Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - Three out of Four, Not Good Enough

     Someone tried to steal our car stereo system night before last. The would-be thief walked up our driveway, opened the car door and tried yanking out the radio but only succeeded in breaking the frame. He/she pitched a fit because the wipers and blinkers were on and the contents of the glove compartment scattered. 

     I called the police and after seeing the movie "Courageous" I was pretty pumped to have one of these guys come around so I could thank him personally.  He took the report and advised me to do all the basic protective things we know we should do, but which are easy to let slide when nothing bad happens for a while:

     *Remove valuables from the car or hide them from view. 

     *Lock the doors. 

     *Warn neighbors so they take all these same precautions.

     *Call the police if you see any suspicious activity. 

     Believe it or not, three out of four doors on the car were locked, but that wasn't enough to keep the thief out. He didn't bother our other car which Tom faithfully locks up each night. I'm too trusting, and like many people, I think "It won't happen to us" in spite of the fact that it's already happened to us several times. But now we live in a wonderful neighborhood on a quiet street with the word 'Cove' in it, for crying out loud.  Shouldn't that make us immune from these kinds of problems?" 

     No one can hide from living in a fallen world. Paul told the Ephesians, some of the most spiritually grounded believers on his day, to put on the FULL armor.  He didn't want them vulnerable to Satan's schemes in any area of life for even a second so he repeated his instructions for them to put on the FULL armor of God.     

     "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. . . . .Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." 

Ephesians 6:10 and 13

God recently convicted our family about a television show through which Satan was pouring his filthy language. That door is now triple locked. Putting on the full armor of God means we lock all the doors, not just three out of four, and we stay vigilante to what influences our lives and the lives of our family members.  Satan's determined to creep into our homes, minds, and relationships. He seeps through any crack left unfilled, any hole we're too lazy to address, any door we leave wide open in arrogant certainty we can handle it.  I know parents who stay on top of their children's friendships but who also serve alcohol or allow complete freedom on computers or television in their own homes. Maybe they can handle these temptations, but how do they know their children can? Better to lock all the doors and put on the full armor of God; and, according to the story in "Courageous," these instructions are especially important for those in the driver's seat. 

Lord, open our eyes to areas we need to lock down.  Show us where we're vulnerable and help us cover ourselves with the armor You've provided.  Protect us and our families from Satan's manipulations and open attacks. Fill us with the desire to be 100 percent committed to You. You are mighty God and in Your Power alone can we stand against the devil's schemes. In You, we're safe. In Your Wisdom, we're at Peace. Help us courageously face whatever area You want to address in our lives and in our families.

In the Name of Jesus Who locked down Satan's greatest efforts to get in His head and make Him settle for less than God's Will.    

October 11, 2011 - Stir and Spur

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." 

Hebrews 10:24     

     I pranked a group of fifth graders yesterday.  When I sub in the elementary schools, I almost always use my French language skills to get and keep their interest and cooperation throughout the day, but yesterday, the group of kids I pranked unwittingly encouraged me to keep speaking French. They were fearless in the face of a foreign language and Monday math class with a sub became an adventure.  
    What began with simple greetings to the students as they entered the classroom turned into an hour of me speaking French and them doing their math assignments. Their enthusiastic responses to having a "French" substitute erased all English words from my mind.  At first they stared at me and grinned uncertainly at each other and asked the usual questions ("Are you French?" "What's my name in French?" and "How do you say ______ in French?"), but I saw one student working on the math sheet I had handed out so I walked over to check his progress.  For every right answer on his page I said something positive in French with a big smile.  Amazingly, the rest of them jumped to their work so I would offer them some personal encouragement in French.  
     What an amazing group of courageous kids! How many adults would've handled that situation as well?  So many people miss the adventure in life because they're afraid they won't understand or rise to what's expected of them. And what about the mutual encouragement we have for one another? Their obvious interest and excitement emboldened me to do something I hadn't done before and my " Excellent!"  "Bon!" and "Tu es intelligent(e)!" encouraged them to work harder. They didn't even mind me correcting them in French when they missed a problem.  
     Do you know how much power you have to encourage someone today? A few words, a hug, a smile that reaches into your eyes? There's no telling what adventure you might embark on together by sparking the boldness in someone else. God calls His children to stir up our own God-given gifts and to spur others to do the same. 

