Peace, Anyone?

The yard renovation continues at my house. Outside, bangings on rock and grindings of a saw announce the presence of our construction zone. Naturally, the dog wants the workers to understand that he is the protector of this territory, so he barks often. And loudly. I've turned on the TV in an attempt to mask the noise, but that is just another annoyance, as the Today show presents a story on a spa for children in San Antonio.

So, I looked up "peace" on BibleGateway.com. Here's a verse to which I can relate this morning: "I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil" (Job 3:26).

But I also found these verses:

"The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11).

"[S]eek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14b).

"[B]e at peace with each other" (Mark 9:50b).

What are the lessons from these verses?
1) God wants to give us peace, and He does give it to us.
2) We must look for peace. I think we need to ask God for peace or ask Him how to find it.
3) God wants us not only to be at peace within ourselves and with Him, but also with each other.

The dog has calmed down, the noise outside has stopped briefly, and I've gained some strength from God's Word--I'm on my way to a day of peace...if not quiet. :)

Tomorrow May Come...It Usually Does

So, do you have a vision for your life?

The devotional I read this morning was focused on our future. Of course, we don't need to know exactly what our plans are. I used to be one of those people who had a definite plan. The funny thing is that my life didn't happen at all as I thought it would...and that's fine with me. But we do need to understand that God wants our future to be wonderful.

"'There is hope for your future,' declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 31:17).

Those of you who have been reading these blogs know that "joy" is a special concept and word to me. That will always be true. My nature is such that I need to work at finding joy in the day-to-day grind of life. But lately I have been thinking of another word often: hope. You've got to have hope to believe in anything. If there's no hope of a beautiful future, what's the point of even thinking about it? But God has made so many awesome promises and has been faithful through so much, I do have hope. And I pray you do, too.

Note: My post title is from "Anything Anytime Anywhere" by Jimmy Buffett. That line always cracks me up.

Honesty Is the Best Policy

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life" (Psalm 139:23-24, New Living Translation).

Self-awareness is a buzz word in our society. But so often, we aren't really honest with ourselves. Oh, we can be aware of our emotions, but are we truly honest with ourselves about our sin? It's much easier to ignore them. But they eat away at us, corroding our souls. And God knows about them anyway, so we might as well be honest with Him about them. He's here to help us get rid of those negative, selfish, spiteful, deceptive, and just plain ugly attitudes.

Start being honest with yourself today...about everything.

Another Ouch

This morning my devotional reading was about our talk. In Christian circles, we hear about our "walk" lining up with our "talk" pretty often. I just wish we were successful at it as often as we hear about it! Here are a few key verses:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:29-32).

"Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:12-14).

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:18).

"The tongue has the power of life and death" (Proverbs 18:21a).

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water" (James 3:9-12).

As Solomon says in Proverbs 17:28, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." So I'll just sign off here and let God's words speak for themselves. Oh--do remember that God is available for you to ask Him for help to live as He wants you to. Remember also that when we live as He wants us to, we make Him look good--and that's our ultimate purpose in this life and the next.

Decisions and Grace

The Verse of the Day on BibleGateway.com's website:

"When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul" (Psalm 94:18-19).

I'm quite tired this morning and somewhat frustrated by a number of things. This verse is just a good one--plain and simple.

Here's a related thought, though....

Last night I watched Joyce Meyer's TV program, and she was talking about grace. She made the point (very clearly and with great humor, I might add) that there has to be a collaboration, a partnership between God's grace and a decision on our part. We can't just ask God to help us and expect something magical to happen. Often, Joyce said, we're really wanting God to just do the work for us. That's not how it works. This applies to all kinds of situations, such as exercising to repairing a broken relationship.

Make a decision today that needs to be made and ask God for the strength, courage, persistence, or whatever to stick to it.

Verse of the Day

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

Verse of the Day

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Verse of the Day

"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18).

Ouch

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:43-48).

This passage was in my devotional reading this morning. You're probably quite familiar with it. But this is one of those passages that we really cannot hear or read often enough. Jesus never said following Him was a walk in the park. It's a life of pretty high standards. But by living as Christ did, we are showing our Father off to those around us. And that's a pretty good reward in and of itself.

I don't feel like loving that person! you might say. Well, God never said you had to feel like doing something to do it. Do you think Jesus felt like being crucified? Uh, I don't think so. True, pure love does things because that's what ought to be done. And wouldn't you like it if someone loved you in spite of your screw-ups and flaws? And don't you know that Someone already does? So shouldn't you pass that kind of love along?

Every Part?

"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (I Corinthians 12:21-27).

This past Sunday there was a presentation at our church about a new program at a school in Birdville that our church has helped establish. A health clinic has been set up at an elementary school in order to help ensure that the health of children from low-income families is being cared for. These families don't have the money to take care of their children the way they want to and need to. So the church, following the lead of a woman in the community, decided to do something. It didn't just pray for God to take care of it. The church took action.

I was glad to hear about this program. You see, community and social issues have been eating at me. Churches so often don't do something to help solve the problems that surround them. That goes against what God designed us to do and be.

