Last Sunday was a great day! Anytime we are able to see goodness and love in action, our day gets brighter. Sunday was one of those days for me.
Love doesn't always show itself in some big outward gesture. Oh sure, the big things do happen- like marriage proposals during halftime at ball games, or surprise birthday parties - or special wedding anniversaries. Those things don't happen every day.
So what about all the other days? Love still shows itself in so many forms - countless tiny acts of giving. We find it in the little things we do for each other. These are the gestures which keep us going .... keep us believing there is good in this world.
This past Sunday, I was with 40 other Christians who took the time to attend a Sunday morning devotional at the nursing home. They could have been speeding off to lunch; but they didn't. They chose to show kindness to others who really needed it.
I saw my Christian friends spread a little cheer through song. I saw the residents join in singing praises to God - singing with enthusiasm and joy. They had no song books; but they didn't need them. Those sweet ladies knew all the words and the joy it gave them was written all over their faces.
I saw two sisters speak ever so gently to a woman who seemed overwhelmed and confused. I saw gentle smiles and hands holding hands. And hugs - I saw hugs this past Sunday. Human touch can be so comforting - physical contact is a show of love in and of itself.
Sometimes an act of love is so subtle it is easy to miss. Yet, if we make ourselves aware of what's going on around us we will be able to see love in action. We don't always take the time to look for it; but it is definitely worth the effort.
When our devotional ended, most of us stayed a few minutes to visit with the residents. As I leaned over to speak to one sweet lady, she looked up and smiled. Then she leaned her head on my shoulder as she drew herself into my hug. She had the most cheerful smile!
The men didn't seem to want hugs; but they were happy to shake your hand. There were other greetings between the two groups. Giving them the respect they deserved, we called the men 'sir' and the women 'ma'am.'
I left feeling much better than I did when I got there. I always do when I visit the nursing home. It started raining on the way to the car. I noticed men holding umbrellas as a couple of our ladies got into their vehicle. Another gentleman (and I mean gentleman in the truest sense of the word) loaded a walker into their car. That was indeed love in action!
Everything that went on this past Sunday morning was about love. From Sunday school class to the lesson during the worship hour. By the way, the lesson (sermon) was about love. The point was love should be the symbol for Christians. People should recognize a Christian through their acts of compassion, mercy and love. It should be 'our sign.' I enjoyed the comparison.
The demonstrations of love followed us to the nursing home. And love traveled home with me to a quiet peaceful lunch with my husband. As I reflected on all the things I saw, I couldn't help but smile. It was a good - no, it was a great morning!
Remember love isn't just something you say. It is an action word. Think about this ----
God loves, so He gave us His Son. Jesus loves, so He gave His life for us. The Holy Spirit loves, so He is a Comforter and a Helper. "The Spirit Himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26b). This kind of love is what we should strive to show one another.
So the next time you go out and about - look for love. Recognize it when you see it. You will find it when someone lets another someone in front of them in the check out line at the grocery store. You might see love when someone pays for a veteran's meal at a restaurant.
Love might show itself when the person in front of you in the drive through buys your breakfast; or when a parent tells their child they are a good boy or girl. You might see it when a family buys groceries for a neighbor in need.
Love is all around if we only take the time to look for it.
Recognize it when you see it. Enjoy it. Revel in it when it is given to you. Be thankful for it! More importantly be the love other people need. And be thankful for that, too.
We go to the nursing home again tomorrow. I can't wait!
I John 3:10 -- See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
I John 3:18 -- Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth.
Christ above all things,
Robin
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Being Thankful
Dad and I went to Wal-Mart together. I don't even remember the reason for trip or what we bought while we were there. What I do remember is that we got a great parking spot. It would be a short walk to get into the store. As we pulled into the spot I thanked the Lord for getting to park so closely. I don't know if he was testing me, or what he was thinking, but he looked over at me with a smile and said, "Robin, what would you say if we didn't get a good parking spot?"
I smiled back, "Well then I would thank God for giving me legs to be able to walk into the store."
Dad laughed. "Very good," he said.
Thanksgiving is not just an emotion. It isn't just a happy feeling when something good happens. Of course it is certainly a part of it. We should definitely find joy in the good things God gives us in our lives.
