Gifts

Gifts 

During the Christmas season we celebrate the birth of Jesus – the greatest gift God ever gave us. He made such an extreme sacrifice to send His son into a world where He would endure such terrible suffering and pain. Just so WE could be saved from the suffering and pain brought on by our own sin. 

The celebration of the birth of Jesus has become a bit tainted by the world. We’ve turned it into a month long celebration of all the shiny things. Kind of like a competition of who can give the biggest, most expensive gift. We get caught up in the hype for about a month and then when December 26th comes, we go back to our normal lives and don’t think about giving or helping others until next Thanksgiving. We just stop the celebrating and the gift giving for another year- we feel like we’ve done enough. 

Have you ever thought about God’s gifts? Have you ever stopped to realize that He doesn’t go by what the calendar says? He gave us this great and awesome gift of Jesus and yet He didn’t stop there. He continues to give us gifts each and every day. Stop and take a look at your life. Do you have people who love you, a home to live in? God is responsible for your every blessing and He just keeps on giving. He is working on your behalf right now and you don’t even know it. You may not know the wonderful things He has planned for you for years to come, but He is always working. 

As we celebrate Christmas, let’s not stop there. On December 26th, let’s continue to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior by spreading His love and helping those around us throughout the year. Merry Christmas! 

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

Bah Humbug?

Bah Humbug?

Every year the struggle becomes more and more real-the Christmas struggle that is. Every year I have to stop and ask myself if my observation of Christmas is one of loving Christ and honoring Him or getting caught up in the hype and the falseness that is promoted by retailers, TV commercials, etc. At what point are bigger and better gifts just promoting idol worship instead of showing people we care about them?

There is one great gift that can’t be wrapped in a pretty bow – that is the love of Christ. It is the most important thing that we can share with others during this time of year - and it can’t be bought. It was paid for many years ago and it is freely given now. Christ was born in a manger and there was nothing fancy about it. What makes us believe that giving big expensive gifts can have anything to do with Christmas or that it would be what Christ would want to happen in celebration of His birth? 

How do you think Christ would like to celebrate the day of His birth? Would He want to go volunteer at a homeless shelter or find a way to help others? During His time on earth that is how He spent most of His time, so that would probably be at the top of His list. How does He want us to spend it? He might want us to share His story with those around us. The love of Christ is so powerful and yet overlooked during the most important time of the year. Every American knows what Christmas is, but does every American know why we celebrate this holiday? That’s really sad that there are people who might be celebrating Christmas and don’t even know about Christ. It’s time we tell them, don’t you think?

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:6-7

Under the Influence

Under the Influence

We’ve all heard the term “under the influence” when referring to someone driving while intoxicated. It is a broad term that can include either alcohol or drugs. Basically, it means that the person cannot make clear decisions while driving because their judgment is being clouded by some type of substance. In life our judgment can be clouded not only by substances but by the influence of those around us.

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to meet a man that knew the Lord. Then I was lucky enough to get him to go out with me! Soon we were married and since then my relationship with the Lord has grown. Would I have had this relationship with the Lord if I hadn’t met and married my husband? I’m not sure what the answer is to that question. My husband has been a great influence on my spiritual life. He has led me in a patient and loving way to be a better Christian. Through his support and prayers, I have come to know the Lord on a much deeper level. In a way, I think we have led each other there. We read together. We talk about the Lord. We pray for one another. Yes, we still have arguments like every married couple, we aren’t perfect by any means, but we have a foundation set on the Lord and He is the center of our marriage. So, we continually influence one another to grow stronger in Him. Because of this, I count myself among the blessed.

On the flip side of this coin, is the possibility of being influenced away from the Lord. We look at the world around us and there are a LOT of negative influences out there. A huge part of our population is addicted to something – drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc. Often it is impossible for someone to get away from these things because it has a great hold on them. They become like a prisoner to their addiction and the people they call “friends” are caught up in the same addictions. Even if they break free from the addiction, when they return to their life these addictions are right there waiting for them to return. Seriously, the only way to break free is to move away and start a new life. 

Even if you aren’t addicted to something, there can be people in our lives that lead us away from God. They may not be intentionally leading us away, but if they are influencing us in a way that leads us away from the Lord, then we have two choices - we must become the influence and lead them to the Lord, or we need distance ourselves from them. Satan is a sneaky character. He knows how to pull us away from the Lord and he often uses the people around us to do it. Little things can add up to a big fall from God sometimes. We look at something and think, “everyone else is doing it”, and that is the beginning of the end. Being one of God’s children means being different than the “world”. 

