I have been thinking about Moses lately. He was a great spiritual leader. Yet, when God first called him at the burning bush - he was not so keen on following the call. Truth be told, he was quite hesitant. Reading through Exodus chapters 3 and 4, it seems that Moses was quite the expert at making excuses. But our God, the great I AM, was not to be denied.
Actually, Moses had quite a life. He ended up serving God faithfully. Saved by his parents from certain death as an infant (that is a quite a story in and of itself), hidden in the river with his sister looking out for him - found by the princess and then raised in Pharaoh's palace. He couldn't have had a better life! He had it made.
However, Moses fled Egypt in fear of being executed for killing an Egyptian while defending a Hebrew worker. Pharaoh found out about this incident and indeed sought to slay Moses. So he fled from only home he knew. He dwelt in the land of Midian. He made his home with the Midianites, married Zipporah -and had a child. Once again, he was living a good life. He had a good wife, a good job and a family. I suppose Moses thought he once again "had it made."
God had a very different idea for Moses. As Moses was leading his father in law, Jethro's flock, he came to Mount Horeb. Here he saw a burning bush - burning but not consumed. This episode once again changed his life. If you are familiar with this story - you will remember what happens next. God declares himself to Moses and Moses is afraid. He hides his face. We see here that he meets God with great reverence and fear. This was God speaking to him --out of a bush flaming with fire and yet was not burnt up. What an awesome, holy and wonderful sight! Moses must have been amazed by what was happening.
God tells Moses that He has heard the cry of His people and is aware of their great affliction. God has remembered the promise he made to Abraham, and to Isaac and Joseph. He is going to deliver them from the hand of their oppressors and He - God has chosen Moses to be their leader!
Whoa! Now wait a minute, God - I mean I'm impressed by this bush and all -- but, huh - I think you are asking just a little bit much here. I am always somewhat puzzled by the what happens in this story. I mean, here is Moses talking to God. He is familiar with the God of his fathers. He knew who this was. He had been taught by his own mother (who was chosen to be his nurse). He knew about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He had to know about God's promise to them. The scriptures tell us that Moses does not doubt this is God who is speaking with him. At first he has the utmost respect for the Almighty Father, even hiding his face from him. But when God tells him he has work to do, Moses immediately starts making excuses. Go figure that one out!
Moses puts God off five times - not once or twice -- but five times! I keep thinking -"what was he thinking?" How can you be afraid one minute and then in the very next minute he is putting God off... almost to the point of arguing with him. And then I think -- ha! Well, we do pretty much the same thing sometimes. Think about it.....
The first thing Moses says is -- "Who am I that I should go to Pharoah?" Now, remember Moses had fled from Egypt because the Pharoah had wanted to kill him. So I imagine he was afraid to think about going back. He assumed his life would be in danger. But in asking God who am I that I should go do this great job?? You can tell that Moses does not think much of himself. He thinks the king wants to kill him, but he also remembers that the Hebrews don't have much faith in him either. He is probably intimidated not only by the huge task that this will be -- but also by the fact that he is afraid that his own people will not respect him. But still, Moses -- this is God you are talking to - the creator of the universe.
God assures Moses that He will be with Him. Next, Moses says - well OK, but who am I going to tell them has sent me? I mean, who are you really? What, Moses? Really - you are asking God who He is? He has already declared Himself to you. It's almost like Moses is saying -- "Show me your badge -- I mean -- let me see your I.D. please, sir." So then God says, I AM THAT I AM. I don't guess you can get much plainer than that.
God describes in more detail what he wants Moses to do -- what He is going to do through Moses. Thirdly, he says - "OK God - so suppose I do go ahead and go back to Egypt. And I tell your people that you sent me to free them. --They are not going to believe me. They are going to tell me "The Lord has not appeared unto you." Moses could be thinking all kinds things here. You know - like why would they believe me? I'm the guy who turned chicken and ran away. And why would the Lord show himself to me of all people? I am the one that had a spoiled life - raised in the palace. They probably think of me as a traitor anyway. --- Of course, you and I both know that I don't really know what Moses was thinking. I am just imagining. Yet, I know something was holding him back -- in the face of God telling him in person that He wants him to do this. In the face of I AM promising that He will be with him all the way -- Moses is still trying to squirm his way out of this.
God gives Moses three signs to show the people so that they will know he has been sent by Him. You remember -- the first one was the rod turning into a snake, the second one Moses' leprous hand, and the third one being turning water to blood. Does Moses agree to go yet? No --Moses still has a couple of more excuses to offer up. He tells the Lord -- "I am not eloquent - I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." Well - it doesn't say so quite yet - but I think the Lord is starting to get a little impatient with Moses. He said "Who made man's mouth?" Who indeed, Moses? God says - I will be with thy mouth and will teach you what to say.
Moses tries one last time to get out of doing what God wants him to do. In Exodus 4:13 Moses pretty much says - please Lord, send anybody but me. Now -- here in v. 14 we see that the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. Our Lord truly is longsuffering! He doesn't get angry until after the 5th excuse! I'm not sure, but I don't think my parents would have been too happy about giving me 5 chances at anything. I usually got in trouble way before that! God goes on to tell Moses that He will send Aaron to meet him and to help him.
Finally, ---finally Moses obeys the Lord. He goes to his father in law and tells him he has to go back to Egypt. God keeps His promise. He is with Moses and Aaron. Moses does God's bidding and we realize as we read Exodus that God is the one who frees his people. God only uses Moses and Aaron. It is God who performs the miracles and brings on the plagues. It is the power of God that causes the Pharaoh to let the Hebrews - the Isrealites leave their life of slavery. Through God, Moses becomes a great leader -- and Moses and God develop this wonderful relationship.
