Loving children

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." ~Paul

Jesus loves children. When my kids were small, I would pray this prayer that I cut out of a newspaper several years ago. God answered this prayer in so many wonderful ways and taught me a lot about his love. I thought I'd share it today.

                                                           A Parent's Prayer

"Oh heavenly Father, make me a better parent. Help me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say and to understand all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them, talking back to them and contradicting them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Give me the courage to confess my sins against my children and ask them forgiveness, when I know that I have done wrong.

"May I not vainly hurt the feelings of my children. Forbid that I should laugh at their mistakes, or resort to shame and ridicule as punishment. Let me not tempt a child to lie and steal. So guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say and do that honesty produces happiness.

"Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me. May I cease to nag; and when I am out of sorts, help me, O Lord, to hold my tongue. Blind me to the little errors of my children and help me to see the good things that they do. Give me a ready word for honest praise.

"Help me to treat my children as those of their own age, but let me not exact of them the judgments and conventions of adults. Allow me not to rob them of the opportunity to wait upon themselves, to think, to choose, and to make their own decisions.

"Forbid that I should ever punish them for my selfish satisfaction. May I grant them all their wishes that are reasonable and have the courage always to withhold a privilege that I know will do them harm.

"Make me so fair and just, so considerate and companionable to my children that they will have a genuine esteem for me. Fit me to be loved and imitated by my children. Oh God, do give me calm and poise and self-control." (1987 Universal Press Syndicate)

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her..." ~King Lemuel

Choosing Life

"...But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living." ~Joshua

Here the conquerors of thirty kingdoms were living in houses they didn't build and eating food they didn't plant in a land that was handed to them and they were still wishy-washy about believing and serving the God that made it possible. They had watched the waters of the River part to let them pass and heard the roar as the rock-walls of Jericho tumbled before them and they were still tempted to run back to the worthless idols of those people. It's so easy for me to scoff and say I would never do that! It's so easy to see others through the lens of judgment without turning the magnifying glass on myself. "Choose for YOURSELVES..." I choose for myself every day who I will serve. Everyone does.

I'm ashamed to say that there have been days when serving the Lord has seemed undesirable to me. I've looked at the choice between serving Jesus, the gods of my forefathers or the gods of the country I live in and weighed the advantages of serving each. Every day I get up I have this choice to make. Every day is "this day". It's those days that serving the Lord seems undesirable that I go back and recount all the things that God has done for me. It is in the light of his love that this choice becomes ludicrous. Of course, I'll serve the Lord! Only in Jesus is there eternal life. Only through his Spirit is there sweet fellowship with others.

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did." ~Holy Spirit

    

No Welcome Mat

"Then the Lord said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached, me.'"

I've thought about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah quite a bit. I think it's because I live in the ring of fire and am surrounded by volcanoes. Anyway, I've noticed that people are quick to assume that judgment crashed down on them because of their homosexual tendencies. They forget that the law had not been written in Abraham and Lot's time. I read the story again in Genesis eighteen and nineteen with an eye on the outcry that went up to the Lord. I could only imagine the nightmare that some of those travelers encountered in those towns.

I can only imagine the rapes, robberies and violence that happened on the streets of a town that hunted down visitors at the homes of it's own neighbors. The outcry of the broken and young ascended to the throne in a rush of heartrending stories and cries for revenge that must have filled the Lord with pain. Lives forever torn and families crying out to God as the rippling effect of grievous sin spread through the land. The land had become a trap for travelers. A city of men that preyed on strangers and each other. Only one man was willing to stand between them and their prey and he was willing to toss out his two virgin daughters to the mob! Gee, thanks Dad!

Yes, the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were sexually immoral. Yes, they were violent and evil. But remember that everyone has sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They were judged for the way they treated others. They were destroyed because of the outcry of victims to a God who loves them.

"Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned." ~David

Sharing Seeds

"But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." ~Jeremiah

I've been there. The word of God has been on the tip of my tongue and the air almost pulsates with the power of the Spirit. My mind has screamed "DON'T SAY IT!" at about the same time the words come tumbling out my mouth.  The sword of the word once again separating my marrow from my bones. I think I got to the point of wanting to quench the Spirit that way because of what I perceived as unfavorable responses to the message contained in those seeds of wisdom.