Jesus was a great influence on those around Him. If you read through the gospels, He continually encouraged those around Him to be more. His words were always meant to help us grow closer to Him, and to live as God wants us to live. If you are caught up in an addiction or you are under the influence of those around you, reading the Bible can help. Start in the book of Matthew and read and listen to what Jesus wants you to hear. Let the Lord be the one to influence you instead of those around you.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

Unmasked

Unmasked

This week most of us have watched little ghosts and goblins trek around local streets hoping for some candy. Halloween means dressing up in costumes and many times wearing masks. For the children, this is only one day a year. For many of us, the masks get donned more often than this. These masks become a part of our normal wardrobe, just like the clothes we wear every day.

I can tell you a lot about this mask, because I’ve been a wearer in the past. Let me tell you about my own mask and then ask yourself if you have a mask of your own. In the past there were two different masks I would wear. One mask was worn on Sunday morning. This mask was a mask of perfection. It was what I thought people expected of me, but it was a false face. During the rest of my life I wore a different mask, one that was not so perfect. 

One day, I realized that I was cheating myself, and God, by wearing these two masks. By wearing the first mask I was not allowing myself to truly be known, to be seen, to be honest with my fellow church family members. I was hiding from them and from a God that wanted to love me wholly and to forgive me for my sins. By wearing the second mask I was cheating not only myself but others that would look to me as a Christian and find me lacking. This mask was hurting the Lord as well as those who might come to Him. 

Taking off the mask and allowing myself to be known by the Lord, allowing Him to reside within me and shine through me has been the greatest decision I’ve ever made. Instead of being half a person all of the time, I’ve become a whole person all of the time. Are you wearing a mask? Halloween is over – time to take off the mask!

“For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Luke 8:17

Flint Rocks

Flint Rocks

When I was a little kid I used to love to go without shoes. We lived on a farm and had a big yard, so most of the time going shoeless was not a problem. Of course, eventually I would have to cross the gravel driveway and it never failed, I would step on a flint rock. If you don’t know much about flint rocks, then you might not know that they have some pretty sharp edges and they can be really painful on bare feet! 

Our sins can be kind of like these flint rocks. As humans we tend to bury our sins deep inside. There are times when we have committed such a life-altering, heart-wrenching, satan-driven sin that it tears our insides up – especially if we keep it hidden from the world. Keeping it hidden and thinking that we are able to deal with it can make the cuts from the edges of this “flint rock” of sin that much deeper. There comes a time when we all have to face our sin, ask the Lord’s forgiveness, and move on from it. Sometimes, that is easier said than done! Actually pulling the rock out and looking at it, addressing that it exists, is the most difficult part of all. We may have been living in denial for years and not wanting to even admit that we have committed the sin in the first place. Yes, it will hurt to pull those sharp edges out from deep inside, but turning to the Lord and allowing Him to take the “rock” from us and throw it away from us – as far as the East is from the West – will finally allow the healing process to begin. Then we can walk away with the freedom that only the Lord can give us!

You want to know something kind of awesome about flint rocks? They can start a fire! Once you have felt the amazing grace given freely from the Lord, especially if you have felt the scars that the sharp edges were leaving, then you’ll know what being on fire for the Lord is all about. The Lord might just start a fire inside of you with that flint rock!!

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

Romans 5:8

Remodeling

Remodeling

HGTV is one of my favorite stations of all time. I really enjoy watching all of the remodeling shows. Of course, in the beginning of each of these shows, the house is usually totally disgusting and filthy. Then after they get the house cleaned out, the true work begins. Most of the time, the designers have to completely gut the inside of the house before they can make repairs.

Finding Christ and allowing Him inside our hearts is a lot like a complete remodel. First, we have to clean out all of the dirt. Basically, we have to gut the inside of our hearts and put all that junk in the dumpster! Only then can we allow the Lord to rebuild and redesign what’s on the inside. 

It’s not a simple process, though. Have you ever lived in a house while it was being remodeled? It’s not so much fun when it is all torn up, is it? Thinking that it will be easy and these changes will happen overnight is not realistic. We are all just a work in progress, really. Luckily, the Lord is the VERY BEST designer. No matter how messed up the inside is, He can fix it. He is the only one who can. If we turn to Him and allow Him to transform us, then the end result will be amazing. In order to experience the amazing part, though, we must be willing to give up the junk. We can’t hold on to the old stuff and truly enjoy the new.

