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Archive for the ‘Devotional’ Category

God’s Revenge

Posted in Devotional, Emotinal Pain, Emotional Healing, Endurance, Faith, Forgiveness, Healing, Long-suffering, Persecution, Servanthood on February 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The man was not home when they came to assassinate him for his faith in Jesus Christ, but his family was. Why they did not kill his wife is uncertain. Perhaps they thought it a far crueler “punishment” to kill his sons and force their mother to watch as they were shot to death by bullets which were far less steely than their own hearts. And so they did just that.

“When will you flee this place?” the woman was asked after this life-shattering tragedy.

“Not until I see God’s revenge on these men,” she answered. “These were my children; I changed their diapers I fed them and nurtured them. I loved them, and I had hopes that they would grow to be pastors or doctors; men who would help our people. And now, their lives have been cut off –they will never grow to be men.”

Concerned, her fellow Christian asked, “What do you mean by God’s revenge? What revenge?”

“I need God’s revenge!” she reiterated. “Please ask the churches to pray God’s revenge on these men that killed my sons — I need to see these men go to Heaven. I want the churches to pray for their salvation!”

Her statements seemed odd to me at first. Then I realized what she meant: our Lord said, Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” (Romans 12:19 NAS). This mother knew that God would avenge her sons’ blood and was therefore seeking mercy on their behalf. She had forgiven those men and prayed that God would as well. Like Jesus upon His cross of crucifixion, she was pleading, ‘Father, forgive them; they know not what they do!’ As I listened to this account of the persecuted church, the Lord spoke to my heart. “Would you – could you –forgive even this?”

I wanted to say, without hesitation, “Yes Lord!” But the truth is, I am not certain whether I could or not. One never knows what they will do in certain situations until faced with it. My childhood and adolescence was excruciatingly painful, yet I learned to completely forgive my tormenters. However, my own experiences pale in comparison to those of the persecuted church in other lands. How would I handle this kind of agony – the cold-blooded murder of my precious children? Could I truly forgive and ask that God’s revenge for them be salvation and eternal life in Heaven for their murderers? I pray so.

Then, I listened intently to the speaker’s own powerful testimony. He was born and raised in the same hate-riddled part of the world as this woman was. In fact, it was he who encouraged her to flee. He managed to do so himself, but not until he was imprisoned five times and inflicted with such inhumane tortures as being hung upside down, beaten with metal cable, and having boiling oil poured on his feet.

Yet he more than forgave –he learned to see them through God’s eyes and love them as He does! For the past thirty-plus years of his life, this man has been involved with an evangelistic ministry and continues to minister to the people in and around his homeland – even those barbaric non-believers who torture and kill Christians.

As he recounted his own sufferings, I couldn’t help but smile every time he said, “We must continue to have the faith of Jesus!” You see, with his still-thick accent, he pronounced the word faith as ‘face.’

Yes, my brother, we desperately need the face of Jesus! I was reminded, as he spoke, of Numbers 6:24-26: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”

It is only by the grace of God, by His countenance upon us, that we can ever find healing for a heart that has been shattered. It is only by forgiveness that we can find true peace. And it is only by loving our enemies that we can pray with utmost sincerity, ‘Forgive them Father; they know what they do.’

May we, the body of Christ, never forget to pray daily for the persecuted church AND for those who persecute us!

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Tasteless Fruit

Posted in Devotional, Fruit of the Spirit, Long-suffering, Love, Meekness, Servanthood on February 23, 2011| 2 Comments »

About the only time I experience the manly phenomenon of being “compartmentalized” is when I am in cleaning mode. I’m not talking about the fifth round of counter wiping and floor sweeping. Rather, I mean the all-out offensive war on grime.

Some of you women know what I’m talking about. When in that mode, we rigorously clean and sanitize everything in sight including the dog if it gets in the way. We are focused!

My son once caught me in the middle of one of those cleaning sprees and asked if he could have one of the apples on the table. They were wooden apples and he knew it, so this was obviously his cute little attempt to pull one over on mom while she was preoccupied. And he did.

“Go for it” I said, calling his bluff.

I stopped scrubbing sticky stuff long enough to watch him bite off a big chunk and chew on it with glee. Normally his ear-to-ear grin would have given him away instantly, but I was focused. It took a short while for my brain to process the fact that he had earlier switched the fake apple for a real one.

