R-E-S-P-E-C-T GOD

This was a recent post on our parent's page: 
Never make light of spiritual matters. Your children are watching how you respect God, Jesus, the church, as well as your attitude towards sin, worship, grace, mercy, and on and on. Making light of something that’s of spiritual importance isn’t sharing the gospel message with others. Jesus died on the cross for those things and because of those things. That’s nothing to take lightly.

Nothing makes me sadder than to see spiritual times and spiritual matters become a time of entertainment or in fun.  It doesn't really matter what I feel about it or what you might feel about it, though. What matters is what God feels...what Jesus feels....what we might make others feel about it.  The thought of hurting my Lord and my Savior brings tears to my eyes, does it yours?  I think of the song, "Does He Still Feel the Nails". Am I crucifying him all over again if I am not having the reverence I should during worship?  God's grace and mercy is sufficient. He's loving and will forgive me, of course, but what about when I deliberately continue to fail in this area, never realizing it's sin?  That's a scary thought that I don't take lightly.

As a parent, I pray that I've taught and trained my children to revere the name of the Lord....to not trample on Christ's death on the cross...and that they will never deliberately "make Him feel the nails".

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,  for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 11:28-29 (read all of chapter 11 to see what "Therefore" is THERE FOR).

The Power Washer

Last week I had the opportunity to use an extremely powerful power washer for a few days. I cleaned the gunk and grime off of a huge concrete slab, often times maneuvering over it an inch at a time to ensure that it was all as clean as possible. As I worked, I thought about the spiritual application of this massive tool.

First of all,  I thought about the incredible power of this washer. It was a super-duper power washer! It even took most of the painted basketball and volleyball marked lines off of the concrete!

In the same way, God is the ultimate power washer!  There is no higher power!  And just as the machine gives the "gift" of high-powered water, and the water does the cleaning, God gave the gift of His Son on the cross, and His blood shed did the cleansing for those who accept that gift and obey His Word.  

I also thought about the time and care I spent going over every spot, making sure no stains were left. I asked myself this question: Am I as careful to look for the "spots and blemishes" of my spiritual life, taking care to repent of the sins and name them one by one?  The blood of Jesus will continually clean off the spots in my life when I repent of those sins and strive to live a life in faithful obedience to His Will.  Just as no spot was too bad to withstand the power of that power washer, no sin is "too big" for the blood of Jesus.  His blood has the power to wash it all away, making me clean and pure.

And then the last thought from the power washer was the fact that, no matter how powerful the machine was, the water was, the pressure was, unless I held it in my hand....unless I pushed the handle, the machine couldn't do the work it was supposed to do. Now God can do work without me. In fact He works all of the time and everywhere without my help. He doesn't need my help and He doesn't need yours; however, for Him to work in my life...for His Spirit to work in my life....my heart must be willing to allow Him to work.  He can do things that abruptly make my heart willing to obey, willing to listen, willing to change, but if I'm defiant, unwilling to change, unwilling to submit, unwilling to do anything at all, He can't change me the way He wants to.  I have to "allow" the power to work in my life.  And although I did NOTHING to clean the spots off of the concrete (I had no power!), I had to "allow" the power washer to do it's job by me doing my job.  God's Spirit can work in my life, molding me and helping me grow in the fruits, but only if I allow Him to work.  It is as simple as saying, "Here you go God. Do what needs to be done!".

It's interesting how simple things in life can have deep spiritual meaning if we will just look.  There are spiritual applications all around us if we will just open our eyes!  So whether you find yourself folding laundry, washing dishes, playing catch, walking, or using a power washer, look for the spiritual side of life.  God will teach when we take the time to learn.

Parent Eye

Sometimes people get "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes". This is when someone else's child or grandchild does something it's wrong, but if my own child or grandchild does it, it's okay. This can be something seemingly simple, but it can be something glaringly big. It can be something innocent, but it can be something sinful. It can be something against God's word, yet if it's MY child or grandchild, my "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" easily overlooks it because I don't want to believe that what my child or grandchild is doing is wrong.

Let's just look at some of the things that can cause "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes":

#1: In sports, MY child walks with the ball. "Parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" yell, "He/she did not walk!" Everyone else clearly say that he/she did walk, yet the parent can't believe it; however if someone else's child walks you can hear murmuring, "That's the third time he/she has walked!" See the problem? Yes. And the child didn't offend God. It's an innocent mistake. No big deal, really. The parent and grandparent could be offending Him, though, just by their attitude.

#2: In life, YOUR child is living with their boyfriend/girlfriend. "Parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" will see YOUR child and think (rightfully so), "That is wrong! (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18...Ephesians 5:5) Sexual relations outside of marriage is sinful in God's eyes! It's listed with murder in the Bible! (Revelation 21:8)" And it is! Yet a few years down the road and those same parents and grandparents will have a child that moves in with their boyfriend/girlfriend and seem to not have a problem with it. Maybe they do deep down, and of course they wouldn't shout their disdain to the world or on social media (hopefully), but seemingly act as if it's okay. Nothing is said, even to close friends who are around them all of the time. And oftentimes the child/grandchild is posting on social media what is blatantly against God's Word, be it sexual immorality, drunkenness, mocking God or Jesus, etc. They're not only doing it, but flaunting it in the eyes of friends and family and strangers.