Imagine a completely remodeled home that still has the stained and tattered 1970’s carpet on the floor. That wouldn’t make any sense, would it? What if we completely furnish the home with all new appliances and then go to the dumpster and dig out our old, nonworking refrigerator and swap it for the new one. We definitely would never see that on HGTV! In our spiritual life we might equate that to accepting Christ and then going back to our sinful lifestyle. So, we must allow ourselves to truly be a living sacrifice by giving all that we are and all that we have to Him.- allowing Him to completely change us from the inside out. 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Romans 12:1

Weary

Weary

Doing good is not always easy. It seems that no matter what we do there will always be people that won’t understand why you are doing good. Maybe they have never set out to just intentionally do something good for someone else. Maybe they are the receiver of the good that you are doing, and they have never been on the receiving end of a deed such as this. No matter what others may think, do not grow weary! Continue to do these good deeds and spread the Lord’s love to all of those around you. 

You may sometimes question your own sanity at continuing these acts of love and kindness when you just keep getting dumped on and badmouthed by those who don’t understand. Just because the world may think that you have some kind of ulterior motive and you can’t possibly just love the Lord so much that you want to spread His word and His love, doesn’t mean that the Lord doesn’t understand. Jesus sees you and He knows you. He knows your heart and He knows those that are His TRUE FOLLOWERS. He knows the difference between those that love Him and those that just say they are His.

It is easy to grow weary. Earlier this year, I had the awesome opportunity to take a mission trip to Haiti. Before you start to think that I am going to gloat about being in the mission field, I want to clue you in that this is about my own failings! After what seemed like a never-ending ride in the back of a dump truck and visualizing the true poverty of this country, I was weary and just kept thinking, “This place is beyond help.” I was seriously asking myself (and my husband), “Why are we here?” “What good can we do?”

The very next morning, we went to breakfast and the pastor shared a devotional with us. The first words out of his mouth were: “Do not grow weary in doing good.” I was so moved that tears came to my eyes! It was as if God was speaking directly to me. As the week went on, I realized in so many ways that God was speaking to me. So many amazing and wonderful things happened that week. God was there in that place! His presence was so strong that when the last day came, I didn’t want to leave. 

 I’m so thankful for these words:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

What in the World?

What in the World?

In the book of Luke, we get to hear the teachings of Jesus. In Luke 5, He is being questioned by the Pharisees as to why He is associating with sinners. To this He replies:

“Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Luke 5:32

As I thought of this verse this week, it made me reflect on myself. Recently in my life I have started trying harder to be the person that the Lord wants me to be. In the past, I wasn’t so good at this. I was a “sinner” for sure. Something I have to keep reminding myself of is that I am still a sinner. We are all sinners. When we stop viewing ourselves as sinners, this is where our problems begin. When we stop realizing that we all have sinned and fall short, we become like the Pharisees. When we start pointing out other people’s sins and forgetting our own, then we stop being able to love others. 

Have you ever stopped to examine this line in Luke? Jesus was basically saying to the Pharisees, “I didn’t come for you, because you are self-righteous and believe that you are sinless.” Was He saying to them that as long as they were standing in judgment of others, He would not save them? That’s pretty scary, isn’t it? Does that mean that those of us who are standing in self-righteous judgment pointing out others’ sins will not be saved by Jesus? That should make us stop and take a good, hard look at our lives, our thoughts, our words, and most definitely realize how we are judging others. 

Jesus has called us over and over and over again in the New Testament to love each other. Think about it. Are you living a life that shows only love to others, or are you gossiping, spreading hatred, disparaging others, and pointing a self-righteous finger toward those that you view as “less than”? This world tends to lead us toward the latter, doesn’t it? To be Christ followers, we must be different than the world. 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Romans 12:2-3

Perfectly Complete

Perfectly Complete

 On my last birthday, I received a very nice gift from my husband. It was a Hebrew-Greek Study Bible that I had been wanting for a while. I just now started reading through it because I was on my second year of trying to read the Bible in a year. Yes, it took me TWO YEARS to finally complete that task. Slow and steady wins the race and all that….So, finally I’ve gotten around to starting the Hebrew-Greek Bible. It is a really cool, yet complicated, Bible. It has underlines of the words that have multiple meanings when translated, so you can look up the other possible translations. 


There has always been a line in the Bible that I have wondered about. In Genesis 17, God is speaking to Abram (soon to become Abraham), and He says this, “I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou perfect.” That word, perfect, has haunted many a Christian I’m sure. I know that it has haunted me. Perfect? How will I ever accomplish that?! Not to mention that we, as humans, are all sinners. There is no getting around it. So, I flipped to the back of my Hebrew-Greek Bible and hoped to dispel this myth of perfection! Thankfully, it helped me gain a new understanding for this verse.


The Hebrew-Greek word for this is tâyîm, which has many possible meanings – including without blemish, complete, full, sound, undefiled, upright, or whole. The words complete, full, and whole all made me really think about what was being said by God. Let’s replace the word perfect in the line with “complete”. 

“I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou complete.”