I said earlier that I find it hard to believe that Moses would argue with God like that; but really don't we still do the same thing today. True, He does not speak to us through a burning bush. But He does speak to us through the Bible. "God's word is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword." To believers the Bible IS God's word and it speaks to us today.
We say that we believe His word -- but when it comes to certain works of the church - we start making excuses as to why we can't work for God. We're too busy; or maybe we think we aren't smart enough; or maybe we think our past will keep us from talking to people about God. Maybe we say - "I've done this before, let's give somebody else a chance." Really, think about it - how many excuses can we give to God about doing His work before He gets angry with us too?
I know this has gone on rather long -- but when we think about Moses we forget that he was very hesitant. This task seemed to be an enormous one. Maybe Moses was just plain scared. Sometimes we do get scared when we think about doing something we have never done before. God was with Moses in a mighty way. Why do we doubt that He will be with us in the same way? Why won't we let ourselves truly become His servants? Why do we think doing His work applies to everyone else but us?
Many of us work very hard for our Lord. Many of us devote countless hours in serving Him. However, many of us don't realize how much He needs us. We don't understand that He will be with us when we try something out of our comfort zone -- some new work or service for HIM. We are afraid to let Him use us to glorify Him. We fail to see what wonderful blessings we might gain when we work in His kingdom. And we miss out on the opportunity of developing an ever closer - ever more wonderful and rewarding --very special and unique relationship with our God -- and with His son - our Redeemer.
Please don't put off serving God -- please be willing to say Yes to Jesus.
I know I've said it before -- but He died for us. How can we not live for Him?
Christ above all things,
Robin
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Sometimes Great Minds Really Do Think Alike
It has been said that great minds think alike. I suppose that's true. Good ideas are always good ideas. We shouldn't be so arrogant as to think that we are the only ones who could have a good idea, especially when people are thinking about the same issue or trying to solve the problem. Anytime a group of persons has a common interest or common goal -- or are involved in similar situations -- there is a likelihood that more than one person will come up with the same idea or have the same thoughts.
I know it is a good thing to "think outside the box" from time to time. But it is also a good thing when more than one person comes up with the same general idea -- well, at least when it is a good one. I suppose that there are times when the same idea can be disastrous. There is danger in mob mentality and in allowing yourself to go along with the flow. We cannot allow ourselves to believe everything we see and hear in the media. We all know - if we are truly trying to stay as educated as possible on current events - we all know that the media often has its own agenda. Propaganda has been around forever. It is used quite frequently and sometimes (so often, that it's scary) it is used quite well.
As responsible Christian citizens, we must be very careful about what we see and hear and what we believe. So often what we are told -- and what we experience with our own eyes are two very different things. Hopefully, we are awake enough to notice.
However, the media and propaganda are not what I wanted to discuss tonight. I want to talk about those great minds with good ideas that are used to benefit others. Those kinds of ideas are wonderful when they are shared by more than one person. In problem solving if more than one person comes up with the same or very similar solution, it will help promote cooperation and comaraderie within the group. It helps bring unity.
Thinking of unity within a group naturally makes me think of Christians -- of the church. It is what Jesus prayed for in John 17 when He prayed for us. He prayed that we might all be one as He is one with the Father and the Spirit. Now there's a wonderful thought. Those of us who are spiritual should think on spiritual things. We should share with one another -- scriptures from God's word and experiences that will help us bring glory to God, our Father.
And now - finally, I am at the place where I really wanted to start tonight. I wanted to tell you about the joy I had this morning as I picked up my cell phone before I started off to work. I had three text messages from three different Christian sisters in three different prayer groups from three different towns. As I read these messages, I could not help but think that was definitely the message God wanted me to hear this morning. Each sister "group texted" a Bible verse as a way of encouragement to others in their group of contacts. Were these verses exactly the same? No - they weren't the same verse. But all three verses dealt with one topic.
Let me share these verses as they came to me. I am not sure which versions each sister was using so I will not be able to include that (sorry). Here they are though - in the exact order in which I received them:
Psalms 9:9 - "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."
James 5:16 - "Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
And the third scripture came with a few words of encouragement which i will also share: "Good morning! It's another beautiful day! Remember that God is an awesome God! Never forget that God is always here for us to help us through storms we may face.
Romans 8:28 -- "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Now I ask you - do great minds think alike or what? Was God's message to me today especially beautiful and comforting? Amen!! I'm telling you folks, maybe it's because I am getting older -- or maybe it's just because after all these years I am finally beginning to "get it" -- but I believe with all my heart that was the message God wanted me to hear today and He was using my sisters to send that message to me. I am so thankful to be friends with all these wonderful Christian women who inspire and encourage and literally keep me going sometimes! They are all such special servants of God.
Just think about these wonderful scriptures. God is always there for us. For those who love and trust in Him - He IS our refuge when we are oppressed. It is our Father we go to when our heart is breaking -- when the storms of life are raging all around us -- when someone has hurt us in some way. He is our refuge. He is our stronghold. I would have to research that word -- but for some reason - when I think of that word - I think of either a storm house -- for proctection from attack by nature's forces -- or perhaps a fort -- for protection from attack by our enemies. God is our strong hold. He will protect us and shelter us. He is RIGHT THERE when we call on Him. If we are walking with Him there is absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. He is right there. Comfort and strength are immediately available if we are just willing and wise enough to reach out there and grab it --to accept the love and mercy that stronghold has inside.
