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November 4, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Word: The Bible, Nature, Prayer, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

CYPRESS KNEES

cypress knees - Corkscrew Swamp
The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. [Luke 8:13 (NLT)]

But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. [Matthew 13:21 (NLT)]

The summer storms caused a few of the palms trees by our ponds to fall over. The landscapers had to pull them back up and erect wooden supports around them to keep the trees upright. They’d been planted too shallow and, without a deep stable base, it didn’t take much water or wind for the palms to go down. I couldn’t help but compare them with the bald cypress trees found in the nearby swamps. While the fallen palms in our neighborhood are barely out of their teens, some of Corkscrew Swamp’s enormous bald cypress trees are over 500 years old. Our palms had trouble with a few summer storms but those cypress trees have survived centuries of hurricanes! Granted, like a lot of old folks, the years have taken their toll and they look a little worse for wear. Hurricane winds may have blown away branches and pruned off tree tops, but they remain proudly standing in the swamp.

Perhaps the biggest reason these trees (cousins of the Redwoods) have survived so well is their unusual root structure. They have an extensive system of horizontal roots and woody conical bulges called “knees” that grow up from those roots. No matter how deep the water in the swamp, cypress knees protrude out of it in a fascinating variety of shapes and sizes. While there are a variety of hypotheses about these quirky swamp sculptures, it is commonly accepted that their unique root system is what gives these trees the extra stability needed to grow over 120 feet tall while standing in several feet of water and still survive centuries of storms and hurricanes. Their knees serve another, totally unrelated purpose in the swamp, as well. They serve as “nurseries” by providing a surface for smaller plants to take root and reach toward the sky.

The point is simple – we need a strong root system if we are going to survive the storms of life. With a firm faith foundation, while life may leave us a bit battered and bruised, like the bald cypress, we can remain upright and survive both temptation and troubles. Instead of knobby wooden knees, we have the word of God, prayer, our church family, and the Holy Spirit to keep us strong. With a foundation like that, doubt is replaced by belief, deceit by truth, worry by hope, and fear by trust. Moreover, just as the cypress knees nurture the ferns of the swamp, our faith examples can help inspire the faith of new believers. Remember, if we don’t stand firm in our faith, we won’t stand at all.

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. [Colossians 2:7 (NLT)]

Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots. [Proverbs 12:3 (NLT)]

 

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November 2, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Peace of God, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God, Worry

SEEING THE SUNRISE

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. [Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)]

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. [Romans 8:38 (NLT)]

morning dawn Since it was hot and rain had been promised later in the day, I went out walking in the wee small hours of the morning. The few street lights and full moon illuminated my way as God and I had our morning chat. My mind, however, wandered from comforting prayer to worrisome thoughts. We just had our annual physicals and, as often happens with people our age, something suspicious was found. Another test was done, the results are in and a specialist needs to be seen. In all likelihood, it is just a minor health issue, but my mind kept wandering into the area of “what if?” and the various dark scenarios that went along with the question.

Having just completed a couple of devotions on worry and fear for future postings, my own words convicted me of lack of faith. In spite of my well-meaning sincere writing, I allowed worry and fear to creep into my thoughts that morning. There are many ways the enemy tempts us—and it often has nothing to do with the obvious sins of greed, pride, lust, or envy. He subtly sneaks into our thoughts when we’re more concerned about tomorrow than trusting God to get us through today. Living in the land of “what if?” makes us vulnerable to his attacks of doubt, fear and worry.

Whether a minor medical issue (which it quite likely is) or a major medical problem, worry and fear won’t change it. I can’t alter the past nor can I influence the future diagnosis. I remembered that when God brought his people to the Red Sea, He provided them with a way to get across it; He will continue to do so for us today. If He doesn’t part the waters, He’ll provide a boat, give us the material for a bridge, or teach us to swim. Moreover, what we fear could be the sea just as easily can be a shallow puddle through which we can easily walk.

I looked up at the full moon as it was dipping to the west; at the same time, the morning light from the east began to paint the sky pink. For a brief moment, I could see both yesterday’s moon and tomorrow’s rising sun. While I can’t change yesterday and have no control over tomorrow, I do have control over my thoughts of this day. Seeing last night depart in the west and a new morning rise from the east, I chose to trust and have faith for today.