Now it takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? Basically, He is saying to Abram that He will make Abram complete. In this context we see that it is not by anything Abram does or doesn’t do that he will be complete, but instead it is THROUGH GOD that Abram becomes complete and whole. By following God, obeying God, and loving God Abram becomes full, whole, complete, perfected. 


“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
Colossians 2:9-10

Mother Knows Best

Mother Knows Best

There is a quote by Mother Teresa, “If you judge people you have no time to love them.” It makes you stop and think about how many times you look at someone for the first time and automatically have a preconceived notion about them. Already we have something in our minds that is hindering us from loving someone else. We are humans with weaknesses and failings, but we can change our way of thinking and our viewpoint. How do we do this? By following what we’ve been taught in the Bible: Love one another. 

Mother Teresa, if you read through some of her quotes, obviously had a better understanding of what the Lord expects of us than most of us do. In many of her quotes that you find, she is speaking of loving each other. For the most part she talks about starting by loving those closest to you. We don’t have to do great things in order to make a great change in the world. By simply humbling ourselves to others, we can start to change the world around us. Instead of needing to be better than everyone else, we can change that to a need to serve those around us – to give up our own wants and needs so that others may have more than you. Yes, you heard that right – allow others to have MORE than you. This seems contradictory to the society we live in, doesn’t it?

When we look at others and allow ourselves to see Jesus in them, then we can serve them with hearts of love and not immediately judge them by what we view as their faults. Have you ever tried looking at every person you meet and seeing what Jesus would see in them instead of what the world would see? Within each and every human is an innocent child. Have you ever thought about that? We were all innocent children once - children without sin or evil in our hearts; until the world (and Satan) was allowed to influence us. Looking at those around us in this way forces us to offer love and not judgment at first glance. 

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

Sinners...like me!

Sinners…like me!

The first time I read through the Bible, several years ago, I remember realizing how imperfect David was. I was amazed that the Lord could use someone with so many flaws to reach others, especially after reading the book of Psalms. Now I totally get it. God never does anything without a purpose. He often chooses flawed people to carry His word to others. 

In recent years I’ve felt the Lord’s urging toward helping others. At first I couldn’t wrap my mind around the things He was calling me to. A mission trip to Haiti, for example, was never something I felt even worthy to do. For many years of my life I didn’t feel like I deserved to represent Christ because of all of the mistakes in my past. The Lord, if you let Him, will completely change your way of thinking, though. Once we realize that He reaches out to sinners, just like me, and uses our faults and scars to reach others, anything seems possible. 

Most of us, when we are still in our sin, don’t really want to hear what Christians have to say. We don’t want to talk to someone who seems perfect, or that makes us feel “less than” because of our sins. Isn’t that why the Lord chooses to use those who aren’t perfect? Those of us who lost our way but finally found God’s roadmap can see from another’s point of view. We can see what they are going through, help them find forgiveness, and lead them down the path that finally got us to God. 

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:31-32

Don't Get Zapped

Don’t Get Zapped!

A few months ago I managed to get myself zapped by some exposed wires in an electrical cord. Talk about a painful experience – it is not one I’d like to relive! Inside of an electrical cord there is a positive wire and a negative wire. If you happen to be holding on to both the positive and the negative at the same time, the electrical current uses you as the ground and the electrical current travels through you and you get “zapped”. 

There are times in our lives when we continue to hold on to the negatives in our lives while still believing that we can continue to hold on to Jesus at the same time. I’ve learned in my own life that I can’t continue to do that. There comes a time when we have to take a step back and truly look at ourselves and make a decision if we want to be one of His or if we want to be with the “world.” To be one of His we must give up the negative and hold onto the positive. 

 What is the negative?

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Ephesians 4:31

If we delve into this piece of scripture we realize that anger, bitterness, hatred, gossip, and pretty much anything that isn’t love is going to get you zapped! If we take the time to talk to the Lord MORE than we gossip about others, and show love toward those that we feel are making bad decisions or offending us, then we are holding on to the positive and loving the way Jesus loves. 

Throughout the Bible, Jesus shows us the way that He loves. He chooses people that everyone else has shunned or the ones that people like to sit in judgment of, such as the woman at the well. In John 4, Jesus sends a powerful message that He wants us to hear today. He chose a woman who others viewed as “sinful”, (as they sat in judgment of her) and decided to reveal His love, grace, mercy, and truth to her. 

What is the positive that we should hold onto?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Galatians 5:22-23

God Spelled Backward

God Spelled Backward

What does a dog have to do to earn your love? Absolutely nothing. Isn’t that right? Many of us own a dog and the only thing we really want from them is for them to be there, looking up at us with adoration when we get home from work. We don’t expect them to get up and walk on their hind legs or dance around every time we pull in the driveway. Nope. We just want them to love us and be near us.

