Friday slowdown

Some of us are dealing with some really tough issues in our lives.
Right now.
I know from corresponding with some of our readers. And I know from my own life.
When we are praying, tears in our eyes, it's hard to remember that His love is always with us.

Because our hearts are breaking and we want Him to take it all away.
We want Him to solve the problem.
We KNOW He can.


But.
Even if He doesn't, it doesn't mean His love stops.
It doesn't mean He no longer cares.


Hang in there, believer.
Reach out for His hand.
Don't let go.

It's what's within that counts . . .

Recently, I was gifted with a packet of seeds and I carefully planted them along the back of my garden. I knew that the flowers would grow tall, and I thought they would make a lovely backdrop to the veggies growing plentifully within the plot.

I didn't realize just how beautiful they would be! And how many different colors! There are pinks, corals, fuschias, pastel roses, and gleaming whites!

All so very different!
On the outside.
I'd like to show you a picture that shows what each bloom looks like -- on the inside:

Gorgeous, right?
Like tiny stars sparkling inside the row of petals.
God used this to reinforce my need to be more accepting of people, especially other believers! Often we come across people in our pathway who don't look the way that we expect. Or we come across believers who don't carry themselves in a manner that we approve of.
But each of them is a real person.
With a real soul.
And with the Spirit living inside them and working in their lives.

Like the zinnias in my garden, they all look different. But they have the same "insides."
Remember back in what we call the Old Testament?  The young boy, David, was judged wrongly by others, even by those in his own house. Even Samuel, who had come to Jesse's house to anoint a new king looked at the outward appearance first! God plainly told him:

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lordlooks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7b, NIV)

It makes no difference if someone dresses differently.
If they worship differently.
If they use different words to describe things.
If they use a different translation of God's Word.
Do we see the "stars" inside? In other words, can we see the fruits of the Spirit? That's the real way to know . . .
God has a perspective when He looks at people that we can't have...... God can see the heart of a man or woman. Perhaps instead of making our minds up too quickly about individuals (believers and unbelievers alike) we should just decide to love them.  If we accept them as God made them, and accept them where they are, then we can let God be the one that deals with their hearts.
Unbelievers and even believers from different "denominations" can look upon Christians and get sidetracked by their thumping on a Bible and saying, "only this translation!" They can be turned off by a Christian who says, "you shouldn't worship that way!" Or, "you should know better than to dress that way!"
Perhaps we should follow the example of Christ? You think?
He met people where they were.
He met them and loved them; He took them from there and helped them understand more, and then they began to have changes in their lives.  (He didn't say, first you must do this and this and this, and then I will sit down to dinner with you and talk.)

God is awesome like that! He starts with us where we are; He saves our souls; He begins the process of teaching us and helping us to live godly lives.

He's still teaching me.
I'm still learning.
I'm awfully glad He hasn't given up on me!

Skeedaddle!

I hope y'all will bear with me -- I have another garden story!
The Spirit teaches us every day, if we will just listen.

The picture above is taken from inside our house; the doe is getting more bold as she sees tender leaves and grass that she thinks will be yummy to eat.

Just the other evening, we were out in the yard and saw her headed toward the garden. Just like we humans, she was headed into danger. She wanted what she could not have.....

The green bean plants may have been what attracted her the most. After all, the bunnies had been eyeing them (and nibbling when the dog didn't chase them away) for a while. The deep green, tender leaves must have been extremely tempting.  The garden plot was between us and the doe, but there probably wasn't more than say, fifty yards between us. She kept walking slowly, keeping her gaze on us. Were we going to move?
I'm sure the smell of the plants in the garden had a lot to do with it, too. Part of the package. Looks good. Smells good. Must taste delicious!
Closer and closer to the garden she came.
Then one of us said something to the other.
The spell was broken. Up came her head, and her posture changed.
She was alert.
Ready to flee.
Another sound from us (inadvertently) and off she went, her white tail flashing through the dusk. She skeedaddled! She didn't stop until she reached the other side of the pasture. Safe.

Temptation is something that all of us face as believers. Doesn't matter how long we've been following our Savior, either, it still pops up and tantalizes us.
Looks good.
Smells good.
Must be delicious!
There are a few practical things that we can do to grow stronger and smarter in our struggle against sin. We can learn how to overcome temptation.....

First, we need to recognize our own tendency to sin. It happens to everyone. Although everyone's "green bean plants" may be different - what tempts one person doesn't bother another!

but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. (James 1:14)

The fact that we will be tempted to sin is a given - we shouldn't be surprised by it, and we should expect to be tempted daily.
What to do?
Skeedaddle! (That's a technical term, there, and for you peeps that didn't hear it from your grandma as often as I did, it means "run," "flee," "get out of there fast!")