Having succeeded in his endeavor to make me laugh, he really enjoyed that apple and I’m glad he did! After all, he gets his sense of humor from his mama so what can I say?

Today was kind of the opposite. I picked a nicely colored apple –a real one — and bit into it expecting the sweet flavor of apple. I might as well have bit into one of those wooden look-alikes though, because it probably tasted about the same. Even caramel wouldn’t have helped this one.

Oddly, the same kind of thing happened this past week. While grocery shopping, I noted how paltry all of the produce looked. Nevertheless, the nectarines looked pleasing enough so I bought one to nibble on while making dinner. What a disappointment! When I bit into that pitiful thing there was zero taste. None!

I said to my husband, “Well, they finally did it; they managed to geneticallly engineer something which resembles fruit –but they forgot to give it any flavor.” He took one bite and realized I was not exaggerating the least bit. Then, wanting to check-out this peculiarity for himself, my youngest son took a bite. Even his taste buds manifested their confusion through the expression on his face as he tossed the remainder of the ‘nectarine’ into the trash.

Later that evening, I was thinking about that flavorless piece of ‘fruit’ and bemoaned the fact that I haven’t enjoyed a really good apple, pear or peach for many years. certain types of fruit have retained some of their flavor but certainly not all.

Then it hit me! Is any of my spiritual fruit tasteless? The fruit of the spirit, according to the fifth chapter of Galatians, are these:

Love * Joy * Peace * Patience * Kindness * Goodness * Faithfulness
* Gentleness *Self-control

Notice these nine attributes of fruit, according to scripture, are singular. This is significant. If someone is living according to God’s word, they shouldn’t exhibit only some of these attributes in their lives–they should exhibit them all.

I truly desire that my own fruit basket be overflowing with every one of the tasty, nutritious fruit of the Spirit. But truthfully, I have to admit that some of my fruit is less flavorful than others. I trust that none of my fruit may be likened to a wooden decoration but even so, real fruit is of little value to others if it is merely a tasteless hybrid.

Heaven forbid that any person every be confused by my testimony of faith because they realize that the fruit I attempt to share has absolutely no flavor. But how do I ensure that my fruit is really good?

First, I am willing to confess to myself, and to you, that some of my fruit is not fully ripe. Therefore, I ask my heavenly Father often that He cultivate me in whichever way He sees fit until my fruit is all HE desires it to be. Once it is, I must be willing to share my fruit with everyone I encounter. After all, fruit is meant to be consumed not merely displayed. The more fruit we share with others, the more they can see God’s goodness –that should be our focus.

My son’s fun little prank helped me learn an important lesson that day. We should all honestly examine our own fruit baskets to see if the fruit is real or artificial. After all, when someone comes to us expecting to find tasty, nutritious fruit, we don’t want them biting into wood.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:8)

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Peanut Butter and Jellyfish

Posted in Bread of Life, Devotional, Faith, Guidance, Obedience, Religion, Servanthood on February 15, 2011| 2 Comments »

Photo Credit: yhsBiology

What do peanut butter and jellyfish have to do with each other? Nothing really, but I thought it made for a catchy title. Although, people do eat jellyfish –even here in the good ole U.S.A. –but I cannot imagine why. I’ll just take God’s word for it that jellyfish is not food and steer clear of it altogether!

I have had jellyfish on my mind ever since I read a really fascinating article in the Smithsonian 40th Anniversary edition magazine entitled The New King of the Sea by Abigail Tucker. She starts by reporting that 40 million people lost their power in the Philippines in December,1999 because “Some 50 dump trucks’ worth (of jellyfish) had been sucked into the cooling pipes of a coal-fired power plant, causing a cascading power failure.”

Jellyfish, it seems, are becoming so prolific that they are literally taking over the oceans. I couldn’t help but think back to my high school days when the term jellyfish was the popular dig to taunt a coward. But there weren’t too many jellyfish in high school. Back then you never heard reports of the oceans’ “Jellyfish Gone Wild” either (National Science Foundation Report 2008).

There are many theories as to why the oceans are now teeming with jellyfish to the point that the waters are no longer safe and these mobs have become unmanageable. The most logical explanation seems to be the ever-increasing pollution of the waters which cause ‘dead zones.’ Most marine life cannot live in a dead zone but jellyfish can thrive there. Sadly, the number of coastal dead zones, according to Tucker, has doubled every decade since the 1960’s.