What joy and comfort do you draw from James 5:16. Confess your faults and pray for one another that ye may be healed. Having a little struggle with the world? Stumbled and fallen lately? Share it -- with a brother or sister who cares -- who loves you with the love of God. Seek that friend's prayer on your behalf. Pray with them -- and guess what -- you will be healed of your spiritual woes -- of your sin. Remember John tells us that He is faithful and just to forgive our sins as we confess them -- if we are what? Walking in the light.
So when you have stumbled and fallen and you are in need of healing and forgiveness -- and folks - forgiveness IS healing -- then go to "a righteous man" or woman-- and ask to pray. You will be healed --why? Because the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. Again - the message is if we call on God -- He is going to hear and He will be there. We will never get an "out to lunch" sign from God. He is always there.
Third scripture -- still the same subject --God's help in times of trouble. Are you called according to His purpose? Have you answered His call? Do you serve His purpose? Then guess what? He is going to be there for you -- to help you work it out. It will work together for good. Our problems are not easy to go through. God does not - has never promised us a worry free - problem free life. Sometimes we don't know the reasons certain things happen. But we should always know that there is always a reason to serve God and thank HIm for His blessings. Because He is going to be there for us to help us through it.
We may go through some of the toughes times we could never have imagined. We may reach points when we think we just can't make it -- and then -- then is when your faith pulls you through because you know in your heart of hearts He has not left you alone. You will go through this because He has given you strength in your inner man. And when the sun shines again - and it will shine again -- and you have come through the storm -- you will look at who you are now and who you were then and realize that you are better and stronger than you ever imagined you could be. And you will know the sweet truth of Romans 8:28 --ALL things - not just one or two of them -- not just part of the time -- ALL things work together for good to them that love the Lord.
I could not have been more blessed today. Great minds were thinking alike. How can you possibly go wrong when you are thinking of the Holy Scriptures? My sisters all had their own way of saying this morning that God is with us , if we love Him and follow Him -- He really is right there. Just like those texts were right there on my phone this morning. Three beautiful messages in a row -- from three beautiful sisters I know.
Now, I also understand the meaning of the verse -- "I thank God for every remembrance of you."
Christ above all things,
Robin
I know it is a good thing to "think outside the box" from time to time. But it is also a good thing when more than one person comes up with the same general idea -- well, at least when it is a good one. I suppose that there are times when the same idea can be disastrous. There is danger in mob mentality and in allowing yourself to go along with the flow. We cannot allow ourselves to believe everything we see and hear in the media. We all know - if we are truly trying to stay as educated as possible on current events - we all know that the media often has its own agenda. Propaganda has been around forever. It is used quite frequently and sometimes (so often, that it's scary) it is used quite well.
As responsible Christian citizens, we must be very careful about what we see and hear and what we believe. So often what we are told -- and what we experience with our own eyes are two very different things. Hopefully, we are awake enough to notice.
However, the media and propaganda are not what I wanted to discuss tonight. I want to talk about those great minds with good ideas that are used to benefit others. Those kinds of ideas are wonderful when they are shared by more than one person. In problem solving if more than one person comes up with the same or very similar solution, it will help promote cooperation and comaraderie within the group. It helps bring unity.
Thinking of unity within a group naturally makes me think of Christians -- of the church. It is what Jesus prayed for in John 17 when He prayed for us. He prayed that we might all be one as He is one with the Father and the Spirit. Now there's a wonderful thought. Those of us who are spiritual should think on spiritual things. We should share with one another -- scriptures from God's word and experiences that will help us bring glory to God, our Father.
And now - finally, I am at the place where I really wanted to start tonight. I wanted to tell you about the joy I had this morning as I picked up my cell phone before I started off to work. I had three text messages from three different Christian sisters in three different prayer groups from three different towns. As I read these messages, I could not help but think that was definitely the message God wanted me to hear this morning. Each sister "group texted" a Bible verse as a way of encouragement to others in their group of contacts. Were these verses exactly the same? No - they weren't the same verse. But all three verses dealt with one topic.
Let me share these verses as they came to me. I am not sure which versions each sister was using so I will not be able to include that (sorry). Here they are though - in the exact order in which I received them:
Psalms 9:9 - "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."
James 5:16 - "Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
And the third scripture came with a few words of encouragement which i will also share: "Good morning! It's another beautiful day! Remember that God is an awesome God! Never forget that God is always here for us to help us through storms we may face.
Romans 8:28 -- "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Now I ask you - do great minds think alike or what? Was God's message to me today especially beautiful and comforting? Amen!! I'm telling you folks, maybe it's because I am getting older -- or maybe it's just because after all these years I am finally beginning to "get it" -- but I believe with all my heart that was the message God wanted me to hear today and He was using my sisters to send that message to me. I am so thankful to be friends with all these wonderful Christian women who inspire and encourage and literally keep me going sometimes! They are all such special servants of God.
Just think about these wonderful scriptures. God is always there for us. For those who love and trust in Him - He IS our refuge when we are oppressed. It is our Father we go to when our heart is breaking -- when the storms of life are raging all around us -- when someone has hurt us in some way. He is our refuge. He is our stronghold. I would have to research that word -- but for some reason - when I think of that word - I think of either a storm house -- for proctection from attack by nature's forces -- or perhaps a fort -- for protection from attack by our enemies. God is our strong hold. He will protect us and shelter us. He is RIGHT THERE when we call on Him. If we are walking with Him there is absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. He is right there. Comfort and strength are immediately available if we are just willing and wise enough to reach out there and grab it --to accept the love and mercy that stronghold has inside.
What joy and comfort do you draw from James 5:16. Confess your faults and pray for one another that ye may be healed. Having a little struggle with the world? Stumbled and fallen lately? Share it -- with a brother or sister who cares -- who loves you with the love of God. Seek that friend's prayer on your behalf. Pray with them -- and guess what -- you will be healed of your spiritual woes -- of your sin. Remember John tells us that He is faithful and just to forgive our sins as we confess them -- if we are what? Walking in the light.