"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you 

when I laid my hands on you." 

2 Timothy 1:6

"For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action."

 2 Corinthians 9:2

Father, connect us to one another by Your Spirit so amazing things result from the stirring and spurring between us. Lead us to bravely let You open our hearts and minds to new adventures. We're stuck in ruts - pop us out of them and use us to help others devote themselves completely to You as well.

In the Name of Jesus, the One Whose Courage and Power inspired a world-wide spiritual awakening!

Monday, October 10, 2011 - Daddy's delight, Mama's joy

     "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. 

He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, 

He will rejoice over you with singing." 

Zephaniah 3:17

     The older and more active our granddaughter gets, the more video clips I receive of her newly acquired skills.  I love watching her little face and expressions as she discovers life outside the house and her own wonderfully designed hands, fingers, toes and voice,  but I get just as much of a kick out of watching and hearing her parents.  They love this child to pieces and it shows. They would do anything for her best interest. They spend quality time with her, including her in everything they can and making sure she's in good hands when they can't. 

Our Father does the same for us only He has the advantage of never having to let us out of HIs sight for a second. He never needs a sitter. He lavishes His great love on all of us and we don't know enough to appreciate Who we've got looking out for us. 

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God! 

And that is what we are! 

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him." 

1 John 3:1

"As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love." 

John 15:9

Sunday, October 9, 2011 - One Right Answer Leads to Another

     Several years ago, a man new to our church fellowship came and sat with me and another friend at a fellowship dinner one night.  After only a minute or two of small talk he asked each of us directly whether or not we were married and when he found out we were, he managed another moment of small talk before he moved to another table of mostly women. My friend and I had a hard time not laughing. He didn't hide his reason for being at church very well.


Why are we meeting with our church families today for Bible study and worship service? 
     *To fulfill our obligations to other people and to God?
     *To fellowship with friends who are believers?
     *To find answers for dealing with our issues?
     *To set a good example and instill good habits in our kids?
     *To support God's kingdom through the programs of the church?
     *For the man in the pulpit or the music we love to hear? 


The right answer is in the question itself: to serve God by worshiping Him on this October Sunday.  How? By connecting with Him and focusing on Him through studying His Word, sharing our testimonies of what He's doing in our lives, expressing our trust in what He's going to do through difficult circumstances, singing our love song to Him, longing to please Him, enjoying fellowship with Him, encouraging His other children, and sending outbursts of praise and thanksgiving His direction with our hands, our hearts, our minds, our voices, with instruments and attitudes, gifts and sacrifices. 
     If "Our God is Greater," doesn't He deserve at least an hour or two of our totally surrendered attention? According to Jesus, there's no debate on why we worship the Lord our God. 

"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer he asked him, 
'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'
'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.'"


Loving Him first and passionately is both our motive and our act of worship. When we do that we'll find that loving His children and "all of the above" will fall in line. 

Saturday, October 8, 2011 - Glory Story

"Saying Grace" by Norman Rockwell

     When we first moved to Benton, Arkansas, we were astounded at how open business owners and managers are about their Christian beliefs. Nick noticed it right away. It's more than Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby that send Christian music over airwaves or post Scripture in obvious places. How refreshing and inspiring to know believers want customers to know they're Christians. 
   
  God always finds a way to reveal Himself to us. In the Old Testament, He bridged the Red Sea to bring His people to Himself and destroyed those who tried keeping them from Him.  

"You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, 

and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself."  

Exodus 19:4

For us, He bridges the sea between sinful humans and His throne room by destroying death:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

 John 3:16

His number one purpose is to let people know Him so they see His glory and come to Him, imitate His character and spread His glory to other seeking people.
"Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation." Exodus 19:4


He reached down to save you and me to reveal His glory through Jesus for the same reason. We now have a "glory story" - an "I was lost, but now I'm found; blind but now I see" testimony to light the way for other people who need to see God's glory for themselves.   
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. . . . Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your  good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." 1 Peter 2: 9 and 12


We tell our "the Light switched on" story in everything we do - everything.


