Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Upcoming Events
Ladies' Fellowship
Third Tuesday of every Month!
LOOKING FOR LEMONADE IN A WORLD OF LEMONS
I think it is important that we look for the funny things in our everyday lives. If you are like my husband and me, we can just be minding our own business and the funniest things happen to us that you wouldnt believe.
One fall day, I came up to the church where a couple of ladies cleaning. One of the ladies asked if I smelled smoke and sure enough the smell of smoke was in the air. It smelled like an electrical fire, but we were not for certain. Our first thought was to have the Pastor check everything; however, he was nowhere to be found. I noticed two policemen down the street sitting in their patrol car. So, I decided I would rush down and ask them if they would mind checking out the church and decide if I needed to call the fire department. No need to bother them if I didnt need to.
They searched the church from top to bottom and couldn't find fire anywhere. In the meantime, my husband drives up to the church and notices the police car in the parking lot. I explained to my husband that we thought there might be a fire in the church. He apologized to the police officers and explained that it was only the furnace kicking on for the first time since the last winter. Boy, did we feel silly. We had to laugh at ourselves since the police officers didnt think it was so funny.
The human spirit can survive death, taxes, pain, and even a bad hair day and life will go on. You have to develop a sense of humor because without one, you are doomed to a miserable life. I love spending time in the aisle at the SHOEBOX cards; you can find yourself laughing out loud hysterically. Then, you happen to look up and everyone in the card shop is looking at you like your elevator doesnt go all the way to the top! I dont know if you realize it or not, but most people out there have no sense of humor. And if you don't believe that, just go shopping and meet some of the sales clerks. Without a good sense of humor you are doomed in this life, but, if you are blessed with a good sense of humor, you can survive and actually enjoy the trip.
Have you ever noticed how we have no control over the things that happen in church services? And the funniest things happen when you are not supposed to laugh. I remember one particular Sunday morning during the communion service. Communion is a time to reflect on your relationship with the Lord. We are reminded of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. During the communion service the nursery workers stay with the babies and toddlers in the nursery and they are included in the service. One of the deacons very quietly, descends down the carpeted steps to the nursery to deliver the grape juice. However, on this particular Sunday, one deacon descends the stairs and delivers the juice to the faithful nursery workers. On his way back, something happens. All we can hear is the crashing and clanging of communion cups and a deacon falling UP the stairs. The pastor not expecting to see the deacons face again, and trying to do his best to keep the service orderly, he turns to get another tray of juice when the red faced deacon comes on the scene with grape juice dripping all over his hands and whispers to the Pastor "That first step was a doozy!" It was all the Pastor could do to keep a straight face. Fortunately, we were near the end of the service. The last Amen was pronounced, and a roar of laughter filled the air. We were all holding it back. It was a good thing that deacon had a sense of humor.
Righteous women, be glad! If life does hand you a lemon, just smile and make lemonade.
Psalm 32:11 says Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
“Fluffy Eyebrows”
The other day my friend, Margaret and I were walking through the mall when a lady manning a kiosk asked me, “who does your brows?” Not planning to stop, I replied as I was walking away, “I do!” She said, “You have ‘fluffy brows’ let me fix them for you.” Now I know she is trying to make a living by taking a piece of dental floss and yanking away stray brows off my face. But do not call my brows “Fluffy”! When I think of fluffy brows I think of John L. Lewis, Brook Shields and Bert & Ernie Muppets. Now that’s fluffy and according to some web sites, bushy brows are back in style. Really!
However, I do not think this lady was complementing my so called “fluffy” brows; she wanted to make money. She wanted to make me dissatisfied with my looks. Business was apparently slow that day.
I got to thinking about the way this lady was doing business. If she could get me dissatisfied with how I looked, then she could make a profit. Isn’t that what the devil tries to do to God’s children? Make us dissatisfied with what we have so that we will pay the price to have something different? Hmmmm... Reminds me of that long ago day in the Garden of Eden.
Now that serpent was very crafty in his ploy to lure away Eve from her normal diet of good things God had provided. “Surely you cannot be satisfied with the same ole, same ole!” “And yes, I have heard that you are not to eat of that tree over there, but, trust me, you will be better off if you would just give it a try.” “Hey, your eyes will be opened and those beautiful eyebrows of yours will pop up and you will realize that you will be as smart as God!”
