Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Bible’ Category

No Stain, No Pain

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Hidden Sin, Honesty, Inspirational, Religion, Repentance, Sin on January 15, 2016| 6 Comments »

Painted Puppy

Typically, I am a colorful character, but when I paint, I am more colorful than ever — and I mean that literally. A few months ago, while painting at the dining room table, I somehow managed to knock over the water can that all my brushes had been cleaned in, so there I was with a huge wet mess soaking into my jeans and into my carpet faster than the speed of light.

Knowing what a klutz I can sometimes be, it would have been wise to have thrown down a tarp or something, but I had somehow managed to convince myself that I would not make a mess. I’m not even going to splatter any paint on myself this time, I said, with an optimistic bit of denial. Looking back, I can’t even imagine why I would have ever entertained such an unrealistic notion. Had I been honest with myself in the first place, I could’ve saved myself a lot of trouble.

What to do about that bright green spot? My first thoughts were OH NO! We’re going to have to replace the carpeting! I despise stains on the carpet, yet I suppose I could live with a small, inconspicuous spot here-and-there, given that our home is well lived-in. Even so, there is simply no way that I could live with a large field of bright green in the midst of my tan carpet, despite the fact that green is my favorite color.

Then again,  I could have just splattered some white pedal shapes onto the green, then painted on some stems so that I could forever enjoy a nice field of poppies right there in my dining room (no, I’m not serious). Instead, I immediately grabbed my Bissell® Carpet Cleaner and started cleaning. I am happy to inform you that it worked! My green spot disappeared completely and my carpet returned to normal.¹

Had I waited very long, though, the stain would have set in and I would have had to devise a clever way to cover the unsightly stain since replacing the carpets would not have been financially possible at the time. Most likely, had I not gotten the stain out, I would have covered the area with a large, decorative rug. I would know what lay hidden beneath, but hopefully no one else would be the wiser.

Dear reader, you probably know where I am heading with this true, colorful tale, for it is a rather good analogy of sin.

Most of the time, we sin because we are not honest with ourselves and we convince ourselves that whatever we are getting ready to do won’t create us any problem at all. Of course, that type of thinking always gets us into trouble. And when it does, we have a big mess on our hands. We then have to make a decision to either deal with the sin immediately through repentance, thus allowing the Lord to wash our sin away, or to let the sin stay and soak in deeper. Just remember, if we choose the latter, the stain will set-in, leaving a permanent, painful mark on our souls, leaving us no choice then but to cover it up and hope no one ever gets a peek at what we have so carefully hidden.

Friends, we are at the beginning of a new year; what better time to examine our hearts and lives so that we can start this new year free from the burden of sin, giving our whole self completely to the Lord “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word….” (Ephesians 5:26) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (vs 27).

As for the people in  your life, remember the old adage: You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

When it comes to the Lord God, your Creator, you can not fool Him any of the time!

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13)

¹note: I was painting with acrylics, which clean-up easily with water.  Oil paints are not so easily cleaned.

Read Full Post »

No Honey Wagons for the Israelites

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Giving, Religion, Servanthood, tagged , , , , on December 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

honeywagon

Have you ever heard of a honey wagon? It isn’t used to transport honey or beeswax; I can tell you that. When I was a young girl visiting my cousin’s farm, we used to swing high in the chilly night air while shouting out the following ditty:

The night was dark, the sky was blue;
Over the hill the Honey wagon flew.
A bump was hit, a scream was heard,
And Ruth-Ann caught the flying……

Well, never mind what Ruth-Ann caught.

Despite its cute, but facetious nickname, there is nothing appealing about a Honey wagon. In fact, the whole thing stinks —literally—but it is still a necessity, especially in rural areas. Without them, how would we haul away all the tons of manure that are generated from cesspools, pig farms, Porta-Potties and the like?

I was reminded of the Honey wagon the other day when I was reading Deuteronomy 23: 12-14. It instructs the Israelites, and those who accompanied them to, “Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the Lord your God moves about in your camp.” How much clearer can it be that our God cares about every detail of our lives? This particular regulation, like every other one in Scripture, benefits mankind greatly.

Of course this regulation provided the kind of sanitation that would be required to keep disease out of the camp, but it also kept the camp livable when one of those strong Sinai winds kicked up, which I’ve read is a normal occurrence there. With that many people, all the air freshener in the world wouldn’t have helped had the Israelites built outhouses; which wouldn’t have been practical anyway, since they were a people on the move.