After reading the magazine article, I couldn’t help but compare myself to a jellyfish during the days of my life before Christ. Not just because I was afraid of my own shadow, but because I fit the general description of a jellyfish. These creatures are not only boneless, they are also brainless. They don’t think about where they are going but rather drift aimlessly at the mercy of the currents and simply survive. Yes, I was a jellyfish, living in a dead zone.

But Jesus said I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10). I am living proof that He does just that. The very moment I accepted Him and His free gift of salvation, he changed me forever. And if He did that for me, He can certainly do it for you as well.

However, too many people today –those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal savior — are frustrated and frightened. They are watching helplessly as our world plummets into the depths of despair and becomes more unmanageable all the time. And they, like jellyfish, seem to be drifting aimlessly without hope, without courage. But we have the answers to the problems they face and it is our responsibility to share them.

Now, more than ever, the world needs to find the house of God in order and free of this world’s pollution. The Bible speaks metaphorically of people being a ‘sea.’ But much of the sea is polluted and therefore the spiritual dead zones are multiplying just like the physical ones are.

That is why God’s people have been commissioned to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)

Real jellyfish cannot ever be anything but jellyfish; they will never be more than a dangerous nuisance or a piece of sushi on someone’s plate. People, on the other hand, can most assuredly become a new creation.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tucker stated that “Jellyfish reproduce and move into new niches so rapidly that even within 40 years, some experts predict “regime shifts” in which jellyfish assume dominance in one marine ecosystem after another.”

Sadly, we are beginning to see regime shifts in America as well and we will lose our power if we are not careful. We used to be a Christian nation that sent missionaries to foreign countries to preach the gospel. To our shame, missionaries are now coming to America to preach the gospel to us. We must never let down on our foreign missions endeavors, but we must also march boldly into America’s dead zones and reclaim them for Jesus Christ!

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37 NIV). Let’s go round-up some jellyfish but rather than eating them, let’s feed them the words of life so Jesus Christ can make them into a new creation. Who’s with me?

footnote: Tucker, Abigail. The New King of the Sea. Smithsonian magazine, 40th Anniversary edition. July/Aug 2010
photo at http://yhsbiology.wikispaces.com/Scyphozoa
~~For those of you who are interested in nature, the article is very informative and well-written; the website is a wonderful resource to learn about jellyfish.

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“Self, I said…”

Posted in Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Strength on February 10, 2011| 1 Comment »

Genevieve was without a doubt one of the most eccentric characters I had ever met. This Seventy–year-old woman would frequently recount details of her past exploits, which were every bit as strange as she. Every now and then she would tuck tufts of bleached-blonde hair back into the nest piled atop her head then gently reshape it. Heaven forbid she should recap an adventure without looking as august as possible.

There was nothing stately about her voice though; it grated on me. She spoke with the hoarse voice of a smoker and her laugh was just as raspy. Even so, her stories always amused me, especially the parts in which she began with the words “I said to myself –Self, I said…”

At this point she always waved her quellazaire slightly as though she were a Hollywood celebrity. I never actually saw her inhale smoke from the thin brown cigarette it held, but I must admit, this little ploy did add to the dramatic effect and held my attention. I was always interested to hear what she said to herself and how those words impacted the decisions she made in the midst of her then current exploit.

Truth be known, I never considered her talking to herself to be one of her eccentricities. I do it all the time. (I even answer myself, but don’t tell anyone). It’s true I occasionally mumble to myself about trivial stuff but mostly I encourage myself in the Lord. Hey, King David did that, so I figure I am in pretty good company (I Sam 30:6).

There is little doubt the Apostle Paul did too. In fact, he told us to be filled with the Holy Spirit — Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19). He goes on to say that we should always be giving thanks. Elsewhere, he says to rejoice always. I don’t know about you but I do a lot of that out loud.

The general populace might think I’m a bit crazy but I’m not always talking to them anyway so what does it matter? Sometimes I am talking about them though. For example, “Bless that person Lord,” or “Praise God, it is so good to see someone with such good manners in our day and age!” They don’t usually seem to mind that sort of thing.

Let’s not forget that the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (Proverbs 10:11). That being the case, perhaps we should all talk to ourselves (and to others) a bit more. We should be reminding ourselves constantly about what God’s word has to say. After all, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17).

