Unmasked

"Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God"- 3 John 1:11 (NIV).

Today is a perfect day for this verse: Halloween. Many little witches and goblins will appear on doorsteps to collect up their candy tonight. Today's Scripture, though, isn't about Halloween, but about how people view you. What costume do you wear? Do they see an ambassador of Christ? Their perception of you goes beyond your own persona to those you associate with: If you play in the mud you're bound to get mud on you. This broken world lifts up the tough guy, the rebel, as exciting and interesting. Don't fall into this trap. "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons" (1 Corinthians 10:21). Remember who you are and Whom you belong to. I'm praying you see little angels when you open your door tonight and they see who you really are. If you are still chained to what the world wants you to be, take that mask off and be who you are meant to be. His!

Forgiven and Forgiving

"Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful"- 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV).

Has anyone ever left something of importance in your care, trusting you for its safekeeping? It may have been someone's pet, their home, legal documents, a precious possession or their guarded secret. If so, you have been honored by that person: They trust you. "Whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfect. By this we may know that we are in Him" (1 John 2:5-6). Trust is not doled out, it is earned. Breaches, intentional or not, have to be repaired and, hopefully, the process of building the trust begins anew. Let's look from the other perspective: Has anyone ever proven unfaithful to you, you feel you can no longer trust that person? They've asked for forgiveness and wait upon your acceptance. Remember you, too, have fallen short of His glory. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32). There is our example: forgiven and forgiving. Build anew; the relationship will be blessed and stronger.   

Trail Pheromone

"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest"- Proverbs 6:6-8 (NIV).

My husband has capped our new porch with stone and cement, then sealed it to protect against the environment. It looks formidable; why then, does he still find little places where a procession of ants are getting through? A can of ant spray sits outside; a permanent porch ornament until the ants are driven away. Even in this hostile terrain the ants march out to do their daily foraging to harvest food. God gave ants a chemical they secrete called "trail pheromone." Wherever they go they leave a trail for other ants to follow that leads from the nest to the food. Each subsequent ant reinforces the trail as they go out and back to the nest with the harvest. Unlike the ant, Christians have a Commander, but like the ant we, too, have a harvest to bring in. God gave His children a similar "trail pheromone" to leave, a scent for others to follow when we wade out into the fields. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere" (2 Corinthians 2:14). Each trip we leave a trail to follow; reinforced by the next Christian, we continue to march out in procession gathering in the harvest.       

On Guard

"Then He said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions"- Luke 12:15 (NIV).

Don't we love to hear people compliment us on our home, clothes, car, job, etc? Have you seen the car sticker that says, "He who dies with the most toys wins!"? I heard a radio talk show host make the comment that our possessions possess us: physically, emotionally and financially. Look at the amount of time and money it takes to maintenance our possessions: cleaning, updating, repairing, protecting. How about the expression of "Keeping up with the Jones?" Now you have the sin of greed and pride clawing at your soul. Each possession steals a part of your life and shackles itself to you. Granted, we need a home, clothes, car, job, etc; however, there's a tipping point when your life consists of an abundance of possessions. How much of your life do you want to invest into your possessions? "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10; ESV). Satan steals life away and Jesus gives life abundantly. Be on your guard.  

Finding Mercy

"The man said, "The woman You put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it"" (Genesis 3:12 (NIV).

Throwing a person under the bus is a new expression and it's used quite frequently. When we find ourselves in a compromising situation we tend to pass the blame onto others. Adam was the first to do so; he threw Eve under the bus. I wonder if Adam thought God would punish Eve and he would be absolved? Would Adam have sat there and let Eve take the fall alone; I think he very well might have done just that. Remember, Eve was Adam's wife; his soul-mate, but he had more fear of God's judgment than he did of his wife. Proverbs 28:13 says, "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Don't think too harsh of Adam; a few minutes later Eve threw the snake under the bus. The point is that we alone are accountable for our thoughts, words and deeds. Let's learn to be accountable to God and find mercy.     

Too Much At Stake

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain"- 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV).

We discovered we have a family of raccoons living in an old tree behind our house. We saw the mother, while sitting on our porch in the cool of the evening, with three kits in the top fork of the tree. Once she saw us she began trying to get them back into their den. She carefully carried one down in her mouth, deposited the kit into the hole and climbed back up for the next one; however, as she left, the kit followed her mother back up as she was gathering kit #2 for the trip down. This scenario played out a couple of times, but mother raccoon was persistent. She finally got all three safely back into their tree home. There was too much at stake for her to give up. There are times we believers feel like we're not making any progress in our mission field, but today's verse promises our labor in the Lord is not in vain; we will make progress. Like the mother raccoon, we just need to continue standing firm in our endeavors to do the Lord's will. There's too much at stake for us to give up.

Needed Light

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house"- Matthew 5:14-15 (NIV).

My daughter was excited to find that her soon-to-be father-in-law had something in common with her dad. They both carry a flashlight with them at all times. It's true. My husband has a large array of flashlights in our home, plus carries one with him...just in case it's needed. The love of Jesus, our Light, should radiate from within us, for all to see. Just as when I can't see for the darkness, I know I can turn to my husband to provide light for my endeavor, others will seek the Light radiating from within us to give light their darkness. Jesus told us He was the light of the world. "Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life" (John 8:12). Verse 16 of today's Scripture says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Put your Light on its stand for others to see...unlike my husband's flashlight, this Light will always be needed.  