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

See! God will not only keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand against it, He will provide a way of escape! When we come face to face with temptation, we need to look for the way out. Then skeedaddle! Flee! Run away as fast as possible!

There's another way to resist temptation - with the Word of truth. Sometimes it is difficult to keep our thoughts where they need to be....but we can:

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (II Corinthians 10:4-5)

We have an awesome example of this when Jesus overcame the devil's temptations in the wilderness: He used the Word of God. It worked for Him and it will work for us - now, while it can be helpful to read the Word when we are being tempted, that is not always practical! So, it's even better to read the Bible daily, so that we can have so much of it "on the inside" that we are ready when temptations come our way. All we will need to do is draw our weapon, aim, and fire!

Another way to fight temptation is to focus our minds on worshiping the Lord. Praising Him takes our focus off ourselves; it puts our focus squarely on the Lord. We may lack the strength we need to resist temptations all on our own, but He will give us the strength to walk away.

Praise the Lord.How good it is to sing praises to our God,    how pleasant and fitting to praise him! (Psalm 147:1)

The last way to fight temptations is to be realistic -- knowing that sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, in spite of relying on Him -- we will fail. Having a realistic view of our own humanity will help us to repent quickly when we fall. And a realistic view of His awesome power to strengthen and protect us will help us to get back on our feet and keep moving forward.

So, the next time temptation rears its head, remember a verse or passage to help, praise God for His help, and skeedaddle!

Prayer requests - health

Recently, I've been touched by the fact that so many of us are praying and crying out to God for our loved ones. Whether it's their health, their salvation, or their need to come back to the Savior Who loves them, we are on our knees fighting for our dear ones.

Today, I'd like to encourage all of those who are wrestling with issues of our loved ones' health. Whether we're dealing with cancer, dementia, or any number of other problems, it can be difficult for us to juggle all of the things we need to do, to provide for our kinfolk and to take care of ourselves.

When it's something that we can truly effect change upon, it's easier sometimes to deal with it. We can bolster our hopes with hard work; we can keep our eyes on the goal. But when it comes to one of our dear ones' sickness, we can feel helpless. We can't help shoulder the burden.

The burden of healing sickness is not on the patient; it's not on the doctor; it's on our Father God. The responsibility for healing falls on our God Who knows the plans He has for us, even when our hopes are collapsing around our feet. There's no formula; it's a mystery. It's not that we say just the right words or a prayer that sounds lovely.  In fact, healing can be difficult to pray for - we have an easier time accepting that God can heal emotionally, or that He can heal spiritually. But God can heal physically -- He can work through the natural, or the supernatural.

But what if God seems to be saying, "No."
When God doesn't heal, it can be a real challenge to our faith.
It raises inquiries in the minds of even the most veteran believers. Notice that I didn't say it raises doubts. I totally believe that it is OK to approach God with questions. After all, when we are struggling with these issues and we don't hear an answer yet from God, and then perhaps in devotions we read:

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. (Acts 14:22b)

OK, that's just hard.
Paul, I don't like reading that right now. I want verses of comfort and encouragement.....
Flipping the Bible open again:

 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, (I Peter 2:21)

Really hard.
Peter's telling me the same thing.
Well, then, does God want me to pray for my loved one's healing? Absolutely! We cannot say that God always heals, but we can't say, either, that He never does.

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; (James 5:14)

Should I expect God to heal my loved one?
All healing will come from God's hand. But the kingdom hasn't come in its fullness, so I don't believe that healing is automatic; it's not yet a given. I guess that we can't single out disease, one of the many results of the fall in the Garden, as the one thing that believers shouldn't have to deal with. (Check out Genesis chapter three for the entire list....) So yes, in this life we will have troubles. After all:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Does it show that I don't have enough faith, if my loved one is not healed? No way! The Lord always wants what is best for His children - but "best" is not necessarily a gently-rocking-boat-life with no sickness and no pain. God's idea of what is best may include things that drive us closer to Him, or that witness to others of His comfort and His strength in us.
But why does He heal some people, and not others?  We cannot know what the Father has not revealed to us. In this world, we may sometimes see a preview of what it will be like when "the eyes of the blind will be opened," and the deaf will hear and the lame will walk. (Isaiah 35)  When we see others healed miraculously, we can be encouraged; we can also look forward to the time when all will be healed.
Long story short, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit truly long to fill all of our hearts with joy; they want to fill the spiritually thirsty will joy overflowing. I don't believe that it will be much longer till the curtain is closed on sin and suffering. We will enjoy the pleasures of heaven and the peace of His presence.