So, Eve thought about it for a moment and looked again at the fruit on that tree, saw that it was pleasant to the eyes, smiled, took a bite and then …wow! Now both she and her husband Adam’s eyes were opened! That ole serpent was right about one thing, they were a little bit smarter. I’ll bet they were saying, “Wow! I wish I hadn’t done that and wish I had listened to God." Now their fellowship was broken, they would eventually die, they would have many hardships, and sin was introduced. All because Eve passed that kiosk with the forbidden fruit!
The lesson is this; when we are dissatisfied with what God has allowed in our lives, we are going to be looking in all the wrong places for satisfaction. We will be lured into thinking that only money will satisfy, things will satisfy, good circumstances will satisfy and people will satisfy. The real deal is this, only God can satisfy!
Psalm 58:11…”And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”
Cool!! Let God guide and He will satisfy when I don’t have lots of stuff and he will make my bones fat so that others can see that the Lord is good!!!
Jeremiah 31:14b says: “And my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.”
I know it is when I get my eyes off the “Giver of Good Things” that I become dissatisfied with life, people, things, circumstances and yes, fluffy eyebrows!
Just so you know, I have tried the dental floss removal of stray brows while I was in Jordan on a mission trip. It was weird!!!
HAVE CHARACTER, DON’T BE ONE
A pastor in our city called and asked my husband and me to entertain their choir for their Christmas party. To entice us on so short a notice, we would receive a nice meal and an honorarium of $100.00. Whatever my husband wanted to do was fine with me. In the mean time, this pastor calls our church and finds all lines busy. Without realizing that he is being recorded we hear a conversation between this pastor and someone else in his office. During that conversation he describes my husband as someone he likes and dislikes, someone that is a preacher, singer, comedian, but rather hard to explain.
Now, with this information my husband has decided NOT to entertain his choir fearing this will be one of the times this pastor does not like him. My husband returned his call but found him out of the office so he left his message on his voice mail. Needless to say, we have not heard from this man with any kind of apology or explanation.
I have always heard that character is who you are when you think no one is looking or listening. That incident revealed that pastor’s character and influenced someone else's opinion of my husband without even meeting him. Keep in mind too, that we have only met this pastor a few times. Which include us buying him a meal and a few phone calls to encourage him during some pretty tough times in his ministry.
This incident could have made us furious. It could have made us want to retaliate. But instead we praised the Lord!! No, we have not lost our minds. This pastor now knows that we overheard his conversation. Surely, he feels bad that he got caught. What a CHARACTER!
Integrity is an important character trait for any believer. When others look at us, they must see Christ. After all, we are to emulate Christ in our lives in everything we do and say. We may be the only Bible some people read. Remember, people are watching you even when you think no one is looking.
Psalm 37:23…” The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”
“YOU DID, NO, ‘UDID’”
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Psalms 141:3
If I am not careful, I can embarrass myself beyond measure. Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time for everything, even what comes out of our own mouth. Trust me, I have been there, done that!
While visiting Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia, on a missionary trip, my husband preached three days of meetings to the wonderful people of that island. After the meeting on the last night, we were treated to a wonderful meal and were showered with many handmade gifts. One of the gifts included a beautiful sea shell pocketbook. I admired it greatly and thought how nice it would be to take one home to our youth Pastor’s wife, Lynne. I inquired as to who had made the pocketbook, hoping that I could purchase another one just like it from her. Please keep in mind that many of these ladies do not speak English and I of course did not speak the Pohnepian language. When I asked "Who made the pocket book?” they replied "You did". I reacted with, "No, you don't understand, I did not make this pocket book; I just want to know who did?” Again they replied with a smile, "You Did!" And again, I protested explaining that I did not make this pocketbook. Finally, the pastor's wife came to my rescue and found me another pocketbook to take home to my friend.
About one year later, the pastor of that island church came to the United States, and visited our congregation. As soon as we met him, he related that the people on his island were still laughing at me. I was shocked, "Oh no, what have I done now?" He then proceeded to remind me of the day I wanted to buy the pocketbook and was trying to find out who made it. It seems that the lady who made the purse was named "UDID". Kind of reminded me of Abbot and Costello‘s “Who’s On First.”
Sometimes our communication is a little confusing. I blame it on Noah’s descendants (Genesis 11:1-9). If they had not been so proud and independent! God had to look way down to see their little speck of a building they thought reached to the heavens. Because of their sin, God brought an end to their prideful hearts by coming down and confusing their language and scattering them all over the earth.
