Monday, May 17, 2010

Chasing Feathers in the Wind

There is an 18th-century folktale attributed to Rabbi Levi Yitzhak which explores the cruel and uncontrollable nature of gossip. For those not familiar with the story I will attempt to give you the short version.

A woman in a small village had spread gossip concerning a fellow villager. The gossiper being somewhat remorseful went to the village Rabbi to confess this sin. The wise Rabbi told the woman to go home, take a feather pillow to the village square, cut it open and then return to him. Being somewhat relieved of the easy penance, the woman rushed out to do as the Rabbi had directed. Very happily the woman returned to the Rabbi to tell him she had done as he requested. The Rabbi told the woman she must now reclaim all the feathers she had loosed and bring them back to him.

Extremely distressed, the woman exclaimed, “That’s impossible! The weathers have been caught in the wind and spread about far and wide. I can never reclaim them all!”

“So true.” said the Rabbi. “Words like feathers in the wind can never be reclaimed. They are forever lost to you.” The woman went away sorrowful, but wiser.

We much prefer to conveniently forget our actions have consequences. Should you doubt this allow me to direct you to the story of King David, called a man after God’s own heart, and his sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11-12.

In God’s word we are told to abstain from gossip and to separate ourselves from the gossiper; yet gossip continues to be a popular pastime. Today’s technology enables us to engage in this evil (yes, EVIL) pastime with abandon. We are no longer confined to the telephone, passing notes in school, slam books, beauty shops, etc.; today we can text messages to our friends and consorts, send emails, use posts on the varied and many electronic social networks to spread the word.

Careers have been destroyed, marriages ruined, homes wrecked and lives ruined by vicious gossips. And worst of all, testimonies for Jesus Christ have been shattered—yes, the person spreading the gossip is hurt by it too. Their credibility is severely damaged. Is the short-lived pleasure received from repeating and spreading those “tasty” morsels really worth the resulting carnage?

Here are a few verses from Proverbs for your consideration:

Proverbs 11:13
Gossips betray a confidence, but the trustworthy keep a secret.

Proverbs 16:28
The perverse stir up dissension, and gossips separate close friends.

Proverbs 20:19
A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.

Proverbs 26:20
Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.

Also consider Romans 1, where the apostle Paul groups gossips with “God-haters” and murderers. Certainly, this should humble us and give us pause.

Dearest Lord, please forgive me for careless words I have spoken and the damage they have caused. Help me to remember that as a member of the body of Christ I am to love my brother as myself; that I am to encourage and build-up. I thank you for saving me; I thank you for your infinite and divine love. Help me to see others as you see them and to love others as you love. In the precious name of Jesus I ask this. Amen.

God bless you!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Spread the Word!

The story of the Woman at the Well is a familiar Bible story and is recorded in John 4:1-42. The manifestation of Jesus’ great love for humanity is displayed on many levels. Jesus is resting at Jacob’s well when a Samaritan woman comes to draw water. Jesus engages her in conversation—Jews did not care for the Samaritans; racial prejudices existed between them. Men and women of the time did not carry on public, casual conversations and certainly a Rabbi of the time would not have engaged a woman in conversation in this situation; there were gender issues and social inequities to be considered. The woman through her own actions shows she was of questionable reputation because she came to the well to draw late in the day in lieu of the early morning when other townswomen would have been there. So there were also social and moral implications to consider as well.

Yet Jesus engages the woman in conversation and tells her of the “living water”, (v.10). She, in turn, leaves her water-pot behind—indicating urgency—tells the men of the city, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done”, (v. 29). The Messiah had introduced Himself to her and she returns immediately to share the Good News with her village. Verses 40 and 41 tell us that Jesus and His disciples stayed there for two days and “many more believed because of His word”.

What are some of the lessons we should be mindful of from within this story? Jesus shared His Good News with someone whom society deemed unfit for Him to speak. The woman having received the Good News shared it immediately with others. In verses 31-34, when His disciples are urging Him to eat, Jesus tells them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work”, (v. 34); in other words, God will sustain us and provide for our needs while we are at His work. In verse 35, Jesus says, the fields are white for harvest—the time to share the Good News is NOW.

Praise God and spread the Word NOW, to whomever, whenever—God will take care of you!

God bless you!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Battle Is Not Ours

Like anyone else, I can sometimes be consumed by what troubles me. It is in those times I must sit down, clear my mind and remember the battle is not mine; my Lord and my Savior is the One who goes before me and fights for me. What I must do is relinquish control and turn everything over to the Creator; the One who loves me and has promised to fight for me. In Isaiah 41: 10-13, the Lord, my Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel declares (v. 14):
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
     do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
     I will strengthen you and help you;
     I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

11 All who rage against you
     will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
     those who oppose you
     will be as nothing and perish.

12 Though you search for your enemies,
     you will not find them.
     Those who wage war against you
     will be as nothing at all.