So when you have stumbled and fallen and you are in need of healing and forgiveness -- and folks - forgiveness IS healing -- then go to "a righteous man" or woman-- and ask to pray. You will be healed --why? Because the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. Again - the message is if we call on God -- He is going to hear and He will be there. We will never get an "out to lunch" sign from God. He is always there.
Third scripture -- still the same subject --God's help in times of trouble. Are you called according to His purpose? Have you answered His call? Do you serve His purpose? Then guess what? He is going to be there for you -- to help you work it out. It will work together for good. Our problems are not easy to go through. God does not - has never promised us a worry free - problem free life. Sometimes we don't know the reasons certain things happen. But we should always know that there is always a reason to serve God and thank HIm for His blessings. Because He is going to be there for us to help us through it.
We may go through some of the toughes times we could never have imagined. We may reach points when we think we just can't make it -- and then -- then is when your faith pulls you through because you know in your heart of hearts He has not left you alone. You will go through this because He has given you strength in your inner man. And when the sun shines again - and it will shine again -- and you have come through the storm -- you will look at who you are now and who you were then and realize that you are better and stronger than you ever imagined you could be. And you will know the sweet truth of Romans 8:28 --ALL things - not just one or two of them -- not just part of the time -- ALL things work together for good to them that love the Lord.
I could not have been more blessed today. Great minds were thinking alike. How can you possibly go wrong when you are thinking of the Holy Scriptures? My sisters all had their own way of saying this morning that God is with us , if we love Him and follow Him -- He really is right there. Just like those texts were right there on my phone this morning. Three beautiful messages in a row -- from three beautiful sisters I know.
Now, I also understand the meaning of the verse -- "I thank God for every remembrance of you."
Christ above all things,
Robin
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Hard Work of a Christian
I think this is the longest break I have taken since I started this venture and somehow, I feel I must apologize for that. I hope that tonight is the beginning of me being back on track.
I took off from work yesterday, but I ended up working harder at home (physically anyway) than I usually do at my place of employment. I cleaned out our "junk room." Threw tons of stuff away. Mom called me about nine o'clock or so and I told her I had taken off for the day. She asked me what I was going to do. When I told her I was cleaning out the junk room, she said "That doesn't sound like a very nice day off to me." My reply was that it would give me a tremendous since of accomplishment. And it did. By the end of the day I was pretty tired; but I was also pretty happy because I had done what I set out to do.
I will admit though, it was pretty difficult. Well - not all of it was that difficult. Some of it was pretty easy to cull through and throw away. Other things though, like old birthday cards and letters and such, were more difficult to part with. I threw some away -- and I kept others. I realized that most of those items were not needful and while some were sentimental -- even then you don't have to keep every single paper your child brings home from kindergarten.
Sometimes living the Christian life is like that. Some worldly things are difficult to let go of. In fact some are harmful to your soul. Other things --activities - hobbies, etc are not wrong in and of themselves -- but can become a problem if you allow them to overpower your desire to serve your God. Just like I didn't need to keep all my child's school papers to be able to cherish and remember him at that age -- perhaps we don't need to see every ball game our favorite team plays to enjoy baseball, basketball or football season. You can still be a fan of your team and serve your Lord. But if they are playing on a Wednesday night or a Sunday night -- you might have a decision to make.
I have a Christian friend whose son played on the high school basketball team. The neighboring county was slated to start the tournament on a Wednesday night. My friend's son made the choice to attend Bible study at the congregation in that town and come to the ballgame from there. God blessed that child in his decision because for some reason (and I can't remember why) the game did not start on time. When he arrived at the gym after Bible study, he found out that he had not missed any of the game. Now it's just me, but I have a feeling that providence had a hand in that somehow. The game started less than five minutes after this young man was able to dress out and show up on the court. Coincidence or just plain good luck? I don't think so.
I worked hard cleaning that room out. There was a lot of "junk" in there. Living the Christian life is hard work sometimes too. There is a lot of junk in this world and we have to fight hard to keep it out of our lives -- to keep from effecting our lives. James says we are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. And Paul tells us in Romans 12: 1-2 that we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice and not to be conformed to the world. Did it sound to you like Paul meant that would be easy? Living for God is a sacrifice. We become dead to our selves and dead to our life of sin. Some sins are harder to give up than others.
As Christians we say no to our worldly, fleshly desires. That could be anything. It doesn't necessarily mean "sex and drugs" like so many people think. It could be a food addiction. It could be a gossip problem -- or a problem controlling your spending. It could be not seeking revenge over past (or even current) ill treatment. It could simply mean disciplining yourself to get up on time to worship every Sunday morning when before you became a Christian you were used to "sleeping in" because that was the only day of the week you could do so.
There are so many other things -- it could be that you are so used to criticizing others all the time that you haven't yet learned to encourage others and to be kind and considerate. It could be pornography. It could be keeping your tongue and your temper in check. It could be remembering to pray or study as we should --which is a failure to develop a true relatioinship with God.
Yes, it is sometimes difficult to live the Christian life. It is hard work to represent Christ in the work place. It takes self discipline sometimes to go do a favor for someone you love when all you really want to do is sit in your recliner and rock. It takes control to keep from complaining about your work situation or even something at church. We have to learn that some things are just better left unsaid. It takes wisdom and a lot of practice to know when to speak and when not to. If the waiter messes up your order at the restaurant or if the credit card office leaves you on hold too long -- you really do have to be transformed by the renewing of your mind in order to behave as Christ would.