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “All truly wise thoughts have been thought thousands of times; But to make them truly ours we must think them over again honestly (and long enough), until they take root in our personal experience.”

I don’t know about you but I learn the written word best by hearing it, which is why I read my Bible out loud and/or listen to the Bible on cassette. I even pray better out loud. I agree with von Goethe’s statement though I prefer to hear what I am thinking.

You should try it sometime. These days you don’t even have to feel like a nut to do so. If you are in public and a scripture or a prayer comes to mind, don’t be afraid to say it out loud, people will just think you are talking on some kind of hands-free device or something anyway. I do recommend, however, that you not answer yourself in public — that might draw a stare or two.

Finally, here is a fun little perk for you to try the next time someone asks you something like, “That must’ve been awful. How did you manage to get through it?” Look them straight in the eye, smile and say “I said to myself –Self, I said….”

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$95.2 Million Worth of Ugly

Posted in Beauty, Devotional, Encouragement, God's Goodness on January 30, 2011| 7 Comments »

I don’t mean to offend any of you art connoisseurs, but this Picasso painting, Dora Maar, is downright ugly in my estimation. However, it is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I guess that’s why someone paid 95.2 million dollars for that painting at auction. Truthfully, I dislike most of Picasso’s work, yet some of it has sold for more than 100 million dollars. As they say, to each his own.

As for me, I would rather have a Thomas Kinkade. His artwork may not be as famous or as costly as Picassos’, but it is far more aesthetic. Known as the “painter of light,” Kinkade offers us a more realistic and pleasant portrayal of the world. Even so, his paintings only sell from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

Even if I had ninety-five million dollars to spend on a single painting I wouldn’t, especially not a Picasso. He may be considered an artistic genius but I just can’t get past the grotesque appearance of his subject matters.

I can’t even begin to imagine why someone would choose a ‘disfigured’ painting like Dora Maar over one that is serene, such as Kinkade’s Stillwater Cottage. Then again, I can’t imagine why my Lord, Jesus Christ, would find such value in me. If not for His grace, my life would still look more like a Picasso than a Kinkade. It wouldn’t matter though. Ugly as my life was, Jesus paid much more than $95 million dollars for me; He paid for me –and for you – with His own life.

Like the Picasso, I may not seem attractive to some. But again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It doesn’t matter if I like Picasso’s work or not, he will always be considered a great artist and his work will always be highly prized.

Likewise, it doesn’t matter if others like the way my life looks or not –and that includes my physical appearance – because I was created by THE artist who created the heavens and earth and colored our world with beauty and splendor. As long as my life is one of the ‘paintings’ in God’s gallery, I will continue to have value beyond what this world can afford.

The same holds true for you too, dear reader. Don’t ever let anyone devalue you. Even if you feel your life is a mess, you aren’t finished yet. You are a work in progress. God knows all your shortcomings and inadequacies and He still thinks you are beautiful. That’s all that matters!

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7)

Rays of Light Volume I now in print.
Click here to order book

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Secret Ingredient Brownies

Posted in Devotional, Obedience, Purity on January 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

One particularly memorable day, the pastor had a special treat planned. As congregants entered the small country sanctuary, they were greeted by the delightful aroma of fresh-baked brownies. And if I know Pastor Cory, he probably arranged for everyone to sing “Lord, I’m hungry” during Worship.

Stepping up to the pulpit, he stated “Today I want to speak to you about the ingredients for living a godly life.” “But first,” he offered “I want everyone to enjoy a brownie.” And they did. Everyone knew that they were about to witness another of the pastor’s illustrated sermons and they were eating it up – pardon the pun.

Next, the pastor uncovered a tray of baking goods and explained that he was going to show the congregation just how to make the wonderful brownies they were enjoying. “Then” he added with an authoritative tone, “I will show you how this relates to your walk with Christ.

Carefully measuring the powdered cocoa and pouring it into the mixing bowl, the pastor advised the congregation that choosing the right ingredients was of utmost importance. He then added the remaining ingredients one-by-one –flour, sugar, butter, etc—until the delicious-looking batter was nearly complete.

