Monday, February 27, 2012

Keep Your House Clean

“You must not harbor hatred against your brother... Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh. Leviticus 19:17-18, HCSB

Recently I read a blog post by Max Lucado about hoarders. He spoke of how hoarders save everything. He then went on to compare these hoarders with those that “collect” hard feelings toward others in their heart. This struck a chord with me, because at one time, I too, was a “collector” of harsh feelings toward others in my own heart. I allowed this to happen even though I am a Christian and have been for many years.
I hope you are horrified and appalled by that statement; in fact, this is the point where, if you were driving, you would see barricades, flashing red and yellow lights and signs reading, “Caution” and “Danger”. Or perhaps, a little less dramatically, you may ask yourself, “Do I have this problem?”
If you’ve ever watched the reality shows on television about hoarders, you may have noticed they usually refer to themselves as collectors. The title of collector seems an innocuous one; yet these people “collect” to their detriment. In extreme cases their very lives are in danger and in all cases their lives would benefit from a good cleansing; an extracting from the filth, rot, and decay that surrounds them.
The same may be said of those who collect hard feelings—they refuse to let go of past hurts and wrongs until, before they know it, they find themselves in need of a good cleansing. Upon careful examination of their hearts they find they are living with rot and decay; they discover themselves in the midst of the foul refuse that accumulates when harsh feelings are left to sit, soak, and stew until every part of their life has been permeated.
Think of it like this—when you hold something close to your heart and you nurture it, that thing is going to grow. It will grow, whether it is good or it bad, because you have sheltered it; you’ve feed it; and you’ve protected it. How could it not grow?
Just as hoarders need help to clean their homes; those who hoard the hurts of the past need Christ to cleanse their hearts. Just as when we first came to Christ, we must come to Him with genuine, sincere confession and repentance asking for forgiveness. We must also forgive others so that we may receive the forgiveness we so desperately need ourselves.
Jesus said, “So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift,” Matthew 5:23-24, HCSB, and in the model prayer, Jesus taught, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”, Matthew 6:12, HCSB.
As Christians, we need to make a habit of asking God to reveal hidden areas of sin in our lives, and then confessing, repenting, and receiving forgiveness for those sins. Then within the grace, mercy, and transforming power of the Holy Spirit we are enabled to love others as Christ loves us—with a pure heart—sacrificially and selflessly.
With a call to holy living, the Apostle Peter puts it like this: “By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God,” 1 Peter 1:22-23, HCSB.
Amen and God bless!
A Note of Confession: After I had written this but before it had been posted I had an argument with my brother for which I had to confess and repent. I tell you this to say this one thing…I am an ordinary woman with an ordinary life, but I write because I am compelled to share with you what the Holy Spirit has revealed to me of our great, awesome, and extraordinary God! As repeated so many times in the Bible, “The LORD is good and His mercy endures forever.” This is true for ordinary me…and it can be true for you too…just by inviting Christ into your heart…please do so today.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Living in a State of Grace

For the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey. Exodus 40:38, HCSB

I presently work in a volunteer position in which I believe God has called me. Last night, as I was thinking about a training session I’m to be involved in later today, I suddenly began to feel overwhelmed by it all and my brain was screaming, “What were you thinking?”
Fortunately, the Holy Spirit quickly stepped in with the answer, “Kaye, you knew all along you could not do this on your own. But you knew that I would be with you; leading, guiding, speaking; working the will of the Father through you. That’s what faith is about. Lean on Me; depend on Me; trust in Me; I will not disappoint; I will carry you through.”
Sweet relief; sweet peace! As I read my Bible this morning, I was reminded the Lord promises to dwell among His people. When the children of Israel were traveling in the wilderness, God promised He would dwell among them, Exodus 29:45-46. Thousands of years later, Jesus reaffirms the promise in Matthew 28:20, HCSB, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We can also live in the knowledge God never changes. The prophet Samuel, speaking to Saul, tells him: “…the Eternal One of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not man who changes his mind,” I Samuel 15:29, HCSB. Furthermore, God, Himself, speaking to the prophet Malachi, says: “I, Yahweh, have not changed,” Malachi 3:6a, HCSB.
Though the Devil tries to deceive us with doubt, fear, and lies we have the assurance of God’s Word which says, He will not leave us and He does not change! I don’t know about you but that fills my heart with peace and gladness!
No doubt, concern Timothy might experience moments of doubt and fear in his ministry, the Apostle Paul, reminds Timothy, we are not to be afraid, but we are to exercise the spiritual gifts God bestows upon each of us as believers. Paul reminds Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment,” 2 Timothy 1:7, HCSB.
Because of God’s great love for us, we live constantly in a state of grace. As believers justified through the blood of Christ, let us live passionately for Him, knowing the Holy Spirit, resides within us, shaping us into the likeness of our precious Savior. As followers of Christ, fear and doubt have no place in our lives. Let us live intentionally for Him, waiting expectantly on Him, knowing He will bring to completion the good work He began in each of us, Philippians 1:6. Amen!
God Bless!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Be Nice To You Friens

 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8, NASB

I went to a retreat this weekend and received a book on leadership written by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller entitled, “The Secret”. I enjoyed the book very much and without giving away everything the book has to say I can tell you the big secret is that we lead others best through serving them. Or as my two-year-old granddaughter aptly puts it, “Be nice to you friens”. Yes, be nice; genuinely nice; be kind; be considerate; be compassionate.

Or better yet, love one another, just as Jesus commanded us to do. Jesus, the ultimate example of the servant leader said that we are to love others as He first loved us. In fact, not only are we to love our friends, but we are to love our enemies as well, Matthew 5:44; and because of this love we have for one another, people will know we are disciples of Jesus, John 13: 34-35.

Surely we would all agree service to others would be easier with love in our hearts. But how do we obtain the kind of love that helps us to love our enemies and pray for those who would spitefully use us? Honestly, it can be difficult to love others in general; but to love our enemies seems…unrealistic.
Is it unrealistic? Dare I say, impossible? Both these answers are completely accurate without the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within us. Jeremiah 17:9 calls the heart deceitful above all else and even incurable.
However, Jeremiah continues by crying out to the Lord, saying, “Heal me LORD and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved,” verse 14, HCSB. Jeremiah knew what the heart of man was capable of without God, but he was also keenly aware of the healing power of the Almighty.
Yes, it is God who enables us to love one another, 1 Thessalonians 4:9. It is through obedience to Christ we can sincerely love our brothers earnestly from a pure heart, 1 Peter 1:22. The Apostle John tells us, “love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God,” 1 John 4:7, and “If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us,” 1 John 4:12, HCSB.
It is through the Lord that our faith flourishes and that our love for one another increases, 2 Thessalonians 1:3. It is through the strength of Christ we can do all things, Philippians 4:13; through Christ we are able to become servant-leaders; we are able to “be nice to you friens” and love our enemies. Praise God we have the assurance that, “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26.
Amen and God bless!
p.s. My granddaughter, Claire, also says, “Don’t bite you friens,” which aligns very nicely with the “Be nice to you friens” rule.