We can all think of so many examples -- so much junk to clean out of our lives. It is so difficult to resist temptation sometimes -- so easy to fall back into a sinful lifestyle. We have to constantly keep cleaning the junk out of our lives. It is hard work to renew your mind -- to teach yourself to think like Christ did - to act like He did. And unlike me taking a day off from my employment, we can never take a day off in fighting for our God.
But in our heart of heats we know it can be done. And as each temptation is conquered, each sin is eliminated, each time we grow and mature in the Lord -- we gain this tremendous sense of accomplishment because we have once again learned that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
God Bless you all. I am so thankful to be back.
Christ above all things,
Robin
I took off from work yesterday, but I ended up working harder at home (physically anyway) than I usually do at my place of employment. I cleaned out our "junk room." Threw tons of stuff away. Mom called me about nine o'clock or so and I told her I had taken off for the day. She asked me what I was going to do. When I told her I was cleaning out the junk room, she said "That doesn't sound like a very nice day off to me." My reply was that it would give me a tremendous since of accomplishment. And it did. By the end of the day I was pretty tired; but I was also pretty happy because I had done what I set out to do.
I will admit though, it was pretty difficult. Well - not all of it was that difficult. Some of it was pretty easy to cull through and throw away. Other things though, like old birthday cards and letters and such, were more difficult to part with. I threw some away -- and I kept others. I realized that most of those items were not needful and while some were sentimental -- even then you don't have to keep every single paper your child brings home from kindergarten.
Sometimes living the Christian life is like that. Some worldly things are difficult to let go of. In fact some are harmful to your soul. Other things --activities - hobbies, etc are not wrong in and of themselves -- but can become a problem if you allow them to overpower your desire to serve your God. Just like I didn't need to keep all my child's school papers to be able to cherish and remember him at that age -- perhaps we don't need to see every ball game our favorite team plays to enjoy baseball, basketball or football season. You can still be a fan of your team and serve your Lord. But if they are playing on a Wednesday night or a Sunday night -- you might have a decision to make.
I have a Christian friend whose son played on the high school basketball team. The neighboring county was slated to start the tournament on a Wednesday night. My friend's son made the choice to attend Bible study at the congregation in that town and come to the ballgame from there. God blessed that child in his decision because for some reason (and I can't remember why) the game did not start on time. When he arrived at the gym after Bible study, he found out that he had not missed any of the game. Now it's just me, but I have a feeling that providence had a hand in that somehow. The game started less than five minutes after this young man was able to dress out and show up on the court. Coincidence or just plain good luck? I don't think so.
I worked hard cleaning that room out. There was a lot of "junk" in there. Living the Christian life is hard work sometimes too. There is a lot of junk in this world and we have to fight hard to keep it out of our lives -- to keep from effecting our lives. James says we are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. And Paul tells us in Romans 12: 1-2 that we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice and not to be conformed to the world. Did it sound to you like Paul meant that would be easy? Living for God is a sacrifice. We become dead to our selves and dead to our life of sin. Some sins are harder to give up than others.
As Christians we say no to our worldly, fleshly desires. That could be anything. It doesn't necessarily mean "sex and drugs" like so many people think. It could be a food addiction. It could be a gossip problem -- or a problem controlling your spending. It could be not seeking revenge over past (or even current) ill treatment. It could simply mean disciplining yourself to get up on time to worship every Sunday morning when before you became a Christian you were used to "sleeping in" because that was the only day of the week you could do so.
There are so many other things -- it could be that you are so used to criticizing others all the time that you haven't yet learned to encourage others and to be kind and considerate. It could be pornography. It could be keeping your tongue and your temper in check. It could be remembering to pray or study as we should --which is a failure to develop a true relatioinship with God.
Yes, it is sometimes difficult to live the Christian life. It is hard work to represent Christ in the work place. It takes self discipline sometimes to go do a favor for someone you love when all you really want to do is sit in your recliner and rock. It takes control to keep from complaining about your work situation or even something at church. We have to learn that some things are just better left unsaid. It takes wisdom and a lot of practice to know when to speak and when not to. If the waiter messes up your order at the restaurant or if the credit card office leaves you on hold too long -- you really do have to be transformed by the renewing of your mind in order to behave as Christ would.
We can all think of so many examples -- so much junk to clean out of our lives. It is so difficult to resist temptation sometimes -- so easy to fall back into a sinful lifestyle. We have to constantly keep cleaning the junk out of our lives. It is hard work to renew your mind -- to teach yourself to think like Christ did - to act like He did. And unlike me taking a day off from my employment, we can never take a day off in fighting for our God.
But in our heart of heats we know it can be done. And as each temptation is conquered, each sin is eliminated, each time we grow and mature in the Lord -- we gain this tremendous sense of accomplishment because we have once again learned that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
God Bless you all. I am so thankful to be back.
Christ above all things,
Robin
Friday, May 10, 2013
Time Well Spent
Last night, I was driving through a residential neighborhood on my way home from work. I saw something that is not often seen these days. A young girl was outside playing basketball with her mother. That's right, her mother! And it was obvious from the scene that the mother was teaching the daughter how to hold the ball as she prepares to shoot for the goal. I don't think I have ever seen a mother and daughter playing basketball outside before. It was a very encouraging sight.
First of all, in this busy world there are so many parents that don't make the effort to spend time with their children. Then again, many parents do. Some parents want their children to be involved in sports, music lessons, art classes and any other extra activities that they can think of that might benefit or enrich their child's life. With all their good intentions some of these parents depend on the coaches, instructors, etc. to teach their children how to play the instrument or the game. But on the other hand, some parents use sports or music as opportunities to spend extra time with their children by coaching the team.
