August- Reflections

Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Colossians 3: 12-17
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

 Who do you resemble, your mother or father? We gain features from both our parents and sometimes our grandparents. Sometimes there are unique features that run through every generation, like pointy ears or big round eyes. Somtimes you can tell who a child belongs to just by their appearance because they resemble their parents so well. We reflect our parents and past generations of our family. We reflect an image of both of our parents. Not an exact representation, but a similar one. A mirror is designed to reflect an exact copy of anything that stands in front of it. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see clearly what I look like. I can tell if my hair is out of place, if my makeup is good, and if I like what I am wearing. Let’s be honest, our purpose in looking in the mirror is to make sure we look good. We want to make sure we look presentable to the general public.
     Besides physical appearance, we also inherit personality traits from our parents. Maybe your short temper is from your dad or your desire to always be early to an event is from your mother. Kids really are amazing because as they grow older, it becomes obvious what physical similarities and personality traits they have from each parent.
     God says we are made in His image. Think about that. What does His image look like? He doesn’t have a face like you and me. When Jesus came down as man, He had a face, but surely we don’t all truly resemble that image, right? God doesn’t need to eat or breathe like us, so what does it mean that we were made in His image? God does not have a body, but it is His soul we resemble. God is complex in His nature and beautiful, more than we can comprehend. He so complex and beautiful that He created not just one type of human but two, a female and male, which both reflect His beauty. Being part of His image means having His attributes. We are like our Creator because we have reason, intellect, will, and emotion just as He does. Everything He created before us also reflects His beauty, but we are the only creatures that reflect His image, His soul. It doesn’t matter who you are or whether you believe in Jesus, you are created in God’s image. That alone gives our lives significance and value.
     I’m going to state the obvious. We have a will like God does which means He has given us freedom to choose. We have freedom to choose what we eat, what we wear, where we work and how we use our money. We even have freedom to choose if we want to worship and obey Him. Yet, His desire is that we don’t just live with His image, but that we reflect His image and that means using our freedom to make choices that show forth who He is and what He is like. It means that I choose to treat others like He would, that I take care of my body that He created like He would, that I use my money like He would, that I am patient like He is, that I am forgiving like He is, and so forth. The Bible is my source of who and what God is like. His character is displayed from page to page. If you want to know more about His beauty and His creativity, just take a few minutes and read about the process of birth, or how a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, or how a rainbow is formed. God created all of these. Can you fathom His mind? He is far more superior to us and yet His love for us made us His prized creation. His love chose to make us in His image and we have the honor to imitate Him.
     Even though we can’t be like a mirror and be an exact reflection of who God is, we can strive to come awfully close. The more we spend time with God and let the Holy Spirit transform us, the better we can exhibit His qualities. I look in the mirror daily to make sure I look good, but we must strive to look at God daily and make Him look good through us+. I want to mirror God in my daily life. His qualities are stated for us in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” How well are we doing making God look good in ourselves?

“Being in the image of God means at least that we should image forth God. We should reflect what he is really like. And we should do that not to make ourselves look great (as imagers) but to make him look great (as Creator). People make images of famous people to honor them. God made man in his own image so that he would be seen and enjoyed and honored through what man does.”

John Piper, “Don’t Waste Your Life”

July-Falling in Love

1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 4:15-16,18-21
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him…..There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.