I began to squirrel away those seeds and justified it by telling myself that I wasn't going to cast my pearls before swine anymore. I would just keep my mouth shut! It wasn't long before I realized it was hard to hold back. Impossible even. People needed to hear the good news whether they liked it or not. They needed to hear the truth that hurts as well as the truth that sets them free. I was only responsible for sharing, their reaction was their own responsibility. I'm weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." ~Luke

Believing the Basics

"I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?" ~Paul

I received the Spirit in an irrepressible rush. Some people are born again slowly and why not? Our physical births are all as different as our rebirths into eternity. However, I know I did not receive the Spirit by observing the law. I didn't even know all of the six-hundred and thirteen laws of the old Testament, let alone had never broken any!

When I began to read the Bible after I received the Spirit, it was clear that there was no way I hadn't done at least one of those things forbidden in the law and as for doing the "do's"? Yeah, right! I had never sacrificed a single lamb! I began to become critical of myself and scrutinized my life to find the "hidden sins" so I could make it up to God. What a waste of time. I found myself frustrated by my lack of self control and would try harder, to no avail. It wasn't long before I became myopic. My thoughts on the evil in my life nibbled away at the fruit of the Spirit. I had begun in the Spirit but was stumbling along by my own efforts.

It was then that the Spirit led me back to basics. How did you receive the Spirit? What did you hear that you believed? I received the Spirit by believing that what I heard about Jesus was true. He is the Lord and he came back to life, folded up the linen grave clothes, wiped off the myrrh and spices and walked out of the burial cave and went to find his friends!

"Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" ~Paul

Beans and Honey

"You gave them this land you had sworn to give their forefathers. a land flowing with milk and honey." ~Jeremiah

I was out harvesting my beans this morning and noticed that the zucchini are showing signs of not having been pollinated completely. A preoccupied honeybee buzzed from flower to flower like an important dignitary amongst the beans. He seemed almost pompously aware of his importance in the pollination process. Involuntarily, I told him to be careful and make sure to hit that big orange flower across the way a few times!   

My mind skipped merrily to a land flowing with milk and honey. The vegetation that must be present for the bees to produce honey and the necessary procedures and climate for cows to produce milk, led me down a path of thanksgiving. A land flowing with these food sources is rich indeed but only if food is valued as riches. 

Meandering through the blessings that pour forth in a land flowing with milk and honey, my mind was drawn to sunshine, water, and the smells of meadows and wildflowers. It settled in on the banks of the river of life and I was content to let the living water wash over me as I thanked the Lord for each delicious pod. How can I keep from singing the praises of God? I have been blessed with a land flowing with milk and honey. I'm rich!

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city." ~John 

Changing Names

"To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." ~Jesus

Yesterday, I heard a wonderful guest speaker give a sermon about Joshua and his life. One of the things that really struck me was the realization that Moses had given him his name. His original name was Hoshea when Moses sent him to spy out the land. The name means "Salvation" and I'm sure that he was more than happy to take up the nickname "Joshua" from the leader of the exodus out of Egypt.

Joshua. He probably mulled over that name for quite awhile, trying it on and adapting to the idea of being "God Saves" instead of "Salvation". It brought to mind the overcomers in Pergamum that Jesus promises a white stone with a new name. I've often wondered why a new secret name would be so important to someone.

I'd been chewing on this most the day when it occurred to me that a nickname is a sign of endearment. It's like my husband calling me a pet name that only he and I know. A symbol of intimacy. It also occurred to me that a new name would be priceless to someone whose own name had been dragged through the mud. Here's your white dog tag, so to speak. I can almost see the twinkle in his eyes as he watches them read that new secret name! How fun!