Man has a way of messing up what God intended to be good for his creation. But God has always provided a way through The Way. (His Son, Jesus Christ). We may have a problem with communication at times, but it is still our responsibility to share the good news of the gospel to the world. After all, isn’t that what God expects of us? God may be calling you to the mission field, and your excuse may be that you cannot speak the language. Remember, God is the one who created the languages, he can provide you the tools to overcome any barrier.
What has God called you to do today? Don’t let a lack of communication, even if it is in your own language; keep you from accomplishing God’s Will. God will provide a way.
Psalms 19:14; Psalms 40:3; Mark 16:15; 1 Timothy 4:12
HUGS
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:
(Deut. 33:29)
One day while my husband was pumping gas, a little old lady pulled up beside him and stated pumping gas in her car. She was wearing a t-shirt that said, “Have you hugged a Lutheran today?” So, my husband went up to her and hugged her. Then he asked, “Have you hugged a Baptist today?” She returned the hug.
Hugs. They cost nothing to give. They require no training seminars or instruction booklets to read. Yet, they are powerful. They comfort the sad and lonely, they encourage and they reassure us that we are loved. Hugs welcome long lost friends and embrace new ones. It is one of life’s simple pleasures that we sometimes forget to pass along.
Remember the story of the prodigal son? (Luke 15:11-32). An immature young man thinks that he is adult enough to make it on his own, so he asks for his inheritance and off he goes to live his own life. Now, no one is ever going to tell him what to do again! He is determined to be his own man! After losing not only all of his money, he loses his friends, his self esteem and his pride. However, in losing all those things, he gains something more important. He realizes what he really possessed and the importance of his home. After realizing what a jerk he had been, he goes home.
Dad did not know he was on his way home that day. So while out in the in the field, he looked in the distance and saw his wayward son slowly coming down the path looking sad and dejected. Without hesitation, he runs toward his son and gives him the biggest bear hug he could muster up. His son was home.
I’ll bet this son really appreciated that hug. It represented to him acceptance and forgiveness as well as reassurance and love. This small inexpensive show of affection sent a powerful message to the wayward son that the Father loved him even though he had disappointed him.
Someone you know needs reassurance that you care. It could be that all they need is a hug from their loving Heavenly Father.
Be an encourager with arms.
1 Peter 5:7; Galations 6:2
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, He Loves Me…
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Matthew 6:28, 29
- God stood on the realm of eternity one day and spoke into existence our world. He left nothing out, including beauty. God splashed our world with color when he gave us flowers. A flower can brighten an otherwise dull day. Sweethearts send flowers to say “I love you”. Friends and family send flowers to wish their loved ones a speedy recovery when they are ill. We even send flowers to comfort families who have lost their loved ones. Flowers have a way of brightening up a home and making you feel special. I am sure that Adam was the first to have given Eve bouquets of flowers from God’s perfect garden.
One of my favorite flowers is the daisy. As a little girl I would pick these white flowers and give them to my mother as a gift. That was my way of showing her how much I loved her. As I grew a little older, I would pick these flowers and pull those white pedals apart and say, “He loves me, he loves me not…” referring to no one in particular.
God’s Word is full of beautiful examples of how much He loves us. Matthew 6:25 - 34 talks about how lovingly God cares for us. You see, the Pharisees were selfish and thought more of the physical side of life rather than the spiritual. They were more concerned about their outward appearance and needs than they were about serving God. They had never learned to live by faith. Jesus told them how the birds were especially cared for and how the lilies of the field grew in such a way that even in all of Solomon’s glory none of these flowers lacked in beauty. So why worry? These things were nothing to be concerned about if they were serving God like they should. God knows our needs and supplies them all and worrying does nothing except give you gray hair and wrinkles before your time. Who wants that?
God wants us to bring honor to Him through our service. God will then provide all our needs and add splashes of color to our lives as a bonus. I should know, He has done it for me. As I pick the white pedals off the daisy, I know who “He” is now. It is God who loves me, and there has never been a time that He has not!
An anonymous friar in a Nebraska monastery wrote the following late in life: If I had my life to live over again, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, and I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take more trips. I would be crazier. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. If I had to do it over again I would go places, do things, and travel lighter. If I had my life to live over I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies.
Start each day by picking a bouquet of daisies and giving it back to the Lord as a gift to Him showing your love and appreciation for what He had done for you.