The point is that we all do sin and do wrong, of course, but as parents and grandparents, we must learn to see what is real. We can't excuse things in our lives and the lives of our children/grandchildren, yet condemn those around us who do the very same thing. If it's wrong, it's wrong.

Christian's are under different guidelines than those in the world in regards to sin. If a lost person does wrong, they are no more lost than they were before. They are separated from God because of sin. When a faithful Christian does wrong, it's sin, but the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us and make us spotless again when we confess our sins and ask God to forgive them. He is a graceful and merciful Heavenly Father and aren't we thankful that He is?!

If we are Christians we have an obligation and commandment with instructions to follow when someone is wrong, as in the example of sexual immorality given above. We find this in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, where Paul says:

"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world (Note from Parent's After God's Own Heart: This was written to Christians and for Christians, not for this 'of the world' who are not Christians), or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”"

That is God's instruction, whether we're looking through "parent eyes" and "grandparent eyes" or not. Our eyes can change. We can put on dark shades or rose colored glasses that distort what is true and right. God's Word never, ever changes. He is the same. The Bible is the same. And wrong is wrong, no matter what.

What eyes are you looking through today? Are they seeing what's real? Are they seeing what is right? Or are they seeing through "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes"?

Wildflowers

Yesterday my youngest son and I were driving along a big highway. In the ditch area there were beautiful wildflowers - orangey-red and yellow. I told him a story I remember from my childhood.

My grandma and I were driving together somewhere, and I noticed beautiful flowers in the ditch. I asked her if I could get some, so she stopped and let me.  She lived in the country and we only had about 7 miles more to go, but by the time we got back to her house, I was sneezing and my eyes were watering so bad that I knew it was the beautiful wildflowers.  I tried to keep them a while, putting them in some water in a vase, but soon we both realized we would have to get rid of them.  How sad that something so beautiful could cause such a big problem for me!

Back to yesterday....

It occurred to me that sin is much like those beautiful wildflowers.  So many thing are tempting because they look beautiful and appealing to us, yet when we get closer to it, they cause us big problems.

We are tempted by things that appeal to our sinful nature and we each are made uniquely different by God.  Something that looks beautiful and appealing to me, might not be to you. Something that looks beautiful and appealing to you, might not be to me.  We all have weaknesses that make us unique.

As Christians, we have a power within us to resist the temptations that come into our lives.  The Holy Spirit will help us in our weaknesses if we allow that power to reign and use it to grow.  The "beauty" and allure of those wildflowers of sin will always be there, but as we resist and turn away from them, those temptations will become less frequent.  They will become less beautiful and alluring to us, as well.  Instead of stopping and getting out to pick the wildflowers, we will just admire them from afar and remember the trouble they caused when they were brought into life.

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James 1:13-15

(Note: I'm sure I've said it before and have thought of it in this way: that Satan is the one tempting us.  And perhaps he is in many cases (read Acts 5 about how Satan influenced Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, but the scripture above clearly says that it is often our own evil desires that cause our temptations.  We have to recognize our responsibility to giving in to temptation and not make the blame always go to another source.)  

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Let It Go

That popular song title from the movie, "FROZEN", was the theme for a youth rally we attended at the Faith Village Church of Christ in Wichita Falls yesterday.

Trying to "let go" of whatever it is that is keeping us from being in a closer relationship with God/Jesus and keeping us from staying on the straight and narrow path definitely needs to go.  But sometimes it's hard to let it go. Sometimes we want to cling to it.  It's not that we don't want to follow Jesus.  It's not that we don't want to be in close connection with God, it's just that we want the pleasures of the world sometimes, too.  We want it both ways.  We want to ride the fence, so to speak.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  Revelation 3:15-16

God would rather have us either way - for him or against him - than to have us be lukewarm and indecisive and not fully committed.  When we are lukewarm, we really aren't doing anything to help his cause, anyway. In fact, we are only hurting it. 

After the first speaker was finished yesterday, the youth had a card that they were to write on listing something they needed to let go of.  Afterwards, they threw their card into a fire and watched it burn. It's not that easy to let go of a problem, but the illustration of it being burned on paper surely encouraged the teens to at least work on letting go of their issue.

This scripture goes along well with the "Let It Go" thought and happens to be our scripture for the week: For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.  Proverbs 5:21.  Knowing that God sees everything should keep us on the straight and narrow.  A healthy fear of the Lord is important!  But sometimes we forget that He is all-knowing.  He examines and He knows, but He also loves and cares for us. He wants us to love Him for who He is and for what He has done - and we should.

What Do You Want To Be?

Growing up, I probably wanted to be a teacher in the beginning, but by second grade, I knew teaching wasn't for me.  After that, towards late elementary and early junior high, I wanted to be a fashion designer.  I liked the "in" fashions at the time, and was different than everyone else in my small town...I never, ever wore jeans, except to show my calves in 4-H and that was only because I had to.  Following the fashion designer years, I wanted to be a home economics teacher.  That was my favorite class, and even though I couldn't stand to sew and cringed at the thought of teaching it, I was willing to do it to pursue my dream.

