Category Archives: Love & Works

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August 4, 2015

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Church & Worship, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Sharing Our Faith

THE GRACE PROJECT – PART 1 (GIVING)

Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, which he gave to us in such large measure! [Ephesians 1:6-7 (GNT)]

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Several years ago, the pastor at our Colorado church preached a series on grace. Since God’s grace is both extravagant and unearned, he wanted the community to receive some unmerited gifts from our church as an expression of God’s grace. Anyone who wanted to participate in this demonstration received a ten dollar bill and was asked to use the money in a way that would spread God’s grace and love.

Members of the Spanish congregation made tamales and delivered them to the people vital to the migrant population in the community: the social service workers and volunteers at the food pantry and re-sale shop. When they walked into the offices of the food pantry with their tamales, imagine the surprise when the staff and volunteers realized that someone was bringing them food instead of taking it away! That same joy and surprise was expressed when a wagonload of tamales was pulled into the area social services’ office.

The teen youth group met the challenge by sharing God’s grace with the local police and sheriff’s deputies. Thinking that donuts were too predictable a gift for law enforcement, the teens purchased assorted breath mints and gum and delivered them to the officers. Smiles were shared all around and some of God’s grace was passed along.

One family combined their money and then doubled it with their own donations. Learning of a student who was unable to participate in a field trip because of the expense, they arranged a scholarship for her by finding another donor who would match their funds. A Bible study group knew of a family in need of assistance and decided to prepare and freeze dinners and to give to them. The group then agreed to continue this practice every month for a different family in need. When a church member’s co-worker broke into tears of frustration at work, she gave her the ten dollar grace gift with the instructions to take a break at Starbucks and enjoy a latte and muffin.

The final experiment in passing along God’s grace was when members of the congregation donated money so that free gas could be offered to the community. One Sunday, a special offering of $5,000 was collected. The following Saturday, seventy volunteers manned the pumps at two gas stations. Church members pumped ten dollars of gas into the tank of any car that arrived at the stations. While they were at it, they even washed car windows! There was no catch or hidden agenda to getting the free gas; nobody had to listen to a spiritual message and no religious pamphlets were distributed. The only things shared were smiles, free gas, and God’s love. In fact, when a few cars were still in line after the money ran out, volunteers paid for the last gallons of gas from their own pockets! Over five hundred people received a bit of grace that afternoon!

The point of all this: God’s grace is epic and extravagant; it’s totally unearned and underserved. All we have to do is accept it and then share it.

The secret of life is that all we have and are is a gift of grace to be shared. [Lloyd John Ogilvie]

Since you excel is so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel in this gracious act of giving. [2 Corinthians 8:7 (NLT)]

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August 3, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, God's Grace & Love, Love & Works, Money & Wealth

ON VACATION

There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need. [Deuteronomy 15:11 (NLT)]

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. [1 John 3:17-18 (NLT)]

DSC08043-cropwebbNow that August has arrived, it seems like everyone is taking a vacation. People are retreating to the beach, a cabin in the woods, Grandma’s, or maybe just to the back yard. The Senate and House of Representatives are even taking a break (which could actually be good news for the nation). I don’t know if all the New York psychiatrists really left for the Hamptons but (more calamitous for me) my hair dresser has gone to the Wisconsin Dells.

Even though God doesn’t physically need to take a rest from his daily work, do you suppose He ever wants to get away from it all? Does He tire of the endless complaints, sorrowful pleas, and anxious appeals he gets 24/7? Does He ever get weary of forgiving the same sins over and over again? Does He yearn to escape from the clamor and confusion of this mixed up world of ours? Thankfully, our heavenly Father is truly a God of endless patience, boundless energy, and limitless love. Even when we take off from work, turn off our cell phones and stop answering emails, He continues to receive our calls; His door remains open all day long every day of the year.

God never takes a break and, unfortunately, neither does the tremendous need for Christian love and works. Charities and churches don’t take vacations and neither does the need for their services. Sadly, as volunteers and donations disappear over the summer months, their resources to meet those needs diminish as well. While we take vacations, poverty, hardship, and affliction never do. Offering envelopes and church pews may go empty but so do the stomachs of hungry children everywhere. The tremendous needs of the less fortunate don’t take a holiday but the ability to fill those needs does. So, on our way out of town, maybe we should drop off some food at the local food pantry, visit the area blood bank, and write that tithe and offering check to our church (and a few more to the charities of our choice). God never takes a break from loving his children and neither should we!

