Joseph had made only minimal effort.

Whatever work you find yourself doing—balancing the books, teaching rambunctious preschoolers, running a multinational corporation, scrubbing muddy floors—know that God notices your vocation.
You are doing important work even if the world says it’s lowly. Colossians 3:23–24 says,

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Do your best because you serve a God who is gracious to you.

Although we may view our lives as disappointments, God declares them triumphant when we trust Him to complete the work He has given us—great or small.

You can find out more about this eight-week Bible study book here.

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How to Find Soul Rest in Five Minutes

Sharla June 23, 2022

Do you struggle to find soul rest? I know I do.

Maybe it’s because you find yourself in one of these scenarios!

You drive past a neighbor’s perfectly manicured lawn and groan as you remember your own knee-length grass and unruly hydrangea bushes. Or you see your friend joyfully announce her promotion on Instagram and can’t help but think of your own seemingly dead-end job. You find yourself comparing.

You push yourself harder, yet seem to make little progress. Even with please-the-boss-at-all-costs hours at the job, push-it-to-the-limit workouts at the gym, and can’t-let-anything-slide task lists at home, you feel like you keep falling behind. You find yourself striving.

Toys litter every square foot of the family room. Two of your kids need help with their homework. The spaghetti sauce boils over on the stove. Your husband texts that he’s stuck in traffic. You find yourself stressing out.

Your boss points out a serious flaw on the report you turned in yesterday. The cookies you bake to impress the bake sale coordinators look like black clods of dirt on the baking sheet. You don’t achieve that bigger profit margin you anticipated this month. Impatient words fly out of your mouth in the direction of your children—again. You find yourself feeling like a failure.

Life is hectic. Unpredictable. Draining. Sometimes even soul-crushing. How can we find soul rest in the middle of our messy lives?

Maybe what we all need is a little more grace—in five-minute portions.

Grace in Bite-Size Portions

As a Bible teacher, I encourage everyone to have time with God in His Word every day. We always benefit from hiding God’s Word in our hearts, and spending time in prayer. But we all go through seasons where we can’t spend the time we want to in the spiritual disciplines.

Perhaps you love spending time in God’s Word, participating in a small group Bible study, and writing in a prayer journal. But right now you barely have time to comb your hair in the morning and grab a piece of toast on your way out the door. Taking care of your soul feels like one more thing you’re failing at.

Or maybe your life does allow you to have a devotional time each day, yet right now it simply seems like another item on your to-do list instead of a life-giving practice. Even though you open your Bible in the morning, you still find yourself drenched in stress during the day.

When we find ourselves overwhelmed with stress and striving, perhaps we can find grace in bite-size chunks.

That’s why I wrote a little ebook that offers five-minute soul rest practices for when you find yourself comparing, striving, stressing out, or generally feeling like a failure. Think of these suggestions as small ways to reconnect with the God who created you, gifted you, and longs to renew your soul.

Here’s a sample of what you will find:

for when you find yourself comparing…

Meditate on Galatians 6:4. Slowly read, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.” God encourages us to look at our own work and not compare it to others. Spend five minutes writing down the big and small ways you have obeyed God’s call on your life in the last week in your job and in your home.

for when you find yourself striving…

Let go as you empty out your purse (or wallet). Read Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” As you unpack all the things you’ve been physically carrying around, think about what less tangible items have been weighing down your soul. Give each worry and concern to God. Trust Him to take care of them.

for when you find yourself stressing out…

Slow down. Proverbs 19:2 warns against the danger of hurry, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” When we feel stressed, we often operate at the fastest speed possible in order to get everything done. But that can lead to more tension, anxiety, and even mistakes. So for your next task, slow down and for the next few minutes practice being present. If you’re at work, truly pay attention to the person you’re talking with. If you’re chopping vegetables for dinner, notice the colors and textures God created. If you’re folding laundry, thank the Father for providing clothes and the person who wears each item. Staying in the moment can change your perspective and lower your stress.

for when you find yourself feeling like a failure…

Meditate on God’s definition of success. Success in our world looks like big and important. So when we feel small and insignificant, we may feel like a failure. Matthew 20:26-27 says, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.” Success in God’s kingdom looks like humility and service.

I encourage you to read through the menu of ideas and mark the ones that sound intriguing. Experiment with one or two each day. Use the practices to allow God to recalibrate your spirit. Find a little more grace—in five-minute portions.

Click the button below to get the FREE ebook and find soul-rest in five-minute portions.

Get 21 Five-Minute Soul-Rest Practices!

A Clean Heart: 5 Scriptures of Confession for Lent

Sharla March 29, 2022

Lent is a time of confession and forgiveness. Here you’ll find 5 Scripture passages that will guide your time of confession and remind you of God’s unlimited grace.

Whenever I go out to work in my garden in the summer, I come back feeling grubby, grimy, and grungy. My skin feels sticky with the sunscreen I put on before I ventured out. I’m smelly from the necessary insect spray. Sweat has trickled down my back. I’ve got soil under my fingernails, mud in my socks, and, more than likely, a little dirt on my nose from when I tried to bat away a bug. When I come back into the house, I can hardly wait to get into the shower to wash away all the muck so I can once again feel clean.

When I come into God’s holy presence, I become aware of the mud and grime in my heart. I feel the dirt of an impatient retort to my husband. I sense the stain of neglecting a hurting friend because of my busy schedule. I see the soil of a little white lie I told to get out of a volunteer position I didn’t want. The filth accumulates day after day. How do I get clean?

In one of his most quoted psalms, King David also expressed his awareness of a dirty heart. He cried out to God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV). He knew that only God could wash away the stain of sin. And he took the first step in the cleansing process by confessing his transgressions and admitting his misdeeds.

Just like a warm, soapy shower cleanses my body and leaves me feeling refreshed, going to God for a thorough cleansing of my soul leaves me spotless and renewed, clothed in Christ’s righteousness.

During the season of Lent, we can use this traditional time of reflection and contrition to examine our hearts and come to the One who can make them pure again. One way we can approach confession is to use the prayers, commands, and promises of the Bible to guide our confession time. As we meditate on these Scriptures and ask ourselves some probing questions, we may notice dirt hiding in the corners of our hearts. When we come contritely into God’s presence, the Holy Spirit can wash away every trace of grime because of Jesus’ cleansing blood.

Here are five Scriptures that help us humbly approach God. Set aside time to prayerfully read these passages. Ask the Holy Spirit to point out any obvious grime you might want to overlook. Use the reflection questions to guide your time. Rejoice in the promise that, because of Jesus, God washes the mud from your hearts so you can stand before Him clean and refreshed.

1. Psalm 51

King David wrote this psalm after he made the biggest mistakes of his life. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed in battle after discovering that Bathsheba was pregnant (2 Samuel 11). At first, David ignored his sins, but God sent the prophet Nathan to point out the transgressions so that David could confess (2 Samuel 12).

You might think that sins like these could never be forgiven, that a heart like that could never be cleansed. Yet David knew God as a God of mercy, so he began his prayer with:

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:1-4 ESV)

David didn’t gloss over his sin or make excuses. He knew he could only come before God for cleansing because of God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy. He knew that God’s miraculous cleansing power could once again make him whiter than snow (v. 7). No matter how dirty our hearts are, God can once again make them clean.

Read the rest of the article at iBelieve.com.

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