A few year later, I began dating my husband.  I still planned to teach home ec, but the program began disappearing in Oklahoma colleges.  Only one had it, and it wasn't close to where I was going to live. I married, just went to college for the closet degree that went along with that field, and finished going a year and a half from graduation.  I've thought about going back some day, but mostly just liked to tease our daughter that I would just wait and go with her.  The funny thing is that she's more "done" right now with college than I am! Ha ha!

Deciding what to "be" when you grow up is difficult. There are so many choices! So many options! So many things to do that it's hard to even imagine.  I'm actually doing what I never realized I wanted to do when I was young - be a stay-at-home mom.  Staying "home" was definitely nothing that appealed to me. I was a "go-er".  How funny that now I'm thrilled when I do get to be home more than a day or so at a time!

Last night we heard a lesson about being a child of God vs. being a Christian.  It was actually very interesting and something I had never thought of before.  He talked about how that when we obey the Gospel, we become a child of God, but that to be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ.  I knew all of that, but think about this that he said:  We can be a child of God BUT STILL choose not to follow Christ.  We see it all of the time, actually.  One may believe, repent, confess, and be baptized, yet still not TURN away from the things of the world to follow Jesus.  WOW!  That is so true.  It is not just a one day thing.  It's an every-day-I'm-striving-to-follow-Him thing!  And if and when we fail, we don't turn away, but keep on going....striving to follow Him more closely.  When we do fail and turn away, continuing to grow further and further away from Him, that is when we are in trouble.  His grace is sufficient, but His death was worth more than just a one time commitment that it quickly forgotten.  Because He loves us so, He wants us to love Him.  And loving Him is striving to do His will.  It's striving to transform to His image.

Being a child of God and a Christian - a true Christ-follower - THAT is what we should all want to be! Nothing else in the world matters more than that decision.  No degree is more important than having our names written in the Book of Life.  No life choice is greater than deciding to dedicate your life to Him.  Living with Him in eternity is more important than any earthly destination.

What do you want to be?  I pray you want to be a child of God AND a Christian.  Faith is belief PLUS obedience.

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:4

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Decluttering

My husband and three boys left early this morning for a church family ski trip.  They look forward to this trip every year and it's good for them to get to go together with "just the guys".  This year I kind of wanted to go, just because I knew I would miss them and love seeing the snow, but wouldn't allow myself to even think much about it.  Why?  Because our house needs me here!

While the family is gone, there isn't a schedule I have to keep.  I don't need to cook.  I don't have to go anywhere (except for a few basketball games that are in town that I'll go to because I don't want to miss them).  No one is counting on me to do anything, except for myself!

From Christmas until now has been crazy.  With basketball, helping move our daughter to Florida, beginning a new ladies' Bible class study, working on our church ladies' event coming up, and trying to keep things going in the house, the house is beyond neglected!  I just got the final Christmas totes all packed up yesterday and finally found the Valentine's tote (labeled as Christmas on one side, but Valentine's on top, causing the problem of not being able to find it for days) yesterday - just a few days before the holiday!  Ha ha!  Oh well....we're having two events here after the 14th, so it works out perfectly.  And on top of that, our oldest son's putting green he  built a few years ago in his room is covered with lots of stuff that's not his - it's mine! He couldn't putt on it if he wanted to!!  It's time to DECLUTTER beginning NOW!!  As soon as I click PUBLISH on this post!

Decluttering feels good, doesn't it?  It's a needful thing to do from time to time, isn't it?  Our homes, cars, offices, spare rooms - all can become cluttered if we're not careful.  And when there's too much clutter around, it's hard to breathe! It's as if we're claustrophobic with all of that junk around. And we have to declutter.

What about in your spiritual life? Do you ever need to declutter?  Get rid of the junk?  Yes, from time to time we also should declutter our spiritual lives!  We may need to declutter bad habits, unloving and impatient attitudes, greed, unforgiveness, jealousy, envy, pride.....all of these things clutter our lives and keep us from focusing on the blessings that God has given us. They also keep us from shining brightly for Jesus.

And just like it's bad to hoard up the junk in our homes, it's even worse when we hoard up that "junk" in our spiritual lives.  It will weigh us down and keep us from being free from the tangles web of sin.

So declutter your spiritual life!  Get busy today!  You'll be free again!

Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5

I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies. Psalm 1119:59

Ask. Seek. Knock.

In our family devotional this morning, the author talked about how we should be led by God's Spirit in everything we do, and not by our own will power, because we can't get by very long on our own will power.  That is so true.  God's Spirit will sustain us long after our own will power has left.

I think of the example of me liking Dr. Pepper.  I knew that I could give it up whenever I wanted to, but I didn't WANT to! I knew if I prayed to God for help in not wanting it, He would help me, but I didn't WANT HIM to help! (Sad, yes, I know.)  But after the first of the year, when the kids went back to school, I did pray about it, and I easily stopped, except for allowing myself one on the weekend.  I didn't crave them. I didn't have headaches from giving them up.  I didn't miss them, for the most part. Every once in a while, I missed having one, if I had eaten something really salty, but it wasn't enough to make me want to get one.  I actually gave up flour and sugar all together, except for one meal on the weekend, so it was more than just about Dr. Peppers, but that was the main thing.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

God will help us when we ask for help, but many times we're stubborn, like I was, and don't want his help. We want to hold on to whatever is keeping us down.  We want to hold on to whatever is setting us back.  We don't want the freedom that He gives.  Why is that?  Because sometimes our sin is enjoyable, and we don't want to let it go, even when we know we need to!  It's as simple as that!

