Dr. Seuss Fare

The other day my husband smiled as he ate our “Dr. Seuss” fare! I’ve known for a long time now how blessed I am to have a hubby who is not a picky eater. But the other day when he got some leftover chicken stir-fry we both got a good laugh. We belong to a CSA farm so I am often experimenting with new veggies. As he looked at his plate of food he asked, “Okay, what did you get this time that would turn chicken PURPLE!” I told him I thought it was a combination of the sauces I added. He was fine with that explanation and ate it telling me it still tasted fine.

Yes, indeed, God has blessed me with a keeper!

Anyone Have a Pair of Scissors?

Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

I looked up “wait patiently” on Biblegateway word search and found 10 instances where we are told to wait patiently, or told about someone who waited patiently. I like Hebrews 6:15, “Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.” I like that because when I look back on the story of Abram and Sari, I see many times where they did NOT wait patiently, but took matters into their own hands. BUT God kept His promise; He was patient with the weak humans, constantly giving one more chance when asked. That gives me hope! My faith in God’s promises gives me hope!

          I am generally not a patient person and when things are tough I want to see the light at the end of the tunnel-NOW! I find myself doing as Abram and Sari did...using MY plan B, only to find myself farther from that light.

          Over the years, I have gotten better at this but there are still times when my old self wins over my new self. Maybe it’s that bungee cord thing again--giving the onus of impatience to the Lord in a suitcase strapped to my wrist with a bungee cord.

          Could it be that it is when I turn my back on God that the cord causes the impatience to come springing back at me, smacking me in the head? I know I have asked before but I truly would like a good pair of scissors that could cut through that bungee cord once and for all!

         

My God Looks at My Heart

1 Samuel 16: 7 (NLT)

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

          How blessed I am that my God, the Creator of the Universe, looks at my heart. I don’t have to worry about putting on my “twirlers smile” for Him. My God knows I am a weak human that is striving to be better. My God knows my love for Him. I am blessed that my God is a loving God, who looks for the best in all His children.

Thank You, God, for looking past my failings and peering into my heart!

MY PILLAR OF LIGHT

Exodus 13: 21-22 (NLT)

“The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and He provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from the people.”

          I am presently struggling and long to see that Pillar of God before me. The other day in our church Bible Study, as we were studying 1Kings, a young member of the group asked, “Why doesn’t God speak to people anymore?” A number of us came up with answers of how God speaks to His people today. But as I sat here clawing my way out of the mental pit of darkness I found myself in this morning, I realized he was asking why God doesn’t speak audibly to us.

          I would love to say then I heard God say, “Debbie, get off that chair and sing my praises.” But that did not happen. What did happen was I began thinking about Joyce Meyers’ book, Battlefield of the Mind. That’s when I realized I had to call out to the Lord and ask for His help to release me from the negative thoughts that surrounded me. His peace surrounded me like a nice cozy comforter.

          As I look back to this morning’s sketchy start I realize God does audibly speak to us every day! Besides the Bible, God speaks to us through authors, speakers, pastors and most of all through the people with whom He surrounds us. We just need to sit still long enough to hear His voice.

          I praise God for the Pillar of Light He gave me this morning as I sat alone searching for His peace.

Give it all to God

Bitterness or Worry; which is the most destructive? 

Bitterness ruins relationships; worry causes paralysis.

God loves us and wants good for us, all we have to do is seek God's Kingdom first. So read over Matthew 6:33.

Remember to cut the strings on the suitcases filled with our faults and anxieties. If we don't they act like bungee straps and come back and smash us in the face!

Even if we make a wrong turn God has our backs!...Romans 8:28.

God Always Opens a Window

Matthew 22: 9-10

“… ‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”

          This is the parable of the king’s servants being ignored and killed while presenting people with an invitation to the king’s son’s wedding feast. After the destruction of those that killed his servants the king sent out the invitation to anyone who would come to join him in his celebration.

          This parable is aimed at those that had ignored or killed the prophets that God had sent. The good news is that God then sent an open invitation to all of us to join Him at His eternal banquet. My mother used to say, "When God closes a door He opens a window." Thank you God for opening the window to allow sinners like me into Your banquet.

I am so thankful to have a merciful and loving God.

THOUGHTS BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS...

KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS

For the past several years there has been a wide open campaign throughout the United States to “Keep Christ in Christmas”.  This campaign deals with verbal and written comments giving homage to Our Lord Jesus Christ. My question is how far will this homage go?

I’ve seen campaigns on Facebook, videos on YouTube, even billboards along the road; all spouting the importance of the keeping the precise spelling of the holiday. We’ve come up with catchy sayings, besides “Keep Christ in Christmas”, like “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”.

I am hit with a question each time I see these statements, “What about after the season?”  There was a song I heard many years ago on a Children’s Christmas Special called, “Keep Christmas with You all Through the Year”.  I must ask, “If we did keep Christ with us throughout the year and truly were His hands and feet to those around us, would we even need a campaign to remember Jesus at Christmas?”

According to the website,  http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_xmas.htm, “The first recorded use of the word "Christmas" was in 1038 when a book from Saxon England used the words "Cristes Maesse" in it.” The on-line Catholic Encyclopedia site, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm, translates "Cristes Maesse" as the “Mass of Christ”.

Don’t get me wrong, I love wishing people “Merry Christmas”, but I am not insulted if someone wishes me “Happy Holidays”! For me it is not only the words that count but the actions.

This year, I want to remember the words of Pastor Mark Slaughter, “It’s Not Your Birthday!” Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Our Redeemer! But Christ’s birth was just the beginning of an incredible journey that continues today in each believer. This year I want to remember, I AM HIS HANDS AND FEET AND MOUTH to all those around me; I want to cause a ripple effect.  If I truly strive to be Christ’s embodiment to others than perhaps more people would see Christ in the Holidays and not need to be reminded that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season!”

Focus on God for a Merry Heart

PSALM 63:1

“O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.”

This psalm is said to be written by David while he was in the wilderness of Judah.  Although I live surrounded by mountains and have had more than our share of rain recently I can totally identify with this verse.

At times I have felt that desperate longing for God; some call it the “Dark Night of the Soul”. I think David describes it perfectly, because just as the body cannot survive without water, the soul cannot survive without God.

I used to have those desolate days where I seemed surrounded by darkness. Sometimes I screamed out to God seeking His comfort and heard nothing in return. Fully consumed with despair, all I can hear are the negative tapes spinning in my head.

Recently, the Lord put on my heart to develop a Bible Study about truly living as a citizen of heaven. The first part of the Bible Study involves a self-assessment; the second part involves making the appropriate attitude adjustments. These two steps have allowed me to see the folly of allowing negative thoughts to control my attitude. I have come to realize the self-assessment and attitude adjustment are lifelong processes. The third step of the Study is to develop a more intense personal study discipline of God’s Word.

Through the study of God’s Word I discovered a few appropriate truths. In Proverbs 15: 15, we are told, “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.” (NLT) A few verses earlier in Proverbs 15:13, the writer states, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” (NIV)

GOD IS MY ROCK

Isaiah 26:4

“Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.”

Recently I read a Christian Fiction Book where one of the main characters asked why she always had to hit the rocks and holes in the road of life.  When I was younger I often felt that way, because like the character from the story I felt I had to transverse these roads by myself.

Now I look at the rocks in the road differently. I read a book many years ago that asked if those rocks were stumbling blocks or stepping stones. It has taken me many years but I am much closer to using them as stepping stones. The image of a Rock is often used in the New Testament to refer to a safe, solid place or person of strong faith. For instance, the wise man built his house on a Rock (Matt. 7:25) and Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter-meaning Rock (Matt 16:18).

When watching Adam Hamilton’s, Journey to Bethlehem DVD, I learned that poorer people in Jesus time would sometimes form their homes out of the rocks. They used the rocks to provide safe shelter for their families.  I pictured the Pueblos in northern New Mexico when he was talking.

Now I know that I do not have to stumble over the rocks only to fall into the holes beyond them. I know God lives inside me (if I don’t shut that door). I know God provides people to help me use those Rocks as building blocks to shape a closer relationship with God. I know that God and the people He provides will help me sidestep the holes in the road of life. I know all this because over the years I have learned above all else to TRUST God; HE IS MY ROCK.

I Have Come to Trust in God

1 Peter 1:21

New Living Translation (NLT)

^“21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.”

I have come to trust in God, because when I trust in Him I have hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope that the medical flairs I experience will pass. Hope that one day I will be able to type without pain. Hope that one day I will be able to sit and walk without pain.

I don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in his side” was, although I have heard many theories. What I do know is that Paul persevered in spite of his physical limitations.

The facts are I have physical limitations, which are not always apparent to others,  and I must learn to accept them. That doesn’t mean that I must sit and wither away. No, I pray each day for the strength to continue this journey God has granted me. Although I may never be fully healed on this side of heaven I know Jesus is with me. I believe what is says in Luke 1: 36 “…Nothing is impossible for God…”

WE NEED TO PUT GOD FIRST

LUKE 9:59-60 (NIV)

He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

He said, “Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father’s funeral.” Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God’s Kingdom!” (The Message)

          Today I wanted to write on a scripture that has always really bothered me to the point where I thought the translation must be wrong. I checked different translations and all of them basically say the same thing whether it's the NIV or The Message. In Luke 9: 59-60 Jesus tells a man not to go bury his father. Having been extremely close to my dad I can't imagine a loving God telling me I couldn't bury him. Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary warns us about 3 temptations we must deal with when becoming a disciple of Jesus. One is not seeking a close, constant relationship with Jesus. Another is putting off discipleship until we have become successful and have a nice bank account to fall back on. The third is waiting until our family is secure, our children are grown, or my parents are dead and buried.

When I look at this admonition in view of these temptations it seems correct. We must not put anything before our duty to God. God does take care of our needs, this I know first hand (another perk of being around for more than half a century).

JESUS TELLS US TO BE "STREETWISE"

Matthew 10:16 (NLT)

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”

          I’ve always questioned this verse and the parable in Luke 16:1-9, where the dishonest employee is admired for his shrewdness. Consider verse 9, “here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”NLT

            It is during these times of questioning that the paraphrase, The Message; by Eugene Peterson usually helps to clarify things. Peterson restates Matthew 10:16 as follows, “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.” He summarizes Luke 16: 8-9 this way, “Now here’s the surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way-but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

            Checking the Dictionary of Bible Themes I found it says of shrewdness (5948)—that scripture commends shrewdness when it is directed towards a worthy goal.

          This is something I will have to continue to pray about because I still think of shrewdness or cunning as being sly and manipulative. But something that does help is to think of the King James Version which uses the word, “wise” instead of shrewd or cunning.

          So perhaps what I am being told is to not sit quietly and let others take advantage of me or others. That I can wrap my brain around!-)