This thought struck me tonight as my dog came to my side wanting to be petted. That is all that God wants from us, too. He doesn’t expect us to do tricks for Him – He only wants us to love Him and be near Him! For those of us who feel the need to constantly be “doing” something, this is a profound thought. He loves us even when we aren’t out doing things to further the kingdom. 

Remember the last time your dog got into the trash? This might have been frustrating for you, but you still loved your dog, right? That’s kind of the way I imagine God is with us. He surely gets frustrated with us when we make mistakes and sin against Him, but He still loves us and wants us to come to Him and ask forgiveness. He’s a pretty amazing God to offer forgiveness so freely. Once we go to Him and ask forgiveness, He removes our sins from us and forgets them!

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:11-12

Take A Knee

Take A Knee

Football season has begun and I’m sure that anyone who has any interest in the game has heard the phrase “take a knee.” No, I’m not referring to or even beginning a discussion about the National Anthem. I’m actually talking about the quarterback kneeling to keep from losing possession of the ball when the game is at stake. 

What about you, have you taken a knee lately? This is kind of a tough question, isn’t it? I consider myself a prayerful person, but looking back over recent days, I can’t say that I have taken a knee lately. Today in church, as we discussed a verse in Nehemiah, it really struck home with me. Am I reverent enough? Do I fall on the ground and worship? Yes, there are times that my needs are so great that I am on my knees, but not the way they fell to the ground on their faces and WORSHIPPED! They prayed for hours, spent hours on their knees truly worshipping God. 

Are you in the same place? Are you giving enough time to the Lord, truly worshipping and giving thanks to the Lord? When is the last time you “took a knee” for the Lord? In today’s world it is hard to find the time to give to the Lord, isn’t it? We let life get in the way and never take the time to kneel. Reading through the Bible is very humbling. To see the difference between their prayer and fasting and our fast prayer brings our lives in perspective!

“Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
Nehemiah 8:6

How's Your Appetite?

How’s Your Appetite?

If you have ever been in the hospital or been sick, you’ve probably been asked, “How is your appetite?” Have you ever wondered why they are asking you this question? Really, there is a good reason for this. Many times having a poor appetite can point toward much bigger problems. Often when a person has cancer or another serious illness, one of the signs pointing toward the illness is a poor appetite. 

How is your spiritual appetite? Do you have a hunger for the word? Do you find yourself wanting to talk about, read about, and listen to others talk about the Lord all of the time? Do you find yourself talking to the Lord throughout the day and wanting to be near to Him every moment that you can? Are you excited when you find yourself surrounded by others that feel the same way?

If your answer to most of these questions is “No”, then you may have a problem with your spiritual appetite. We all struggle with this from time to time, but if you’ve completely lost your hunger for the Lord, then this may be the first sign that your spiritual life is in danger. Sadly, it’s true, losing your spiritual appetite can lead to eternal death if you don’t seek the proper treatment. Luckily, there is a way to be saved! First, seek the Lord and spend time with Him every day. Just like medicine is prescribed to be taken multiple times a day, prayer should be also. The Lord has written His own prescription for you: it’s called the Bible. Be sure to read it very carefully and follow its words. Lastly, spend time loving others, giving of your time and your heart. When you help others and show them love then the Lord is able to work through you. There is no better way to draw closer to Him than this. The Lord's "prescription" can improve your spiritual appetite and save your eternal life!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.”

Matthew 5:6

Goodbye, September

Goodbye, September

Sometimes there are months on the calendar that you’d rather not see make their appearance. Not because of things to come, but because of things, or rather people, that have gone before. The month of September has taken so much from many of us, and it seems that it just keeps on taking. Every year I dread the thought of who will come next. This year a very close friend lost her son and it felt like my heart was being torn in two by her pain. Another friend lost her grandmother.  It hurts to see your friends hurting!

As I sat thinking of all of the friends and loved ones that have been lost to the month of September over the years, I started to wonder where the word September came from and if it was a Hebrew word or what its origin was. Elul is the word used for this time of year in Hebrew, which means “harvest.” As I thought about this I thought of the Lord reaping a harvest. The harvest is talked about throughout the Bible. We usually assume that the Lord is speaking of the end of days, but like most things we can only interpret what the Lord is telling us and we aren’t meant to know everything about what God does. Seeing how many souls have left the earth in September makes me wonder, does the Lord have His own harvest season this time of year? Is He also picking the choice crop for Heaven?

Losing those we love is life-altering and heart-wrenching. Even if we know that they will be living joyfully with the Lord, it is still hard for us to have them taken from us. We love them so much that it is difficult for us to be separated from them. People will always say, “They are in a better place.” Those words are meant to comfort, but sometimes when we are filled with sorrow it is hard to even imagine that. It is hard for us to imagine a life without them in it or how long we will be forced to be separated from them. 

