Category Archives: Family, Friends & Fellowship

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August 15, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holy Spirit, Love & Works

A THORN IN THE FLESH

cactus (prickly pear) - NBG03270WEBSo to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. [2 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)]

Paul wrote that he had a thorn in his flesh; some Bible scholars believe it was a physical ailment and others say it was a person. I don’t know which it was for Paul, but I do know we all have people in our lives who sorely test our tolerance and can even cause a rise in blood pressure. These are the people who, sometimes through no fault of their own, truly challenge our capacity to act as Jesus would behave. They try our patience, cause us to question our ability to love our neighbor, and test our capability to curb anger and tame our tongue. They challenge our generosity and exasperate, irritate, frustrate and annoy us. These people are what a friend calls our “Jesus meters.” Our behavior toward them is a clear indication of how much like Jesus we’ve become. Like Paul’s thorn, they keep us from becoming proud and self-righteous.

While it helps to remember that even the prickly pear cactus, with all its thorns, bears a beautiful flower and delicious fruit, the best solution is to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and let Him guide us whenever we have a thorn in our flesh.

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. [Ephesians 4:23-24 (NLT)]

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August 10, 2014

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Church & Worship, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works

WHEN ONE PART SUFFERS, WE ALL DO

Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. [Matthew 24:9 (NLT)]

This morning, while we sit peacefully in our churches and worship without fear, Christians in the Middle East are victims in a campaign of terror. Iraqi extremists are systematically wiping out the Assyrian Christians of northern Iraq, an ancient culture that converted to Christianity early in the first century. Offered the choices of abandoning their homes, paying an enormous tax, immediately converting to Islam or death, it appears that no matter what choice is made, death is usually the result. This is not a political forum and I can’t pretend to have any idea how to end this tragedy, but I know we can’t ignore religious persecution just because it is on the other side of the world. Something has to be done to ensure the rights and physical survival of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Action must be taken to protect the Assyrians, humanitarian efforts are desperately needed to aid the many refugees, and displaced families should be allowed to safely return to their ancestral homes. Please, remember these fellow Christians in your prayers.

Father, give courage, strength and hope to those who are persecuted because of their belief in you. Guide the world’s leaders to find a way to stop this campaign of terror. Guide us to know how we, as members of the Christian community, can help them in their troubles. Protect your suffering children and fill our hearts with love and compassion.

Not only do Assyrian Christians lay claim to some of the oldest literary, architectural, and geographical artefacts of Christianity, they also speak the language of Jesus. All of this history – along with the lives of thousands of families – is on the verge of destruction. Christianity is facing extinction in the places where it first emerged. [Op-Ed by Nuri Kino, in 8/4/2014 “Huffington/World Post”]

If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. [1 Corinthians 12:26-27 (NLT)]

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. [1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT)]

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July 8, 2014

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Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship

SHARPENING

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. [Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)]

God sends challenging tasks into our lives when we least expect them. Fortunately, He often sends special people into our lives, as well, whose job is to encourage (and push us) to meet those challenges. In 2012, our Florida church had a fund raising event, “Art from the Heart.” Although I had never shared my photography with anyone outside of family, I felt compelled to do two 16 x 20 photos and donate them. The following year, I donated what I called “baskets of blessings” with a variety of items created from my photos. Because of those donations, our church photographer, Arlene, wanted to meet me. She asked me to take photos for our church website. This request took me out of my comfort zone; I only took pictures of flowers, birds and my grands, not real people! Arlene, however, wouldn’t let me wiggle my way out of the challenge. Thanks to her patience and encouragement, I actually began enjoying the opportunity to do something for a church I attend only a few months a year. At the end of the season, I gave her a photo/prayer book I’d written, asked if she would like my daily messages, and started sending her my morning emails.