Genesis 48:15; Proverbs 16:3 Matt. 6:25-34
HAIR BY SAMSON
Hair is very important. Just ask most men, and check out the ladies at the beauty shops these days. Even God thought it was important. Not only did He create hair, but He knows exactly how many hairs we have on our heads. Check out Matthew 10:40.
God not only knows how many hairs are on my head, He even knows my true color. My husband says I belong to the color of the month club! He is referring to the first time I ever colored my hair. There was supposed to be a little red tint to my already brown hair. Instead, it turned out grape purple. Lucky for me I have a friend who is a hairdresser. Needless to say, after several attempts to do my own hair coloring, which ranged from red to Elvira black, Gary, the expert, is now in charge of the color control. I guess maybe since God said that gray hair is the sign of wisdom, I should be happy and honored. Proverbs 20:29 says, “The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head”. Okay, so I’m not a man and I’m not old. Where does that leave me?
I am very particular about my hair. I want to look nice so I go to great lengths (no pun intended) to make sure that my hair is just right. One day Gary cut my hair. It was shorter than usual and I was quite happy with the results. I was “sportin’” my new “do” when one of the ladies of our church noticed my coiffeur. As she commented, she looked at me very seriously and said, “Oh, Karen, you got a haircut!” I replied proudly, “Yes, Gary cut it today.” She then commented, “Well, don’t worry honey, it will grow back!”
Well, now, I wonder if anyone said that to Samson! Do you really think he would have listened? Probably not. Samson was a Nazarite. That meant that he was to be separated from worldly things to consecrate himself to God (Numbers 6:1-8). So, while under the Nazarite vow, his hair could not be cut. It was a visible sign of his commitment. Samson’s parents were visited by an angel and were told that Samson was to be a Nazarite from the womb to the day of his death. (Judges 13:7) He couldn’t cut his hair for any reason or occasion. But somewhere along the line Sam took his eyes off of God and became self sufficient. Imagine that! This is where “bad girl, Delilah” steps in. It was her job to find out the secret to Samson’s success. At first, Samson avoided telling her his secret, but after so long of the constant nagging from the beautiful Delilah, he finally gave in. The Bible says that Delilah aggravated Samson almost to death! (Judges 16:16) Big mistake!! Now, here’s where Samson’s weakness for a pretty face comes in. Sneaky, but beautiful Delilah lured him to sleep and had the local barber to give him a shave and a haircut for a little more than two bits!
How sad. I have heard that great ability without discretion usually comes to a tragic end. This is what happened to Samson. It didn’t take him long to realize his mistake. I am sure that those lonely times in the prison house caused him to reflect on his first visit with a barber and the mistakes he had made throughout his life. Samson was well known for being a hero and well known for his moral weaknesses as well. Ecclesiastes 9:17 says “wisdom is better than strength”. I’ll bet Samson realized through his blindness, that hindsight was 20/20 vision.
Samson should have learned early in his life the price of disobedience. His love for pagan women would eventually bring the world crashing down on him. Literally!! Imagine the potential Samson had for serving the Lord. Samson was physically strong but spiritually weak. If only he had learned to stay close to God who had given him his strength in the first place. This should be a clear warning to us today of the price of disobedience and selfishness. God is our strength in times of our weaknesses. We all have the potential to accomplish great things for God.
I know that my strength is not in the length of my hair. Praise the Lord for that! I don’t have to worry if and when it will grow back when I get it cut. The important thing to remember is that our strength comes from the Lord.
Remember this, greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength!
Judges 16; Ps.2:11; Ps.18:2; Isaiah 40:29
I WANT SOME OF THAT
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
My favorite story is about a mama skunk and her three little babies. One day as the mama and her baby skunks were walking past a paper mill, (if you have ever gone past a paper mill, you’ll get the drift), one of the baby skunks looked at her mama and said, "Mama, whatever is that smell?" Mama said, "I don’t know dear, but whatever it is, we have got to get some of it!"
Christians live in glass houses. People are watching everything we say and do. How we act and react to life’s challenges are very important because we are the only Bible some people read. It is important that we live our lives so that our testimony reflects our love for our Savior. We want other people to want what we have.
Job comes to my mind when I think of godly strength, trust, and patience. Who wouldn’t want some of that?