The Lord doesn’t take our loved ones away to hurt us. Death, unfortunately, is a part of life here on earth. Because of the sins in the garden, death had to become a part of life. Living in and enduring a sinful world, in my opinion, will make an eternity with Christ that much more sweet. We can take heart, our own Elul is coming, and the homecoming will be amazing!

“Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.”

John 4:36

Gold gLOVE

Gold gLOVE

Our world is filled with arguing and fighting these days. If I’m being honest, I will admit that it often involves Christians. It seems that people always want to take a side in every argument. Why is that? Why do we always feel the need to choose? So often by making a choice of who is right or wrong in an argument, we are letting ourselves become a part of the problem. We are letting ourselves get involved in something that will put a wedge between two people, two groups of people, two countries, etc. 

Do you ever find yourself involved in a fight and insisting that you are right? Do you find yourself refusing to back down from the fight? Is this what the Lord would want from us? My opinion is that the Lord wants us to promote peace, love, and harmony among us. He would want us to back down from the fight.

Now let’s stop and consider what the fight is all about. It might be a political stance, a personal belief, an argument with a friend or a spouse, it really doesn’t matter. I’ll say it again, IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER! In the grand scheme of life, it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Think of it in this way: If the world ended tomorrow would this argument that kept you from loving others mean anything at all to Jesus when you see Him face-to-face? Or would the fact that you held onto this fight INSTEAD of loving others mean more to the Lord? Maybe we should lay down our hateful, slanderous, judgmental words and actions and take a look at what we are truly fighting for. 

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Ephesians 4:31-32

Let It Go

Let It Go

I am someone that is deathly afraid of heights. If you put me up on anything taller than a step stool, I’m freaking out a little bit. I’ve tried numerous times to climb a ladder and every time I get to the top I am hanging on for dear life! I’m so afraid to even let go of the ladder because I’m afraid I’ll fall. Are any of you hanging on for dear life? No, I don’t mean hanging on to the ladder. I’m talking about hanging on to worldly things.

It’s not easy giving everything up to follow Jesus, is it? I’m sure many of you are having a tough time giving things up. There was once a time in my life when I was only living half-hearted for God. I would go to church on Sunday, sit and listen to the sermon, and put on a good face that I was a believer. As soon as I walked out the doors, I would not think about the Lord or His plans for me until the next Sunday morning. Are you living this way? Are there worldly things that you are hanging onto for dear life? The things you just don’t want to give up for Him? Are there things you like to do, watch, read, or buy that you just don’t want to let go of? What about your time? Is it too valuable to give up for His work?

There was a time in my life when these things all came before God. Change is hard, but a life lived for the Lord is totally worth it. When you are willing to change for Him, then He will show you His power in so many ways. The first time you truly get to see His power you will be awestruck, amazed, and humbled! So, just let it go and let God show you his amazingness!

I'm still changing and growing, it's not like a light switch, it doesn't happen overnight.  Getting closer to the Lord and leaning on Him will keep us on the right path!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

Are You Abel?

Are You Abel?

The story of Cain and Abel is as old as time. One brother kills another out of jealousy, right? There is really much more to this story. In truth, the story is all about giving all to God. Cain and Abel were brothers that both presented offerings to God. Abel always gave the very best of what he had as an offering to God, but Cain just gave what was required. Because God knows our hearts, He knew that Cain wasn’t giving from the heart. He knew that Cain was giving out of obligation. That is why He appreciated the gifts from Abel so much more! God wasn’t showing favoritism here, He was rejoicing in a gift from the heart.

Now back to the question: Are you Abel? You may think this question refers to the money you put in the offering plate on Sunday, but really it isn’t. Giving to the Lord is a LOT more that what happens in the offering plate on Sunday. It is really about what happens outside of church altogether. We are talking 24/7, 365 days a year. How much of your heart (and your time) are you truly giving out of love for the Lord? How much are you giving to others out of this love? Do you find yourself doing things out of obligation or because of what people will think or are you doing them because your heart is so filled with the Lord that you want to share that love with others?

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Matthew 22:37-39

Worrywarts

Worrywarts

Have you ever been called a “worrywart”? Have you ever stopped to wonder what in the world it is? Well, thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, here is the definition:

Worrywart: Someone who worries needlessly or incessantly.

I’m pretty sure this would describe many of us, right? We worry about how we look, what we wear, how much money we have, what other people think of us, etc. etc. etc. Until all we do from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed is worry about one thing or another. Is this you? Stop and compare how many times you have had a worrisome thought to the number of times you’ve talked to God today. What’s the ratio? Is worry winning?