But that isn't all of it and maybe that is what Dad was getting at. Giving thanks to our God is so much more than that. For one thing, it is a command. Maybe sometimes we don't think of it like that but it is.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV). These verses are pretty clear. They leave no room for misunderstanding.
"Give thanks in all circumstances..." Wow -- think about that phrase for just a moment. 'All circumstances' does not mean we say 'thank you' only when we feel like it. God did not say -'please remember me when something good happens in your life.' He certainly did not say - we can skip out on being grateful on those very ordinary days. He said in ALL circumstances. That leaves nothing out.
Being thankful is not always easy - mainly because as humans we are easily distracted. Sometimes we are just careless and forget. We go about our busy days and never think of counting our blessings.
We often let petty annoyances cloud our minds and affect our attitudes. Negativity and doubt are certainly deterrents in developing a grateful heart. It is easy to complain when something goes wrong.
A few years ago in another conversation with Dad, I complained about the car trouble I had experienced. He reminded me I should be thankful I had the money to get the repairs done.
Being thankful has a lot to do with how we frame our thoughts. It should be an elemental part of our Christian life. Christianity involves retraining or renewing our minds. Colossians 3:10 tells us we put on the new self and we are being 'renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.'
In the verses following the inspired Paul talks about things we are to 'put on' as Christians. He mentions thanksgiving three times. It is rather lengthy but consider Colossians 3:15-17:
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
To 'rejoice always' is not easy either. That is another thing we don't always think of as a command. Maybe that is one reason 'pray without ceasing' is sandwiched between these two verses. Prayer is the glue between rejoicing and being thankful.
So much is packed into these three short verses. For those seeking to live a godly life they are powerful. Joy, prayer and thanksgiving are woven tightly together.
Still how difficult is it to be thankful when you are at a low point in your life? How can you rejoice when you are going through a painful divorce? How can we be thankful after losing a loved one?
Sometimes life brings such sorrow and pain we don't think we can go another minute let alone another hour or day. We all go through deep dark valleys and we feel small, lost and alone. During those times how can we read these verses and follow these commands?
I don't presume to be able to answer that question. But I do know what the apostles did after being beaten for preaching Christ. They "rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (of Jesus)" (Acts 5:41). And I know what Paul and Silas did after being beaten and put into stocks. They prayed and sang hymns to God while the other prisoners listened (Acts 16).
I imagine in both situations the rejoicing included thanksgiving, don't you? The two are so closely related to one another. Paul rejoiced even in the torment and affliction he suffered for Christ and often reminded us to be thankful.
In fact Paul uses the words thanks, thankful, thankfulness and thanksgiving about 50 times in the 13 letters he wrote.
I know it is difficult to give thanks when the storms of life are raging. The thing is even in those times we can find things to be grateful for -- we just have to make ourselves see that. And yes, I know it is much easier said than done.
It takes the kind of endurance both Peter and Paul speak of in their writings.
So what do we have to be thankful for when we seem to be at the end of the rope for whatever reason?
1. It is temporary. "For this light momentary is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:17) If we hang on there is a life of glory awaiting us.
2. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us - Romans 8:26.
3. For those who love God all things work together for good. Romans 8:28
4. Christ Jesus - the One who conquered death also intercedes for us. Nothing we face-nothing can separate us from His love. verses 34-36
5. We are more than conquerors through Him. verse 37
These are only a few things to be thankful for. We can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7).
My favorite may be this:
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
This friends, is something we can always be thankful for!
Christ above all things,
Robin Whitley
I smiled back, "Well then I would thank God for giving me legs to be able to walk into the store."
Dad laughed. "Very good," he said.
Thanksgiving is not just an emotion. It isn't just a happy feeling when something good happens. Of course it is certainly a part of it. We should definitely find joy in the good things God gives us in our lives.
But that isn't all of it and maybe that is what Dad was getting at. Giving thanks to our God is so much more than that. For one thing, it is a command. Maybe sometimes we don't think of it like that but it is.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV). These verses are pretty clear. They leave no room for misunderstanding.