The Holy Spirit will help us, but only when we allow it to.  When we realize and recognize sin, or addictions/habits, in our lives, we must give it up.  Anything that has a hold on us is wrong. Anything we are putting in place of God is wrong. We may not realize it is for a while, but it is. And once we realize it, we must allow the Spirit to help us rid our lives of it, or at least make it less of a habit/addiction.

Ask.  Seek.  Knock.  It's that simple!

The Farmer and The Snake

This post is via Josh McDowell (www.josh.org)

AESOP, A GREEK slave who lived about six hundred years before Christ, recorded many fables-short stories that were intended to teach an important truth. One of Aesop’s fables was the story of the farmer and the snake.

One winter a farmer was walking down the dirt road near his farm when he saw a snake lying across the road, stiff and frozen from the cold.

The farmer felt sorry for the snake and picked it up. He cradled the poisonous creature against his chest, and before long the warmth of the man’s body began to revive the snake. Immediately upon gaining the use of its muscles, the snake coiled and bit the farmer, inflicting a deadly wound.

The farmer was foolish, of course. He should have known better. He should not have taken a chance with a poisonous snake.

Many people make the same mistake today. Oh, they may not pick up snakes from the road, but they do something that is infinitely more dangerous. They play with sin. They flirt with temptation. They make wrong choices. And they wonder why they can’t seem to find happiness and fulfillment. Sometimes their wrong choices have tragic consequences, and they look at their ruined lives and ask, “How could God do this to me?”

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness,” Solomon said, “and then are angry at the Lord” (Proverbs 19:3). But it’s not God’s fault if people who disobey him suffer the consequences of their disobedience. People who play with snakes should expect to be bitten.

REFLECT: Today’s reading compares sin to a snake. In what ways do you think sin is like a snake? In what ways is it different?

Are you “playing” with any sin or “flirting” with any temptations in your life? God can help you steer clear of that sin or temptation if you let him.

PRAY: “Father God, I don’t want to ruin my life by making a foolish choice. Help me to steer clear of sin and temptation, especially in the area of____________________.”

Zeal without knowledge is not good; a person who moves too quickly may go the wrong way People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord. Proverbs 19:2-3

*From Lori: My husband used this in our family devotional last night. We all thought it was really good! I wanted to share it with you. Be sure to visit Josh's site for other great devos to use with your family.

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Part of the Plan

Note: The Chronicles of Biscuit - Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit

Recently Biscuit got in trouble for having a bad attitude.  It was while we had company, so I had taken him into his room to talk to him and made him sit on his bed for a while before coming back in and joining the group.  While he was in there, he wrote a sweet letter - acknowledging his bad attitude and the fact that sin is in the lives of both sinners and forgiven sinners.  Here's his letter (his words and punctuation):

Dear church:

If possible I would like prayers from you. I've had problems with attitude towards my family & others. And ever time I hear what a wonderful plan it was to put Jesus on the cross I ask myself, "How could sin be part of the plan." They say that God is amazing but why did he know that sin was gonna come?

(And then his signature.)

What a sweet letter of repentance!  Biscuit knew as soon as I looked at him and asked him to go with me to his room that he was in trouble.  He knew why right then, because he knew how he had just talked to me was a BIG NO NO!  He especially knew that doing it in front of guests was even worse.  But Biscuit also is a Christian, so he knows of God's plan for forgiveness.

Each time one of our children has become a Christian, the first thing I've talked to them about was the fact that they still would do things wrong - that we all do.  I don't ever want them thinking that being a Christian means that one will never sin again.  Obviously that's not true. Only Jesus was totally sin-free!  But, I also made sure that they knew about recognizing sin and repenting of it - that God would forgive them.  The blood of Jesus continues to cleanse!  That is the plan!  God's wonderful plan!

So obviously Biscuit is having a hard time understanding all of the plan, and that's okay.  He's still young.  He is learning to recognize sin....learning to have a repentant heart....and learning about forgiveness.  Sometimes mature Christians even have trouble with that concept.  On this GRATITUESDAY, I am grateful for God's plan!

As I write this post this morning, my head is humming the tune and words to "Thomas Song".  It goes so well with Biscuit's thoughts.  I want to share it with you.  It's sung by Hallal - the group I have playing on my blog - along with The Zoe Group.  It has a beautiful message in the lyrics.

Join us for GRATITUESDAY at Heavenly Homemakers!

Thomas' Song

Ken Young

Verse 1
Jesus, You were all to me,
Why did You die on Calvary?
O Lamb of God I fail to see
How this could be part of the plan.

They say that You're alive again,
But I saw death and ev'ry sin
Reach out to claim their darkest win.
How could this be part of the plan?

Chorus 1
If I could only hold your hand,
And touch the scars
Where nails were driven.
I would need to feel Your side
Where holy flesh by spear was riven
Then I'd believe, only then I'd believe
Your cruel death was part of the heavenly plan.