Worry and reasoning are two of Satan’s most successful tools. He’ll get us started with one negative thought and then sit back and watch us finish ourselves off. [Joyce Meyer]

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! [Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)]

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October 26, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Church & Worship, Fruit of the Spirit, Salvation: A New You

CHAMELEONS

For you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? … Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. [1 Corinthians 3: 3,18-19 (NLT)]

CHAMELEON-Two cute chameleons have recently been featured in a national paint brand’s television commercials. While picking paint for their living room, the lizards change color to match the hue of the paint chip they’re examining. Famed for their quick camouflage ability, chameleons’ change of color also depends on their level of aggression, their mood, the temperature, and their desire to mate.

Sometimes we Christians are a bit like chameleons in that we change our behavior so that we, too, can blend into the world around us. That’s what the early Christians of Corinth did. They lived in a moral cesspool, sort of a first century combination of Rio, Las Vegas, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Tijuana, and New Orleans. Immorality and sexual sin ran rampant in this Grecian city that had a temple dedicated to Aphrodite complete with 1000 prostitute “priestesses.” Surrounded by sin, those early Christians became chameleon-like by trying to blend their new faith with their old lives. More worldly than spiritual, they argued with one another, church members took one another to court, sexual perversion was accepted, the church divided into cliques, they questioned the resurrection and people even got drunk at the Lord’s Supper. Unfortunately, the early Christian church in Corinth looked way too much like the rest of the corrupt city. Paul made it abundantly clear to the new believers that they could be Christians or Corinthians but not both! He wasn’t telling them to move, but he was telling them to separate themselves completely from the Corinthian way of life.

Sometimes, like the Corinthians and chameleons, we want to blend into the world around us; mistakenly, we think we can keep our old life even as we take on a new one. Christians, however, aren’t meant to blend into the sinful world in which we live. Unlike the commercial’s chameleons, we’re meant to clash with the world. Our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control should make us readily recognizable. Moreover, unlike the chameleon, we should remain the same even when we feel threatened, are in a bad mood, find ourselves in hot water or want to attract a mate.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. [Mark 8:35-38 (NLT)]

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October 22, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Word: The Bible, Nature, Obedience, Peace of God, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God, Worry

TUMBLEWEEDS

Russian thistle (tumbleweed)-Kodachrome Basin State Park,UT 009-cropwebThe Lord says: Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mortal man and turns his heart away from God. He is like a stunted shrub in the desert, with no hope for the future; he lives on the salt-encrusted plains in the barren wilderness; good times pass him by forever. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water—a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green, and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit. [Jeremiah 17:5-8 (TLB)]

The stunted shrub about which Jeremiah speaks is much like the tumbleweed. If you haven’t seen it in real life, you’ve probably seen it blowing across the desert in movies. The tumbleweed is actually the Russian thistle, a common western weed, and has a pretty little flower. Once mature and dry, however, the entire plant separates from the root; shaped like a ball, it looks like the dead shrub’s skeleton. In the western states, you can see tumbleweeds as small as soccer balls or as large as a Smart Car in ditches or tumbling along the desolate landscape.

On the other hand, cottonwoods are hardy trees. Much like the ones mentioned in Jeremiah, they put their roots down near rivers, lakes, and irrigation ditches throughout the southwest. Large trees, they have been known to grow up to eighty feet tall with trunks over five feet wide. Because they grow on the water’s edge, they typically survive prairie fires and can live over one hundred years. The hardy Rio Grande cottonwood even flourishes in New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument, an environment too harsh for most plants. In an area of scorching heat, scant rainfall, relentless winds, poor soil and blowing sand, the cottonwood survives because its roots are planted firmly down into the life-giving water hidden beneath the sand.

Do we want to live as a tumbleweed, dry and rootless in a barren land, with no hope for the future? That is what it will be like if we put our trust in our own strength or that of other people. Or do we want to be like the cottonwood, with deep roots, able to withstand fire, heat, wind and drought? If we put our trust in the Lord, we will never be alone and we’ll be able to survive, perhaps even thrive, in the most stressful of situations.