13 For I am the LORD, your God,
    who takes hold of your right hand
    and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.
Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us:

“And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Let’s stop and count our blessings and take a moment to praise God for His excellent greatness on our behalf. The Lord our God loves us: He protects us; He will never leave us or forsake us; He fights for us. The victory is ours in Christ for He has already fought the battle and claimed the victory! Amen!

From Psalm 8:
1 O LORD, our Lord,
   How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
   Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
   The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
   And the son of man that You visit him?

9 O LORD, our Lord,
  How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Thank you dear Lord for Your infinite mercy; for Your everlasting love; for Your continued protection; thank you most of all for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins; who then conquered death that we might chose life in Him and thereby be clothed in His righteousness. Thank you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit to daily lead us, strengthen us, and prepare us for Your purpose; for Your honor and Your glory. Amen.

God Bless!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Where are You Going? Where have You Been?

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

Do you have an empty place within you that you are trying to fill with temporal things? What gap in your life are you seeking to fill? If you haven’t accepted Christ as Lord of your life you most certainly have a void that needs to be filled. That void can be filled right now without delay and I invite you to do so. Pray; admit to God that you are a sinner; repent, turning away from your sin. Believe that Jesus is God's Son and accept God's gift of forgiveness from sin. Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Unfortunately, there are times even as Christians we find ourselves participating in behavior that is harmful to ourselves and hurtful to others and we must sit down, examine ourselves; and try to find the answer to why we do some of the things we do. We must ask the tough questions; the scary questions; we must ponder and study our own behavior. We must get down below the surface; perhaps we must look back to our childhood and evaluate baggage we’ve carried with us for many years.

No, this is not an opening to bash your parents or others. It is a time for you to be honest with yourself; a time to try to get to the bottom of what troubles you and turn it over to God. When you are dealing with an issue deep within your psyche you may find yourself slipping back into those old behaviors from time to time. You are not alone. The devil knows where we are weak and he uses this against us.

The ultimate answer; the bottom line; is always Christ Jesus. In Christ we have the opportunity to experience complete freedom. In John 8:31-32 Jesus says, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” In verse 36 of the same passage Jesus says, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

If that isn’t enough assurance for you, Jesus says we have “the Promise of My Father” and because of this we “are endued with power from on high”, Luke 24:49. The writer of the book of Hebrews also reminds us in Hebrews 13:5b, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

Wow! Good stuff! I hope this leaves you feeling empowered and ready to go out and defeat any negative thoughts, feelings or actions which may ensnare you. Our great God has already given us the tools with which to defeat the enemy; we just need to use them.

God Bless!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

More Fruit Please!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
What sets Christians apart from others? As believers, we are temples of God and the Spirit of God dwells in us. (I Corinthians 3:16b) The Spirit is constantly working within each of us nudging us toward perfection in Christ. Evidence of the working of the Holy Spirit is manifest in our lives through the magnification of the nine visible qualities of “the fruit of the Spirit”. This fruit characterizes those who walk in obedience with God.

In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus tells us we are known (recognized) by our fruits; whether we be false prophets or true servants of Christ. “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” and further; “Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

We obtain this good fruit through spiritual growth and maturity. We begin our new life in Christ as spiritual babies and we grow first by feeding on the elementary fundamentals of God’s word; we then proceed to the more lofty truths of righteousness (Hebrews 5:12-14).

Spiritual growth is important to us in maintaining an obedient, useful and fruit-filled relationship with Christ. Peter explains it this way: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8

Peter goes on to explain: “The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.” 2 Peter 1:9-11

Loving Father, My greatest desire is to be faithful and obedient to You; I long to have the fruit of Your Holy Spirit magnified in my life. I submit myself fully to Your prompting. Take hold of my thoughts, actions, attitudes, and desires and mold me into the person You want me to be. For Your honor and Your glory and Your Praise. Amen.

More fruit PLEASE!

Monday, May 3, 2010

The Map

As for me, I will call upon God,
And the LORD shall save me. Psalm 55:16

In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11
When you start to follow God's roadmap for life, follow it diligently and follow it exclusively. Put aside your own preconceived notions and plans and trust God completely for the journey ahead. Realize there will be occasional bumps in the road as you travel along the way.

There are people who believe once they become Christians, life will be rosy and without complication. Not so. However, God equips us with whatever we need in each unique situation. Jesus taught His disciples saying, “Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.” (Luke 21:14-15)

Each day I ask God for guidance and direction. Although I sometimes find myself in situations outside my comfort zone I am confident I am where God wants me to be and doing what He wants me to do. It would be completely unacceptable to pray, “Dear Lord, please use me for your purpose but only use me to do things I really like to do or want to do”.

While we wait on Him to reveal to us the tasks ahead continue to pray; study His word; and fellowship with His people. In doing so, we stay close to Him and keep the lines of communication open. Happy trails!