Gentle Response

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law"- Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV).

I have a young cat who displays a fruit of the Spirit. This discovery began with a caught mouse. Tiger Lily, who looks more like the Wookie in Star Wars, was so careful not to kill or injure that mouse. The image of her carrying the mouse gently with her front teeth, like a mother cat carrying her kitten, head tipped back, and tail straight up in the air, from room to room, is vivid in my mind. She is a character, but she's also smart. An injured or dead mouse is no fun to play with. Tiger Lily's little mouse was stressed out, but finally got away from her and escaped, unharmed, under the dishwasher. (That means I still have a mouse in the house.) As Christians, we must be gentle with those whom God brings onto our path or we may injure them...or kill them off completely to the Gospel message. As Tiger Lily learned, you can do so much more, and you gain more time, with a gentle response, as you present the love of Jesus through your actions and words.The Apostle Peter instructed, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). Even Tiger Lily's gentleness might pay off. I wouldn't be surprised to see that same cat and mouse game going on again real soon. 

Spice It Up

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot"- Matthew 5:13 (NIV).

My husband and I went out to eat at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant last night, known for their delicious Pho, a flavorful soup with vegetables and noodles. I’d like to have seen my face when I took that first bite; it was terrible. The soup had no flavor. It was warm water with under-cooked vegetables. I asked them what had changed in their Pho recipe. It seems they left the spices out of the soup, saying some customers didn't like the flavorful seasoning as much as others did, so they were trying to take a middle-of-the-road-flavor stance. Yuck! That was no middle-of-the-road-flavor stance; that was a no-flavor stance. I couldn't eat mine, regardless of the amount of soy sauce I added; my husband, due to hunger, tried the hardest, but only got a cup of his soup eaten. Our lives, like the Pho soup, are no longer good if there is no flavor. It's a wasted life, like my wasted dinner, to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Sprinkling God into our life gives flavor; then the hungry are fed. Our needs are met, as well as those who transition in and out of our daily life. They take some of our seasoning we sprinkled, with them, and hopefully sprinkle it into the lives of others they meet farther down the road they travel. Jesus does not want us to have a middle-of-the road stance with His flavoring. A no-flavor life is a no-Christ life, in which, people will walk away as hungry as you are...and people can die of hunger. Spice up your life and those around you. Sprinkle a little Jesus and be filled.   

Be Happy

"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live"- Ecclesiastes 3:12 (NIV).

I had a 9th grade student, years ago, who always had a smile on her face. Her name was Julia. You would think her smile was because she came from an affluent family, was a stunningly beautiful girl, and, to top it off, was one of the most gifted students I've ever taught. Her smile was always radiant and present, each and every morning. Yet, what wasn't visible, was that she had reasons to not smile: other girls were jealousy cruel to her, her boyfriend became so controlling that she had to break up with him, and then she broke her back playing soccer. Under her clothing, she wore her brace for the remainder of the school year. I was the Academic Team coach; Julia was my team captain and star player. I can remember being at competitions and she would lie down on the floor between rounds to relieve her back pain. She would lie there smiling, strategizing about the next team we were competing against. I'll never forget Julia's smile. Just the mention of her name, brings back the image of her smiling face. It makes me ponder what image I will leave behind. Will it be one of anxiousness, complaining, fear, sorrow, defeatism, or anger? Which appears the most Christ-centered? Yes, Julia was a Christian and she shared her faith and happiness, with me and others, through her smiles.

Sewing Lesson

"As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead"- James 2:26 (NIV).

I don't use my sewing machine. I do hem garments, replace buttons, and such by hand, but, my sewing machine, designed to create garments, sits in the floor of our guest room...lifeless; except for the fact that it is gathering dust and taking up space. My lifeless sewing machine could be an analogy of a Christian who has faith, but there are no works coming from that faith; it's nice to know it's there, in case I ever need it, but that sewing machine should be cranking out new shirts, pants, dresses, etc; just as my faith should be producing works. James says, "But someone will say, "Show me your faith [sewing machine] without deeds [garments], and I will show you my faith [sewing machine] by my deeds [garments]" (2:18b). When my life is over, will people remember me for having a sewing machine or by wearing the garments created by my sewing machine? Unused faith, like an unused sewing machine, is dead without the deeds that should spring forth. We don't want our faith to be gathering dust and taking up space.     

Well Built

"They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built"- Luke 6:48 (NIV).

Believers build their foundation on the Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ. That applies to every area of our lives that we build upon: relationships, activities, jobs, finances, and our health. Another way to say it: We are to be Christ-centered. That certainty is followed by this one: Floods will come. The Scripture doesn't say "if" a flood came, it says "when" a flood came. Floods can shake your entire world, but you will be sustained, unshaken, if your life is centered around the Rock. Building on Christ is not a passive activity. Notice the man dug down deep. Any scrupulous contractor will tell you that you have to dig down to the hard surface before laying the foundation. That hard surface, "rock," keeps the foundation in place. As believers, our digging is accomplished by prayerfully digging into the Word. Anything built on top of such will survive any flood that comes. Dig deep and be "well built" brothers and sisters.    