Verse 2
Holy presence, holy face;
A vision filling time and space.
Your nearness makes my spirit race.
Could this be part of the plan.

I see the wounds that caused the cry,
From heaven, ocean, earth, and sky;
Where people watched their Savior die.
Could this be part of the plan?

Chorus 2
Reaching out to hold Your hand,
And touch the scars where nails were driven;
Coming near I feel Your side
Where holy flesh by spear was riven.
Now I believe. Jesus, now I believe.
Your cruel death was part of a heavenly plan.

Ending
I proudly say with blazon cry.
"You are my Lord and my God."

Copyright © 1993 Hallal! Music Exc., Dayspring Music, LLC, Toddler Tunes Music Exc.

"It's All About Me!"

There is a belief system that is prevalent in America today (and most likely in much of the world) that defies the power of God and the existence any religious/spiritual force in life.  This belief system is called "humanism".

The definition of humanism is "a system of thought that rejects religious beliefs and centers on humans and their values, capacities, and worth.  It is the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity; the rejection of religion in favor of a belief in the advancement of humanity by its own efforts."

Sadly, I'm afraid that there are many in our world that agree with this system.  But something else I wonder. Are there those that say they believe in God, but live and act as if He doesn't do anything? That everything they have or do is by their own doing?  That God has no power in the world at all?  I remember my husband using the term "practical atheism" in a sermon.  This term means the same thing I mentioned - believing in God, but acting as if He doesn't exist".  When we begin to think to highly of ourselves and what we can do, we begin to think less of our God and what He can do!

Philippians 4:13 is a popular scripture, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.".  I love that verse, don't you?  But maybe we put to much focus on the first word....the "I".  Maybe we forget the most important part of the verse......through CHRIST!  What we do, as Christians, is because of what Christ has done and because of the blessings we having in God, not on our own doing.  Yes, we may be blessed with talents and abilities that give us recognition on earth, but do we take that praise as something that puffs us up because of what we believe "we" did on our own? Hopefully not!  Hopefully, if we have successes on earth and receive praise for them, we acknowledge the fact that everything we have and do is because of what we are doing through Christ.  It's for HIS glory (or should be) and not for our own glory.

Self-confidence becomes God-confidence.  "It's all about me!", becomes, "It's all about HIM!".  I become less dependent on myself and my abilities, and become more dependent on HIM and what I can do through HIM.

The biggest problem with humanism is that one may believe they can "get to heaven" on their own....their own goodness.  They may believe since they are a good person, wouldn't hurt anyone, may do some good things, that that is all that matters....just being "good" and not evil. They may not see a need for a Savior.  But the Bible tells us that there is no other way to the Father, except through the Son.  We all have sin in our lives (even if we may claim to be "good" people) and we all need Jesus to cleanse us from that sin. We cannot expect to be in Heaven some day unless we follow God's Word and His plan for salvation laid out in the Word.  We can not get to Heaven on our own!

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6 

There is no place for an "It's all about me!" attitude in the life of a Christian.  There is no way that humanism can go hand in hand with being a follower of Christ.  It can not work!  It has to be all about Him.  

On this Gratituesday, I am thankful for God's power in my life.  I could not make it without Him.  I am thankful, also, for the Savior, for Jesus.  He gave His life on the cross so that I could live in Heaven for eternity.  It's not all about me.  In fact, it has nothing to do with me at all!  It has everything to do with Him.  And I am blessed because of what He has done.  That's definitely something to be grateful for!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

The Speeding Ticket

So, a "first" happened to me Saturday night.  I got stopped for speeding and got a ticket.  I'm not proud of it.  I'm not happy about it, either.  In fact, I cried for quite a while afterwards.

I was heading to a basketball game, using the navigator (I call her Betsy.) on my phone.  I was listening closely to make sure I had taken the right road, got to the edge of a tiny town, and speeded up.  I knew I was going to be late already.  That was a fact.  Of course, I ended up later than I should have been.

When I was out of town, so I thought, I speeded up.....getting close to the speed limit for out of town in Oklahoma.  The only problem was - I wasn't out of town apparently.  A cop was at a dark church parking lot on what, I guess, was the edge of the tiny town.  He turned his lights on and turned around. I knew immediately he was going to stop me, so pulled over.

The first thing I said was, "I've never been stopped for speeding before. I never speed."  (I was forgetting that I had been one other time many years ago - also at a small town, but that time going into town.  He let me off when he saw the pile of "kid" stuff in the passengers' side and three kids in car seats in the back! He knew I wasn't paying attention to that traffic sign!)  So back to this time......The officer said he was sorry he had to be the first one.  Something told me he wasn't sorry.  He delighted in it!

He asked me if I knew how fast the speed limit was where he stopped me. I said no...that I was worried about being on the right road, but that as soon as he turned around out of the parking lot, I saw a speed limit sign - which I did.  

Because of my good record, the policeman took a few numbers off of my speed - to help me not have to pay so much.  I appreciate that, but honestly, couldn't believe he gave me a ticket!!  I expected a warning.  However, yes....I was speeding and it wasn't just a little bit over.  I was almost at the out-of-town speed.....because I thought I was out of town.

I was guilty.  I admit that, of course.  I should have been paying attention more.  