They shall neither hunger nor thirst; the searing sun and scorching desert winds will not reach them anymore. For the Lord in his mercy will lead them beside the cool waters. [Isaiah 49:10 (TLB)]

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. [Colossians 2:6-7 (TLB)]
cottonwoods (NM) -cropaweb

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October 14, 2015

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Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

THE LIFE PRESERVER

And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house! [Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (TLB)]

Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it. [Proverbs 22:6 (TLB)]

Kids don't float - FL3686WEBWhile walking on the beach last week, I saw a rack of life-vests. It was one of eleven such racks in our county’s free-of-charge loaner program: “Kid’s Don’t Float; Life Jackets Do!” Looking at those jackets made me think of a tragedy that occurred just a few days earlier on a beach in another county north of us, one that doesn’t have such a program. A nine-year old boy was playing in shallow water with his siblings when the wind gusted and what was described as a “freak” wave surged and knocked him over. The boy, who couldn’t swim, disappeared beneath the water and was swept away from shore. Nearly two days later his body was finally recovered.

Would a life vest program like our county’s have prevented this tragedy? Even if life jackets had been available, would he have worn one? We can only speculate as to whether knowing how to swim would have saved his life. The water was extremely choppy and even a strong swimmer would have had difficulty. Witnesses say the children were being properly supervised but that was not enough to protect this little boy. It was just a heart-breaking accident.

My sympathy and prayers go out to his family. Their tragedy, however, got me thinking about how easy it is for us all to think that children are safe or that we can protect them when really they’re not and we can’t. We lecture and supervise them and try to shield them from harm, poor choices, and the evil in our world but, short of keeping them in a bubble, it’s impossible. We have to let children make their way, not just at the beach, but in the treacherous waters they encounter every day in our troubled world. While we may not be able to prevent the rough seas, rip tides and undertows of life, we can do our best to equip youngsters to survive those hazards. Even more important than teaching them how to swim or insisting on a life vest, we must teach our children (and all the young people in our lives) God’s Word and raise them to know and love Jesus. We need to offer them more than a jacket made of nylon and foam to keep them from sinking under the schemes of the enemy. We need to show them how to use the best life preserver of all—the armor of God.

Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. … So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. [Ephesians 6:10-11,13-17 (TLB)]

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September 30, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, Holy Spirit, Knowing Him, Prayer, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

QUESTIONABLE CHOICES

Today I have given you a choice between life and death, success and disaster. … Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! [Deuteronomy 30:15,19 (ERV)]

There is a way that people think is right, but it leads only to death. [Proverbs 14:12 (ERV)]

wrong way -9773web
Perhaps you’ve seen the television ad that shows a woman who, after taking a taste test, discovers that the spaghetti sauce she’s been purchasing for years isn’t the best one. “I wonder what other questionable choices I’ve made?” she asks as the viewer sees a flashback to her dreadful hairstyles from the past. Having recently gone through our photo albums, I can attest to making several appalling choices in the way of hair, fashion and make-up. Fortunately, my worst choices were never captured on film. Unfortunately, those choices were far worse than the wrong pasta sauce, a frizzy perm, white eye shadow, or a plaid blazer so loud it required ear plugs.

Questionable choices—we all have made them and I suspect we all would rather not make any more of them. Yet, somehow we still do. It’s been said that “ego” is simply an acronym for the phrase “Edging God Out” and I’d have to agree. When we let our egos rule, we’re really telling God that we know better than He does. When egos rule, questionable choices often result. Looking back at my poor choices, I realize they all have something in common: the lack of prayer. Those faulty choices were the result of me trying to edge God out: I was sure I knew what I wanted or needed and how to go about doing or getting it. I was positive I didn’t need any advice, help or guidance from God in my decisions. How mistaken I was!

Fortunately, God is forgiving, generous and caring and my poorest choices, while leaving me a bit battered and scarred, didn’t leave me permanently maimed. Jesus never left my side and the Holy Spirit kept whispering in my ear until I finally understood that God knows best. My questionable choices in fashion may well continue but, if I allow God to lead me, my other (far more important) choices will unquestionably be good ones.

We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves. [Thomas Merton]

Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. [James 1:5 (ERV)]

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 what is important and what is not and choose what is important; that you will be pure and blameless for the coming of Christ; that your life will be full of the many good works that are produced by Jesus Christ to bring glory and praise to God. [Ephesians 1:9-11 (ERV)]