Unswervingly

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deed"- Hebrews 10:23-24 (NIV).

My niece ran her first half-marathon yesterday. That's a 13.1 mile run for those who don't want to have to Google the distance. There's a new app called Motigo that allowed us to record 30-second messages to cheer her on during the race. We could choose which mile the message would be delivered, which would play through her headphones as she ran. The messages encouraged her to keep going; her encouragers were spurring her on to the finish line. This is true of our Christian walk. We need encouragers, like any distance runner, to cheer us on in our spiritual race to the finish line. Encouraging words frustrate the enemy's plan to make you swerve off course in your race; "Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). This is the hope we profess; hold onto it unswervingly.   

Piles of "Stuff"

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose"- Romans 8:28 (NIV).  

There were piles of granny squares of different colors scattered all around. For those who don't automatically understand this scene, you've never crocheted before or lived with someone who crochets. All those little squares are assembled at some point, whip-stitched together, creating a nice toasty afghan for some special person. This particular pile of granny squares had been a first attempt; so many squares had mistakes, had to be unraveled and had to be corrected, but once finished the afghan was beautiful and still wraps around that special someone today. Our lives are similar to that process; it's hard to see how our piles of "stuff" are ever going to amount to anything, but God takes our mistakes, unravels them, corrects them, and is working each one for the good of those who love Him. Don't let your piles of "stuff" discourage you. God will finish the work He began in you; "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). 

Riding Herd

"But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned"- Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV).

Empty words are careless words. The Lord Jesus said that what comes out of our mouths proceeds from our heart (Matthew 15:18). Our pastor has been preaching a series of sermons on the book of James, which is most remembered for the chapter on taming the tongue (James 3). Like cattlemen riding herd, they are busy keeping the strays from slipping off on their own; so should we of every careless words coming out of our mouth. Like the danger of a lone stray, out from under the protection of the cattlemen, the stray can cause damage or be damaged. Even the written word is powerful, especially in this day of technology. Remember this quote: "The pen is mightier than the sword" (Edward Bulwer-Lytton)? You hold power, death and life power, in your words and the bearer,  as promised, will eat of the fruit of their mouth (Proverbs 18:21). We should be riding herd over every word.   

Eternal Moment

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me"- Isaiah 49:16 (NIV).

Together the couple climbed the mountain to see the view, but the young man had plans to make this more than just a Saturday afternoon hike: He intended to propose. The young man's proposal was accepted by the young lady he'd fallen in love with and wanted to share the rest of his life with. To commemorate that lifetime moment, on the top of that mountain, he carved their initials into the rock they stood upon; an enduring reminder of their love and commitment to one another. There is a Rock to stand upon that is higher than we could ever climb (Psalm 61:2). "For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?" (2 Samuel 2:32). God has fallen in love with His bride and we will spend eternity with Him. To commemorate that moment He carved our names into the palms of His hands. The moment we accepted His proposal was much more than a lifetime moment; it was an eternal moment. 

Spotlighted

"You have searched me, Lord, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways"- Psalm 139:1-3 (NIV).

The wind was moving the clouds through the early morning sky. A hole appeared and a ray of sunshine beamed through. Interestingly, the hole and sunbeam stayed in tact as the clouds were blown from the left view of my window to the right. The sunbeam, resembling a spotlight, swept across the sky looking as if it were searching for something on the ground. Psalm 19:1 came to mind: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Nothing in all of creation escapes God's notice or inspection. He rolls us out paper-thin and looks at each molecule of our being. Thankfully only God can know us that intimately and He's in the healing business. "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:-23-24). Thank you Lord for the heavenly reminder this morning that You seek to know us, to heal and restore us, Your beloved children.

Shielded

"Surely, Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield"- Psalm 5:12 (NIV).

I heard a noise in the kitchen in the middle of the night. Frightened, I ran to my parent's bedroom. Dad wasn't home, but my mother quickly rose and gathered my dad's pistol. We moved down the hallway, mother leading the way. My jack-hammering heartbeat slowed down as we approached the kitchen. There was nothing to fear. It's hard to describe how much safer I felt once my mother was there protecting me, shielding me. By the way, my mother was 100-pounds, if she were fully clothed and soaking wet. God's favor, His love for His children, surrounds us like a shield. The Greek phalanx, with interlocking shields, pales in comparison. Our resolve should be one of complete confidence in His protection or do we need our eyes opened like Elisha's servant. Surrounded by the enemy, Elisha was calm, but his servant was terrified. So, "Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17). Brothers and and sisters, God doesn't show favoritism. His love surrounds and shields even when we can't see; there is nothing to fear.  

Non-Beneficial Clocks

""I have the right to do anything," you say-but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"-but I will not be mastered by anything"- 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV).

There are people, who like squirrels, collect and keep "things," refusing to let them go; after all, they may need that broken clock for parts someday. One clock is fine, but a lifetime of storing away clocks (aka things) will fill your closets, extra rooms, out buildings, and some will go as far as to rent buildings to store their clocks. Then they go and buy another clock. The clocks of our lives take over space and you end up living in but a corner of your house; your clocks have mastered you. There is something liberating in letting go of our clocks. God did not provide clocks to fill up our spaces and master us. "For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:16). Take your non-beneficial clocks and let them go.