When he came back, he gave me the ticket.  I can't remember what he said, but the final thing he said at the end was, "Everyone speeds."  I replied, "I don't!  It's against the law!"  He just looked at me....like I was lying!  I guess he was thinking, "Well, you were this time."  He's right. I was.....but it wasn't intentional....not that it makes any difference.  I think what surprises me is the fact that he said, "everyone speeds".  I guess that's why everyone always passes me!  I had suspected that, but didn't really think it.  Actually I know that not "everyone" speeds.  Others are concerned about breaking that law - just like they wouldn't deliberately break any other law.

So, I'll have to pay the ticket.  Actually, he said I'd have to appear in court....but there isn't an address....just a P.O. Box.  Surely I can just mail the check?!  My husband is checking on that for me today.

My sweet husband was very understanding.  He listened to my sob story.  Later I found out that he laughed and laughed when I got off the phone with him.  I'm crying still, and apparently he was laughing!  (Payback!).  But then guess what he did?!  He called my dad and told him!!  I got a call from my dad - who lives in Texas (and me in Oklahoma).  He said he and mom were watching a ballgame and they stopped the game just to put traffic violations up as a ticker across the screen.  My name was on it, he said.  Oh, those two guys are going to get it some day soon!  :)

I'm still not very happy about the whole thing.  Now when we play games like, "I have never.....", I can't use the one:  "I have never had a speeding ticket."  I also wasn't very happy that the officer seemed to enjoy the fact that he stopped me.  I know it's his job....and I appreciate the job he and others do, but didn't like the fact that he seemed to enjoy it.  He was young.  It's a small, small town without a lot of action, I'm sure.  I'm disappointed in myself for not paying better attention and now having to pay money for this mistake.

The last thing the officer said was, "Have a nice day."  I replied, "I won't now!"  That was wrong of me.  Very, very wrong.  I should have just said "thank you", but I let the devil get ahold of my thoughts and my attitude.  Those are the times that are hard to "let your light shine", and I failed at shining.  Thankfully God forgives me when I fail and ask for His forgiveness!

Next time.....(There had better not be a next time with a speeding ticket!) I WILL choose to shine!  The next "trying time" (There will be plenty of those.) I will choose to shine!  Those are the times I need to shine the brightest.  Those are the times I must resist the temptations of the devil to react in the way he wants me to, instead of in the way God wants me to.

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. ⁴ For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Romans 13:1-8

The Chronicles of Biscuit - Give and Take

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son whose nickname is Biscuit...

A few days ago, Biscuit asked me for his envelope of money.  It had been in my purse since our trip to Disney World, and he finally remembered to get it.  I'm not sure how much was in there, but around $25.00.

Several moments later Biscuit came to all of us and gave gifts to his two older brothers and his sister.  Two gifts were in little Christmas sacks and one was wrapped in a Walmart sack.  They opened their gifts and asked Biscuit why he was giving them his money.  His reply:  "It's fun to give!"  I praised him for giving and for being kind, but was a little surprised that he gave all of his money away because it's not the way he usually is turned.  He likes to get money and spend it.  Of course, being 10, he doesn't get much and we don't do allowances, so his income in close to nothing until birthdays come along.
His brothers and sister were surprised as well, but told him thank you.

Later on that evening, our oldest son was going to bed and got a little snippy with his sister.  I didn't hear about it until he was already in bed, but decided to say something to him the next morning.  Before he woke up, though, I found out that when he was rude, Biscuit went up to him and took his money away from him!  He said he wasn't going to let him have it because he had been mean!  Oh, that was funny to me!!!

When the older brother woke up and I talked to him about the way he acted, I mentioned the money....and it being taken away.  He said he knew Biscuit would eventually want it back, and he wasn't planning on keeping it anyway.

To me this story is just funny.  It wasn't a big deal, and it was interesting to see it play out as it did.  But this story does make me think about giving and taking.  What if God, who gives us the gift of salvation, took it away every time we sinned?  What if the blood of Jesus didn't continue to cleanse us when we ask for forgiveness?  Wouldn't that be horrible?  Yes!  It would!

Last week I was reading in the Old Testament about the sacrifices under the old law.  I can't imagine how they were ever able to keep all of those laws.  Well, they weren't able to, were they?  They had rules for taking care of those sins.  And even the rules to cover the sins would be difficult to keep.  It was give and take....give and take....give and take.

That's what is so special about the sacrifice of Jesus under the new law. He was/is the final sacrifice - the perfect sacrifice.  He took the sins of the past, present and future upon himself and put them to death on the cross.  When you look at salvation now, it's pretty simple compared to all of those rules under the old law.

Because of God's grace, we don't have to worry about God "giving and taking".  His plan is perfect.  His grace is sufficient.  Our part is just to get on board with his perfect plan.   Grace is defined in an acrostic as,  "God's Riches at Christ's Expense".  Thank you, God!  Thank you for the new covenant.  Thank you for no more "give and take"!  Thank you the perfect sacrifice.  Thank you for Jesus.

Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office;  but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Hebrews 7:22-28

Hard for Me to Say I'm Sorry

Yes, the title is borrowed from an '80's love song from my very favorite group, Chicago.  But today it's not referring to some love song.  Today it has to do with saying sentimental things.  For some people, it is really very hard for them to say "I'm sorry".  In fact, some people never say it at all.