""He has a name written on him that no one but he himself knows." ~John

Flailing a Sword

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." ~Paul

I've always relished the visual of the word of God being a sword. My mind would traipse off into warrior-fantasy scenes worthy of comic book exclamations. WHOOSH! Off goes the head of the ugly troll with a verse from my memory! The heavy armor clanging as the hairy carcass goes rolling down the hill and I raise my sword in a grand display of victory! These gallops through battle would invariably include a soundtrack of thumping music and a premeditated lack of blood and other gooey things. Once my imagination was done with it's romp, I began to really meditate on words that were living, active, sharp and penetrating.

God's word has divided my soul and spirit. I have always had a soul but it wasn't until I met Jesus that my spirit was born. I was born again into his family. It wasn't until the fire of the Holy Spirit coursed through my life that I even became aware of the thoughts and attitudes of my heart. I realized that a sword as powerful as the word of God needed to be treated with respect. I needed to learn to use it just as I would need to train with a real double-edged sword. It has to be handled correctly to be effective in my life. I asked God himself to teach me and delved into the book!

"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give all of you into our hands." ~David  Flailing

Blessings Not Curses

To the woman God said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

In the past, I read this verse as a curse. My view slowly shifted when I zoomed out to a bigger picture. God was not cursing the woman, he was setting in motion a chain of responsibility reactions that would ultimately protect the earth and every thing on it. My thoughts twisted to how many people would be clawing at the ground for food if childbearing wasn't painful. How cheapened life would be and how fast the limited resources would be consumed if we could pop out litters. I shudder to think how fast society would have caved in on itself. The pain became preserving salt that slowed the decay of civilization.

As a woman, my desire is for my husband. God didn't really need to tell me that, I know that instinctively. Although, it never hurts to be reminded. But it's those five pesky words after that that I've had to wrestle with, "he will rule over you". The idea of my husband "ruling" over me pricked like a thorn. Again, a shift of thought was brought on. I zoomed in, back to my life and away from the "mankind" point of view.

God doesn't really care how I "feel" about submitting to my husband. He didn't ask me to let my husband rule over me. God told me that my husband would rule over me just as surely as my desire would be for him. He did this to protect me. My husband sees and responds to the world in a whole different way than I do. Men are completely different creations than women. He protects me when I let him and as a team, we face life. He rules over me with love and that type of man is easy to submit to.

"For your Maker is your husband- the Lord Almighty is his name- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth."   ~Isaiah

Foreign Fatherhood

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." ~David


Every child born is a peek into the heart of God. I can remember being pregnant and watching my midsection tousle around like a hyperactive organ and being saddened by the thought that the minute my child enters the world, the letting go begins. I was acutely aware that I would never be as close to my babies as I was when they were little mysteries growing inside of me. Being a mother taught me a lot about love and letting go but I think that the most important lesson it taught me was not about motherhood but about fatherhood. 

Fatherhood will always be foreign to me. Anything that is not female is outside my sphere of possible experiences; Therefore, I watched my children's father and his relationship with our children closely. I wanted to see how a father's love is different from mine in order to better understand God's love for me. He was so kind to them yet firm. He was so much stronger than they were yet he remembered that they were much smaller and needed special gentleness. He knew their strengths and protected their weaknesses. He loved them in the way that only another father can truly understand. I'm grateful that God revealed himself to me through my husband in such a profound way.

"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." ~Jesus

    

Smashing An Idol

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. this too is meaningless." ~Solomon

Money. The love of it permeates our society like a metastasizing cancer. It has become an idol of gruesome proportion in our world today. Lives are consumed by it and creativity is enslaved by it. Otherwise, honest people are tempted by it and its virtues are hurled at children with every red "SALE" sign flashed before us. Money is the very seed of discontent which sprouts into crippling covetousness. Our prayers become a Christmas list for the lap of Santa instead of a conversation with a living God. "Oh Lord, won't you buy me..." is sung in stinging mockery.   