The passage from I Corinthians 12 is familiar to churchgoers. When I read it this morning, I thought about the fact that we need to adopt this attitude in regard to all believers, not just the ones that sit down the pew from us on Sunday morning. And for that matter, we need to think this way in regard to all people. Every human being is a creation of God. Do we really treat every human being as an equal? If not, why not? Fear? Fear is an ugly thing. It keeps us paralyzed and prevents us from becoming what God intended us to be and do. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.... The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (I John 4:18).

I am not perfect in love. How often do I reach out to a stranger who is radically different from myself? This bothers me. Ideas have been brewing in my head of what to do about this. God, give me the courage, wisdom, and guidance to know what to do with all this.

Back to School

For my friends who work in the field of education. (And really, don't we all teach some children somewhere by our actions?)

"At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children" (Matthew 11:25).

"Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there" (Matthew 19:13-15).

Jesus loved children. They have a lot to teach us.

United by....

Yesterday in church I felt very alone. I hate that feeling. I was surrounded by a thousand people, and yet I felt isolated. The issues and situations in my life that get me down were really getting me down.

And then we sang "Blessed Be Your Name." If you don't know this song, you need to check it out. I first learned this song about a month before my mother died. The song declares praise for God determinedly, despite the struggles and pain of this life.

I didn't sing the first verse of the song because I knew I'd start weeping. Not just crying--sobbing. I waited till the chorus to join in. My spirits lifted. Life may not always be good, but our God is. God has always cared for me.

As the congregation continued into the second verse, I began to look around. As I usually do when our church sings this song, I noticed both men and women wiping tears from their eyes. Oh, that's right! I thought to myself. You can't tell what's going on inside a person just by looking at them. These people hurt, too. We all hurt.

And I didn't feel isolated anymore. At least not as much. We are united in the pain of this life. On the surface, that doesn't look like a very comforting verse. But it is. We long for someone to understand us.

And our Savior, the One who truly unites us, walked this earth. He knows what it's like. As I remembered this, my feelings of loneliness evaporated some more. I reminded myself that He unites all His followers in Him.

Since my mother's death, I've struggled with the concept of family. When such an important person is gone, it's hard to feel like a family is still in one piece. So yesterday, as I stood in one gathering of God's family, I thought to myself that we all--God, Jesus, the Spirit, and all Christian--must long for the day when we are all united in the joy of eternity.

"...I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:14-19).

What Shall We Do?

The news about the terrorist plot out of London on the United States is, to say the least, unnerving. Some people want us dead.

The earth is dry and cracked, as the already months-long drought continues in this area. Our air quality is horrible, and in the North Texas area, plans are being made to add 11 more environmentally unfriendly power plants.

People in other areas of the world continue to die of starvation and disease.

Our nation is still shattered by Hurricane Katrina. Other countries have suffered similar disasters.

Life seems hopeless.

So, what shall we do? Shall we grumble and moan and simply endure? Sometimes that's appropriate. There is, after all, a book in the Bible titled "Lamentations." Now, we can each do our part to care for this earth that God created, as well as all its inhabitants. "No man is an island, entire of itself" as John Donne said. But sometimes it's just hard to even put one foot in front of the other when so much destruction and death is happening all around us.

I think times such as these call for the Psalms.

Here are some verses that seem appropriate:

"In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: 'Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?'

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne" (Psalm 11:1-4a).

"The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1).

"But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me" (Psalm 31:14-15).

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD" (Psalm 31:24).

There are many more verses such as these. I encourage you to read Psalms for yourself. Power, strength, and comfort lie in these words.

Verse of the Day

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

This verse can be encouraging even when there's nothing horribly wrong going on in your life, but you still just feel like ripping your hair out. :)

You = Spirit, Me = Spirit

Sometimes people worry that what they do for God isn't good enough. Not that that's a bad thing--it can be a good examination of one's self. What I am talking about is the idea that because someone is a missionary or a paid minister of some sort, that he or she is somehow more holy or more righteous than another Christian, that the person is higher on the totem pole of Christianity.

If you were not meant to be a missionary, don't feel bad about it. God gave you certain talents to use in specific ways that are just as important to Him as the work of a missionary on the other side of the globe.

Paul says, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men" (I Corinthians 12:4-6).

Whatever we do, we do it because God's Spirit prompted us to do it. (At least I hope that's why!) And we all are given the power to do what we do by the same God. Finally, we are all brothers and sisters in the same family.

Seasons Come and Seasons Go, and Then They Come Again

Yesterday I was in a funk. I think part of it was the overcast weather. Perhaps it was because it was a Monday. Later in the day, I began to think that maybe I was having a moderate case of the end-of-summer blues. This was surprising to a degree because I no longer am a teacher and so the end of summer does not signal the end of a summer off work. But I do love summer; it's my favorite season.

Last night I picked up F. LaGard Smith's Meeting God in Quiet Places: The Cotswold Parables, as I do from time to time. (Thanks to my maternal grandmother for passing her copy along to me.) I am slowly making my way through it. I tend to pick it up when I'm in need of an emotional and spiritual hug at the end of a day when I've been fretting over something or another. The next chapter I was to read was titled "Seasons." The introductory verse was Genesis 8:22: "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Well, I thought, isn't God funny? This should be interesting.