The Scripture does say that the Israelites were to obey this command because the Lord God moved about their camp. That is true also, but not in a literal sense. The Israelite camp was to be a holy place in every way. I don’t quite understand how human excrement could literally defile the camp, but God gave the instruction, so I don’t question it.

I do, however, understand how sin, could defile the camp. The Lord spoke to the Israelites through the prophet Amos while they were dwelling in Samaria. Because they “oppress the poor [and] crush the needy”, the Lord foretells of their great punishment. Among the many specifics, he tells them, “I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me…” (Amos 4:10).

This stink had nothing to do with the stuff that goes into Honey wagons, though. He was speaking of the stench of sin, and that, according to His prophetic word, included oppressing the poor and needy.

This was not just an Old Testament principle either. Scripture often classifies the fatherless and the widow as being amongst the poor and needy. Thus, the Apostle James instructs: Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (1:27).

Dear friends. In today’s world, many are currently facing financial hardship; some are even facing financial devastation. Despite this, I would just like to remind everyone how very seriously the Lord considers the needs of the poor and disadvantaged, and that He expects us to give generously to those in need, despite the world’s economic situation.

Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God which hath been given in the churches of Macedonia; how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality…. But as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. (2 Corinthians 8:1-2,7).

pencil lady

⇒Disclaimer: My apologies for the following advertisement, if applicable. I would like this site to be an advertisement-free site, but I have to pay a fee for this. I plan to do so in future, but for now, please know that I have nothing to do with advertisements &/or advertisement selection.

Read Full Post »

Pure Thoughts

Posted in Bible, Contentment, Devotional, Encouragement, Endurance, Faith, Guidance, Inspirational, Peace, Purity, tagged , , , on October 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Whatsoever


Fanny Crosby is probably one of the most inspirational women who ever lived. Though blind since infancy, Fanny penned more than nine-thousand of the most beautiful hymns ever written and devoted her entire life to selflessly serving the poor and needy.

What Fanny lacked in physical sight, she was more than compensated with spiritual insight. She once remarked: “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”

Lord help us all, I pray, be blinded to the enticements of this world that we may see you more clearly. Let us proclaim, as did English clergyman John Newton, “Amazing Grace… (I) was blind but now I see!”
(“Blind Sight” is an archived message from my Polished Pearls blog.)

***

pencil lady

⇒Disclaimer: My apologies for the following advertisement, if applicable. I would like this site to be an advertisement-free site, but I have to pay a fee for this. I plan to do so in future, but for now, please know that I have nothing to do with advertisements &/or advertisement selection.

Read Full Post »

One Fell Swoop

Posted in Armor of God, Bible, Courage, Devotional, Encouragement, Endurance, Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Provision, Inspirational, Peace, Spiritual Strength, Victory, tagged , , , , on October 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Eagle takes flight over Grand Canyon USA

This week, my region’s wonderful sweatshirt- and-boots weather has been held at bay by a resurgence of warmer temperatures. Nothing new here; our local weather is somewhat bipolar. Only a few summers ago, my children were swimming one day, and the very next they needed to wear their coats. If there is one place in the world where glimpses of all four seasons can be experienced in the course of a single day, it is definitely here, smack in the middle of the good ole U.S.A.

Now that I’m slipping into my autumn years, I sometimes feel the same way emotionally. Those pesky hormonal changes have a way of diving-in and swinging the emotions of this menopausal woman like a pendulum, from happy tears over the least little thing, to unexplainable sadness over nothing, all in one fell swoop.

Speaking of “one fell swoop,” Whether Shakespeare first penned the phrase or merely borrowed it for his Tragedy, Macbeth is uncertain; but he certainly popularized it. The imagery of “one fell swoop” is that of the fierce, dreadful descent of the swoop (an English hunting bird) upon its prey.

If the Bible were to use the phrase, I Peter 5:8 would be a perfect Scripture for its insertion: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour [in one fell swoop]. Thankfully, those who put their trust in Christ have been given an arsenal of spiritual weapons to fight, and to overcome, the devil’s all-out attacks.

If only the victory were always as simple as the Apostle James’ admonition to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” Maybe I am only speaking for myself, but sometimes the enemy’s attacks are so strong and unrelenting that I simply wear out, to the point that my faith starts swinging on that same emotional pendulum as my “bipolar” menopausal emotions.