Nothing quenches the fire of the Holy Spirit in me as quickly as the allure of more money. It's a trap that lies open before me all day long. It steals my thoughts and consumes my attention like a black hole. How foolish to waste time thinking about what I would do with lottery winnings when I'm not budgeting out the little that HAS been given to me. How impossible to be content with what I have when I'm bombarded by the things I could have if only I'd work harder, commit more time or "invest" in tickets and coupons. Slipping down the path that leads away from abundant everyday living and onto the imaginary road of the "if-onlys". I have noticed that the elusive carrot dangling in front of me changes with circumstances and is always replaced by another once it's obtained. A chasing after the wind. Lord, help me to redirect my focus and live and give instead of wish and mope! Help me to take pleasure in taking care of what I do have and not pine away for more things that will take my attention away from the true riches of life! 

"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." ~Solomon

Catering Respect

"A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth." ~Solomon

A vision of Abigail working away in the kitchen of Nabal's house came to mind this morning when I read this verse. I can almost hear the conversation between her and the servant about her husband hurling insults at David's men. I can feel the tension stirring in her as she wrestled with what needed to be done. (Samuel's first book, chapter 25- Great story...)

Abigail lost no time and gathered together what I'm sure must have been months in the making. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five bushels of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, loaded it onto a caravan of donkeys, and sent it off with servants. Then she prepared herself and followed after the food to plead for the lives of her family, friends and servants. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't have that kind of food just sitting around!

Abigail catered two parties that night. At one she saved the lives of all that were present at the other completely unbeknownst to them. All the servants knew though and I'm certain they loved her for it. What an amazing woman.

"He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." ~David 

 

Joy in Cleaning

"I am going to prepare a place for you." ~Jesus

I'm having out-of-state company fly in today. I'm so excited I can't sit still! I can't wait to wrap my arms around this woman that I've known since kindergarten. It's been almost twenty years since I've hugged her. We have been in contact via cards, letters and e-mails and prayed for each other through tough times in both our lives, but to clasp hands and rejoice together brings the physical and spiritual into one. Wherever two are more are gathered in Jesus, there he is. When she e-mailed me that she was going to come, I immediately set about preparing a place for her.

I started with where she was going to sleep and it turned into major Spring cleaning of the house, boat and car. Suddenly, the work was no longer a chore. I was so looking forward to seeing my friend that it became a joy. It makes me think of Jesus preparing a place for me and saying, "Marie is going to love this!"

"He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." ~Jesus

Comforting Reports

Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor."

While John's disciples were packing up to go back to the prison with news for him, I'm certain they were listening very closely to what Jesus had to say concerning him. Jesus asks the crowd three times: What did you go out in the desert to see? Three times. Then he answers himself and calls John "The Elijah who was to come". I can imagine the stories that were relived by each of these men as they made the hike back to report what they had heard and seen to their friend.

I like to imagine the joy that must have ignited in John when they whispered stories of healing and snatches of parables through prison bars to him. I can imagine the excitement that came with hearing the testimonies of each individual, the gentle turning of souls to God and a spiritual feast for a weary and imprisoned prophet.

"I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." ~Jesus

Teaming Up

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, " you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Snuggled in the book of Luke is a tidy little story about two sisters. They both loved Jesus but they expressed it in different ways. Martha opened her home to him and set about getting the household together and Mary sat at his feet silently digesting his stories and gestures. Losing sight of the fact that she was the one that had generously volunteered to open her home to the Lord; Martha seethed with jealousy of her sister and the time she got to spend enraptured with the guest of honor. She became overwhelmed to the point of distraction. She was hearing less and less of what Jesus was saying and her mind began accusing Mary. I can almost see the dagger-looks she threw at her sister.
     
Jesus gently opens her eyes to her own need. I'll bet Martha did a priority check after being told that her sister made the right choice. I like to imagine what happened at the end of this visit. The Bible doesn't say how the relationship of the sisters changed, but I like to imagine that Martha cleared a spot on the floor next to Mary and plopped down to drink in the animated stories of fiery mountains and good Samaritans. I also like to imagine that they teamed up to get the house in order and chattered about Jesus and the disciples as only sisters can. I like to imagine that joy permeated their household as they helped each other to serve the Lord!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." ~Paul

Valued Freedom

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ~Paul

Freedom. The very word conjures up images of carefree romps through idyllic fields of wildflowers and sunshine. Every time I hear the word, that's the default thought that flits by in my mind. I'll chase that butterfly through memories of heat-soaked days in mountain meadows and along river banks. But today the butterfly landed. I zeroed in on it and wondered what freedoms I value.