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. [Galatians 6:10 (NLT)]

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. [Proverbs 21:13 (NLT)]

 

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July 11, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Obedience

IGNORING THEIR CRIES

So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat a meal. [Genesis 37:23-25a (NKJV)]

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Recently, in our nation’s capital, four people were murdered and their home set ablaze. It was DNA left on a pizza crust that quickly led police to the alleged killer. While this was an astounding piece of detective work, what astonishes me most is that, while holding four people hostage, four people likely pleading desperately for their lives, someone could calmly eat a pizza. How could anyone have an appetite while plotting murder? Yet, someone did and he’s not alone; that’s exactly what Joseph’s brothers did.

You remember Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, the handsome one with the coat of many colors. When his jealous brothers conspired to kill him, Reuben (thinking he might rescue his younger brother later) suggested they throw him into a dry cistern and leave him to the mercy of the elements. After tossing Joseph like a piece of garbage into a pit, the brothers all sat down to eat. Boys being boys, perhaps Joseph thought it was just a brotherly prank and his siblings would soon let him out of the well. “Come on guys, I’m hungry and thirsty. Help me up so I can have some lunch. I’ll even share my coat with you!” But, when he heard his brothers discuss selling him into slavery to some Ishmaelite traders, it began to dawn on him that he was in serious trouble and they weren’t joking. Can you imagine the cries of the terrified youth once he realized what was happening and the danger of his situation? While Joseph pled for his life, his brothers ignored his cries and enjoyed their meal. Can you imagine how he must have begged for their mercy, much as the DC family probably begged for their lives? Unlike the pizza eating criminal, Joseph’s brothers didn’t plan an outright murder; they were going to leave that to the slave traders. But, like that killer in DC, they knew their victim’s anguish and refused to hear his cries.

While we’re not likely to invade a home and kill its occupants or throw someone into a pit and sell him into slavery, we’re not all that different from Joseph’s brothers and the suspected murderer in DC. We may not be plotting murder and mayhem, but we do ignore the desperate cries of those in need and, by ignoring their cries, condemn them to lives of misery or death. While calmly enjoying meals in the comfort of our homes, do we turn a deaf ear to the voices of the hungry? Do we turn our backs on our less fortunate brothers and sisters—the poor, homeless, sick, or victimized? This morning I saw a sign on a church that read, “Be the Church—Fight for the Powerless.” We can’t do that if we ignore their cries!

We must never minimize the suffering of another. Scripture’s mandate to us is, “Weep with them that weep.” [Billy Graham]

Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” [Genesis 42:21(NKJV)]

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. [Luke 6:31 (NKJV)]

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July 6, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fear & Doubt, Love & Works, Obedience, Trusting God

THE BURNING BUSH

Now I am going to send you to Pharaoh, to demand that he let you lead my people out of Egypt. “But I’m not the person for a job like that!” Moses exclaimed. [Exodus 3:10-11 (TLB)]

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Flame Vine

Things were going well for Moses in Midian: he was happily married, with a family and tending his father-in-law’s sheep. Then God interrupted his comfortable life with a burning bush and a major task: free the Israelites. Moses reacted the way most of us would by questioning God. Who am I to do this? Who do I say sent me? What if they don’t believe me? He then told God he simply wasn’t up to the task. God, not one to be thwarted, responded to all off Moses’ concerns. He would be with him, provide the words, the proof, and even Aaron to do the talking. In short, God promised to provide and Moses obeyed.

God sends all of us burning bush moments that interrupt our comfortable lives. While not history-making assignments like freeing people from slavery, they are, nevertheless, important to the people involved. A few years ago I had a burning bush moment and, like Moses, I questioned God about my ability to respond.

My mother-in-law had suffered a mild heart attack and we were in a treatment room in the local ER. Resting comfortably, she’d been diagnosed and treatment had started. We were simply waiting with her for a hospital room to become available. Suddenly, a young man on a gurney was wheeled past our room. Surrounded by paramedics, an automated CPR machine was pumping on his chest. As doctors and nurses sped past, I said a quick prayer for him. Not much later, I saw a young woman being consoled by a nurse. There was no doubt in my mind that this woman had been married to the man brought in by the EMTs. Clearly, the outcome had not been good; while she’d started the day as a wife, she would be ending it as a widow. This tearful woman was being given papers, directions and some small solace before the nurse turned away. It was a busy night in the ER and other patients called. This was my burning bush moment. Alone in her grief, did she need someone to be with her?