     What is love? How would you define this word to a child? The Bible says God is love, but what does that really mean? Is it a feeling or state of being or something you are in and out of? Is love at first sight or does it take time? Can you love an object more than a person? It’s a complicated phenomenon this thing called love. Songs are written about it, stories are based on it, and our lives revolve around it. Love can be described as affection or devotion to someone or something. Love can make you feel things you have never felt before and it can make you do things you normally wouldn’t do, good or bad. I’m not just talking about love between a man and woman. Love has different faces. The way a mother loves her child is different than the way she loves her husband or father or sister or even her fancy new dress. We can love as many people and as many objects as we desire.
     Though love may wear different faces, the source of it is the same. I John 4 says that God is love and the one who abides in love abides in God. We have to make something clear. God is specific about His kind of love. His love casts out fear. His love does not lie or hate someone else. His love protects, forgives, and provides (1 Corinthians 13). Our sinful nature has twisted love into things it was never meant to be. When we love like God, we love the right way and everyone benefits. Yet, we have a tendency to fall in love with the wrong things if we are not careful. Love isn’t something that just happens. You may love someone without making it happen, but how you act out of that love is entirely up to you. God does warn us that there are certain things we can’t fall in love with: this world. He makes it clear what it is in this world we cannot love. 1 John says that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and our pride make us love this world more than the things of God. Our desires and passions are good, but not if they become idols. Not if they make us think we are more superior or deserving than we truly are. That’s how we get entrapped in this world and start to fall in love with all it offers. We start believing we deserve certain things or need them to survive to have a better life. We think we need to live a certain way to truly be fulfilled. Please don’t misunderstand me. You can enjoy your possessions, you gadgets, your vacations, and your latte every morning. That’s not what this is about. That’s not what scripture is saying. God knows all about love and how it works. It’s because of love that He did incredible and kind of crazy things. His love for you and me drove Him to sacrifice His perfect Son so we could have life. His love kept the Israelites wandering for forty years to mold them into His people. His love allowed the disciples to perform outrageous miracles. That same love allowed some of those same disciples to be beaten and beheaded. Does any of this make sense to you? Honestly, I know the stories and know they are true, but what kind of love sacrifices your own flesh for those who are selfish? If love can make the God of the universe do crazy things, what affect will it have on us? Here’s the catch though. Love doesn’t control God. He is love and therefore everything He does, sacrifice or chastening, He does for the purpose of good. We are not God and we are not love. What we have as believers is the Holy Spirit who helps us, if we yield to Him, to live out love in our actions and our speech. If we love God, we act on His behalf. If we love the World, we act on its behalf.
     The bottom line is that when we love our spouses and our families, we will do just about anything for them, even crazy things. And usually it’s all good crazy things for them and for their benefit. That’s how God wants us to love people, with crazy, good, and wild love. The problem is that we start to love this world that same way and God knows how dangerous that can be. When we love this world, our love becomes distorted and usually very selfish. We start to love ourselves more and all of sudden love is unkind, or proud, or angry. The offers of this world are temporary and fading and God wants to protect our love and our lives. Whenever He says ‘No’ to something, it’s always for our protection and for our good. I think you would agree that Love is all things mentioned above. Yes, it can be love at first sight or love that takes many years. It is a state of being and a feeling. Some believe you can fall in and out love. I fall in and out love with TV shows many times! Love is definitely a choice, always. God chose to love us. You choose everyday to love your family. You choose everyday to love God. Our choices and actions demonstrate what and who we love. The cross is a visual reminder of who Jesus loves. It’s a reminder of who and how we are to love. God is love and my desire is to fall in love with Him every day until He comes for me and takes me to the world I can love. It’s okay to love crazy, to love wild, and to express it as long as we what we love, is what God loves.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

June-The Real Hero

1 Kings 16: 29-33, 17:1-6

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him….Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.


       Elijah comes on the scene in 1 Kings with a powerful and forceful message. There is not a lot of introduction or explanation, but there is a firm and clear command. It’s not Elijah’s command, but God’s. King Ahab has been a very bad man. In fact it says that he did more evil than any of his predecessors. And he didn’t do this alone. He found himself a bride that was equally wicked. Together, they were a dangerous, ruthless and frightful force. This was a couple that lived off of one another’s selfish desires and they craved power. Everyone was afraid of them. They were not the most reasonable people to deal with. We’ve got this crazy couple in power, and here comes Elijah. He’s not a warrior or soldier. He’s not geared up in leather and crossbows. He’s a prophet and usually prophets don’t pack a lot of heat. They do, however, pack some extremely powerful words. Elijah was singled out by God to single out this diabolical duo. And guess what? This duo singled out Elijah. They would want nothing more than to see him dead.
     Elijah is completely alone and has been called by God to challenge this ungodly couple to stop their oppression. The first thing he does is tell Ahab that there is no rain coming unless God commands it. This not only affects the royal pair, but also the rest of the people. God is going to show everyone, including Elijah, His power and greatness. The next command Elijah is given is to hide now that he’s a fugitive. He is to go down in the ravine and he will be fed by birds. I think it’s fair to say that God has somewhat of a flare for the dramatic. But dramatic gets our attention, right? Elijah is a no nonsense guy, but he does the dramatic himself, which we’ll see later. He lives in the ravine until it dries up and then he’s instructed to live with a widow. Two years pass and the drought is pretty bad. During this drought, Jezebel is on a prophet killing mission. It is at this time that Elijah summons Ahab. To sum it up, Elijah calls him out on his ungodly behavior and his complete defiance of the Lord’s command. He has everyone gathered including about 400 of the pagan prophets. He challenges them to choose God, but there is no movement. They have been stuck in their idolatry together and words are not going to shake them. Now we see Elijah’s flare come out. He proposes a challenge to see whose God listens, theirs or his.


“Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire —he is God.” (1 Kings 18: 22-24)

Sounds pretty fair, right? The prophets call upon Baal from morning till noon. Bear in mind that Baal is worshipped as the god of the sun, hence fire! Nothing happens of course. Elijah encourages them with a little taunting. They are screaming, cutting themselves, and crying out to Baal. Still nothing happens. He calls them to his alter and has them pour gallons of water around in the trenches of the altar. Can’t really start a fire with all that water, right? Remember dramatic flare. So we’ve got over 400 prophets, Ahab, and all the people gathered around looking at this spectacle and here’s what they see.

“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” (1 Kings 18: 36-38)

     Wow. I love that even the water was licked up from God’s fire. What happened to Baal? I thought he was in charge of the sun? Elijah’s prayer was extremely simple, but his faith was huge and firm. God answered and brought proof to these unbelieving people. Read the rest of the chapter; it’s amazing. Everyone either was in open idolatry or divided allegiance. Both are wrong. Staying neutral isn’t any better than worshipping idols. You must decide whom you serve. Elijah was a lone hero in this land. He didn’t possess special abilities, or wear a cape, or do cool tricks. He had the power of God. Elijah stood alone, yet his faith and obedience allowed him to stand up to idolatry and to be used in a mighty way. Yes, it is always easier when you have someone standing with you, but you may find yourself like Elijah. You may not confront a whole nation like he did, but what about a person? Would you be willing to stand alone and confront what is wrong? Maybe you already have. If you are walking in obedience and listening to His voice, you will definitely be asked to stand up. Especially in the state of our society where there is open idolatry and divided allegiance. Elijah was on a hit list and actively hunted, but God protected him. Our culture is in no better shape than Elijah’s. It might even be worse. God needs more Elijahs right now and He’s asking us to fill in.


“Elijah, this gaunt, rugged figure striding out of nowhere, suddenly stepping into the pages of history, is a clear witness of the value of one life completely committed to God. An unknown man from a backwater place, he was called to stand against evil in the moist turbulent and violent and decadent of times. Look around. The need is still great, and God is still searching.”                          -Charles Swindoll-

May-Getting Clean

Matthew 23: 25-28
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.


Psalms 51: 7-12
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.