It is then I remind myself of the 91st Psalm:

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.

Dear reader, it does not matter what challenges we are facing; nor does it matter how difficult the fight. Our King is Adonai Tzevaot – the LORD of hosts! In one fell swoop, He will rescue those who call upon His name!

pencil lady

⇒Disclaimer: My apologies for the following advertisement, if applicable. I would like this site to be an advertisement-free site, but I have to pay a fee for this. I plan to do so in future, but for now, please know that I have nothing to do with advertisements &/or advertisement selection.

Read Full Post »

Guinea Pigs & Salt Licks

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Encouragement, Guidance, Inspirational, Misunderstandings & Disagreements, Peace, Religion on October 13, 2014| Leave a Comment »

steve cross
When my husband came home with a cough the other day, I felt badly for him, but I was anxious to test the claim that pineapple juice is more effective  than cough syrup. You can be my guinea pig, I told him.

Then my brain started whirling. What if someone stumbled upon that phrase a few-hundred years from now, or a thousand, should the Lord tarry? Would they have any idea what that expression meant to our generation? Would they debate its meaning the way folks sometimes do with some of the archaic expressions in the Bible, like turning into a “pillar of salt,” for example?

Some believe that Lot’s wife literally became a giant block of salt. The historian Josephus made the fantastic claim that the salty form of Mrs. Lot still stood in his day, some two-thousand years after her demise, and claims to have personally seen it himself. There are natural salt formations in that region, so it isn’t too far-fetched to believe that Josephus, with a little imagination, might just have fancied one of those to have been Mrs. Lot.

Whereas I can see his enthusiasm for the literal rendering of the biblical account, I would like to think that if I ever saw a pillar of salt, even an oddly shaped one, I would merely accept it as a giant “cow lick,” as we call it in my neck of the woods, or perhaps a “camel lick” in those parts. Do camels even lick salt blocks, I wonder? But I digress.

There is another explanation for Lot’s wife turning into a big salt lick as well. Some bible scholars teach that “turning into a pillar of salt” was an ancient Hebraic idiom, meaning that one had a heart attack or stroke. If this understanding is correct, the Scripture is merely informing us that Mrs. Lot was so frightened at seeing her town destroyed, loved ones and all, that she dropped dead on the spot from a coronary or brain aneurysm. I tend to agree, but I doubt anyone could ever know for certain.

Whatever happened to this frightened woman, it was tragic and I certainly don’t want to make light of it, but I do find it humorous that some people still claim, to this very day, to have seen the salty form of Mrs. Lot also; her frozen glare fixed upon the spot where Sodom once stood. To me, that would be akin to someone reading this post some four-thousand years from now and thinking that my husband really turned into a guinea pig at my suggestion, and that they had recently seen him squeaking his way around town.  That just wouldn’t be true.

Likewise, we sometimes  just have to accept that there are many things in Scripture that are not as clear-cut or easy to understand as we desire them to be. For example, it would be great if someone could clearly explain to me what Ezekiel 13:18 means? I am still a bit stumped by this one:

… Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?

Someday I will dig into that verse, but for now I’ll just refrain from sewing pillows onto armholes and making kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls, which shouldn’t be too difficult since I don’t even have a clue what that means.

And with that, my guinea pig and salt licks rambling comes to a point. Dear reader, it is quite easy to misunderstand some of the Scriptures, which are written and can be studied. It is a great deal easier to misunderstand people, because we are much more complex. Even Jesus was misunderstood quite often. However, we should never –we must never– allow misunderstandings to damage otherwise healthy relationships.

Margaret Elizabeth Sangster once wrote, “In the whole round of human affairs little is so fatal to peace as misunderstanding.” I wholeheartedly agree with that. Misunderstandings have all too often caused otherwise peaceable folks to stand in frozen defiance of each other like bitter, unmovable pillars of salt; their eyes unable to see anything other than what they desire to see; unable to move forward.

Seeking truth is important and fighting for truth  sometimes necessary, but fighting each other is never the best recourse. Let us, therefore, remember to be charitable in our misunderstandings and disagreements, knowing full well that:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.…  (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).