Branded

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ"- Colossians 2:8 (NIV). 

All Christians face deceptive worldly forces; especially students their freshman year of college. Some will falter, while some will fall. My freshman year battle was in my Philosophy class. Our professor attacked religions, especially Christianity. He had Christians raise their hands and then ask us how we could put our faith in a belief system that had no proof. As youngsters, we weren't as well-equipped to answer every question the professor threw at us, especially deep theological questions. He was adamant. Finally, unable to make us change our minds, he shook his chair, pointed at us, and called us monotheists. That's what he called us the remainder of the term. We were branded. There were even a few students who called us monotheists. We lost a few of the faith that term. These battles have been going on for generations and they're alive and well today. The tactics change, but the desired results are the same...to take you captive. The long thin fingers of worldly deception try to grasp you and pull you into the abyss. That is a place you don't want to be near, nor in, full of lost souls, who, if they aren't miserable now, will be later. If Christ is not at the center, flee. You may be a minority; you may be marginalized; but, you want to get used to wearing the brand. After all, we are promised to wear His brand one day: "They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads" (Revelation 22:4 ). Branded as His for eternal life.

Making Music

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms"- 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV).

Would a painter be happy if canvas and paint were denied him? Or a writer, refused the implements necessary to set his thoughts into written words? Will a musician remain satisfied with silence from his hands? My husband is a musician...a very talented musician...who has searched for years for a venue to serve the Lord. My husband's joy was, and still is, evident when he shares how God has removed the silence, replacing it with praise and worship, by opening a door where he can serve God through using his gift of playing music. God gives gifts to be used in His service and He puts the drive, the yearning, into the hearts of the recipients of those gifts. Their joy is found in using those God-given gifts to serve the Lord. Maybe the gift is teaching, or preaching, or caring for those who are weak, but we all have gifts. Remember the parable of the talents? Found in Matthew 25:14-30: The master left three of his stewards with talents; one with five, one with two, and the last with one. The first two used their talents in service to their master. The last buried his and it was not used. The master was angry with him; calling him a wicked, lazy steward (v 26). As believers, we are called to serve, and God gives us the gift(s) we need to do so. Then, instead of being called wicked and lazy, we will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your Master's happiness!" (v 23). Oh what joy in sharing in our Master's happiness!

Fully Armored

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid"- John 14:27 (NIV).

Our great-niece says she was anxious throughout her pregnancy and, now that her daughter has been born, she has a whole new set of worries. She says one worry stops and another worry replaces it. You and I both know God doesn't want us to worry. There are so many Scriptures about anxiety and worry. Believers know the solution: Trust God. When a person learns to trust God they experience peace; and peace is freeing. Surrendering all our concerns, releasing them into His arms, is the key. One woman spoke of writing down all her anxious thoughts on a piece of paper, then she got down on her knees and prayed each one into God's hands; then she ceremonially burned the paper. Writing them down was clever, but prayer was the foundation of her being able to release them. If you remember, Jesus prayed three times asking God to take the cup from Him. Many think Jesus was asking God to keep Him from the cross, so He wouldn't have to suffer. Maybe Jesus was asking His Father to remove His anxiety. We will all have times of extreme circumstances, but it's how we handle them that sets us apart from nonbelievers. I pray the Father removes my anxieties and gives me the peace and freedom that follows. Then, like a fully armored warrior, I'm ready to face whatever held me fearful. 

The Glory is His

"Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness"- Psalm 115:1 (NIV).

God deserves all glory and praise, but the devil tries to steal it away. There's been a couple of instances lately, where people had the opportunity to give glory, that I'd like to share. Christian Bale, who won a Golden Globe Award for his performance in "Vice," thanked Satan for helping him prepare for the part. (There's irony in that actor's name.) That was actually part of his acceptance speech. Mercy! However, if your a Clemson fan, you're celebrating heartily this morning. They won the national championship 44-16 over Alabama. Lots of happy fans were celebrating into the night. Even now, there's a group of fans huddled in the office kitchen talking about the game. The point I want to make...other than the South has risen again!...is in regards to the comments following the game by Dabo Swinney. He always, always, gives all the credit to God. What a wonderful platform to reach so many people and God has certainly blessed him in his career. Another one: I had a tweet this morning, that a man who was brain dead, revived and left the hospital a healthy man. His children were making the decision to remove all life support when he recovered miraculously. The daughter's comment was, "I don't want to make this into a big religious thing." In all fairness, knowing the media the way I do, she may have been misquoted. Regardless, my brothers and sisters, God deserves all the glory, all the praise, because of who He is. I'm preaching to the choir :). I'd like to hear more Christians, especially on social media, giving God the glory, because of His love and faithfulness.