Last fall, when I returned to Florida, this wonderful woman kept encouraging me to have a website for my messages. I know enough about computers to send emails and edit photos, but this whole web presence thing seemed beyond my ability and I balked. Good friends, however, sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron, and Arlene persisted. Today, because of her determination and hard work, fantastic computer skills, and patience in teaching me, we are pleased to welcome you to Devotions of the Heart.

Thank you (and a big hug) to Arlene, who made this possible. Thank you to my email family, many of whom I have never met, for encouraging me. Thank you, God, for sending me both challenges and friends to encourage and sharpen me. I am blessed.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. [Hebrews 10:24 (NLT)]

 

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July 7, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Knowing Him

THE THIRD STRAND

DSC09119-webTwo people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close to one another can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. [Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)]

When I first read this section of Ecclesiastes, I thought it applied beautifully to marriage. But then I got to the words, “Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” How could that relate to marriage? Was Solomon advocating a ménage a trois or bigamy? Personally, if there is supposed to be a third person in my marriage, I’m voting for a maid. It seemed to me that Solomon was simply talking about the importance of friendship and having the support of other people in our lives. Indeed, we certainly need to have friends; we’re not meant to be alone.

As I pondered that third strand, however, I found it can apply to marriage. Could that third strand be God? Certainly, with God in a marriage (or any relationship), there is a triple-braided cord: a cord that “is not easily broken.” Every marriage needs three parties to be successful: husband, wife, and God. It takes only two to be wed, but it takes three to make a strong marriage, one that will not be easily broken.

But God made them male and female from the beginning of creation. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together. [Mark 10:6-9 (NLT)]

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May 8, 2014

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Joy, Thanks & Praise

For Friends

I thank my God every time I remember you, always praying with joy for all of you. [Philippians 1:3-4 (NCV)]

Thank you, Lord, for those people who have reached out their hands in friendship and for those who so readily accepted our extended hands, as well. They have openly and honestly shared their history with us and enriched our lives in the process. Thank you for their support and correction, their encouragement and honesty. Thank you for those friends who have silently shared our pain in moments of despair and delighted in our happiness in times of joy. Thank you, Lord, for the many people who have touched our lives in love; may we always remember that the best way to remember a friend is in prayer!

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art … It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. [C.S. Lewis]

This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God. [Philippians 1:9-11(NCV)]

 

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May 3, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

You Can’t Please All of the People All of the Time

But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. [James 1:5 (NCV)]

Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking… [Colossians 3:15a (NCV)]

I recently completed a birthday gift for one of my grown children: a photo book filled with forty years of pictures. What with scanning, editing, sorting, compiling, and captioning, this project took several months. At one point, what started as a labor of love simply became labor. What went wrong?

In an attempt to make the “perfect” gift, things had gotten out of perspective. Not only was I concerned about the recipient’s reaction to the book, but I also agonized about everyone in the extended family as well. Would they like it? I second guessed each photo choice and its placement. Did I have too many shots of one person or not enough of another? Had I covered each event to everyone’s satisfaction? Was everyone represented? Did everyone look good in every photo? Would my idea of humor be funny to others? I began to dread sitting at the computer and, as my deadline approached, I had a heavy heart.

Finally, I did what I should have done in the first place: turned this project over to God. He reassured me that if my true motivation was love and if I followed His guidance as I worked, every choice would be the right choice. He reminded me that my best effort is all He asks of me and it is all anyone else should expect. Perfection is not required, just love. From then on, before logging onto Shutterfly to work, I said a brief prayer asking God for His guidance. The last twenty pages went faster and far more smoothly than the first eighty, simply because I let love motivate me and trusted God to guide me.

Lord, help us to remember that we need to be more concerned with pleasing you than with pleasing anybody else. May we keep in mind that the only reaction over which we have any control is ours. Thank you, for your gift of love and for blessing us with encouragement, confidence, and guidance when we share that gift with others.

Do everything in love. [1 Corinthians 16:14 (NCV)]

Please yourself…then at least someone will be happy with your decision. [From “Deep South” by Nevada Barr]