Job was a wealthy man about town. He was known for his investments in stocks (livestock, I mean). He had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He had seven sons, three daughters and a wife who apparently loved the good life. Above all else, Job loved the Lord God with all of his heart. His happiness and his contentment did not depend on his wealth or his status in life. Apparently, that is what got Satan in an uproar! His argument with God was, “If Job didn’t have all this wealth, if he was not comfortable in his lifestyle, I am certain that he wouldn’t serve You!” To prove Job’s worth, God allowed Satan to try Job’s faith.
Disaster upon disaster began to fall upon Job. First, it was his children, then his servants, then his livestock which eventually left him broke and alone. To make matters worse, even his wife was of no support during this time of testing. She has been referred to as the “Dripping Tap.” She had lost everything as well and made sure Job didn’t forget it either! Poor Job felt like he had no friends left in this world.
Still, Satan wasn’t convinced of Job’s strong faith and commitment to God, so he then convinced God to let him touch Job physically with painful boils and sores from head to toe. Yet through it all Job’s faith never wavered.
One day while Job is sitting in an ash heap, three of his best friends come along thinking to comfort Job with their vast wisdom and expert advice. I think this is where that old saying,” with friends like these who needs enemies” came from. These men thought they had the answer to Job’s problem. Their conclusion to Job’s troubles had to be sin in his life. Job knows he has done nothing to deserve this, but he also knows that God is in control. After Job’s visit with God through a whirlwind, he realizes just how powerful and mighty his God really is. Job 42:5 says “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” Talk about experiencing God!
God didn’t abandon Job. And talk about having the “patience of Job.” God was in fact glorified through Job’s sufferings. And the good news is, God rewarded Job for his faithfulness by restoring to him a greater household than before! This time he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1000 female donkeys. God also gave him 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. In fact, Job’s daughters, Jemima, Keza, and Kerenhappuch were the most beautiful women in all of the land.
I imagine anywhere and anytime Job’s name was mentioned, people admired him for his faith. Probably for generations to come, people would say, “Whatever that man has, we sure have to get some of it!”
Can people say that of you? What is your testimony before others? Do they see you fall apart over the simplest of problems? Do they see you lose your temper and bring reproach to the Lord? Or do they see someone who has a faith so strong that even in the midst of a crisis they see Jesus?
Job proved to us what spiritual integrity is all about. It is about time in this society, we prove to the world that integrity and faith in God is still alive and well.
Deut. 6:18; Deut. 30:9; Job 1:21-22; Phil. 4:9
BET YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT! (MINE DID)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9
When my mother graduated from high school she had received an expensive watch from her father as a gift. It was a beautiful watch and she knew it would eventually become a treasure, however, when she got married and her little ones came along (namely me) little did she know that her treasures may not last very long.
As a curious 4 year old, I saw the opportunity one day while my mother was away to hunt for treasures in my mother's jewelry box. It was there that I found the watch. As any four year old would do, I wanted to see what made it tick. Now, if you wanted to take a watch apart on purpose, it would take a professional or rather a 4 year old child to do the job.
Quite unexpectedly my mother came home and found me in the front yard with my hands behind my back which is a good indication that I was up to something. When she asked me to show her what was in my hands I showed her one hand at a time until she demanded to see both hands at once. With guilt written all over my face I dropped the pieces to the ground behind my back and showed her both hands trying to cover my sin. My mother in her great wisdom and stature saw it all. She knew my sin and I soon knew my punishment. It has been, let’s say, years since that incident and I have never forgotten that day.
Don't think for a moment that you can hide your sins from God. He knows everything you do. He knows all, He hears all and yes, He sees all. You cannot cover it up with excuses or works or even pretending it doesn’t exist. It must be confessed and only then will God forgive.
My mom forgave me eventually and on my wedding day she presented me with a small box. Inside was a broken watch and a poem that said, “When at the age of four your first child reaches, hide your watch or it will be in pieces.”
God forgives and forgets when we ask his forgiveness. It's wonderful serving a God who loves us that much.
When God sent His only begotten son into the world, He sent Him here to pay the price for our sin for us. It is Christ's blood that cover's our sin so that we may live forever with Him.
Numbers 32:23; Psalms 38:18; Psalm 51:2
P.S. Just so you know, fifty years later I had the watch repaired as close to its original condition as possible. You should have seen the look on mom’s face when she opened the gift. Forgiven and restored! That is what God does for his children!! Praise the Lord!