      Have you ever cleaned a dish only to realize it still had food or stains on it? Or vacuumed your carpet wondering if it really is as clean as it looks? I imagine most of us know that carpets may seem clean to the naked eye, but there is a lot of dust and allergens imbedded underneath. You may also know the best thing to do for a pot or dish that has baked on food is to let it soak in soapy hot water. After a few hours, you can usually scrub away the particles like magic! Or for dried food on stoves, sprinkle salt and let it sit for a while and then scrub away. Didn’t know you were getting cleaning advice, did you? Now here’s the real question. Would you eat or drink out of a dirty, stained dish? Most of us would not. Jesus speaks to us about dirty dishes and unclean graves. But He’s not giving us cleaning advice for our home, but for our heart. He’s not teaching us how to keep a grave clean, but how to keep our minds pure.
     When you eat something that doesn’t settle well in your stomach, it usually has to find its way out. I’m sure we have all dealt with that awful experience. Whatever you put into your stomach has some effect, it can be painful or wonderful. Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts, to protect it and to be on the offensive with its care. Our hearts are as fragile as glass and as strong as steel. We have to learn how to use it properly and to guard it carefully. Our hearts have the power to destroy and the power to heal all at the same time. The words and actions that flow from our heart is determined with what has been put into it. There is so much that influences us on a daily basis. From the moment we wake up, we are listening to the radio, the TV, the people in line, people at work, friends, and relatives. We are reading our phones, computers, books, signs, and billboards. We are talking to people on the phone, people at work, at the grocery store, at the drive through, or down the street. Our brains and hearts have the ability to process all of this and sometimes all at the same time. From information to emotions, our minds and hearts never stop working, processing, and feeling. Tired yet? Yet somehow we have to be able to filter what sticks to our heart and what we need to scrub away. I personally don’t want everything I read on a billboard or hear on the radio to stay with me for the rest of the day. What tends to happen when we are not careful is that whatever we don’t scrub away, somehow finds its way out of our mouth and into our actions. Hence the reasons we must guard, defend, and fortify our hearts and minds.
     So how do we clean and scrub away? I suggest a few cleaning products. The baking soda Bible is the best filtering system you are going to find out there. It’s where stains and crusty particles don’t stand a chance. In the background of God’s Holy truth, our imperfections are revealed. Another good product is Comet people. Having a few godly people who can see the dirty areas, point them out, and help remove them is essential to any cleaning plan. They can help you, sharpen you, and encourage you, but like any cleaning product, you have to let them work. The last item that is by far the most important is the Spic and Span Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in you if you have surrendered and offered your life to the Lord Jesus. It is the Spirit that gives you the wisdom to understand and apply the baking soda Bible. It is the Spirit that uses the Comet people in your life to show you truth, to rebuke you, and to comfort you. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that truly washes and scrubs you clean. The bottom line? You have all the resources you need to help you remove the stains of anger, selfishness, greed, pride, rudeness, envy, and anything else that is black against the light of the baking soda Bible. The question is will you use it? Do you want to shine from the inside out? I can have awesome products like fancy soap and cool brushes, but unless I use them properly, they are just that, fancy soap and cool brushes.
     Let us go back to the carpet analogy. I can vacuum my carpet and it can be clean on the surface, but unless I deep clean, it is only clean on the top. Underneath lays all sorts of nasty stuff. This is how Jesus describes the Pharisees in the passages above. They seem righteous because they’ve cleaned the surface, but underneath they have stains that only deep cleaning can reach. You have to have the right condition for cleaning as well. You need a hot soapy heart. Yes our hearts are delicate like glass and strong as steel, but we must choose to have soapy delicate strong hearts. Soapy hearts can soak a lot of information and emotions, but then you can apply the baking soda Bible, Comet people, and the Spic and Span Spirit to scrub away the unwanted stains. Cleaning is a daily chore. Just like any chore, sometimes we have no desire to do it. But cleaning isn’t always about desire, is it? It is about what is necessary. If we waited on desire to clean our home, we might end up living in a pig pen. We clean daily because we want our home livable and enjoyable. How much more should we cherish our hearts and minds, and the hearts and minds of those living with us? If you are not cleaning daily with the baking soda Bible, Comet people, and Spic and Span Spirit, then get on board. Dirty hearts are not enjoyable to be around and God can’t always use you the way He desires unless you are in the business of cleaning. Can we agree to start cleaning today and living with soapy hearts?

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

Proverbs 4:23-26

April- God Needs My Help, Right?

Genesis 25: 21-23

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

      Sometimes I really do think God needs my help. He’s very capable of handling things on His own, but have you ever noticed that sometimes He takes longer than He should to answer your question or provide for that need? I’ve noticed that many times in my life and some of those times I’ve decided that my help, or a nudge in the right direction, would really be beneficial for Him. Besides, He has given me wisdom and discernment. Like I said, He’s very capable, but who wouldn’t turn down my help? I know of one woman who felt the same way. So, she decided to help God.                                                                         

     Rebekah was married to Isaac and if you remember, this was the Isaac that Abraham was prepared to sacrifice for God. God spared him and promised Abraham that He would make a great nation through Isaac. That great nation was born from Rebekah. Now, let’s assume that maybe Rebekah doesn’t know or understand this promise that was made from God. She’s pregnant with twins, she feels the babies fighting within her, and it causes her to be concerned. So she does what seemed best, she spoke to the Lord about it. He very clearly tells her that she has two children, and they will be great, but the older will serve the younger. Those are pretty heavy words for her to meditate on. And I’m pretty sure she forgot those words. Fast forward to when her sons, Esau and Jacob, are young men. Let me start by saying that Esau was only the firstborn by a few minutes and that Rebekah favored Jacob. Their father Isaac is going to die soon and per their custom, he needs to bless the first born son. He tells Esau to go hunt game and bring it to him and then he will bless him. Rebekah overhears this conversation and takes into account who she favors [which is Jacob] and possibly remembers that the older son is supposed to serve the younger. She decides at this point that God hasn’t come through on His promises. She does what any loving mother would do, right? She takes matters into her own hands and plays the deceiver to get the end result. Let’s read about it.

"Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” (Genesis 27: 5-13)

Let me mention that Isaac is pretty much blind at this point, so it was easy to deceive him. Jacob received the blessing by deception, Esau was heartbroken and angry, Isaac was taken by surprise, and I’m not sure what was going on in Rebekah’s mind. But a curse did befall her and really the whole family. Rebekah did not trust God to follow through on what He proclaimed many years before. She deceived both her sons and her husband. I don’t know how His promise would have come through, but I know that it would have been much better for all the people involved than the way Rebekah chose to handle things. She chose to act out of her fears rather than her trust in God. I encourage you to read the rest of the story when you can. That one deceptive decision that Rebekah made and Jacob followed had catastrophic consequences for everybody for years to come. Jacob had to flee from Esau and he never saw his mother again. God still worked good through those poor choices, but oh how it could have been so much better!                                    

     Remember I mentioned earlier that I think I need to help God out sometimes? Well, that’s when I’m thinking out of my fears. To be quite honest, I’m not really thinking at all. I’m reacting to fears and so I act and usually make a mess of things. Can you imagine if Rebekah, upon hearing that conversation between Esau and Isaac, prayed instead of conjuring up a deceptive plan or even had just spoken to Isaac about the matter? Well, let me end by offering some practical instructions for the next time you’re convinced you need to “help” God. You remember what you are supposed to do if you are on fire? “Stop, drop and roll!” Roll that fire out. Well how about when we feel like taking matters out of God’s hand, let’s Stop, Drop and Pray! Pray those fears out completely! I think we can all relate to Rebekah, even more so if you have a child and want the best for them. Yet whether we are single, married, or a parent, our fears can be very powerful motivators. We have to condition our fears to motivate us to literally stop our thinking, drop to our knees, and pray to the Lord. Can we all practice that this month?

STOP your thinking, DROP to your knees, PRAY to the Lord!

 

March - Stones of Memory

Exodus 14: 21-22 

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 

Joshua 3: 14-17 

So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water ….the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, …. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan. 

Joshua 4: 2-7

 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’……Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’……So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever"                                                                                                                                              

      I’m a big fan of celebrating. I love birthdays and anniversaries. It is fun to celebrate life and events that change our life. It’s great to gather around other friends and rejoice over something wonderful. This kind of celebrating is part of the community God wants us to have, to love those around us and to remember God’s goodness in the midst of it. Yet, rarely do I commemorate times when God chastens me, or exposes my fears, or brings unwanted change. They don’t seem like things you and I want to put a party hat on for. When I look back and think about when God brought me deeper into His will and strengthened my faith in Him, it usually was in the midst of some trial. It’s not always that He just helps me through the trial, but during the trial, He does something amazing. He’ll reveal something about Himself, or something about me. Or, He’ll do a little miracle that I wasn’t even praying for. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt through the Red Sea, literally through the sea. God pushed the waters back and they crossed on dry land. Then they lived on the other side of the Red Sea for 40 years. At the end of the 40 years, Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised Land through the Jordan River, literally. God tells Joshua that the tribe leaders are to pick up stones from the middle of the Jordan River and bring them into their camp. They are to keep them as memorials. Getting on the other side wasn’t necessary the trial the Israelites were nervous about—it was taking over the city of Jericho. Yet cross the river they must and God did an amazing miracle in the Jordan River just as He did on the other side of it. He parted the Jordan River and the Israelites crossed on dry ground…completely dry ground as to be able to pick up stones from the bottom. 

     God’s instruction was to “remember”. Remember what He did and what power He revealed for His people. He wanted the people to have visual reminders of the spiritual and supernatural. The stones were not just a story of crossing the Jordan but of everything before, during, and after the crossing. The stones were visual reminders to celebrate His goodness, to remember His goodness during other trials, and to help others believe in His goodness in the future to come. I remember years ago, walking with a good friend after a break up and trying to move past it. She stopped and picked up a white stone and handed it to me. She told me that whenever you look at it, remember that God is good and everything will be just fine. I kept the stone on my dresser for a while and every time I saw it, I thanked God for His goodness and that He was in control. I wish I still had that stone. 