So yes, let's pray for our loved ones. Pray for healing.
But also pray that they (and we) will follow in the footsteps of Christ. That we'll daily get alone with Him and lean on Him through each disappointment. That we'll depend on His hand as we go through darkness.
God hates affliction; He permits it to accomplish something way more important, way more precious than anything this world can offer -- He permits it so as to accomplish Christ in us, the hope of glory.

If you are one of the precious friends who has requested that I pray with you, please rest assured that I pray daily for you and for your loved ones. My heart breaks as I read of the trials that you deal with, and I wish that there were more that I could do to encourage you. God has not yet answered in many cases, or He's answered "wait" in others, so let's kneel together and lift those precious souls up to God by name. Let's pray specifically for His healing hand. For wisdom for the doctors and nurses. For strength as we minister, and for strength for each patient.

Father, you know the desires of our hearts. We ask that you work in all of these situations for your glory. Amen.

Not what it appears......

Appearances can be deceiving . . .

This was brought home to me recently when I was speaking with our local county extension agent. The nearby university posts agricultural agents in the towns throughout the state; they advise and teach the citizens on a variety of subjects: growing trees for profit, gardening, canning foods safely, gardening, raising livestock, and more.

I had checked on my "table" grape vines that morning and I was concerned. My muscadines and scuppernongs have always been fairly maintenance-free. Table grapes, however, have a reputation for being the prima donnas of the vineyard. And for good reason! They are much more picky about their growing conditions and the soil. They also fall prey to a good many pests and diseases. How those perfect table grapes grow so pretty and end up in the grocery stores, I will never know. (Grin)

But I digress.
As you can see in the picture above, some of the leaves were sporting ugly spots! Pink and red in color, they actually drew the leaf up and made it appear shriveled.
Was it a fungus?
Was it a bug of some kind?
The spots didn't look good. They looked harmful, in fact.
Did I need to spray or sprinkle some type of chemical on the affected leaves?
How was I going to get rid of those spots?
The county agent looked at the photos I had emailed to her, and then called me on the phone. She said crisply, "You've got grape tube gallmakers."
I gulped.
This sounded terrible.
"How, how do I get rid of those?" I stammered.
"Oh, hon, don't worry about it. You can spray for them, but you know, you really don't want to do that."
"WHAT??"
"Those are beneficial bugs. They get rid of some of the other ones that will do awful things to your grape vines. You can afford to lose a few leaves and let those beneficial bugs do their job!"

You could have knocked me over with a feather, as my grandma used to say.

Sure got me to thinking . . .
So often in our lives, appearances can be deceiving. People can fool us with smooth words and deception, that's true.
But what about in our spiritual lives?
Are we going through some tough times? Are we dealing with some problems that look really ugly? (Raising hand) I've been there. I'm there right now.
Are we concerned about these problems? What can we do to get rid of them? Can't we possibly solve them? We really need to. Let's hurry up and try to resolve the issues.....
Wait a minute.
Are we doing the right thing?
Are we looking at the problems the "right" way? The godly way?
It's just possible that those problems are there for a reason.
That adversity may be there for a purpose.
What? Some of us have talked about this before, but if you are a new reader here, you may be thinking, "But God wants good for me! Why would He bring difficulties and problems and hard times into my life? That isn't even fair!"

Anybody besides me remember fire drills? In school? Have you ever held a fire drill at your home, or talked about what to do if the worst happens? What do you do? What do you grab and take with you? Your Bible? Your photo albums? Your great-great-grandma's crystal decanter?
Experts tell us that the most important thing in case of fire is to just get out. After all, our lives are the most important things here - not our possessions.

I think that is one reason God allows adversity in our lives: it's a bit like a fire drill to reveal what our true values are. It's like a beneficial bug that works for good in our spiritual lives. Adversity holds us hostage for the moment. It may demand that we give up our possessions, our health, our dignity, or even our lives. How we react (and what we cling to) reveals our true values! When it's all over, and we come out on the other side, we can look back and think..... did we say in the midst of the trial "I will cling to my Savior; I will not deny Him; I know He will save me, so I am going to endure and obey."
Whatever we are not willing to let go of, whatever we are not willing to sacrifice is our greatest treasure. And wherever our treasure is, our heart will be there, also. I'm tromping on my own toes, too, but the Spirit wants us to know that adversity strips away the pretense. It takes away any delusions we have and shows us what we treasure the most; it shows us where our heart really is.

give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:18)

 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 5:20)

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9)

Adversity.
It's not what it appears.
It's not something that we need to get rid of. That we can resolve in our own strength (that's a whole 'nother lesson!).
Like a fire drill, it gives us a chance to see ourselves as we really are and make corrections if needed. And like a beneficial bug, it works for good and helps us take care of some awful things in our spiritual lives . . . it helps us see self-righteousness and weed it out. It helps us to see pride and show it the door. It helps us to identify things in our lives that need to go!