Have you ever stopped to wonder how annoying all of these worries have to be to God? He’s up there trying to take care of everything and all He is hearing are the worries of doubters clogging up the prayer-phone! Yes, every time we allow ourselves to worry, we are expressing our doubts that God can handle this. In essence, we are not having true faith in the Lord to take care of our problems. If you are a worrier, it is time to let it go and give it to Him. He is much better at taking care of things than you are!

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

Luke 12:25-26

Sink or Walk?

Sink or Walk?

We’ve all heard about the time that Jesus walked on water, right? There is another story that goes along with it, though. That is the story of Peter and his little trek out onto the water. When Jesus appeared to the disciples, Peter was faithful enough to ask Jesus to allow him to walk on the water also. Stepping out of the boat when Jesus was standing right there and he could see him and trust that he would help him required a lot of faith, but it was also the easy part. The more difficult part came when the wind and the waves picked up. At this point Peter kind of chickened out and started to doubt. Of course, this doubt caused him to start to sink! 

If you think about it, this is a lot like our own lives. It is easy to have faith when life is going good, but when tough times and the storms of life come, it can be a little more difficult to believe that the Lord is going to save us. When sickness comes, when we lose loved ones, or lose our jobs it can make us forget that the Lord is there holding us up. We may lose sight of His great power and His ability to carry us through any of life’s difficult times. If we do keep our eyes upon Him, though, He will show us His great power. Sometimes we have to walk through the valley so that we can understand just how great the Mountain is!

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:28-31

The Jungle

The Jungle

There are many of us who have been lost in darkness at some point in our lives. Maybe you are one of those people and you have managed to find your way out, or maybe you are still trying to find your way. Those of us that have found our way out can help those that are still stuck!

Sometimes when we are battling the darkness of our life, it may seem like we are stuck in a jungle. We look around and we can’t see any way out. There are trees and vines all around and we are afraid to even take a step for fear that we will get tangled up and fall – and who knows what kinds of horrible creatures are hiding under the ground cover! You may be asking yourself how you will ever get out of this mess. Luckily, the Lord can make that possible. He sees that you are struggling and He wants to help. Even when you haven’t asked Him to, He is sending His people your way. There are others who have been in the jungle and found their way out. They hold the tools to help get you out of there! He has equipped them with the machete it will take to clear the path for you because they have been where you are. They will help you find your way to the Lord and out of this scary jungle. 

The Lord will give you the strength to fight your way out if you turn to Him. He wants to forgive you for the sins that have you trapped if you let Him. Even though things seem really dark and scary in the jungle, there is a beautiful Son wanting to shine His light on your life. With Him beside you, the scary things don’t seem so scary after all.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Matthew 11:28-30

Change

Change

When we see the word “change”, many different ideas might come to mind. First we might think about seeing changes around us or in others. Some of us might look at it and think about the nickels and dimes sitting at the bottom of our purse. How about if we look at it both ways? Many of us may look at our lives and see that we need to make some changes. 

Now let’s talk about “spare change”. Imagine your heart as a “change purse”. You know, the kind with a little zipper at the top. First, unzip that change purse (your heart) and dump it out. You may be asking how to do this. Surely, you’ve heard about pouring your heart out, right? Do it! Pour your heart out to the Lord, confessing all of your sins. Then take a look at what kind of change you have been carrying around. Is there any phony money in there? You know like the kind you get at the toy store in the play cash registers. This phony money was put there by Satan. It can be in many forms: guilt, shame, unclean thoughts, profanity, gossip, hatred, unforgiveness, and the list goes on. Next, open your heart and let the Lord fill it with only what is real, what is His. If you will allow Him to, He will fill your purse to overflowing. It will be so full that there will be no room for Satan’s phony money. Not only that, but you will be able to discern when Satan is trying to sneak his phony stuff into your purse!

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21

Jalopies to Jewels

Jalopies to Jewels

The Lord has a way of turning junk into something beautiful. Have you ever thought about your life that way? Has your life ever looked like something that should be in the garbage? If you are in that spot right now, don’t give up hope. He can restore anything!

There is a show on cable television where old cars that have been restored to mint condition are sold at auction. It is amazing what these cars bring – thousands of dollars! Yes, you see them when they are at their very best, after someone has spent a lot of time and effort to fix all of their problems and give them a fresh coat of paint. Now, imagine what they had to have looked like before that person started to restore them. I’m sure they were probably sitting in the weeds somewhere, all but forgotten. The body was rusted, the tires were rotted, the seats had been chewed to pieces by mice, not to mention that the engine was completely seized up and wouldn’t even begin to start. 