 

Read Full Post »

God’s To-Do List

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Endurance, Faith, Inspirational, Preparedness, Religion, Spiritual Hunger, tagged on October 2, 2014| Leave a Comment »

coffe mug

Today I plan to start a new “to do” list. First order of business, find and compile all the other “to do” lists I have lying around, so that I can marvel at how many things I never seem to complete, and hopefully tackle some of them. Of course, the really important things get done, but I have a ton of worthwhile projects that, for one reason or another, got lost in the shuffle, never to be picked up again.

Aren’t you glad that God is not like that? I know I am. Can you just imagine Him starting something wonderful in your life, but stopping somewhere in the middle because He needed to go intervene in some crisis? Worse yet, imagine Him never completing the work?

That won’t happen, of course. Scripture says that He [the Holy Spirit] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). God is working in the lives of every person on this planet, whether they acknowledge Him or not; and He will never stop until His glorious return.

I guess you could say that we are all on God’s “to do” list since He is never finished with any of us. We should ask ourselves, then, is God at the top of our list? Last night I was challenged by a preacher who admonished his listeners to develop a personal spiritual growth program and pursue it vigorously. He wasn’t insinuating that his audience was neglecting the things of God, only that we should all strive to give even more of our time and effort to the Lord and His word. If we would do that, he encouraged, we would certainly grow spiritually.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but that sounds like an excellent idea. If God loves me enough to keep me on His daily “to do” list, I think it only right that He is at the very top of mine! On second thought, forget all the old lists, if those projects haven’t been finished by now, they probably aren’t that important after all. Yes, I still plan to start a new list, but the very first item on the list will be: Start a spiritual growth program, beginning with …

In fact, I’m going to go do that now so I’ll catch you all later.
God bless.

 

⇒Disclaimer: My apologies for the following advertisement, if applicable. I would like this site to be an advertisement-free site, but I have to pay a fee for this. I plan to do so in future, but for now, please know that I have nothing to do with advertisements &/or advertisement selection.

Read Full Post »

Spiritual Sludge

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Encouragement, Endurance, Faith, God's Provision, Guidance, Healing, Inspirational, Spiritual Strength on September 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

shipwreck survivor

3 John 1:2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Blogging was already on my to-do list for this afternoon. However, as the day progressed quite differently than planned, so did today’s message. Pardon the personal nature of this post, but I feel prompted to share with you a few thoughts on sludge.

This morning, I awoke to a slightly sore throat and the distinct feeling of illness trying to take hold. In my home, we always try to kick everything naturally before we even consider a trip to the doctor’s office, so I downed some garlic capsules and started a vitamin C flush¹.

I don’t want to get too graphic here, but a  Vitamin C flush rapidly pulls toxins out of your body, so it is supposed to be done until you spend a sufficient amount of time in the bathroom to expel them. Let me just say, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that my gall bladder was clogged because I passed a ton of gall sludge. That being the case, I plan to do a gall bladder flush later this evening as well.

As a result of the C flush, my sore throat is already gone and I feel quite a bit better overall, but the gall bladder flush will help me feel better still, and far more energetic; I know this from experience. I am thankful for today’s symptoms, though, because they served to highlight the fact that my body was out-of-order and needed some immediate attention.

What does this have to do with God? You may ask. It is He that gives our bodies the various red-flags that call us to action. The same is true of our spiritual lives as well. Often times, our spiritual lives become so sludged with the everyday stuff of life that we cannot hear the voice of God as clearly as we used to. If left unchecked, this can create more serious problems, spiritual apathy, for example.

Obviously, spiritual sludge doesn’t manifest with a sore throat, but there are some noticeable symptoms when it is present. These may include such things as a decreased desire to pray and study, a lessening compassion towards others, a critical spirit or a bad attitude, etc.

These are all red flags, calling us to action. If you are feeling spiritually lethargic, dear reader; if you have that undeniable feeling that something is out-of-order, may I encourage you to immediately seek the Lord. Ask Him to show you what, if anything, needs to be flushed from your life –especially anything that is toxic, such as bitterness, strife or envy, etc.

Toxins can be ingested from external sources as well, such as inappropriate television programs and the like. Even so, it may be that you aren’t ingesting any of those, yet feel that your spiritual life isn’t quite healthy regardless. Like the physical body, our spiritual life is often ailing, not because we are allowing harmful things in, but rather because we are simply neglecting to put enough of the right ‘nutrients’ in. Our bodies need proper nutrition and so do our spirits.