Often people have trouble saying things that need to be said.  Things that are from the heart....things like:

I was wrong.            
I forgive you.                        
I love you.        
Please.                    
Thank you.                            
You're welcome.

Why is is hard to say these things?  We don't want to be wrong.  We don't want to even admit that we might be wrong.  Some of us more have more trouble with this than others.

We have four children.  One of them will apologize immediately after they do something wrong.  This child has a very tender heart and recognizes the wrongdoing very quickly.  Two of our children are the opposite.  They rarely, if ever, admit wrongdoing, much less apologize for it.  The other child is sort of in the middle....sometimes saying sorry and sometimes not.  The differences in our children are evident, but interesting.  We try not to compare them to each other verbally, although it's just obvious that some are one way and some are another.  It's good for them - and for us - to realize and recognize differences in themselves and in others.

God made us all differently.  We're all unique.  But we also all sin differently.  It's the sin in our lives we must recognize and be willing to confess to our Father in heaven.  We need forgiveness for that sin, but we have to ask for it.  If we don't recognize it, we won't ask for forgiveness, will we?  Now you see why it's important.  We must analyze our lives and see where we need improvement.

It doesn't matter what kind of personality you and I have.  It doesn't matter about our talents and abilities.  ALL of us can learn to have good manners and be courteous to others.  For some it will take more work than for others.  For some it comes naturally to say all of those sentimental statements.  For others it will be like pulling teeth to get "I'm sorry," out of our mouths!

Sin comes in three forms.  It can be broken down into three categories:  The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.  These sentimental thoughts, and the inability or the refusal to say these things mostly come from the third area of sin - the pride of life.  We tend to be prideful people, and saying "I'm sorry," or "I was wrong" is something that is hard for a prideful person to do.  Pride can even be the cause for not saying "Thank you" or "You're welcome".  Our pride keeps us from being humble.  Pride keeps us from looking like Jesus.

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. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:16-17

For the rest of this week, try to use the sentimental statements above at least once a day.  More often would be even better.  Make a concentrated effort to say what you need to say to others.  Don't go through life any longer without saying the things that need to be said.  Recognize sin in your life.  It's easy to recognize it in the lives of others, isn't it?  Yes.  We're pretty good at that.  But we have a much harder time seeing it in our own lives.

We can change.  We can become more like Jesus.  God and His Spirit within us will help us change.    We just have to be willing to give up our pride and selfish desires.  We must be humble.  We can grow to look more and more like Jesus.  Let's get started!

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

This song came to mind a few days ago:  "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus".  I jotted down a few other thoughts along with the song title, then thought about what that song means to me.

For me, the day I decided to follow Jesus, I decided to follow Him without exception.  It doesn't mean that I've always followed closely or haven't had a few detours along the way.  I have.  There have been times in my life that I didn't pray like I should, or study and read the Bible like I should, or strive to live a holy life like I should.  At times I was following, but not very close.  But I never quit following.  That's the key.  As the song lyrics say, "No turning back".

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

Romans 16:17-19

I'll never forget sitting in a Bible class and the teacher was talking about worshipping together and class.  One sweet lady said, "Sometimes it's hard to decide whether to come or not."  She meant well and was very sincere, I know, but something struck me as odd with her statement.  The "decide" part.  That isn't something I ever do - "decide" whether or not to go to worship or Bible class.  To me, that decision was decided the moment I became a Christian and had my sins forgiven.  Why would I ever have to decide whether to worship Him with my church family?

Maybe you do have to decide whether to worship each Sunday or Wednesday or to be involved in any works of the church.  Maybe for you it is a choice each time.  If so, please consider this:  What if God made a choice about your salvation each of those times?  He doesn't, and He won't.  That's not how He deals with His children.  But what if He did?  We wouldn't think much about His free gift, would we?  We wouldn't think He loved us as much as He says He does, would we?  So what are you telling God by the way you live?  By the way your worship?  By the way you think about His church that you are a part of?  YOU are the church - the church He gave His one and only Son for!

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,  and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3

A few of the words in the "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" song say, "tho' none go with me, I still will follow", and "my cross I'll carry 'til I see Jesus".  When we sing those words, we should mean them.  If no one else follows Him - I will!  I will carry my cross until I see Jesus!  Following Jesus may mean going alone - without your spouse and without your family.  Following Jesus means following daily and not making it a daily decision.  It should be a one-time decision - without wavering faith.  Yes, at times our faith may be stronger and then at time it may be weaker, but it's still there.  The faith doesn't go away.

By taking up your cross daily, you are telling Jesus you are willing to follow Him by denying yourself. Maybe you want to go shopping instead of worshipping Him.  You deny yourself.  Maybe you want to go golfing instead of helping with the food baskets for the needy.  You deny yourself.  Maybe you need more money so you take a job that will keep you totally away from meeting with your church family at all.  You deny yourself.

God will bless those who love Him and serve Him.  He wants you to decide to follow Him once and to keep that commitment to Him.  If you've recently decided to quit following Him, please reconsider. He will keep His commitment to you because He loves you so very much!

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 

Luke 9:23-25

Sin is Sin

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear. 
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; 
 your sins have hidden his face from you,   
so that he will not hear. 