I THOUGHT SHE WAS YOUR AUNT...
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
Daniel 9:9
I know you have heard the story of the couple whose marriage almost fell apart because of the presence of Old Aunt Emma. For seven long years she lived with the couple always grouchy, always demanding and just plain mean. And finally the old girl died.
On the way back from the cemetery, the husband confessed to his wife, "Sweetheart, if I didn't love you so much, I don't think I could have put up with your Aunt Emma in this house for those seven long years."
His wife looked at him aghast. "My aunt Emma!" She cried. "I thought she was your Aunt Emma!"
Some people are just hard to live with. They are mean, grouchy, rebellious, and just plain nasty. I’m sure you know what I mean. We have all met with some of these unpleasant people along our life’s journey. But believe it or not, those kinds of people date way back. God had the same problem with His children in Ezekiel’s day. So, God called His faithful servant, Ezekiel, to deliver a message to these cranky Israelites.
Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet with a congregation of around 9,999 people. Actually, there were 10,000 Jews that had been taken captive to Babylon, and 9,999 of them were rebellious. Out of that crowd, God called the only one left that wanted to serve Him to prophecy to these grouchy people. You see, you can’t have a rebellious person without them being grouchy at the same time. Grouchy and rebellious attitudes go hand in hand.
Ezekiel told the Jews he had bad news and good news. Bad news first, the reason for all their problems was the result of their rebellion against God and the fact that they lacked true commitment and holiness. The good news, God, in his extravagant mercy intended to restore them. They would be a new people with an attitude of gratitude living in a new city worshiping in a brand new Temple.
Ezekiel knew that the job before him was going to be a difficult one with especially difficult people at a pretty difficult time. Yet, he chose to obey God. He knew God would equip him with the necessary strength to deliver the message. He loved God so much he was willing to put up with these people for nearly 22 years. Ezekiel was instructed to do some pretty strange things to get the attention of the captives. Like, shaving his head for one. Even if the people didn’t listen to his message, they would surely know that he had been sent by God.
Like Ezekiel preached, God is hurt by our rebellion. We are responsible individually for how we act and react to God’s commands in His Word on how we live our lives. In our society today, we have rights, and therefore we do what is right in our own eyes, not what is right in God’s eyes. This attitude has been passed down from generation to generation since Adam. The proof is in our relationship with the Lord, our faithfulness to reading His Word, spending time in prayer, telling others of His love for them and serving in the local church. Our rebellion shows up in the way we teach our children to disrespect God’s rules and God’s people.
Ezekiel foretold how God would rule triumphantly with His people. Better days were coming. Jesus, the Messiah, would come and make a way of salvation.
Remember, grouchy people are rebellious people but not all rebellious people are grouchy. Nice people can be rebellious too. They hide it well from the world. But God knows our hearts and rebellion is a sin no matter what form it reveals in your life.
How about a rebellion check? Am I insisting on my way and not God’s? Am I teaching my children to have it their way? Do others see a hint of rebellion in my attitude toward my pastor, my youth pastor, my church, or God’s ministry? Search your heart and destroy that seed of rebellion before it overcomes your life making it useless for God’s glory.
Remember, if God had not loved us so much, He would not have put up with us for all these years either!!
1 Samuel 15:23; Psalm 107:11,12; Proverbs 17:11;Isaiah 65:2
Recognize My Accent?
Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. (Judges 12:6)
My husband and I along with a group from our church went to Russia on a mission trip in 1994. Before leaving the United States, we decided it would be nice to visit New York City for a day. You can always tell a tourist in New York City by the way he or she walks down the streets with their noses in the air. No, they are not better than New Yorkers; they just have never seen skyscrapers before. It is rather awesome to see buildings so tall you get a crick in your neck checking them out. We even went to the top of the Empire State Building. Looking down you can see what seems to be millions of little yellow dots (taxis) moving along the streets. Needless to say, we were pretty amazed at the sights.
To our group from the south, New Yorkers talk “funny.” They have an accent all their own, or so we thought. After checking into our motel room we decided to walk down the street to check out the local “Italian” restaurant. We were tired, excited and most of all hungry. That didn’t keep us from talking and laughing as we started our journey to the restaurant. Checking out the sights of New York we were unaware that as we passed a local fire station, the firemen inside heard all this noise (from our group). They knew from our accent that we were not home folks. One of the men came out and asked,”Where youse from?” Now I thought they were the ones with the accent!!