Like a vitamin C flush, which blitzes the body with enough Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) and minerals to flush toxins, and replenish these essentials; ingesting large amounts of Scripture blitzes our spirit with everything it needs to stay healthy and strong, while consistent prayer inhibits unhealthy sludge from clogging up our lives in the first place. But we don’t study and pray for medicinal purposes, we do so because we are in a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe and because we love Him. As C.S Lewis once said, “Every Christian would agree that a man’s spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God.”

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Cor 7:1).

¹  I use Professional Health Products Pro C Ascorbate for this flush.  Instructions for doing a Vitamin C flush may be read by clicking this link:  Vitamin C Flush

Read Full Post »

There’s Nothing to Eat!

Posted in Bible, Bread of Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Inspirational, Religion, Spiritual Hunger on September 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

nothing to eat

Anyone who has ever raised a teenager is more than familiar with the complaint, “I’m hungry!” I guess I shouldn’t complain, though; my teenagers (and my husband) only eat once a day– they start early in the morning and finish about bedtime.

Not that long ago, as my daughter sang the never-ending “There’s nothing to eat,” chorus, I opened the cabinets and showed her all the edibles there. I opened both the refrigerator and freezer and did the same. And what do you call all of this? I asked, handing her the fruit bowl. And this, and….

Unbeknownst to her, I had just done the weekly shopping. I could share with you a list of the food items in my kitchen that day, but that would be too time-consuming. Suffice it to say, that having just spent the equivalent of the national deficit at the grocery store, there really was quite a variety of healthy food available. And I emphasize healthy because, as any parent knows, when a teenager says there is nothing to eat, what they really mean is that there is no junk food handy.

You know how to cook, I reminded her. There must be at least a dozen things you could whip-up in no time.

Long story short, she walked away hungry. Can anyone relate?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing my daughter. There have been times that I have done the same thing. Sometimes I too want to eat something that is readily available without having to put any effort into it whatsoever. In fact, I find that the older I get, the more often I want to skip the work and get straight to the eating. Ten years from now, I may never cook again.

When it comes to Bible study, though, I find the opposite to be true. Years ago, when I was a baby Christian, I read my Bible a lot, but I relied on the wisdom of preachers and teachers when it came to those difficult subjects that I didn’t quite understand. After all, they were the “experts.” Of course, as a new believer, I was wearing my spiritual diapers and drinking milk; being bottle-fed wasn’t such a bad thing. The apostle Peter said as much: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby…” (I Peter 2:2). Over the course of time, however, I matured and craved the meat!

Thus, I have diligently searched the Scriptures for many years. These days, I voraciously devour every word of my Bible. I could opt to simply listen to a sermon or teaching during my study time, but I don’t want to rely on someone else to “feed” me, nor should I. That would be the equivalent of eating fast food instead of taking the time to prepare a healthy meal. Don’t get me wrong, the sermon might be really inspired, and there certainly are times to benefit from another’s teaching, but we are all admonished in Scripture to: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15).

We are not made pious, dear reader, because we daily study our Bibles, but to do so is certainly our obligation as a follower of Christ. Moreover, it is a great and rewarding pleasure! I pray that every time we, as God’s children, feel the pangs of spiritual hunger that we will open our Bibles and enjoy a feast. May we never become so complacent that we walk away hungry because we don’t feel like putting any effort into study.

“There’s nothing to eat.” On the contrary, the Lord’s kitchen is fully stocked and the food is exceedingly healthy!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I hear the heavenly dinner bell ringing. Till next time, blessings upon you and your household.

 

Disclaimer: My apologies for the following advertisement. I would like this site to be an advertisement-free site, but I have to pay a fee for this. I plan to do so in future, but for now, please know that I have nothing to do with advertisements &/or advertisement selection.

Read Full Post »

The Write Stuff

Posted in Bible, Courage, Devotional, Encouragement, Endurance, Faith, Guidance, Inspirational, Peace, Persecution, Religion on August 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

pencils

Someone must have torn a few pages out of my calendar, or so it seems, because spring just wrapped-up a few weeks ago and now summer is almost over. Consequently, I’ve been reevaluating all the ‘stuff’ that fills my days. What needs to stay, I’ve asked myself, and what needs to go; what needs to improve?

Writing has been on my mind a lot lately. I      haven’t done much of that all summer and truthfully, I’ve wondered why. After four years of devotional blogging, I figured I just needed a break, but that still, small voice inside my heart kept urging me to keep writing –to share the awesome love of God in a world gone crazy.