"Give thanks in all circumstances..." Wow -- think about that phrase for just a moment. 'All circumstances' does not mean we say 'thank you' only when we feel like it. God did not say -'please remember me when something good happens in your life.' He certainly did not say - we can skip out on being grateful on those very ordinary days. He said in ALL circumstances. That leaves nothing out.
Being thankful is not always easy - mainly because as humans we are easily distracted. Sometimes we are just careless and forget. We go about our busy days and never think of counting our blessings.
We often let petty annoyances cloud our minds and affect our attitudes. Negativity and doubt are certainly deterrents in developing a grateful heart. It is easy to complain when something goes wrong.
A few years ago in another conversation with Dad, I complained about the car trouble I had experienced. He reminded me I should be thankful I had the money to get the repairs done.
Being thankful has a lot to do with how we frame our thoughts. It should be an elemental part of our Christian life. Christianity involves retraining or renewing our minds. Colossians 3:10 tells us we put on the new self and we are being 'renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.'
In the verses following the inspired Paul talks about things we are to 'put on' as Christians. He mentions thanksgiving three times. It is rather lengthy but consider Colossians 3:15-17:
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
To 'rejoice always' is not easy either. That is another thing we don't always think of as a command. Maybe that is one reason 'pray without ceasing' is sandwiched between these two verses. Prayer is the glue between rejoicing and being thankful.
So much is packed into these three short verses. For those seeking to live a godly life they are powerful. Joy, prayer and thanksgiving are woven tightly together.
Still how difficult is it to be thankful when you are at a low point in your life? How can you rejoice when you are going through a painful divorce? How can we be thankful after losing a loved one?
Sometimes life brings such sorrow and pain we don't think we can go another minute let alone another hour or day. We all go through deep dark valleys and we feel small, lost and alone. During those times how can we read these verses and follow these commands?
I don't presume to be able to answer that question. But I do know what the apostles did after being beaten for preaching Christ. They "rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name (of Jesus)" (Acts 5:41). And I know what Paul and Silas did after being beaten and put into stocks. They prayed and sang hymns to God while the other prisoners listened (Acts 16).
I imagine in both situations the rejoicing included thanksgiving, don't you? The two are so closely related to one another. Paul rejoiced even in the torment and affliction he suffered for Christ and often reminded us to be thankful.
In fact Paul uses the words thanks, thankful, thankfulness and thanksgiving about 50 times in the 13 letters he wrote.
I know it is difficult to give thanks when the storms of life are raging. The thing is even in those times we can find things to be grateful for -- we just have to make ourselves see that. And yes, I know it is much easier said than done.
It takes the kind of endurance both Peter and Paul speak of in their writings.
So what do we have to be thankful for when we seem to be at the end of the rope for whatever reason?
1. It is temporary. "For this light momentary is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Corinthians 4:17) If we hang on there is a life of glory awaiting us.
2. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us - Romans 8:26.
3. For those who love God all things work together for good. Romans 8:28
4. Christ Jesus - the One who conquered death also intercedes for us. Nothing we face-nothing can separate us from His love. verses 34-36
5. We are more than conquerors through Him. verse 37
These are only a few things to be thankful for. We can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7).
My favorite may be this:
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
This friends, is something we can always be thankful for!
Christ above all things,
Robin Whitley
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Where Does Your Strength Come From?
A couple of weeks ago I went to the birthday party of a precious little girl who had just turned 1! It was so much fun. The decorations were beautiful and everything was set up perfectly. Most of the young children who came were having a great time!
I love watching children. They have a unique way of looking at things. We can learn a lot from them. A child goes at whatever he or she does 100%. They are usually all in or all out.
There was one little girl though, who was sticking very close to her mother. She was probably three or four and didn't know any of the other children. I totally understood her hesitance. I spoke to her, but she wasn't remotely interested in speaking to me.
Just a few minutes later things changed. In an attempt to startle me, the same little girl jumped in front of me and shouted "Argghhh." I jumped. She giggled and ran to the other children now ready to play.
What made the difference in such a short time? It was a mask. Someone gave all the children a mask. Having the disguise on her face allowed her to be brave enough to approach me. When all the children had on one too, it enabled her to approach the group on an even playing field. It only took a few minutes and she was fine even without the disguise.