I realize I am discussing both sides of the coin here, but I guess the point I am getting at right now is that children need time with their parents. They need to understand that a parent is involved and cares about what they are doing -- whether that means being the teacher or coach or whether it just means going to watch and support the child. Get involved with your child's life!
It has been said that involving children in all these different things will boost their self- esteem and helps them become more confident. Perhaps that does help, but I think it is NOT the activity that makes the difference. It is the time spent with the child. I really think in today's world that many, many parents have forgotten this.
Children need to understand that parents love them. One of the best ways of showing love is giving them time, listening to them - trying to get to know them as people. And it doesn't matter if it is done while playing a sports activity - or driving to and from a music lesson or ballgame -- or fishing or hunting -- or taking a walk in the woods -- or raking leaves in the yard -- or letting them help you cook. Anyway, you get the point. It is not the activity per se, it is the time spent - the conversations -- the hugs - the laughs that are important for the child's development.
Think about it - the little girl I saw last night probably has a wonderful knowledge that her Mom loves her enough to teach her. Her Mom was encouraging her and trying to help her be her best. She knows that Mom cares about her - about what she is doing. Good for that Mom! I remember my Mom played with us when we were children. She would take a glove and baseball and go outside with us to toss a ball around -- or pitch to us while we took turns batting. Mom and Dad both attended our ball games, concerts, plays - whatever my brothers and I participated in, we always knew they were behind us 100%.
We are supposed to teach our children about the love of God. How can we do this if we don't show our children how much we love them? How can you explain the concept of love unless you are demonstrating that yourselves? Some parents really do love their children, but perhaps they don't take the time with them that they should. Maybe they don't know exactly how to show that love. Perhaps that is why the Bible says the older women are to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children. We must teach our children about the sacrificial love of God -- but they come to understand that best when they have experienced that love within their own home.
Besides all this -- it turns out to be a double blessing. Staying close to your children brings them happiness and helps them to become productive, well-adjusted people who grow up to be positive influences -- lights in the world. But the love is returned to you. It comes back to you over and over. Having a close relationship will bring you happiness too.
Love your kids and show them you do by spending time with them. Let them know you value them as people. You will be glad you did!!
Christ above all things,
Robin
First of all, in this busy world there are so many parents that don't make the effort to spend time with their children. Then again, many parents do. Some parents want their children to be involved in sports, music lessons, art classes and any other extra activities that they can think of that might benefit or enrich their child's life. With all their good intentions some of these parents depend on the coaches, instructors, etc. to teach their children how to play the instrument or the game. But on the other hand, some parents use sports or music as opportunities to spend extra time with their children by coaching the team.
I realize I am discussing both sides of the coin here, but I guess the point I am getting at right now is that children need time with their parents. They need to understand that a parent is involved and cares about what they are doing -- whether that means being the teacher or coach or whether it just means going to watch and support the child. Get involved with your child's life!
It has been said that involving children in all these different things will boost their self- esteem and helps them become more confident. Perhaps that does help, but I think it is NOT the activity that makes the difference. It is the time spent with the child. I really think in today's world that many, many parents have forgotten this.
Children need to understand that parents love them. One of the best ways of showing love is giving them time, listening to them - trying to get to know them as people. And it doesn't matter if it is done while playing a sports activity - or driving to and from a music lesson or ballgame -- or fishing or hunting -- or taking a walk in the woods -- or raking leaves in the yard -- or letting them help you cook. Anyway, you get the point. It is not the activity per se, it is the time spent - the conversations -- the hugs - the laughs that are important for the child's development.
Think about it - the little girl I saw last night probably has a wonderful knowledge that her Mom loves her enough to teach her. Her Mom was encouraging her and trying to help her be her best. She knows that Mom cares about her - about what she is doing. Good for that Mom! I remember my Mom played with us when we were children. She would take a glove and baseball and go outside with us to toss a ball around -- or pitch to us while we took turns batting. Mom and Dad both attended our ball games, concerts, plays - whatever my brothers and I participated in, we always knew they were behind us 100%.
We are supposed to teach our children about the love of God. How can we do this if we don't show our children how much we love them? How can you explain the concept of love unless you are demonstrating that yourselves? Some parents really do love their children, but perhaps they don't take the time with them that they should. Maybe they don't know exactly how to show that love. Perhaps that is why the Bible says the older women are to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children. We must teach our children about the sacrificial love of God -- but they come to understand that best when they have experienced that love within their own home.
Besides all this -- it turns out to be a double blessing. Staying close to your children brings them happiness and helps them to become productive, well-adjusted people who grow up to be positive influences -- lights in the world. But the love is returned to you. It comes back to you over and over. Having a close relationship will bring you happiness too.
Love your kids and show them you do by spending time with them. Let them know you value them as people. You will be glad you did!!
Christ above all things,
Robin
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Caution: Devil at Work ??
On the way to work yesterday morning, I ended up behind a logging truck – full of logs hanging over the back of the trailer like they do. The customary red flag was tied at the end of the log that seemed to be hanging over the farthest. This red flag reminds those traveling behind a logging truck to keep their distance. It’s kind of like a danger signal. I kept my distance. I don’t like being anywhere near one of those trucks.
Further down the highway, signs were out signaling drivers that the left lane was closed. As you got closer to the work area other signs said “Caution – men at work.” All these signs which we must pay attention to for our safety got me to thinking about signs we see every day – and some we don’t. “Wouldn’t it be really neat if there were such obvious signs about spiritual dangers along life’s highway?” It seems that decision making would be so much easier. I mean I really like the idea of a temptation coming with a red flag that signaled the danger of getting too close or of giving in to it. And wouldn’t it be great as you were going through your day that you could literally see a sign that says “Caution – devil at work here?” It just seems like life would be so much simpler.