The pastor offered a nugget of wisdom with each addition. They were being well-fed spiritually but some were wishing they had another brownie; that is until…

“The batter is nearly ready to bake, but there is one more secret ingredient to add,” the pastor said with an impish grin. As he lifted a baggie from the tray, he told everyone “I personally gathered this doggie poop a little while ago; it’s quite fresh.”

As everyone stared in disbelief, the pastor squeezed a small amount into the batter and stirred briskly. “Don’t worry” he said. “It’s only a tiny amount, you can’t even taste it, but it sure does add to the brownie.

I can only imagine how the expressions changed as each person realized he or she had just eaten one of those ‘special’ brownies. Of course there was no poop in the ones they had eaten, but the very thought was enough to make one feel suddenly disgusted, or worse.

Pastor Cory had copied the idea for the secret ingredient brownies from a caring father who felt the need to answer his teenagers ‘why not’ questions in a very impacting way. The man had been badgered by his teens, “Why can’t we watch this movie, there’s just a little violence and language in it? What harm could there be in that?”

This conscientious father had chosen to use his ‘special’ brownies to show his teens that even a tiny amount of something bad can ruin the whole. “The small amount of ‘bad’ in the movie may not seem all that harmful, but it is as disgusting to God as this poop is to you,” he admonished, “and it is harmful whether you can “taste” it or not.

Needless to say, the movie was not watched and the brownie batter was discarded.

Next time any of us sit down to watch that popular movie or read that best-selling novel, we should ask, “Is there any poop in here, even just a little?” If the answer is yes, there’s a good chance that it won’t seem nearly as appealing all of a sudden.

More importantly, we should ask if the Lord would be pleased with our choice. As the saying goes, WWJD (What would Jesus do?), . Remember, whatever ye eat, or drink, (or watch or read) or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31)

Having said all that, anyone want my recipe for cheesecake? –just kidding.

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Second Place Love

Posted in Devotional, Love, Marriage on January 18, 2011| 4 Comments »


Imagine how you would feel if at some point during your engagement your fiancé said to you, “I love you and I can’t wait to marry you, but there is something you should know. I love someone else more, and I always will.” Mine did. Then he handed me a cassette tape and asked me to listen.

I quickly hurried to my dorm room. With fumbling hands and pounding heart, I turned on the cassette player. My thoughts whirled during the brief music intro, then I listened to the following words:

I’ll sing you a love song cause you came to my mind.
It’s not a typical love song, cause it’s one of mine.
When I say that I love you, you know that it’s true;
even though you’re number two.

It’s not that I love you less than best,
For each day I love you more and more and more.
But there can only be one first place in my heart,
And you know who that’s for — The Lord!

I know — Jesus is number one in my heart
so second place will have to do for you.
But I’m counting on spending the rest of my life
in love with the two of you…. (©Mickey and Becki Moore)¹

My heart leapt for joy! My prayer had been answered. I know that many people, when praying for their future spouse, offers the Lord a check list of things they desire in a mate. I only asked for three things (that he wouldn’t snore was one of them) and left the rest up to the Lord and His infinite wisdom.

Number one on my list was that I be my husband’s second place love. I prayed that he would be a godly man who loved the Lord even more than me and that he would forever do so. Not only did the Lord grant me that desire, but he confirmed it through my loving fiancé when he handed me that tape.

The Lord has such an incredible way of dropping us little ‘love notes’ which say “I heard you and I have answered your prayer.” And His timing is perfect. When Mickey and Becky Moore recorded Love Song for Number Two back in the seventies, they didn’t know the Lord would use it to confirm my prayers a decade later, but He did.

A few days ago, my friend announced her daughter’s wedding date. Kati is the same age as my daughter so that unhinged me a little, being that they are both so young. But I have to face facts; my daughters are now young women who will marry one day in the near future and I must be ready. My prayer for my children is, and has always been, that they also marry godly spouses who love the Lord even more than them; because I know that the very best marriages in the world are built on godly foundations.

If you are reading this blog and you are single, but plan to marry one day, please believe me that the very best place to be is in second place. If the Lord is number one in your spouse’s heart he or she will naturally love you the way God intended.