It may be a little strange, but for some reason I thought of Philippians 4:13. Most of us know that verse by heart. You may have quoted it before I could even type it. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It is among the favorite verses of many Christians.
With the mask on, that sweet little girl had the courage and strength to join in the party. Being in Christ should give us the strength to do all things good! We don't have to be afraid. With the love of Christ in our hearts we can do what we need to do -- even if it pushes us out of our comfort zone -- even if it means doing something we've never done before.
Jesus would not want us to live our lives in fear. Paul encourages Timothy "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). Wow! How great does that sound? God didn't give us fear - He gave us power and love and a sound mind. With these three things we are able to conquer our fear.
Can we speak up against bullies at school or at work? Do we have enough courage to step out and say 'What you are doing is wrong'? Do we tell our child's coach she will miss or be late for a Wednesday night practice because she will be in Bible study?
It does take strength to say no - but through Christ we can have that courage. However, sometimes 'doing all things' means saying yes to something good rather than no to something bad. It might be asking someone to attend worship with us.
Someone might ask us to give the devotional at the next ladies' meeting. Or we might want to comfort a sister in Christ who just lost a loved one, but we are afraid because we don't know what to say. (By the way, most of the time just being there is what is important.)
In any of these situations and so many more - if what we are doing is for Christ -- to bring someone closer to Him -- to give glory to Him -- He WILL give us the strength to do it. Through His love and power we really can do all things.
It is not always easy - I know that. This world is tough and it seems nowadays there is opposition to Christianity at every turn. Yet, we have the potential to do so much good for our God if we can only get past the fear of doing so!
I leave you with two beautiful passages.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation,
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life,
of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1
"Now to Him who is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations for ever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21
Christ above all things,
Robin
I love watching children. They have a unique way of looking at things. We can learn a lot from them. A child goes at whatever he or she does 100%. They are usually all in or all out.
There was one little girl though, who was sticking very close to her mother. She was probably three or four and didn't know any of the other children. I totally understood her hesitance. I spoke to her, but she wasn't remotely interested in speaking to me.
Just a few minutes later things changed. In an attempt to startle me, the same little girl jumped in front of me and shouted "Argghhh." I jumped. She giggled and ran to the other children now ready to play.
What made the difference in such a short time? It was a mask. Someone gave all the children a mask. Having the disguise on her face allowed her to be brave enough to approach me. When all the children had on one too, it enabled her to approach the group on an even playing field. It only took a few minutes and she was fine even without the disguise.
It may be a little strange, but for some reason I thought of Philippians 4:13. Most of us know that verse by heart. You may have quoted it before I could even type it. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It is among the favorite verses of many Christians.
With the mask on, that sweet little girl had the courage and strength to join in the party. Being in Christ should give us the strength to do all things good! We don't have to be afraid. With the love of Christ in our hearts we can do what we need to do -- even if it pushes us out of our comfort zone -- even if it means doing something we've never done before.
Jesus would not want us to live our lives in fear. Paul encourages Timothy "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). Wow! How great does that sound? God didn't give us fear - He gave us power and love and a sound mind. With these three things we are able to conquer our fear.
Can we speak up against bullies at school or at work? Do we have enough courage to step out and say 'What you are doing is wrong'? Do we tell our child's coach she will miss or be late for a Wednesday night practice because she will be in Bible study?
It does take strength to say no - but through Christ we can have that courage. However, sometimes 'doing all things' means saying yes to something good rather than no to something bad. It might be asking someone to attend worship with us.
Someone might ask us to give the devotional at the next ladies' meeting. Or we might want to comfort a sister in Christ who just lost a loved one, but we are afraid because we don't know what to say. (By the way, most of the time just being there is what is important.)
In any of these situations and so many more - if what we are doing is for Christ -- to bring someone closer to Him -- to give glory to Him -- He WILL give us the strength to do it. Through His love and power we really can do all things.
It is not always easy - I know that. This world is tough and it seems nowadays there is opposition to Christianity at every turn. Yet, we have the potential to do so much good for our God if we can only get past the fear of doing so!
I leave you with two beautiful passages.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation,
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life,
of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1
"Now to Him who is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations for ever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21
Christ above all things,
Robin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)