      We tend to forget so easily what God has done for us. Remembering His power and miracles are not just for ourselves, but for future generations. God wanted the children of the Israelites to know about their parent’s relationship with God, and He wants that for us as well. He does not want us to forget. The enemy would like for us to forget. We have to be active in remembering His miracles, His goodness, and His tenderness so that during trials, our faith is strengthened and we can share it with others. I challenge you and myself to start today to pick up ‘stones’ from our trials. They can be anything that is a sign among you of what God has done. 

Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Joshua 4:19-24

February

Proverbs 19:11

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

Feel and Act Love

     Last month we looked at love and how it is a sacrifice of ourselves to others. It is all about giving and serving another person. Christ gave and served us on the cross. His love is an example everyday of how you and I should love others. As I think about this, I realize that if Christ had not gone to such lengths to show and prove His love for me, would I do the same? Would I prove my love to Him or to those I love? It’s easy to love when things are easy, but it’s during the difficult times that love becomes more of a choice; a choice to have patience, faith, hope, and endurance. His love is pure, cleansing, forgiving, and enriching. When we as fallen beings practice that kind of love, it refines and cleanses us. Many times that word “refine” is another way of saying that its making us see our sins and having to change our ways—not always fun, huh? And yet, this is how sanctification truly works in our lives. The word “sanctify” can be defined as ‘to purify or free from sin’. That is what Christ wants for us. Is that not the reason He willingly was nailed on the cross…so that we would be free from sin? As a believer, you are free from the eternal consequences of sin, but not from its earthly effects. Choosing to love as Christ is a choice. It is through practicing His love that the Holy Spirit sanctifies us.
     I talk about love again because even though we’ve already seen that sacrifice goes hand in hand when it comes to loving others, the truth is it is hard to love that way. Giving of ourselves does not come easy and sometimes we do truly love others. We just love ourselves more. Think about the last time it was hard to forgive someone. How about that time you were asked to help serve a meal, help someone move, or give an extra offering? What about prayer? Are you praying for those who’ve asked for it? This isn’t about guilt. It’s about how love comes in many forms and how we must recognize all of them. It’s about loving those we live with and loving those outside our ‘circle’. Christ loves us not just by His death, but by His life in us. He loves us by forgiving us every day, redeeming us every day, protecting us every day, and by refining us so that we can love like Him. I hope there’s a certain amount of sorrow as you read this and realize that you have said ‘no’ to some ‘love opportunities’. Not a sorrow that leads to guilt, but to repentance and choosing to love better. (“yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance..” Romans 7:9a)
     For many of us, love sometimes comes down to time. I will be the first to admit that I can be selfish with my time. You’ve heard the phrase “time is money”. Well, in our culture right now, time is precious and valued very much, just like money. I agree that we must protect our time, but to what lengths? We’ve got to let God’s love penetrate where it hurts and I believe it hurts us when it comes to our time and our money. Everything we have, our time, our money, our families, and our bodies belong to God. He has made us stewards to care for such things. How do we love as He loves with the resources He’s given us? I can tell you I don’t measure up that great. I can be selfish with my time and money. The reality is that I have no problem giving my money and time to my family or my closest friends. That’s relatively easy. Even if I don’t feel like loving them, I choose to because of my relationship with them. Anyone else feel that way, too? For the most part I want to serve them and I have no problem sacrificing for them. But, what about those I don’t have a close relationship with? Should sacrificial love be shown to only those I know? What about those that have hurt me or those I don’t know very well. Am I expected to love them with that same love and compassion I have for my family? Did Christ distinguish His love between His disciples and those that nailed Him to the cross? Love hurts.
     You and I have different backgrounds, personalities, strengths, and weaknesses that allow us to relate to others in ways that may not be similar. The Lord has carefully put people in our lives to love us, sharpen us, rebuke us, and comfort us. This is another way He loves us. He wants to grow us in His love. He wants us to experience Himself in many forms. Yet love is not complicated. We can’t forget that truth. Love may be hard, it may not be wanted, it may be wonderful, but it is not complicated. The Lord has made that clear. It was love that allowed Him to create us, it was love that caused Him to save us, it was love that drew Him to the cross, and it was love that moved Him to redeem us eternally. Is it His love that draws me to serve others, is it His love that compels me to sacrifice my time and money, is it His love that moves me to get out of my comfort zone? I wish I could truly say yes to all these questions. I hope that you desire to say yes to these questions. This is the month of commercial love. Valentine’s Day is a recognized Love day. Whatever we may think of it, let’s take advantage of it. It is okay and even fun to love with heart balloons and heart shaped candy, but what if we also use this ‘love’ month to practice Real Love? To show other’s that love is not just giving of gifts, but of oneself as Christ did on the cross? We can’t love others right if we don’t feel and understand God’s own love for us. Love is feelings and actions together.