I came to the conclusion that the freedom I value most is the freedom of a clear conscience before God. It can never be taken away. God will never leave me or forsake me. He loves me. That freedom for me cost Jesus everything. It was free for me. To feel the drag of guilt is heavier than trying to run in mud-caked boots. When I confess to him, he washes my feet and sends me back out to the meadows and mountains to sing among the wildflowers and chase butterflies!

"You, my brothers, were called to be free." ~Paul

Listening to Prophets

"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" ~Jesus

There is nothing you can do to make someone believe in God. This verse was from the parable of the rich man that was burning in hell who begged to go back from the dead and warn his brothers. He's told that even if he were to go back from the dead, they wouldn't believe. They didn't listen to God and they wouldn't listen to him. In fact, they wouldn't listen to anyone that was raised from the dead!

I relish the fact that Jesus told this parable since he was the one that rose from the dead and knew that no one would be convinced of his victory if they had not listened to Moses and the Prophets. I also like the fact that he didn't say, "the Law". He said Moses.

"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves." ~Paul

Weighing Motives

"All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord." ~Solomon

Time and time again the Spirit has asked me to do a motive check. The questions arise whether I am doing "the right thing" for people to see, for the reward, or to please God. The first time I prayed about this was after I heard about a young man who had done everything right. He had read his Bible every day, prayed and kept himself pure for his future wife. He had married a beautiful woman from his youth group and had a couple healthy children. He stopped reading the Bible, going to church and praying and settled into his rewards when his life began to unravel. He lost his job and his wife left him. He became embittered towards anything that had to do with God. After all, he reasoned, he had done everything right and look where it got him. His motive had been the rewards.

It reminded me of the parable of the prodigal son. I've always read that parable from the view of the son who comes home to a joyful father. I've pictured the reunion, back-slapping and embracing and the hubbub of the household as it prepared a feast to celebrate the return of a humbled member. Maybe because I like a good party... But anyway, my attention was taken to the attitude of the heir to the estate. He had done everything right and look where it had gotten him. His father had never thrown HIM a party. I have to admit, I've felt that way before! Motive check.

One thing I find in common with these two is that neither one of them were thankful for what they WERE given. They were so focused on the rewards that they forgot the one who rewarded them to begin with. Today, I'm going to thank God for every blessing he's showers on me and I'm going to celebrate every blessing he showers on everyone I know with them!

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." ~Paul

Shifting Heart

"Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward..." ~Jesus

There was a time when I longed to be a prophet. I read books with fairytale-eyes and saw kings seeking out the wisdom of  old and scholarly saints who sat on  giant cushions in billowing tents. They were always surrounded by a faint and mystical aura of color. Oh, how I longed to be that patient and wise seer that spoke pearls of wisdom to a spell-bound audience. Have you ever learned to thank God for not giving you the desire of your heart? For saying, "No. That's not who I made you."? I know I have. God's will for me is so much better. I think Jesus laughed out loud at those childish thoughts. I didn't want to be a prophet of God, I wanted to be a Pharisee!

It wasn't until I crawled into the skin (so to speak) of Elijah that I went to the Lord and told him that I think I made a grave mistake by ever wanting to be a prophet. Can I change that? Kings didn't consult him, they hunted him. He didn't put on shows, he sent a leper to wash up. He didn't sleep on cushions, he slept in caves and under trees. He was God's voice of judgment and they are always under attack. The desires of my heart slowly shifted. I no longer wanted to be a great and mighty prophet. I wanted to be like the widow that made her last cake of flour and oil for Elijah. I wanted to be like the woman that set aside a room for him when he was harried and needed rest. A sanctuary for a weary man. I now desire to serve and not be served. I'm so grateful that God knows me better than I know myself!

"Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you are turning their hearts back again." ~Elijah