Category Archives: Today: Make it Count

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January 27, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Peace of God, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God, Worry

WAITING FOR THE OTHER SHOE

Praise the Lord! Happy is the person who honors the Lord, who takes pleasure in obeying his commands. … He is not afraid of receiving bad news; his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord. He is not worried or afraid. [Psalm 112:1,7-8a (GNT)]

“Waiting for the other shoe to drop” is an idiom that comes from when people lived in city apartments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were built so that bedrooms were placed one under another. Without much insulation, it was common to hear one’s upstairs neighbor remove his shoes. As one shoe dropped to the floor, the person below waited expectantly to hear the other thump. Thus, we use that phrase to mean we’re waiting for a seemingly inevitable, and usually undesirable, event.

As I read through yesterday’s devotion, I thought again of my granddaughter’s heart condition. Although she was treated for one disorder several years ago, the fix was temporary. Her cardiologists expect the problem to reappear sometime soon as adolescence approaches. Her other two cardiac defects will continue to worsen as she ages; eventually open heart surgery will be necessary. There are a variety of shoes just waiting to drop in her life: an enlarged heart, blood clots, stroke, cardiac arrest, and arrhythmias to name a few.

If we lived our days thinking of all of the horrible things that could possibly go wrong, none of us would ever leave bed in the morning. There’s plenty in life that can assault us: cancer, tornadoes, terrorist attacks, stroke, Alzheimer’s, car accidents, hurricanes, identity theft, flu, divorce, the loss of a job, poisonous spiders, venomous snakes, rejection, the sudden death of a spouse, Ebola, and lightning to name a few. While some are far more likely than others, we can’t allow fear to paralyze us or keep us from living our lives today. We can’t go through life anxiously waiting for misfortunes to materialize or disaster to strike.

Does our family worry and sit around anticipating the moment when that other shoe drops on our grand? Of course not! We joyfully celebrate each day we share with her and live that day to its fullest. We trust her future to God and her physicians. We’re not naive; we know there are no medical guarantees and that her future is uncertain. Our faith, however, is not. We know that God will provide us with everything we need to face whatever the future holds. We’ll follow the examples of Abraham, Moses, the disciples and Paul; we’ll step out in faith, one day at a time, one step at a time, and trust our unpredictable tomorrows to our trusted God and His divine plan.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. [Corrie Ten Boom]

It is not the cares of today, but the cares of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. For the needs of today we have corresponding strength given. For the morrow we are told to trust. It is not ours yet. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. [George Macdonald]

Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it. [Hebrews 4:16 (GNT)]

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January 24, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Thanks & Praise, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

GUIDING LIGHT


DSC05658aawebSNo longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. [Isaiah 60:19 (NLT)]

Lord, thank you for your light that guides me through the dark times of life. Help me remember that it is light you offer and not a crystal ball that will tell me what the future holds. I’m going to have to trust you for tomorrow. Help me stay in the here and now, following your light, trusting that, when tomorrow comes, your guiding light will continue to be there!

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. [Corrie Ten Boom]

Lead, kindly light, amidst th’encircling gloom, lead Thou on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me.
[“Lead Kindly Light”  by John Henry Newman, 1833]

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [John 1:4 (NLT)]

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January 22, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Today: Make it Count

TENDING HIS TEMPLE

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! [Psalm 139:13-14 (MSG)]

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When one gets to a certain age, a frequent sentiment heard at birthday celebrations (especially those landmark ones) is, “It’s all downhill from here.” Age, however, is certainly no excuse to stop caring for our bodies. We may not be getting any younger, but we can get better or, at least, no worse. That is, most, but not all of us, can. A woman suffering from Parkinson’s pointed out that, “It’s not easy waking every day and knowing this is the very best I’ll ever be!” Her words resonated in my heart. I thought of my friends and family who’ve had progressive diseases like Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s, and ALS. Sure, there are things that can be done to slow down the progression of their diseases but nothing, short of a miracle, is ever going to return them to health.

The woman’s words came to mind recently while taking photos before church. One overweight man said, “Wait” and hid the doughnut behind his back before turning to the camera and smiling. “I’m supposed to be on a diet,” he added as explanation. He wanted no record of his misstep, ignoring the fact his arteries and blood sugar would know, whether or not his wife ever did. What’s so bad about a doughnut? For many, they can be an occasional treat but for others, like this man, a diabetic who’s had several heart attacks and is a regular guest in the cardiac care unit, that doughnut is a major offense against his already badly damaged body. Unlike this man, I suspect that woman with Parkinson’s wouldn’t ignore any medical advice that could improve her life. She knows how precious it is.

We are amazingly and wonderfully made and, for most of us, it doesn’t have to be all downhill from here. Paul tells us our bodies are a sacred place: the temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s not just our souls that belong to God; our bodies do, too; He paid a high price for us, body and soul. While we wouldn’t damage or vandalize our churches, we tend to be much more cavalier and negligent with our bodies. We must care for God’s dwelling place as much as we would His church!

Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. [1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (MSG)]

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January 12, 2015

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Fruit of the Spirit, God's Plan, Nature, Sharing Our Faith, Today: Make it Count, Wisdom & Guidance

WE CONTINUE TO FLOURISH IN HIS GARDEN

But good people will grow like palm trees; they will be tall like the cedars of Lebanon. Like trees planted in the Temple of the Lord, they will grow strong in the courtyards of our God. When they are old, they will still produce fruit; they will be healthy and fresh. They will say that the Lord is good. He is my Rock, and there is no wrong in him. [Psalm 92:12-15 (NCV)]

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Bald Cypress – Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Some of the old-growth cypress trees in Corkscrew Swamp are nearly 600 years old. They’re just youngsters compared to a bristlecone pine tree in California that’s still alive and growing at over 5,000 years of age. That’s nothing compared to a Norway spruce in Sweden with a root system that has been growing for over 9,500 years. Granted, these old trees aren’t that beautiful anymore; time and weather have taken their toll, but they still stand strong. If these trees can continue to flourish in their old age, I guess we can, too.

In God’s world, we are never too old to grow, blossom and even bear fruit. There is much we can share with those younger than us. More important, there is much we can still be taught by those both older and younger than ourselves. We’re never too old to learn something new!

Lord, help us all to continue to thrive in your garden and to bear fruit among your people.

Teach older men to be self-controlled, serious, wise, strong in faith, in love, and in patience. In the same way, teach older women to be holy in their behavior, not speaking against others or enslaved to too much wine, but teaching what is good. … In every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. [Titus 2:2-3,7 (NCV)]

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December 13, 2014

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Holidays & Holy Days, Joy, Love & Works, Today: Make it Count, Worry

JOY TO YOU

IMG_0762AwebTo you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: May blessing and peace of heart be your rich gifts from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord. [1 Thessalonians 1:1 (TLB)]

Now that the Christmas season is in full swing, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed instead of over-joyed. Priorities get out of whack, deadlines loom, and both finances and relationships are strained. There never seems to be enough time or money for what we want to do. Gifts have to be purchased, packages mailed, cookies baked, cards sent, letters written, stockings hung, trees trimmed, homes cleaned, reservations made, and parties attended. The purpose of Christmas is not about our ability to channel Martha Stewart, the beauty of our decorations, the length of our Christmas card list, or how much money we managed to save on Black Friday. Christmas has nothing to do with the number of gifts we’ve purchased and wrapped; it’s about the gift of God’s amazing grace that was once wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem. It has nothing to do with the number of lights festooning our yards and houses; Christmas is about the gift of God’s son: the everlasting light that came into the world!

Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that call for time and money. We can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us. … Let us pray that this presence of the liberating joy of God shines forth in our lives. [Pope Benedict XVI]

Later, in one of his talks, Jesus said to the people, “I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.” [John 8:12 (TLB)]

 

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December 2, 2014

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God's Plan, Joy, Miracles, Today: Make it Count

A FATAL REMINDER

I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed above me; the seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains that rise from the ocean floor. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of death. But, O Lord my God, you have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death! When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy Temple. [Jonah 2:5-7 (TLB)]

Several days ago, a fatal accident occurred at the entrance to my subdivision. A car ran a red light and was hit by a dump truck. The car’s driver, a resident of our community, had made that left turn hundreds of time, but this time she made a fatal mistake and died because of it. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

That same day, a few hundred miles north of here, a very different story unfolded. A young man, Jason Derfuss, narrowly escaped death. When he was leaving the university library, he passed another young man, one intent on death and destruction. Hearing gunshots, Jason immediately sped away. He didn’t realize how fortunate he was until hours later when he started to dig out the library books from his backpack. Jason saw a small rip in the pack’s fabric and then the mangled books in it. In the middle of a 304-page book was the slug that could have taken his life. Three other people, however, were shot before the gunman, a mentally disturbed man, was killed. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

God has blessed us all with the gift of life and a divine purpose. If we’ve woken up today, our purpose has not been fulfilled and our job is not yet complete. Will his narrow brush with death change this twenty-one year old man? From his words, I think it will. As for me: I see the skid marks and ruts in the grass from that fatal crash every time I enter or exit my subdivision. Those marks are a sober reminder of how precarious and priceless life is and how much more needs to be done. Let’s not waste a single moment of this precious, irreplaceable, commodity: life.

You can literally die at any moment and never see it coming.… I’m twenty-one – I thought I was invincible.… The truth is I was almost killed tonight and God intervened. I know conceptually He can do all things, but to physically witness the impossible and to be surrounded by such grace is indescribable. To God be the glory, forever and ever, Amen. [Jason Derfuss, survivor of FSU shooting]

How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog—now you see it; soon it is gone. [James 4:14 (TLB)]