Like Moses, I had questions and excuses. I’m not a grief counselor, what would I say? What if she rebuffed my offer? What if she’s not Christian? Would I have to drive her home? If so, how and when would I get back to the hospital? What if I got sucked into all sorts of family drama? Unlike Moses, however, I didn’t trust God’s provision. In fact, I didn’t even listen for His answers to my questions. While busy thinking about me and pondering various difficult scenarios in my mind, the opportunity passed. When next I looked, the woman was gone.

Unsure of what to do and hesitant to get involved, I should have prayed for God’s guidance. Instead of thinking of all the reasons I wasn’t qualified, I should have trusted His provision. I may have been told to mind my own business or been slightly inconvenienced. I’m a big girl and I could have handled that. Like Moses, I didn’t know what I’d say. It probably wasn’t relevant Bible verses, however, that this woman needed. She just needed God’s love and compassion and I have plenty of that. I could have offered a little help, prayers, sympathy and a shoulder on which she could cry.

Without a doubt, there will be other burning bush moments in my life. I pray that I will respond with an open and trusting heart the next time that happens. Keep your eyes open; there may be a burning bush in your path today. How will you respond?

Among the early difficulties of our early ministry, my brother Charles often said, “If the Lord would give me wings, I’d fly.” I used to answer, “If God bids me fly, I will trust Him for the wings.” [John Wesley]

Help me to do your will, for you are my God. Lead me in good paths, for your Spirit is good. [Psalm 143:10 (TLB)]

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June 30, 2015

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works

JOB’S FRIENDS

In trouble like this I need loyal friends – whether I’ve forsaken God or not. But you, my friends, you deceive me like streams that go dry when no rain comes. [Job 6:14-15 (GNT)]

My closest friends look at me with disgust; those I loved most have turned against me. [Job 19:19 (GNT)]

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Job was enduring unbearable suffering; surely he could count on his friends for some support! His friends came to him but, instead of the compassion and encouragement that Job needed, they opened their mouths and began to criticize the poor man. They immediately assumed the worst of their friend. It was all Job’s fault; God was angry with him and punishing him for his sins! Surely, Job’s past behavior hadn’t given his friends reason to suspect him of sinfulness; in fact, Job is described as a “blameless” man—a man of “complete integrity.” His friends, however, were quick to believe the worst of him. They became accusers instead of comforters and judges instead of supportive friends. Granted, there are a few nuggets of Biblical truth hidden in their long accusing speeches but Job needed sympathy and reassurance rather than theological arguments.

Friends like Job’s aren’t the kind we need in a crisis. They are the people in the basements of our lives: the ones who jeer and yell catcalls. Instead of helping us up, they kick us when we’re down and may even delight in our failings. Nevertheless, we tend to keep basement friends around, probably because they often praise us when we don’t live up to our potential and offer encouragement when we’re on the wrong path. They frequently tempt us or distract us from God’s plan. They may be interesting and fun, but they’re of little use when trouble hits.

Job needed a cheering section, not a jeering section. He needed friends who would lift him when he was down and strengthen him in his weakness. We all need friends in the bleachers of our lives who will cheer for us. Good friends, however, do more than encourage us. While they see our potential for greatness and offer praise, they also tell us the truth. They can be trusted to give us an honest critique of our conduct. Tactfully (and with love), they will tell us when our behavior is inadequate or unacceptable and they’ll hold us accountable. Most important, unlike Job’s friends, good friends know how to sit silently with us in our sorrow, affliction and even shame. They’ll hold our hands, wipe our tears, and pray with and for us. A good friend will help us find strength in our weakness and hope in our despair.

Lord, guide us in our friendships. Lead us to befriend the people who will make us better and show us how to be the kind of friends who, in turn, will bring out the best in others.

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. [Henri Nouwen]

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. [Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)]

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June 10, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, Joy, Knowing Him, Love & Works, Prayer

THOSE THREE LITTLE WORDS


2-15-15 bleeding hearts - ACL774WEBI love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. [Psalm 116:1 (NLT)]

“I love you!” Do you remember how much you longed to hear those three little words from your boyfriend or girlfriend? Do you remember how good you felt when they were finally uttered? No matter how often those three loving words are spoken, we never tire of hearing them.

As I was going through Psalms, looking for verses about God’s love, I was struck by how often God was thanked and praised for His unfailing love and how rarely the psalmists actually said anything about their love for God. Of course, the various psalmists imply their love of God with praise and thanks but seldom is it actually expressed.

While I always try to finish any phone conversation with my family by saying, ”I love you,” I’m sorry to say that, like the writers of Psalms, I’m not very good about expressing my love to God when I speak with Him. When was the last time you said, “I love you!” to God?

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. [Psalm 18:1 (NLT)]