“True love always feels. But please note this crucial distinction: Feeling doesn’t necessarily mean you love; but if you truly love, you feel…..This means that when God loves, He loves in such a way that He is not just concerned about getting you to heaven. He cares about your comprehensive well-being, every minute detail of your life. He checks into all the nooks and crannies of your existence. No area goes unloved by God because if He gave you Jesus, He’s not going to hold back anything else. He has invested too much in you to overlook anything”

- Tony Evans, Our God is Awesome -

January

Romans 5:6-8 

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Philippians 2: 3-8 

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

J.O.Y. 

One of the recent sermons I heard was on why relationships, any kind, break down. The usual culprit is communication or the lack of communication. I admit I’m guilty of thinking someone can read my mind and know what I need. The thing is that relationships, whether they be with your spouse, your children, or your friends, takes effort. To communicate takes effort, especially for those who have a hard time expressing their emotions. Yet sometimes it’s not just communication, but more about attitude and having too much of it, or about humility and not having enough of it. Love is sacrifice and what greater picture of sacrifice than the cross. Christ laid down his life for you and me and He didn’t do it to gain anything from us. He did to save us. He did to offer us something. That’s the kind of love I want in my friendships and my family. Love is sacrifice. That means we sacrifice our time, energy, interests, resources, and things we desire. That doesn’t mean we sacrifice our principles, but we humble ourselves for those we love. It’s how I want to learn to love people, and how I want to be loved. Somewhere between the desire to love sacrificially to actually doing it, I get in the way. We can speak efficiently, but words are worthless when action doesn’t follow. How do we measure love? Surely not merely by feelings or words, but by actions right? Words can be very powerful and can speak to your soul. Yet words gain their power when they are put into action. When the president speaks, he speaks with authority and power. But what if what he says never happens? Then the power of those words is lost. God says He loves me. But He proved it by saving me from eternal death. He gave up something precious to Him to show how much He really loves me. If what He gave up wasn’t precious to Him, then it wouldn’t be a sacrifice, would it? Yet it was a huge sacrifice for God to give up His son. So, is that what love is, the giving up of something I value? Sacrificing what I value to better the other person? 

      Humility plays a key role in sacrifice. How can we give up what we value for someone else unless we are humble? Humility is putting others before me. I remember the J.O.Y. we are supposed to practice. Jesus, Others, and You. It’s not that hard to know to put Jesus first, but many times I practice JYO. Others are last and where is the sacrificial love in that? This is exactly what Christ did for us. He put God first and then all of us next. That’s how He was able to be nailed to the cross and die knowing what His death would bring for you and me. That is True love. He said He loves me and He showed it. 

     Real love is not usually what is portrayed in the movies. It’s not always easy or fun or happy. Sometimes it is hard, time consuming, and taxing. Love pushes through feelings, but it doesn’t stop with them. Do you think Jesus felt like having nails hammered through Him? I doubt it, but He was not letting His feelings be His guide of what needed to be done. He was being led by Love. True love did not start with fairy tales. True love did not start with the Bible. The Bible was the result of True love already existing and proving that Love for us. 

     I want to live True love daily. What makes it hard is my own selfishness and wanting my own ways. The beauty about sacrificial love is that it not only benefits the receiver, but the giver as well. There is a transformation that takes place deep in our hearts when we choose to love as Christ did. He transforms our hearts to be more like His. Yet it is a daily choice and daily process. Christ did it for you and me in the most painful way imaginable and yet He did it out of His pure love for us. How will you love this New Year? If there is any resolution you and I will make this year, let us make sure it is True Love.

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren…..let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 

1 John 3: 16,18