Isaiah 59:1-2

Contrary to what many may believe, there are no BIG sins and there are no LITTLE sins.  Sin is sin in God's eyes.  God hates sin.  Sin separates us from God.  But God has a plan for our sin problem.

² 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 6:23

Jesus is that plan!  Jesus gets us close to God!  We can not get to God on our own.  We must go through Jesus Christ, His Son and Our Savior.

We can't be good enough.

We can't do enough good deeds.
We can't pay the debt we owe to God.
We need Jesus.

He is the one who gets us in contact with our Heavenly Father because His blood was shed on our behalf - for our sins.


"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

When we realize that sin in our life not only hurts us and those we love, but also hurts God, then we realize we must do something about our sin problem.  We become - or should become - "cut to the heart" like is mentioned in Acts 2:37.


When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 


The people, who happened to be the ones responsible for Jesus' death, realized that sin was separating them from God and that what Peter was telling them about Jesus was really true.  He really was who he said he was.  The were cut to the heart and asked how they could take care of their sin problem.


Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38


We can have that same forgiveness - just as those early Christian did.  That promise is for you and for me - the same as it was for all of those people long ago.


The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:39


Peter went on to teach the people.  He warned them about being drawn into the evil and wickedness that was prevalent around them.  Some listened.  Some didn't.


With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:40-41

Can you imagine, though??!  3000 people were added to their number?  3000 people were added to the church that day???!!!  What an awesome thing!!!  That same thing could happen now.  People need to feel "cut to the heart" like those 3000 people did then.

The sad part is that today, too many people are rejecting God's Word.  Too many people believe that they just have little sins - or little problems - but no BIG things......no BIG sins.  They believe that a God who loves would never send anyone to hell.  They believe that everyone who is basically a "good" person and has lived a basically good life is going to go to Heaven.  God's Word tells us that that is simply not true.  God does want everyone to come to Him, but He will not force anyone to do so.  He allows you and I to have a free will.  We can make the choice to turn to Him and obey Him, or we can choose to turn away from Him.....to live our lives according to what we think and what we want.


The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Sadly, many people don't believe in God's plan.  They reject Him.  They reject Jesus and his sacrifice for their sin problem.  They reject the free gift of salvation and the freedom that comes from knowing their sins are washed away in baptism.  They don't know the peace that comes from knowing that Jesus' sacrifice allows for the continual cleansing of confessed sins.  And they don't realize that continuing in sin is separating them from spending eternity in Heaven.  They live to please themselves and their heart's desires.....not realizing that they are living a life of sin that is separating them from their Father in Heaven.  They are not being cut to the heart.

If you are feeling "cut to the heart", please do what God's Word says to do.  Obey the gospel before it's too late.


He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10

The world, and sadly many who call themselves Christians will say it doesn't matter how you live, but scripture tells us that this is not so.  We aren't going to be perfect.  No one but Jesus has ever been perfect.  But we can strive to live out our lives in accordance with God's Word, guarding our hearts against the evil desires that Satan puts in our way to tempt us.  We can deliberately choose to make it our goal to walk in the footsteps and example of Jesus.  We can choose to strive to live a holy life.  It's a choice.....and those choices will determine where we spend eternity.  God wants us with Him.  Jesus died on the cross because He wanted YOU to live with Him some day - FOREVER.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:10-13

Do You Know This Guy? Justin Case

Maybe you've met him.  Maybe he's your friend, too.  Meet my friend......or my partner in sin......or my partner in good deeds:  Justin Case.  Sometimes he helps me with my excuses and as a way to validate my fears, but sometimes he helps me do good and helps me to serve others in need.  It depends on my thoughts and my motives.

Here are some examples of Justin Case partnering with me in sin:

Yes, I see that "Mary" is hurting and lonely, but I'm not the person who should go see about her....Just-in-Case I say the wrong thing, and make matters worse.

I would help with the benefit fundraiser for the family who lost everything in a fire, but I need to keep this extra money I have Just-in-Case I have a fire or something catastrophic happen in my life.

They called and ask me to teach Bible class tomorrow, but I told them no.  I better stay home Just-in-Case I don't feel well.  I never know what is going to happen and don't want to commit to anything.

I know that idea is unethical and wrong, but if I say anything, I made get made fun of.....and I certainly don't want that.  I don't like persecution, so I'll just keep quiet....Just-in-Case.

Now, here are some examples of Justin Case helping me do good:

"Susie" just got home from the hospital. I'm going to call her "Just-in-Case" she needs someone to help her with something.

I'll make a cake and have it ready and in the freezer "Just-in-Case" there is a need for more food to take to the new family in town.

I called to volunteer to help teach Bible class Sunday, "Just-in-Case" someone is going to be gone and they can't find a substitute.

My donation to the church for VBS can be used to help teach children about Jesus.  I'll give it now Just-in-Case we are low in funds in that particular area of our budget.

You see?  Justin Case can be a good guy or a bad guy....depending on how I depend on him.  It all depends on my motives in letting him be my friend.  He is standing there ready with an excuse if I need it, or ready to help me find ways to help and serve others.

Justin Case:  Is he your partner in sin or your helper in service and good deeds?

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?In t he same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

  You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

James 2:14-24