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November 6, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Patience & Perseverance, Sharing Our Faith

BACK IN THE SADDLE

10-21-14 saddle-cropWEBIn every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. [Titus 2:7 (NCV)]

Only a half day into a week-long horseback trek across the Continental Divide, I already regretted doing it. On the spur of the moment, we had joined a group of hearty souls for a “once in a lifetime” adventure. Well, “once in a lifetime” quickly began looking like once too often for me. I was unprepared and inexperienced, the terrain was rough, the mountains steep, and my horse was ornery; there was no way I could survive the challenges of the journey. When the woman in front of me hit her head on a low hanging branch and fell off her horse, my first thought was, “Thank God! She’ll quit now; they’ll take her back to town and I can go with her.” After getting up and dusting herself off, however, she climbed right back onto her mount! It was her example that kept me on my horse for the rest of the day and on the expedition for the rest of the week; if she could do it, so could I!

Paul calls us to be good examples in our lives; after all, a preacher of good works must also be a doer of good works. Christians want to present a wise, patient, loving, faith-filled life to the world. I wonder, however, if this nearly perfect façade sometimes discourages others in their faith journey. They may feel too soiled and marred in comparison to people who appear to be so strong in their faith.

Christians can be good examples by sharing their difficulties and weaknesses as well as their good works. We all have had occasions when we were knocked to the ground. Our response to those personal struggles, be it a troubled past, abuse or addiction, or times of adversity, doubt and despair, can motivate and encourage others. It’s inspiring when one sees how another has picked herself up, wiped off the dirt, and gotten back into the saddle to keep going on her journey!

I learned from the example of my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured. [Dean Acheson]

But in every way we show we are servants of God: in accepting many hard things, in troubles, in difficulties, and in great problems. … We show we are servants of God by our pure lives, our understanding, patience, and kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by true love, by speaking the truth, and by God’s power. [2 Corinthians 6:4,6-7a (NCV)]

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November 1, 2014

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God's Plan, God's Promises, Prayer

GOD STANDARD TIME

God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them. I tell you, God will help his people quickly. [Luke 18:7-8a (NCV)]

We need to remember that God will give us what is “right” which is not necessarily what we wanted or requested. Moreover, although God promises a speedy response, it may not seem fast to us. His timetable rarely coincides with ours. Nevertheless, His timing, like everything else about Him, is perfect!

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. [2 Peter 3:8-9a (NCV)]

 

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October 29, 2014

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Joy, Love & Works

BUCKETS OF LOVE IN RETURN

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. [Luke 6:38 (NLT)]

Before posting yesterday’s message about Luther (“A Disciple of Christ”), I checked to make sure I could use both his name and picture.  In getting the answer, I learned more about him and, more important, more about love. Truly, what we sow will be harvested: the more love we give, the more we will receive!

Although he lived alone with no family near, Luther was never short of people who loved him. Members of our church, the people with whom Luther shared God’s love, became his family. When the Wednesday evening Bible study started doing “brown bag” dinners before class, the official purpose was to promote church fellowship; the real purpose was to have dinner with Luther! The churchwomen always made sure that he had a place to go for every holiday meal. When Luther came home after surgery several years ago, a church friend stayed with him for a week to help. Other church members brought in meals. I never even knew his last name, but I was so moved by Luther’s outpouring of love, that the last time I saw him, I gave him a photo/prayer book I’d written. “Jesus loves you and I do, too!” was written inside. In Luther’s present residence, he doesn’t have easy access to the internet, so another church member continues to send him CDs of all of the sermons. Moreover, his church family continues to keep him in their prayers. Luther’s motive in spreading God’s love had nothing to do with getting anything in return, but God’s love continues to pour down on him in buckets!