Finally, never forget that as much as you and your spouse love each other, God loves you both even more. He wants you to have a healthy, happy marriage and it will be if the Lord is in the center of it …
a threefold cord in not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

****************

[You may enjoy the song here: Love Song for Number Two]

[¹Moore, Mickey and Becki.  Album: Love Song for Number Two. Maiden Music. P.O.Box 2492 Charlottesville, VA. 22902. (434) 293-5400     http://www.mickeyandbecki.com/music.php]

Postscript: My husband doesn’t snore. I told you, God answers prayers, and boy and I glad!

p.s.s. If you are planning to marry and you recognize that your spouse is a priceless gift to you from the Lord, the following song is great for God-centered weddings:

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“I Talk!”

Posted in Devotional, Encouragement, Faith, God's Faithfulness, Servanthood on January 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

My husband and I were once exiting a restaurant with our four small children in tow when we realized one of them had wandered off. After a quick scan of the crowded dining room, we spotted her at the table of an elderly couple. She and the woman were chatting away like two old school chums.

Back then our little golden-haired beauty was a real people-person whom didn’t know a stranger. She had walked right up to the couple’s table and began to entertain them with her natural charm.

Just as our small clan reached the table, I heard miss sunshine say, “Watch what I can do!” In an instant she turned and did the splits right there in the aisle. My heart skipped a few beats because one of the wait staff was walking towards her lugging a huge tray of hot food. Fortunately, her daddy was able to scoop her up in the nick of time, to the amusement and giggles of all.

It was quite obvious that our little girl had brightened the day for that motherly old woman. Turning her gaze towards my baby boy, she sweetly asked, “What do you do, you cute little thing?”

Without hesitation he replied, “I can count to ten in Spanish. Uno, dos, tres……”

“Splendid!” she chirped. “And what about you?” she then asked my oldest.

“I can count to ten in French. Un, deux, trois…”

My oldest daughter, anticipating her turn to impress the friendly couple, was already thinking. “What do I do?” she responded, as though asking herself the question. After a brief pause, her pensive look melted into a toothy grin.

“I TALK!” she proudly answered.

Periodically, a friend will say to me, “I really want to do something special for the Lord, but I don’t have any special talents or gifting.” First, let me say that I believe everyone has some type of spiritual endowment with which to bless others, even if it is not easily recognizable.

Second, and this is very important, everyone has the ability to share their faith. You may not be the outgoing, social type but that’s okay. Even an introvert can find occasion to talk to others about the Lord.

This may be very surprising to those who know me personally, but I used to have great difficulty talking to anyone. However, it eventually occurred to me that I could better serve my Lord and Master if I were a bit more sociable (okay, maybe a lot more). I prayed about the situation and asked for help in taking steps towards this goal.

Slowly, but surely, the Lord not only enabled me to talk to others, but to enjoy doing so. Now, by the Grace of God, I too am a people-person who does not know a stranger. I engage others in conversation every chance I get and look for opportunities to speak an encouraging word into their lives, especially those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

If you, dear reader, are uncertain as to what your spiritual endowment is, pray about it until you know then serve with confidence. Each of us have a different job to do, but every laborer is valuable and every job important. Finally, remember, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

Above all, let us all continue to share the Gospel with others. Jesus said if we don’t praise Him, the rocks will cry out. I’m sure the same is true about sharing our faith. No matter what, the Lord will find someone who is willing to speak out on His behalf. Will you be the one to say, “I TALK?”

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Humpty Dumpty said Amen!

Posted in Brokenness, Devotional, Emotinal Pain, Emotional Healing, Encouragement, Healing on January 6, 2011| 6 Comments »

Photo: Cake Picture Gallery

Once upon a long time ago, I was reading Christian nursery rhymes¹ to my children. This Mother Goose adaptation really caught my eye:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Humpty Dumpty shouted, “Amen!”
God can put me together again.¹

It really is that simple –not easy, but simple.

For those of you who have suffered through heinous circumstances and might be convinced that you can never be whole again, I want you to know that I wholeheartedly understand. Truthfully, if it had not been for the grace of God I would have killed myself twenty-five years ago. I was already dead inside, disposing of the rest seemed only logical.

However, I had been conditioned from birth to believe I couldn’t do anything right. Those degrading remarks replayed in my head like a broken record until I was convinced that I would botch even suicide and leave myself in a far worse condition. So, I prayed to God to take my life. I did not know God or if He even listened to the prayers of men. But if He did, I figured He could do a far better job of getting rid of me and my messed up life than I could.

Praise God, He did take my life, but not the way I expected Him too!