You can usually tell where a person is from by the way they talk. That is just what happened in Judges Chapter 12. The people who lived on the east of Jordan were different from those who lived on the west. The easterners learned a lot of their customs and their way of talking from the Moabites and Ishmaelites and the Ammorites. Jephthah who headed up the Gileodites, had been provoked into battle by the Ephraimites. Some of them tried to escape across the Jordan; however, Jephthah and his army had a plan. If you could say the “magic word” word “Shibboleth” then you were allowed to pass over the river. But, if you pronounced it “Sibboleth” you would be detected as an enemy. That day there were 42,000 of the enemy put to death because they were from the wrong side of town, they could not pronounce the “h”.
There are a lot of “religious” people in our world today. They know the right things to say to sound religious. But in their hearts they do not know God. One day at the Great White Throne Judgment, God will say to those religious people, “Sorry I never knew you!” only to be cast into hell with the devil and his angels. Even sadder is the fact that there are people in our own churches who are talking the talk, but not walking the walk. Check your accent, does it come from a relationship with God or a relationship with the world?
Psalm 77:12; Psalm 105:2
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s the time when our focus should be on our blessings and how we can encourage and bless others. It’s the time to appreciate our families by spending time with them and showing them how much we love them. But instead, our focus is straight ahead to the mall where we fight to get the parking space closest to the entrance. After all, there is a 50% off sale at the “Everything You Ever Wanted For A Dollar” store! You wait for fifteen minutes while the lady digs to the bottom of her purse for her keys, and when she finally deposits her shopping bags in the trunk and gets settled in the car, she starts the engine and slowly backs out of the parking space. Suddenly, from out of nowhere a car comes sliding sideways missing your car by inches and takes the parking space for which you have been patiently waiting, for what seems like hours. And to beat it all, it is usually some skinny, healthy looking health club member who could have walked the extra distance by parking down by the highway! Okay, where is the love? Where is the patience? Where is the respect? Where is the kindness for humankind? Trust me it flies right out of our mouths and out the window! You want to pull out the head wagging “Oh no you didn’t” speech, at least!
Our most wonderful time of the year is only wonderful if all the stars are in alignment and everyone does exactly what we want. There is only one problem with that. It just “ain’t going to happen”! So, if it “ain’t going to happen”. Then how are we going to survive this wonderful time of the year. I know there are going to be irate shoppers, grouchy sales clerks and bumper to bumper traffic. But we can either be a victim or a victor. I want to be a victor. I want to enjoy this season. I don’t want someone else to steal my joy!
I have to admit though; it is easy to let others steal my joy. Past relations have reared their ugly heads to try to discourage me by bringing up the past relations!! Need to leave them in the past and move on. So, it all boils down to having a right attitude. How can I get past being run over by selfish pushy drivers, how can I get past people treating me unfairly, how can I get past the heavy demands on me? Attitude, baby, attitude!
Our attitude should be the attitude that Christ had. When we have a Christ like attitude, we will serve the Lord and others with humility, faith, service and joy! Philippians 4: 4-6 says… Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Hey, don’t worry! Be happy! You can have joy in every circumstance of your life. Christ had a servant’s heart. Serving others with humility was an attitude Christ possessed and taught. And a thankful attitude will get you everywhere! People just love appreciative people! I do. Makes me want to do more for them, how about you? An attitude of love, faith, humility and service goes a long way to make this the most wonderful time of the year! But do you want to know the key to having the right attitude? One word; prayer!
To sum it all up, in order to have the most wonderful time of the year. Let’s start with prayer. Pray about the “bad” attitude you just might be harboring. An attitude of joy, humility, service and an attitude of gratitude! You just mark my words, apply this and “Ta Da” it’s the most wonderful time of the year!!!
For me, I’m going to put aside the bad attitudes with God’s help because on my own it will never happen and then put on the new one and enjoy this season. How about you? Yep, I do believe “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!”
1 Peter 2:21; Hebrews 3:13; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
COUNTING MY BLESSINGS
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Ephesians 1:3
I have heard that an ungrateful person is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they came from. In order to be thankful for your blessings, you must look up realizing they came from God who has given us many benefits
Remember the story of the lepers in Luke 17:11-19? One day Christ was met by the ten lepers who stood at a distance because of their disease and lifted their voices calling to Jesus for healing. They asked Christ to have pity on them. Now, Jesus had healed people before, and just because these lepers had asked Jesus to heal them didn't mean they had faith in Him as the Son of God.
