Build Your House on the Rock

      Well the past couple of weeks have been quite busy.  So many sad and negative things seemed to have happened in the world lately.  Our lives are so often filled with sadness, trouble and toil.  The devil never ceases to work on our hearts and our spirits.  It is when our hearts are defeated that he wins our souls.  We cannot let this happen!  We must side with the One who has overcome the world. 
      I came home from Maywood Christian Camp a week ago today -- to hear about a shooting at a church in South Carolina.  An evil man killed nine people.  As most of us were, I was shocked ... and deeply grieved.  Escaped prisoners in New York had still not been captured.   And later in the week, our Supreme Court made a very sad decision.  We are truly facing tough times.
     By far the saddest part of the week came when we lost our aunt.  I say "our" because technically she was my husband's aunt (his mother's sister).  Yet she was my aunt too.  That is one of the best things about marrying into Robert's family.  From the minute I married him, my sons and I became part of his entire extended family. 
     Yes, I know this is the way it is supposed to be.  I also know it just isn't always that way.  Families are not always as close as they should be.  Fortunately, I come from a strong and closely knit family too --  a double blessing for my children!  Merle Dean embodied this sense of family.  When Robert and I marred, I immediately became her niece.  
       I will always remember the way she smiled and the sound of her laughter.  I will remember the way the she called my children "honey" or "sweetie" when they were younger.  I will always remember how hard she and my mother-in-law worked in the kitchen at Maywood Christian Camp.  For 7 years they did this.  The work they carried out would put some much younger women to shame.  
       Merle Dean was a hard-working honest woman who loved her family.  More importantly, she loved the Lord.  She told you what she thought - no holds barred; but she had a lot of love in her heart.  I am thankful to have known her.  I'm thankful for the memories my sons have of her.  And I'm thankful for the example she set for others.
      Losing someone you love isn't easy.  Life is sometimes like a roller coaster ride.  It is totally full of ups and downs.  Storms come our way .. rains, floods and strong winds of sadness and loss.  Sometimes it's enough to knock you flat on your back and make you want to stay down.  How can the world go on when things seem so bad?   
        My dad once heard a very faithful Christian man who had suffered many trials of his own say, "God never promised us smooth sailing, but He did promise us a safe landing."  Someone famous may have said that at one point, I really don't know.  It could be an original comment from my Dad's friend.  I don't know the origin of the quote.  I only know the impact it had on Dad when his friend said it. 
      It's true, you know.  If we follow the Lord's call and keep His words .. we will be able to weather any storm, no matter how strong it might be.  By the way, "keep His words" means to obey them.  It doesn't mean to put them away in a drawer somewhere .. or read them and say, "Oh, what nice thoughts, Jesus."  It means learn from them... follow them ... obey them. 
      As His followers,  Jesus Christ is our rock.  His words should be our firm foundation.  Remember the promise He made at the end of the Sermon on the Mount?   Oh, it's such beautiful promise! 
      "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does
       them will be like a wise man who built his house on the
       rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the
       winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall,
       because it had been founded on the rock." 
                                                            (Matthew 7:24-25 ESV)
     
      We will miss our Aunt Merle Dean.  She certainly weathered her share of life's storms.  But she was a wise woman and her house was founded on The Rock.  

    We would do well to do likewise.

Christ above all things,
Robin 
    


 

What Motivates You?

      Hello there.  It's pretty late in my part of the world --it's after midnight,  but I know it's been a while since I posted.  I really shouldn't let so much time lapse -- I don't mean to be so sporadic.  All that aside, tomorrow morning I leave for Maywood Christian Camp - so I will be away from my computer for a while.  I've been very excited about camp for several weeks now.  I love going to work as a counselor   and Bible class teacher.  I learn so much from those young ladies!   
        Today, I watched a television show with my husband.  It was an educational show about bee colonies.  I enjoyed it.  It was quite interesting, but I heard a man say something that set me back a bit.  He was a commercial owner of several hundred bee colonies.  As he was discussing his business, he said people are motivated by two things:  fear and greed. 
       I immediately began to feel sorry for this man.  He went on to talk about how successful his business and the expensive lifestyle he enjoyed.  How tragic!  In my opinion, the person who is motivated only by greed must live a sad life indeed.  Fear and greed are not the only two things that motivate humans. 
      What about love?  Many people are motivated by love.  We act on behalf of the folks we love.  Love prompts action.  We want the best for those we care about and we do our part to help make that happen.  We reap what we sow ...that's a Biblical truth.  It is as true now as it was the day it was written.  If we sow love -- we will reap love. 
       Christ told us the greatest commandment is love.  We are to love our God with all of our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength.  The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.  Love God ... love your fellow man.  This love should be our motivation for life. 
       Faith in and love for God and for Christ our Redeemer should be the focus of our entire lives.  When we pray we should pray with love in our hearts.  When we sing praises to Him, we should smile and happily sing to declare our love for God.  After all, He has done so much for us. 
        God sent His only begotten Son to this earth ... for us.  This is a love that we cannot fathom.  But it was His love for us that prompted this action.  He wanted to give us a chance to be with Him in heaven.  When we love someone, we want to be with them, right?  Well, God loves us and wants to be with us when our time on earth is done. 
        There was a price to be paid.  Christ left heaven and came to earth because He loved us.  He was motivated by love.  He hung on that cross and suffered all that pain because He loved us.  There was no greed in His sacrifice.
      The human part of Jesus did not want to go through what He did.  He prayed to the Father for another way.  But His perfect blood was the price to be paid for our souls.  In the end, He wasn't motivated by fear.   The greater emotion was love ... love triumphed over fear. 
         S0 - now the question is what motivates you?  Fear?  Maybe it is greed.  What about love?  Do you center your life wholly around Christ and let your love for Him be the guiding force in everything you do?  It's our choice.  Christ left it up to us .... 

Christ above all things,
Robin