You can read about how the Lord Jesus came to my rescue and gave me an entirely new life on the ‘My Testimony’ tab at the top of this page.

As a child I used to listen to the Humpty Dumpty rhyme and it brought me great sadness. I could relate to the poor egg. Whenever I heard the rhyme, I felt like I too was an egg (a rotten one) which had been boiled in the heat of hell and then cracked beyond repair. It’s a shame I did not know THE King back then.

“All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put…” me (or Humpty) together again, but THE king Himself did so! He made me whole, and He has given to me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that I might be called a tree of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
(Isaiah 61:3)

The King longs to do the same for you because you are His child, even if you don’t know Him. He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

You may find, as I did, that emotional healing is a long journey. Nevertheless, the King will walk with you every step of that journey if you allow Him to. And He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

I too would like to walk with you through your journey. If there is anything I can pray with you about, please use the contact button to leave me a private note and I will add you to my prayer list.

Life is too short to live it broken and wounded. It is time to say, “Amen, God put me to together again!”

¹Ainsborough Decker, Marjorie.  The Christian Mother Goose’ Book of Nursery Rhymes.  Distributed by: Christian Mother Goose Communications – P.O. Box 330 – Beggs OK 74421 – (918) 267-5230

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Fresh Bread in Bethlehem

Posted in Bethlehem, Bread of Life, Devotional, Faith, Guidance, Spiritual Hunger on December 21, 2010| 5 Comments »

My tummy is dancing to the aroma of baking bread wafting through my house. I bake bread quite often because it is one of the little pleasures of life that just adds an air of warmth and comfort to the home. When my family prays “give us this day our daily bread” I want that bread to be straight out of the oven. Honestly, I believe the daily bread of the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ is, in context, speaking of God’s Word, but I desire my family to have fresh bread, both physical and spiritual.

A few thousand years ago, a baby was born in the little town of Bethlehem in Judea who would change the world forever. Bethlehem is a Hebrew word which literally means ‘House of Bread.’ The baby’s name was Yeshua (Jesus, to the English-speaking world). How very appropriate that He would be born in the ‘House of Bread’ because He would later refer to Himself as the Bread of Life:

And Jesus (Yeshua) said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger… (John 6:35)

The name Yeshua literally means salvation. Therefore, when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Yosef (Joseph) in a dream, He was saying about Miriam (Mary) that she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name SALVATION: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21),

Like all mothers-to-be, Mary had anxiously awaited the arrival of her ‘Salvation’ for a long time. Can you just imagine Miriam looking into the face of this beautiful newborn baby with joyful tears saying “Alas, Salvation has finally come?”

Much of the world has chosen this time of year to reflect on the birth of Yeshua. However, I would like us to take a few moments to reflect on Him as the Bread of Life; which isn’t hard to for me to do as I sit here engulfed in the delectable aroma of baking bread.

In the first chapter of the book of John we read:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….… [John 1:1-4] Jumping to verse 14 we read: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

So we see that the God caused a part of Himself, His word, to be made manifest in a tangible body, the body of the babe Yeshua. I know this is all pretty difficult for our finite, human minds to fully comprehend. Even so, Yeshua is the Son of God and designates Himself as the Bread of Life (amongst other descriptions).

John goes on to say:

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

Unquestionably Yeshua, living as a man in a physical body, needed food for sustenance. Nevertheless, he understood that physical bread only satisfies our temporal bodies for a short time. He therefore emphasized the urgency of nourishing oneself with spiritual food; that which quenches the soul’s hunger always:

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. (Luke 4:1-4)

In other words, because our bodies soon perish but our souls are immortal, feeding ourselves spiritually must be our priority. But how do we partake of the bread of life? By every word of God! In the beginning was the Word… and the word became flesh. To read God’s Word is to partake of the Bread of Life.

How can the bread satisfy, though, unless it is fresh? Unlike oven-baked bread which becomes stale very quickly, spiritual bread stays fresh forever and its nutrients never diminish. Nevertheless, we should never be satisfied to live on yesterday’s bread.

Remember, Yeshua taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread

I pray that in the same way the enticing aroma of fresh-baked bread stimulates our appetite and creates anxiousness to partake of this fresh, warm comfort food, that thoughts of our precious Lord will fill our hearts and minds in the same way. May we all become desirous to start each day with a fresh, ‘warm slice’ of the Bread of Life.

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