Our Father doesn't waste adversity. He uses it for our own good - to polish us into the likeness of Christ, to get our attention, to show us where our hearts really are.
Father, help us to pay attention to what your Spirit is trying to teach us!

Independence Day week

I'm so grateful for the fact that my ancestors came to this land and helped to create a country where personal freedoms are valued and cherished!

This is our Independence Day week, here in the United States, and I hope those of you who visit here from South America, the United Kingdom, Greece, Canada, and more will bear with me as I take a short break.

As American Christians, we are sometimes tempted to take our freedoms for granted. We have freedom to speak as we wish; we have freedom to worship how we choose; we have freedom to own and read the Bible. Many of us have more than one Bible -- how many of us treat that casually? In many countries today, Christians must rely on their memory of the verses they love.....they would be persecuted, thrown in jail, or worse for owning a Bible.

In other areas, people are being slaughtered mercilessly if they will not recant their Christian faith and submit to Islam. Christ told us that He suffered, and we will, too. Is there enough evidence in our lives to "convict" us of being His followers?

New Testament Christians were forced to worship and often live underground. They had a code for identifying each other and areas that were deemed safe havens.

Whether in America or elsewhere, can we say these words and truly mean them?

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

I guess we could do a whole series on persecution, but for now, let's consider these verses:

When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:23)

 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad,because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)

We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. (I Corinthians 5:12-13)

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (I Peter 4:16)

 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44)

I hope that those of you who celebrate here in the US will praise God for the freedoms we have: freedom from sin, freedom to speak, congregate, worship, and more. Thank a veteran. Thank a current service member. And most of all, thank God the Father!

Happy Fourth of July! See y'all next week!

About as appealing as . . .

. . . a wadded up piece of cellophane.

A piece of clear wrap, used for covering up food in our fridge.

Take it off, and there are drops of water everywhere, from the condensation that may have accumulated.

Or there are particles of food, or a smear of gravy.

We take it off the bowl and wad it up in our hand  -- gets tossed in the trash, next, while the bowl goes in the microwave.

Where, oh where, am I going with this, you may ask?

That image of the already-used clear wrap is not very appealing, is it? I mean, the clear wrap is a great thing. It's extremely useful, and can keep food from spoiling if applied correctly.

But in the condition I've outlined, you might want to "pass" on handling it, right? Kinda yucky....

(That sound you just heard was gears changing!)

Recently, I had the opportunity to look at a web site for a church nearby. Their order of service was listed, as well as their ministries and outreach opportunities. An over-arching theme on all of the pages of their site was a truly warm welcome.
Now, this church was not one that I would normally consider attending. Their beliefs were far different from mine on many issues. But what a lesson! These peeps went out of their way to extend a hand of welcome and you could almost see the smiles on the faces of the congregation when you looked through the site. I saw words like "respect," and "welcome," and "kindness," and more.
Compare that with many churches today . . .
So many churches and denominations are in a continual state of conniption over supposed differences in doctrine, imagined slights and insults, and huge doses of legalism. The members seem to find it difficult to smile and a visitor might not receive one handshake of welcome before or after a service.

I'm going to get personal now. I'm ashamed to say that in the past, I allowed legalistic attitudes and unwavering convictions to color my interactions with believers and unbelievers alike. I gave more importance to what someone believed....to where they were at this present time in the Spirit walk....I made that more important than modeling and offering God's love and compassion to others. I cringe sometimes when I think of how I acted and the things that I said (mostly to myself, not to others, but still that is a problem!).
Anyone else in this boat with me?
Any hands in the air?
I truly believe that there is too much line drawing in the sand nowadays. Too much "you are SO different" and "that is not what WE believe here."
We sorely need more calmness, more reasoned attitudes, and yes, more love.

I know, I know, I hear those who are saying that we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. A separate people. A peculiar people.
But come on, y'all, we can still show love to others! We can respect them as individuals that are loved by the same Father God Who loves us. He died for them just as much as He died for us! And we need to be winsome and winning in order to have the opportunity to tell them about Him!
Let's look at the example of Christ. Jesus was vilified for spending time with sinners. Notice, please, that He was not participating in sin. He didn't join in the sin, but befriended the sinners. He reached out to them.
Many in today's church act like it would break their arms to reach out to others. (Grin) It wouldn't hurt us to look past the different interpretations. Not the core beliefs; I'm talking about others who truly believe in our Lord and Savior's atoning work at the cross, and His resurrection. How we interpret certain verses, or how we choose to sing and worship shouldn't come between us -- we can have unity in our love for our Redeemer.

I'm going to climb down off my soapbox, now.
I'm going to get on my knees and ask Him to show me how to love others like He did.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (I Corinthians 13:4-7)

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)