Now, take a look at our lives. We have lost our way and no Christian even wants to look at us because of the things we have done (or are doing). We are essentially left in the weeds to be forgotten. Our bodies have been beaten and battered by the life that we have chosen to live, one that doesn’t include the Lord. Our hearts, minds, and souls are so weary we just don’t want to go anymore. Lucky for us, Jesus is the greatest Restoration Expert in all of eternity! When we turn to Him, we can be completely restored. He will make us shiny and new again because He can see what great value we have, even when we are still a jalopy! He can see that there is a jewel waiting to come out!

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

1 Peter 5:10

Heart On Fire

Heart On Fire

We are all blessed with kindling inside of us. By kindling I mean stuff to make a fire. Each and every one of us have the very same things available to us. We each have a heart, a soul, and a mind that can all be used to start a fire for God within us. Have you ever looked at another Christian and wondered why they got so lucky to have the kind of relationship with God, a fire for God, that you could only dream of? God doesn’t choose certain people to bless with this fire for Him. The reason these people have the fire is because they have chosen to turn away from everything else and give themselves completely to God.

This is the match to light the kindling. We all have the ability to make this choice. Let’s think about a campfire. If you are trying to roast a marshmallow but you have other food completely covering the fire, you won’t be able to get any heat to your sweet treat. You have to remove all of the obstacles between the marshmallow and the flame. The same can be said about you and the power of God. Before you can begin to feel the warmth of God’s power, you first have to remove all of the obstacles that are standing between you and God. These might be little things that you don’t think really matter to God, but even the smallest thing that keeps you apart from Him will keep you from feeling the heat. 

Once you begin to feel the warmth of God’s fire, you will feel the need to build it. The way to build this fire is by having a close relationship with Him. He will then lead you to new ways to continue to build this fire. You will find yourself stepping out of your comfort zone, helping others in extraordinary ways, showing love to all of those around you, and the flames will consume you in the BEST WAY!

But if I say, “I will not mention his word

or speak anymore in his name,”

his word is in my heart like a fire,

a fire shut up in my bones.

I am weary of holding it in;

indeed, I cannot.

Jeremiah 20:9

An Action Noun

An Action Noun

Follower. This is a very unique word. It is a noun, and yet it requires action in and of itself. You can’t be a follower unless you are actually following. Sure, some people call themselves followers and yet are not actually following. Some people only claim to be followers but are not acting upon it. This is not what the Lord had in mind when He wanted us to follow Him. This verse in Matthew is a call to action:

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20

He wanted us to get up and act on our calling from Him. It is very difficult to reach out to others if we are just merely being followers as a noun and not acting upon it. Sitting in a pew listening to someone speak is not enough. If we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, it will spur us to action. Otherwise our faith is dead.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14-17

Holes in Your Armor

Holes in Your Armor

Every day is a battle. Each and every one of us has to go out into the world on a regular basis. Even if we don’t want to, we really don’t have a choice. If we want to put food on the table for our family, we have to go to work. If we want to actually have food to feed them, we have to go to the grocery store. In either of these places, you are going to come in contact with other people, and most likely the world. Anytime you come in contact with people and the world, you need to be wearing your armor. 

Here is a little something you need to know about Satan: He uses whatever means necessary to try to put holes in your armor. Many times he uses other people and our own weaknesses to help him poke these holes. Negativity, gossip, hatred, jealousy, pride – do any of these sound familiar? These are just a few of his favorite tools. They are like spears that penetrate our armor. 

How do I strengthen my armor, you might ask? The Lord is your one and only armor repair kit. By going to Him in prayer you can fill these holes in your armor. Through the strength of the Lord, we can strengthen our armor and make Satan’s spears useless.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Ephesians 6:10-12

Rearview Mirror

Rearview Mirror

Every car comes equip with a rearview mirror. Driving forward while looking strictly in the rearview mirror can be dangerous. If you never look forward, but only look back, you could easily run off of the road. You can’t actually see the road when you are too busy looking back. 

Do you spend your life looking in the rearview mirror? Sometimes the things in your past can be a real distraction from the Lord. If we spend all of our time remembering our mistakes and beating ourselves up about them, that can keep us from allowing the Lord to forgive us and keep us separated from Him. The Lord wants to be in our lives, but if we continually hold on to the guilt of our sins, we will never truly feel His love and power.

Through the stories of the Bible, we can see that the Lord was warning us about looking back and wants us to only look forward – to Him. Take the story of Lot and his wife: as they were leaving Sodom and Gomorrah God warns them not to look back. When Lot’s wife looks back, she turns into a pillar of salt. If this doesn’t convince you to stop looking back I don’t know what will! 

“This is the covenant I will make with them

after that time, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds.”

Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts

I will remember no more.”

Hebrews 10:16-17