But that isn’t the way life works and it certainly isn’t the way the devil works. We all know how deceptive he is. The Bible says he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He disguises himself very easily and deceives us in sin. Sometimes he doesn’t have to work very hard at all in order to entrap us. You see – he uses phrases like – “So you’re on vacation – nobody knows you here. Let’s go have a little fun – no one will ever know.” You know that “who’s going to know” trap is pretty easy to fall into sometimes.
There are others – “Aw come on – this isn’t going to hurt anybody.” Or "It isn't anybody else's business what you do you, know - you can do whatever you want." How about --“So what if you do this? Look over there at old “so and so” – at least you aren’t doing what he is doing. He is really being bad.” -- or “Go ahead and tell – don’t you think she deserves to know?” or – “Well, remember how they treated you? It’s payback time?” Or “No one is going to notice if you skip services today – they don’t care about you anyway.” Maybe some of these thoughts have come into your mind before – but I bet none of them came with a big red flag or a sign that said “devil at work” did they?
Sometimes the temptation may not be to commit a sin -- but the devil may tempt you by trying to keep you from participating in a church work when the elders or other organizers ask for volunteers. We may feel like we can’t do this or that – or that it is time to let someone else do something for a while – or the last time we did help somebody complained about how we did it – or we might not like the person in charge of that particular work – or well they don’t ever specifically ask me, so they must not need me. What??? Really?? God says in James – “To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
So how do we keep from being deceived by the devil? Study – II Timothy 2:15 says to “Study to show thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We can’t know what God wants us to do if we don’t listen to what He tells us. And we can't keep ourselves unspotted by the world, as James says if we don't know just what that involves. The study of God's Word has to be a vital part of every Christian's life.
In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us not to be conformed to the world, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We renew our minds by going to the Word. That is the only way we can re-train ourselves to become like Him – by knowing Him and His commandments. We love Christ enough to understand what He wants us to do and then we do it.
We have to be on constant watch. Peter tells us we must –“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8)
Jesus Himself told us to “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the hour nor the day when the Son of Man cometh.” (Matthew 25:13)
And, Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-11- “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
No, we are not going to be shown a red flag when we are getting too close to the devil – unless we have trained ourselves well enough to see it. There will be no signs posted ahead of time telling us that the devil is at work. No word of caution given by the world that you might be playing with fire. We just have to know that the devil is always at work. He never takes a break. So we have to study – to know what sin and temptation is when we see it. We have to transform our minds to think like the Savior does – not like the world does. We have to be on constant watch – guard ourselves against evil. And fight against the wiles of the devil. It will not always be easy – actually sometimes it will be quite difficult. But it will always, ALWAYS be worth it.
Christ above all things,
Robin Saturday, May 4, 2013
Jesus, the Master Carpenter
I am happy to be back tonight after taking a couple of nights off. I miss it when I don't get to write. I try not to miss very often, but from time to time I am not able to get to the computer.
The other day on my way home from work, I was thinking. Now I've been told by some folks that can be dangerous for me. Anyway, have you ever thought about something - maybe something you have considered countless times before and suddenly some new idea comes to your mind? This new idea opens up a new way of seeing the same old thing and perhaps you are blown away by it all because it has hit you like a ton of bricks. Well, that is what happened to me the other day.
My thoughts were on Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ and that Jesus said, "Upon this rock, I will build my church." [Matthew 16:18] Suddenly, I remembered that Jesus was a carpenter - and when I thought of that in relation of what He said about "building" His church -- well, that was suddenly very significant to me.
I am sure that this thinking is not new because I have heard Jesus referred to as the Master Carpenter. But then again, Jesus is the Master, the Great Physician -- the King of Kings - in other words, He is the greatest and best of everything. I just never put two and two together before about Jesus being a carpenter and building His church. Like I said, I was blown away by these thoughts.
All that being said, I decided to research the occupation of a carpenter in Bible times. I started with a book called "The New Manners & Customs of Bible Times by Ralph Gower. Mom gave me this book soon after I started my blog. I am so grateful for the book and have learned a lot from it. I am also very thankful for all the support Mom has given me.
Back to Jesus, the Master Carpenter, I also did some research online because I was very curious about this aspect of our Lord's life. The Bible doesn't give us many details of Jesus' life from the time He is about 12 until the time that He begins His ministry. But we do know that His earthly father, Joseph was a carpenter. No doubt, he trained his son in this trade. It was the custom of the day that the son work alongside his father and learn the occupation. Besides, in Mark 6:3 Jesus is referred to as "the carpenter, the son of Mary."
The word used in this text is the Greek word "tekton." It is more of a general term meaning "artificer" or "craftsman," but it is still generally believed that Joseph and his adopted son Jesus worked with wood. The Israelites were not known to have been very skillful in this work -- Solomon brought in the Phoenicians to help in the building of the temple. [I Kings 5]. However, according to Manners & Customs mentioned above, they taught the Jews many skills that included "paneling, cladding, and carving." They were apparently skilled enough to be included in the exile by Nebuchadnezzar.
For the most part however, being a carpenter was not a very glamorous job at all. It was full of hard work. When carpenters built a home, they began with felling trees themselves and shaping the beams for the roof of a house. This required a lot physical strength and endurance. Other jobs for a carpenter would include making furnishings for the home and tools for farmer- such as yokes for the oxen.