And it was. The whole chapter was a reminder that there is a season for everything (credit given to Solomon in Ecclesiastes, of course), and that we must have winter to appreciate summer. Smith also reminded me that summer always comes again. God is faithful. We don't want the good times to end, Smith says. But in opposites, we begin to cherish the different characteristics of different times in life. There is a balance to life, Smith says. Everything fits.

Smith also makes an excellent point that we don't have to wait three months for the next season to roll around; God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). Smith closes the chapter with the second and sixth verses from the hymn "Abide With Me"--one of my favorites.

P.S. The Verse of the Day on Biblegateway.com is "For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation" (Psalm 149:4). I like that. :)

It's Not a Buffet

When you get a chance, read I Corinthians 11:17-34 in its entirety. It's kinda funny. First of all, the church at Corinth was having some problems with unity. Paul chastised them for the divisions among them. Furthermore, it sounds as if these early Christians were treating the Lord's Supper as a potluck, instead of a time to fellowship and remember Christ's sacrifice. From what I understand, the intention of Communion (think about the meaning of this word) is to recognize that we are all unified by Jesus' blood and to fellowship with each other. Apparently, the Christians at Corinth were showing up at the church home (they met in homes then) ready to dig in and eat! This seems utterly ridiculous to us today. We know that you're supposed to bow your head and fold your hands in your lap and be solemn during the Lord's Supper. (I heard someone in the pulpit once say that we really ought to be looking around at each other and encouraging each other.) Anyway, Paul's words are still important to us today. How often do you just participate in this ritual without really thinking about what it means?

Paul reminds the church of what Jesus said on the night He was betrayed--that the bread was His body, and the cup was His blood. He also said we should do this to remember Him. Paul then says:

"Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup" (I Cor. 11:27-28).

Now, again, I don't think this means you should make sure you've got that somber look on your face. Of course the idea of Jesus' sacrifice is sobering. But it is the reason why we should be a joyful people! The point is that the next time you are in church and it's time to remember our Lord with Communion, do it--remember Him. My mind tends to wander during this quiet time of a church service. Rein your mind back in and focus on how awesome your God is. Focus on the family of fellow Christians into which He has adopted you. And when you're at a church potluck supper, go ahead and eat. But keep thinking about God and His family. I'll bet that spaghetti nestled in the old Crockpot will taste even better.

TGIF (and TGHG--Thank God He's God)

It's only 9:20, and it's already been one of those mornings. Nothing too big--just some annoyances, although some of them are problems that will have to be dealt with on a larger scale later.

So, before I finally get to work on the work I do for a living, I'm going to sit. You know the verse that sprang to mind a few minutes ago when the dishwasher began overflowing?

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10a).

Maybe you need to just sit and let God be God. Maybe things are going well today for you. In that case, tuck this away. Maybe you'll need it when Monday morning rolls around.

Reminder from Psalms

Tucked into I Corinthians 10 is a reminder from Psalms. Paul quotes Psalm 24:1:

"'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.'"

This reminds me that:

• Everything that is "mine" is really God's.
• God has left us to take care of His creation. What kind of a job are we doing?

Remember these thoughts today. God desires us to have grateful hearts. When we are thankful for what we have, we tend to take better care of it.

It's Okay, But It's Not Okay

"'Everything is permissible'--but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'--but not everything is constructive" (I Corinthians 10:23).

During the time Paul wrote this letter to the church at Corinth, some Christians were still participating in their old religious habits. Paul was unique, in that he was Jewish and Greek. Therefore, he could easily relate to both groups of people. While Paul urged the church members not to make such a big deal out of some of these old habits, he also did not want them to serve anything that was not of God. He also did not want one person to be influenced by another's practice of old traditions to the point that he would go back to the old ways and not live under God's standards.

We can certainly apply this to life today. There are plenty of things that are not wrong exactly, and you may be able to participate in them without it affecting your spiritual life. But another person, who may struggle with a certain behavior or activity, could see your involvement in it and be influenced by it. That's not to say that we can't participate in anything that anyone else, in the face of it, may begin to falter spiritually. My point is that we've just got to be aware of it. Are we encouraging each other spiritually? Are we modeling Christ-like behaviors for each other?

Similarly, we have to watch ourselves for our own good. It's easy to fall into a bad habit, simply by telling ourselves that it's not wrong. Many things aren't "wrong" in moderation. We just must continually ask God to reveal anything amiss in us by the promptings of His Spirit. You know--that little nudge that you feel when you're open to getting those nudges.

Pray today that you'll be open to God's nudging to show you anything that isn't exactly wrong but isn't exactly right in your life.

More Wisdom from I Corinthians

Here are two passages that can be very encouraging when you are feeling wearied by life.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (I Corinthians 9:24-25).

As the saying goes, "No pain, no gain." No one ever said following Christ's example was easy. Jesus Himself said the very opposite. God wants your best. And He'll help you give it to Him. The following verse shows one way He does.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it" (I Corinthians 10:13).

Sometimes it may not seem like it, but God is always with us, cheering us on and (remember the "Footprints" poem?), in our worst times, even carrying us.