Only one of the ten lepers, a Samaritan by the way, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. There were nine other lepers who had been healed that day, yet only one came back thankful. One received physical and spiritual healing; the other nine received only the physical.
A man was being chased by a ferocious tiger. He ran until he came to a sheer cliff. As the tiger came bearing down on him, he grabbed a rope hanging over the cliff and climbed down out of the tiger's reach. The man looked up and saw the tiger leering at him, waiting to devour him. Then he looked down below the cliff. There was a deadly drop to the rocks of over five hundred feet. Then he looked up and saw two mice beginning to chew the rope. What should he do? The tiger above, the rocks below, and the rope about to break! Just then he saw a bright red strawberry growing out of the side of the cliff. He stretched out his hand, plucked the strawberry and popped it into his mouth. The juices of the strawberry were so sweet that as he ate he couldn't contain himself. "Delicious, that's the best strawberry I ever tasted!"
Had the man been preoccupied with the tiger (the past) or preoccupied with the future (the rocks below), he would never have enjoyed the strawberry, which we could call "the gift of the present."
Being thankful is realizing how much we owe our Heavenly father. So, who should be thankful? The answer is the one who received the blessing. We have so much to be thankful for.
Never take your blessings for granted. Think about what you have every day and count them one by one. Make a list each morning or evening of what God has allowed you to have and experience as a result of his care for you. It is a gift from God. Share your blessings with others. It just goes to prove God’s power in your life. What a testimony!
Don’t you think that one leper remembered every day of his life to be thankful? We have been given much!
Psalms 28:7; Psalms 68:19; Psalms 69:30,31; James 1:17
THE TROUBLE WITH DECISIONS IS MAKING THEM
My biggest problem in life is making a decision. All you have to do is ask my husband. He dreads taking me to a cafeteria. You have at least fifteen different salads, eight or more meats, ten different vegetables and then there are the desserts. What is a girl to do? I don’t know about you, but it takes me more than a minute to decide on something as important as my food.
They say we make as many as three hundred to seventeen hundred decisions every day of our lives. We start our day with decisions, deciding on when to get up, what to wear, what to eat, where to go, how to get there and the list goes on. You have choices to make from what pain relievers to take to where to go on vacation. But think about some of the decisions you have made in the past. Such as whom you were going to marry, where to go to college, or buying that new home. Some of those decisions were major, some were minor, but every decision you made eventually shaped your life.
Talk about decisions; let’s look at Eve before that fateful day in the garden. God had already created Adam and given him a beautiful home and a job with security. However, a warning was issued to Adam and that was, “do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil”.
God had given this first couple a will of their own. He gave them the choice to love and obey Him and the choice to have fellowship with their Creator. Unfortunately one day, they made the wrong decision. What was Eve thinking the day she decided to eat of the fruit and then offer a taste to her husband? The fruit looked good and the thought of being wiser was obviously more than she could handle. Eve’s choice was not just about fruit though. It was a decision to doubt God and the choice to believe a lie.
Isn’t that how it is today? People would rather believe a lie over the truth most of the time. It is one of the many choices we make each day.
Satan came along and offered Eve a choice and out of a 50-50 chance, she made the wrong one. Because of that decision their fellowship with their Creator was broken. This was a mistake they would regret for the rest of their lives. A mistake we all regret. Blame took the place of trust. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent and so it all started, “it’s the other guy’s fault”! I saw a sign the other day that fit Eve perfectly. It said, “I’m not stupid, I’m just hard of thinking!”
I’m sure that every day of Eve’s life she regretted the choice she made that fateful day in the garden. There were consequences because of their sin. Not only would Adam and Eve suffer physical labor, but physical death. But the good news is, God told us in Genesis 3:15 that He had a plan for redemption. Again, that is a choice we make. We can accept God’s redemptive plan or reject it. We can choose where we spend eternity, heaven or hell. Yet, God loved us so much, in spite of our sin, He chose to redeem us.
Adam and Eve chose to throw away their relationship with God at a chance to be like God. We can make decisions today that will throw away our relationship because of the flowery lies of the devil, or the lustful feelings of the flesh. Ultimately it’s our decision.
Do you have a decision to make? Where will you spend eternity? What decisions will you make for Christ today?