Love is demonstrably superior to money, not only on a sentimental plane, but even on a computable basis: The more money you give away, the less you have, but the more love you give away, the more comes back to you. (Sydney J. Harris)

There is a brotherhood within the body of believers, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the common denominator. Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers. [J. Vernon McGee]

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. [1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT)]

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October 25, 2014

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God's Promises, Joy, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You

HEAVENLY BLISS

10-25-14 heaven-cropreducedWEBNo one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. [1 Corinthians 2:9 (NCV)]

I sat on a comfy sofa in a beautifully appointed store, eating delectable salted caramel gelato, looking at an exquisite display of Dutch chocolates, listening to soothing music and knowing I could finish up with a tasty truffle and a delicious coffee drink from the espresso bar. To my left was a desk for the spa located upstairs; a sign offered chair massages in the store. “This could be heaven,” I said as I relaxed into the cushions, “especially if they added some fruit, cheese and wine!”

I know, however, that heaven will be far better than comfortable seats, pleasant music, elegant surroundings, yummy gelato, scrumptious chocolates, mocha lattes, vintage wine, aged cheese, luscious fruit, and pampering with massages, pedicures, and facials. As delightful as it sounds to me, I think that would get incredibly boring in a short time. Heaven will be way beyond my wildest dreams because going there means having an eternal home with Almighty God. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, will be sitting at His right hand. Heaven will be a place of love, peace and joy and there will be nothing boring about that!

We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God. [Max Lucado]

Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. [Colossians 3:1 (NCV)]

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October 23, 2014

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Love & Works, Thanks & Praise

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL

See, I am sending an Angel before you to lead you safely to the land I have prepared for you. Reverence him and obey all of his instruction … he is my representative—he bears my name. [Exodus 23:20-21 (TLB)]

When watching Jeopardy or playing any trivia game, I’m amazed at how much I have forgotten and how quickly the names of the rich, famous, and scandalous have left my memory. Academy award winners, Nobel Prize recipients, United Nations Secretary-Generals, Supreme Court justices, tyrants and statesmen, inventors and sports stars, popes and politicians: you name them; I’ve probably forgotten their names. There are, however, certain people I will never forget: those who have acted as God’s angels in my life, some whose names I never even knew.

Thank you, Lord, for those people who have touched my life and made it better. Thank you for the healing touch, encouraging words, spirit lifting, helpful hands, listening ears, comforting arms, excellent examples, loving acceptance and wise advice offered by your emissaries. While I may forget the famous and infamous, I will never forget the “angels” you have sent into my life.

How then can evil overtake me or any plague come near? For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will steady you with their hands to keep you from stumbling against the rocks on the trail. [Psalm 91:10-12 (TLB)]

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October 22, 2014

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

CUTTHROAT COMPETITION

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. [Romans 12:9-10 (NLT)]

Although I enjoy the various cooking competition shows such as “Chopped,” one Food Network program troubles me: “Cutthroat Kitchen”, with its phrase, “Sabotage is back in season!” Four competitors start with $25,000 each. During the various cooking challenges, they bid on ways to handicap their opponents, such as making them cook the assigned dish on an iron, removing all their knifes or bowls, or even taking away an essential ingredient, such as sugar when the task is brownies. The host chuckles with glee as the hampered chefs struggle to complete their cooking task in the allotted time. The bidding gets fiercer and more vengeful as the show goes on. The winner isn’t necessarily the best cook; it’s the one who is most devious and underhanded. The victor only gets to keep the money that remains after he or she has paid out thousands to destroy the other chefs’ chances; often it is a just pittance.

It’s just a television program and, admittedly, it’s interesting seeing how the cooks manage to rise to the challenges. Most of the time, however, they can’t overcome the hindrances. It’s disturbing that watching people take delight in limiting other individual’s opportunities in a contest (or life) is ever considered entertainment. Unfortunately, much of “reality” television is just that. Every time we find it amusing to watch someone get hurt or humiliated, our humanity erodes just a little. We may become more willing to sabotage others to win at all costs in our own lives. Our schools talk a lot about bullying; let’s be careful that we don’t ever find bullying entertaining lest we become bullies ourselves.

Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I follow your guide to life.

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. [Romans 12:17-18 (NLT)]