My intentions were good, but my discipline was lacking. Time kept flying with breakneck speed, and the pages stayed blank. Then it happened; the desire to write began to burn inside me again. Everywhere I turned there was another sign, another reminder, that writing was part of the ‘stuff’ that I am supposed to fill my days with.

Where do I start? I inquired of the LORD. “What do you want me to write about first?  His answer: to remind you, dear reader, that “Blessed are….” Jesus begins his ‘sermon on the mount’ by encouraging and instructing his listeners:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12).

Amen! I cannot think of a better message for today. May you, dear reader, be blessed, and may you ever be a blessing.

See you next week.

Read Full Post »

Bug Dope

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, Guidance, Humility, Inspirational, Judging Correctly, Long-suffering, Love, Meekness, Obedience, Religion, Servanthood on July 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

mosquito

What in the world is “bug dope,” I asked my husband. He laughed aloud at my Midwestern ignorance of the far north. Apparently, bug dope is a real product, though most of you probably know it by its proper description – insect repellent. Bug dope seems a rather odd expression to me. Where I’m from, dope is a bad thing, and you certainly don’t blatantly ask others to pass it to you in public. But there we were, on the shores of Lake Huron, watching an awesome Fourth-of-July fireworks display, and bug dope was the preferred defense against the blanket of tank-sized mosquitoes that were as thick as the smoke trailing in the air.

Bug dope isn’t the only oddity of the north, though. For instance, Midwesterners don’t wear shoes with good “gription” or wear a chuke (touke) when it’s cold outside. Truthfully, I was rather entertained for the first few years of my marriage, learning the peculiar idioms and pronunciations of my “Yooper” husband. He probably felt the same. After all, I had picked up several backwoods phrases along the way, so he had to learn such colorful words as doo-jigger and thingamabob.

Many were the times when my beloved and I were essentially saying the same thing, but I didn’t realize it because of our different vernaculars. He, noting my frustration at not being able to clearly express myself, often reminded me, “It’s just semantics!” He was really big on semantics!

From the beginning, we’ve pretty much shared one brain between the two of us, but it has been a very long time since we’ve had any miscommunications due to language traits. That’s the beautiful thing about intimacy; you really get to know each other –your idiosyncrasies, your thought processes –everything.

And that, dear reader, brings me to our beloved family in Christ. There may be many denominations, but we are all one body: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5). That being the case, we should all be pretty much sharing the same brain, or in other words, we should be like-minded; relating to each other at an intimate enough level as to really understand each other.

During the past few weeks, I’ve read several online threads in which believers were arguing over a certain doctrinal issue –and when I say arguing, I mean just that. This should not be so! …there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (1 Corinthians 12:25).

Firstly, healthy discussions and debates can be very enlightening, useful even; but arguing is very counter-productive and not at all indicative of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Secondly –and this is the part I find amusing –most of the folks on those threads were essentially saying the same thing; they were just saying it in different ways! But they, in their zeal to prove their own stance to be the correct one, couldn’t see that they were merely locked in a battle of semantics. Had they taken the time to really listen to each other, with loving hearts rather than defensive minds, they would have found that they were basically on the same page. Bug dope vs. insect repellent. Semantics!

My dear brethren, I am in no way suggesting that we succumb to compromise within the church. Nor am I suggesting that all religions, nor all denominations for that matter, are all one body. All roads do not “lead to Heaven!”

I do, however, advocate that we take the time to really listen to each other; knowing full well that we all start our journey of faith from different places. Thus, there may be some ‘language barriers’ to overcome in relating to each other. There may be some strange idiosyncrasies and oddities to overlook, but love and intimacy overcomes all obstacles.

In closing, may I remind us all, myself included, of Jesus’ answer as to which biblical commandment is the greatest:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
–Matthew 22:37-40

“Loving relationships, though necessary for life, health, and growth, are among the most complicated skills. Before we can be successful at achieving relationships, it is necessary that we broaden our understanding of how they work, what they mean and how what we do and believe can enhance or destroy them. We can accomplish this only if we are willing to put in the energy and take the time to study failed relationships as well as examine successful ones. Loving relationships cannot be taken lightly. Unless we are looking for pain, they must not be forever approached in a trial and error fashion. Too many of us have experienced the cost of these lackadaisical approaches in terms of tears, confusion and guilt.”

–Leo Buscaglia, Loving Each Other

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

%d bloggers like this: