Behind the Scenes

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"- 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV). 

We always think our calling will be something grand; something we know how to do and enjoy doing. Maybe, though, it's the smaller things that contribute to kingdom work and growth. There is an army of workers who make the politician presentable, the doctor capable, and the soldier unstoppable. Not everyone can be on the front-line. Maybe you're an aspiring writer, but only get asked to proof other's work; or a skilled musician who plays an instrument, but ends up running the soundboard and setting up microphones for others. Regardless, you are where God placed you. "Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them" (1 Corinthians 7:17). You may feel you're working behind the scenes, but live as a believer; you will never stumble and will one day receive the rich welcome into the very kingdom, His kingdom, you've been working for all along. 

Heavenly Treasures

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal"- Matthew 6:19 (NIV).

Malcolm Forbes, billionaire publicist, came up with the saying, "He who dies with the most toys wins." Compare Mr. Forbes quote to Chuck Palahniuk, novelist, who stated, "The things you own end up owning you." We won't judge Mr. Forbes, but aren't his thoughts the mindset of many people of this world? Mr. Palahniuk's quote can be applied Biblically: The people who have all those 'toys' must protect and maintain them from moths, vermin and thieves; it's ongoing enslavement that costs money, time and relationships. The rich young ruler, who followed all the laws, asked Jesus what else he needed to do to secure his heavenly reward." Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21). He doesn't mean for us to sell all we possess, Jesus wants us to free ourselves from worldly materialism and to be generous to the poor. In humility, we are to use our possessions to help others, to look to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4). Mr. Palahniuk also said, "It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything." Holy Father, help us to become free so we can follow Jesus. 

Sweet Blissful Time

"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing"- Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV).

As a young mother, I would rock and sing to my babies. The blessing was twofold; a sweet blissful time. We don't sing over our children as they get older, though, do we? I sang songs with them, but I stopped singing over them like I did when they were little and none at all when they became teenagers (That could be taken as a snarky comment). How many of us would love to lay our heads in our parent's lap and let them sing over us once again? Here is grace: God never stops singing over you. When you're sleeping, He's singing over you; when you're working, playing, praying, eating...you get the picture; He never stops singing over you. Take time today and be still. You'll experience that sweet blissful time of knowing your Father is singing over you. Here are some of the lyrics: "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). You can't outgrow God's love. 

Unshackled Tongue

"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God...I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling"- 1 Corinthians 2:1, 3 (NIV).

But Paul came! Sharing the Gospel can be intimidating on so many different levels; even Paul felt unworthy. The normal, simple Christians of this world stumble at the thought of misrepresenting, misinterpreting, or misleading individuals, so their tongues are effectively shackled. That's not what God told us to do. Psalm 96:3 says, "Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples." Sharing God's word and what He's done in your life are weapons of warfare, my brothers and sister. Of course the devil wants you to stumble; your words are how Satan will be defeated: "They triumphed over [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Revelation 1211a). Unshackle your tongue and fight the good fight. Speak of God's glory and deeds...it's your testimony and your part in triumphing over Satan.

Spurred On

"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 deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching"- Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV).

There was a time in my life that I didn't attend church regularly; if I was honest I'd say there were long stretches that I slept in on Sunday mornings. I reasoned that I worked hard, I was tired, God knew I loved Him and I was honoring the Sabbath in my own special way. It can become a habit. God kept putting people and Scripture in my life encouraging me to go and worship with other believers. King David said, "I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord"" (Psalm 122:1). He rejoiced with "those" and today's Scripture says to consider how "we" may spur one another on. You're aware of how it feels to wake up and your arm is asleep, numb. It feels like dead weight. Comparatively, we make up the body of Christ and sometimes there are members of His body who have fallen asleep. They need to be tended to, not overlooked. We are instructed to consider how we can spur one another on, wake them up; then the life flows back into the sleeping member and what was once dead weight becomes healthy and vibrant producing love and good deeds.  

Preventative Medicine

"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well"- 3 John 1:2 (NIV).

How many of us start feeling sick and Google our symptoms to see what could possibly be wrong? Our bodies may lapse into sickness, so we follow steps to make ourselves feel better as quickly as possible: rest, plenty of liquids, over the counter medicines or possibly see a physician. No one likes to feel sick; it's uncomfortable and we tend to worry about the impact on our lives. Our soul's health is a different story; sometimes we aren't even aware our soul has become malnourished or sickly. It doesn't run a fever or physically draw our attention, but we have a lot of control over the nourishment of our soul and can practice preventative medicine. We can feed it Scripture, be prayer-filled and speak to the Great Physician; or we can starve it to poor health by ignoring these steps and each of us convince ourselves that, "All is well with my soul," reaping the impact it will have on our lives both now and eternally. God wants us to enjoy good health, both physically and spiritually. Practice preventative medicine for your soul's health, my friend: I pray it is well with your soul.

Vital Nutrient

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight"- 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV).

First impressions are so important; so we are told. But the Apostle Peter tells us God sees the outward appearance as less of importance than a gentle and quiet spirit. Who wouldn't want a beauty of "greater worth" in God's sight? As the value of what the world esteems as beautiful fades, Christians seem to bloom inwardly. Their gentle and quiet spirit becomes good soil, in which to nourish the fruits of the spirit which bloom outwardly: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That's Christian apparel, the unfading beauty recognized as proof of continuing transformation. We should invest much more time on our inward beauty than in our outward beauty; as it is much more valuable for kingdom purposes. Pray and ask the Lord God to help you develop a gentle and quiet spirit. The key is you'll find the transformation happening when you are in His presence. His presence is the Vital Nutrient to condition your soul to bear inward and outward beauty.   

Wonderful Key

"I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom"- Daniel 5:14 (NIV).

King Belshazzar had seen the writing on the wall and needed someone capable of understanding the meaning behind the words. His counselors suggested Daniel, who had a reputation of having the spirit of the gods within him, evidenced by insight. Several translations, of Daniel 5:14, replace "insight" with "illumination."  There's an old Methodist hymn called Open My Eyes, That I May See that goes: "Open my eyes, that I may see...place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free...Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!" Wouldn't it stand to reason, following Daniel's explanation, that King Belshazzar and all his counselors would have been earnestly seeking that Spirit which was in Daniel? After all, the message on the wall was a warning. That's where the old saying "You can't read the writing on the wall" came from. Jesus is the Wonder Key that sets people free. Wouldn't it stand to reason that the entire world would be earnestly seeking the Spirit divine to illuminate them or can they just not read the writing on the wall? 

New Creation

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me"- Galatians 2:20 (NIV).

"[A}nd the two will become one flesh. 'So they are no longer two, but one flesh'" (Mark 10:8). Have you heard there is scientific proof that the longer you're married to your spouse the more you resemble each other? The two becoming one flesh is true. That might explain why your Aunt Edna and Uncle Jasper, after 55 years of marriage, are indistinguishable in dim lights. This is applicable Biblically. As Christians, the longer we are exposed to Christ Jesus, the more we will resemble Him, because we are His church; therefore, His bride. Christ lives within us. Our friends and acquaintances should see us acting, looking, more like Jesus as years goes by. A true intimate relationship with Jesus will forever change you: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). By the time God is finished with each of us, we will be able to look into the mirror and see His Son looking back at us.     

Have a Busy Day

"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat""- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NIV).

"If you don't work, you don't eat." Those were words I heard as a child growing up, but at the time didn't realize they were Scriptural. Paul was addressing Christians, in the church in Thessalonica, who were lazy and, due to their idleness, caused trouble, or as Paul called them: busybodies (v.11). They would sit around, cause a lot of unnecessary ruckus, and then belly-up to the dinner table and expect to be fed. Not to overdo old adages, but the one about "an idle mind is the Devil's workshop" is applicable. We've got two precious jewels to meditate on here: earning your keep and keeping the Devil away. Keeping the Devil away is the goal of every Christian: the idle and the workers; those who think they're entitled and those who allow them to become entitled. Paul set up the rule to cover both. Let's encourage all to get busy and stay busy, so they can rightfully come to the table: A busy day keeps the Devil away.    

2017 Plans

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"- Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV).

New Year's Day ushers in a new beginning. It's refreshing to think we can begin all over again. We make resolutions to improve our lives and then plan how to achieve them. Sadly, many still cling to years gone by, instead of trusting in God's plans for our future. Maybe you feel like God's been absent from your life for a time; that you don't sense any real direction coming from Him. God says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:18-19a). That's God's grace! He fills us with hope and gives us a future of His making. If you're wondering what to do with your new beginning this year, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). Let go of the past and wait to see God's plans for you this year. They are in the making even as you read these words.