"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31


Father, thank You for still using people like me to communicate Your glory. Make us like the Twelve, loose-tongued and courageous with our glory stories. We need You every hour - shine through us today so that no matter how mundane or "normal" the activity, we're testimonies of Your glory. 
In the Name of Your Son Jesus, King of Glory

Friday, October 7, 2011 - Not looking. Busy Pouting.

"Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did."

1 John 2:6

     I'm too miffed this morning to "walk as Jesus did," but thanks for the reminder, John. I'd rather wring someone's neck than hug it; rather stew than forgive; rather procrastinate than pray.  If it were up to me, there would be a grace period between the offense committed and the forgiveness required, but, at 14, I submitted all these decisions to God and gave my life to Jesus for His purposes. So, unless I want to be the hypocrite who claims to live in Christ but fails to follow Him, it's time to pray for the offender and for myself.  The first step is the hardest: kneeling my indignant, miffed, hurt will to His.

"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; 

may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground." 

Psalm 143:10

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

James 1:22

LORD God, I call on You to help me do what comes so naturally to You and what can be so difficult for me: love and forgive people who hurt me and mine.  Fill me with the fruit of Your good Spirit and take away the ups and downs of fickle emotions and pride to lead me on level ground.  Strengthen me to let You work through me even now. I don't want to be a hypocrite - I want a genuinely flowing relationship with You. You saved me to use me; don't let my hurt feelings and pride get in Your way. I love You more than I'm miffed and that feels good. Please, guide the offender, another believer, in Your way, as well. May we each seek You and find ourselves united and harmonious as a result.

In the Name of Jesus Who forgave even me

Thursday, October 6, 2011 - Poetic Justice

"Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do.

I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."  

Romans 12:19

poetic justice. n. The rewarding of virtue and the punishment of vice, often in an especially appropriate or ironic manner. poetic justice. n. fitting retribution ...just deserts

"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

Anjelica Huston as the stepmother in "Ever After." 

     The movie "Ever After" retells the Cinderella story and as always, it's fun to watch the stepmother pay for her treachery against her stepdaughter, named Danielle in this version. When the King and Queen find out how evil and manipulative Stepmom has been, they condemn her to be stripped of her titles and sent to the Americas unless someone will speak in her behalf. That's when Danielle steps forward as the new princess with her prince and her stepmother, shocked at this reversal of fortunes, must bow to her. Danielle  addresses the King and Queen: "Your majesties, all I ask is that you show her the same courtesy she has shown me all these years." Ahhhh, poetic justice is about to be served up in hefty portions as the stepmother must adjust to her new life in the royal laundry. The time fits the crime and all is right in the world at last. 

     Happy endings include both rewards for the virtuous and punishment for the villain. We applaud when the shoe fits and Cinderella is whisked away by her handsome prince and our hope is renewed that our own suffering and work will one day draw a shipload of blessings to dock in our own harbors. It's equally satisfying to see lazy, conniving, evil and selfishly hateful people receive their just deserts. Like me, you've probably stayed tuned in to at least one story line just to see the villain get what would surely come.  Without this resolution, we're unsettled, indignant and dissatisfied. 

    We want our enemies to pay dearly for their sins against us while begging for a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for our own sins against others, but justice is double-edged. When we wish "justice" on our enemies we need to imagine how the same sword would feel slicing and dicing our own sins.  Our humanity distorts our sense of who deserves what, so God says, "Leave it to Me. I'm the only One who knows whether mercy or justice best suits My purpose of bringing people to Myself. I am the only Poet of perfect, perfecting justice."

Lord, help us not waste time planning revenge or wanting to see others pay for their sins against us. Help us remember You love them and are cutting away at what makes them hurt others. Fill us with unconditional love for all Your children and help us pray for those who persecute and show kindness to those who treat us unkindly. May we strive to be like You in every way but one: executing judgment. 

In the Name of Jesus Who showed mercy and left judgment in Your Hands