Now thinking about this - let's draw a few parallels. We already know that Christ is the chief cornerstone. Thinking about our Christ having been trained as a carpenter, about Him perhaps cutting down a tree to make the beams for the roof of a home reminds me of the fact that He carried his own cross -- perhaps the cross represent the beams of the roof of the church. In our earthly homes a roof gives shelter from the outside world. So the church is our spiritual home while we are on this earth. It provides shelter from the outside sinful world. The church is our refuge - a place we can come to be cared for, loved and nourished. Jesus built His church by carrying the beam [the cross] on His own shoulders, thereby He has provided us shelter from the sin of the world.
Most of us like a clean home. Some of us are better at keeping our homes clean than others - again, I am speaking of our earthly homes. We use various cleaning agents to clean the dirt and filth from our home. But the church, our spiritual home, is kept clean by the most wonderful cleaning agent of all, the precious blood of Christ.
Our earthly homes are our dwelling places. It is where we go to be among family - among those that we love. The church is our spiritual family. We are told to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to be so full of love for one another that people will know we all belong to the same family - that we all come from the same house. Another parallel is that those in an earthy family {who usually live in the same house} sometimes have certain physical similarities. As members of the family of God -- as followers of Christ, we are supposed to bear a strong spiritual resemblance to the Son of God.
Christians are also called the habitation of God. We - as members of the church - we are the dwelling place of God. Seeing then that Jesus built the church, we realize that He built a dwelling place for Himself and for God. We all know that dwelling place is within the heart of every member of the church. It is through us that Jesus and God are glorified.
Our homes are also gathering places - where many members of one family come together in love to celebrate special occasions. As church members we come together for a special occasion too - every Sunday we commemorate the sacrifice of Christ - the building of His church -- by partaking of the Lord's Supper. That is the most special occasion there is. As church members we should come together in love to commemorate this.
Christ built the church - His dwelling place -- the building which provides us spiritual shelter. As the Master Carpenter, He also built furnishings for His house -- with each piece of furniture created to perform a certain function within the home. These furnishings are used by different members of the household. Some furnishings {chairs and stools} support and give rest to the weary. Other furnishings like tables hold our food which provides us with nourishment. Some members give us spiritual food by way of teaching in Bible class or offering comfort and encouragement.
Bear with me please, I'll make just one more comparison and then provide a scripture that I feel brings home at least some of these points. My last comparison goes back to the yoke. Carpenters made the yoke for the oxen. They also made other tools used in farming. Do you remember when Jesus said - Take my yoke upon you? Well Jesus meant Himself. He wants us to walk with Him -- to allow ourselves to be guided by Him. But also perhaps the yoke is representative of the church -- because we are told to "bear one another's burdens." We are supposed to walk right alongside our brothers and sisters and help them when they need it. But wearing the yoke together is also a symbol of unity. The yoke is for two - you and the church. With the yoke we work and move as one.
Consider Ephesians 2:19-22 -"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the the chief cornerstone. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Jesus is the chief cornerstone - the very foundation of our faith and of the church. All the prophets pointed to Jesus. Our Lord Himself spent about 3 years in ministry with the apostles giving them His commandments and teaching them about the Heavenly Father. He is the foundation of the building of the church. The crossbeams are the beams of the cross carried on His shoulders - sanctified by His blood.
Carpenters were hard workers who possessed physical strength and endurance. Think of Christ and how hard He worked as He taught the people and as multitudes thronged Him constantly. Through the years, I have heard many lessons on the fact that not many could have survived the physical stress of the beatings and torture that Christ endured before He ever even went to the cross. I know He was the Son of God and that is what helped Him the most, but perhaps His years of working as a carpenter was also good physical traning for Him.
So as for the church - our spiritual home on earth - Jesus laid the foundation. We walk on foundation of faith in Him. He also gave us the roof over our heads that protects us from the outside elements. He created a Himself a dwelling place. He made individual furnishings with provide different services within the building. We are individual members convicted and converted to become individual furnishings within the household of God. In doing so we provide different services within the church. The church Christ built is place where individual members come to share with, support and love one another. We come together to weekly celebrate the special occasion of His resurrection.
Yes, in thinking about all this. I find it very fitting that our Savior was a carpenter by trade. He is indeed the Master Carpenter -- and His masterpiece is the church He died for -- bought and built with His own blood, sweat and tears.
Christ above all things,
Robin
The other day on my way home from work, I was thinking. Now I've been told by some folks that can be dangerous for me. Anyway, have you ever thought about something - maybe something you have considered countless times before and suddenly some new idea comes to your mind? This new idea opens up a new way of seeing the same old thing and perhaps you are blown away by it all because it has hit you like a ton of bricks. Well, that is what happened to me the other day.
My thoughts were on Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ and that Jesus said, "Upon this rock, I will build my church." [Matthew 16:18] Suddenly, I remembered that Jesus was a carpenter - and when I thought of that in relation of what He said about "building" His church -- well, that was suddenly very significant to me.
I am sure that this thinking is not new because I have heard Jesus referred to as the Master Carpenter. But then again, Jesus is the Master, the Great Physician -- the King of Kings - in other words, He is the greatest and best of everything. I just never put two and two together before about Jesus being a carpenter and building His church. Like I said, I was blown away by these thoughts.
All that being said, I decided to research the occupation of a carpenter in Bible times. I started with a book called "The New Manners & Customs of Bible Times by Ralph Gower. Mom gave me this book soon after I started my blog. I am so grateful for the book and have learned a lot from it. I am also very thankful for all the support Mom has given me.
Back to Jesus, the Master Carpenter, I also did some research online because I was very curious about this aspect of our Lord's life. The Bible doesn't give us many details of Jesus' life from the time He is about 12 until the time that He begins His ministry. But we do know that His earthly father, Joseph was a carpenter. No doubt, he trained his son in this trade. It was the custom of the day that the son work alongside his father and learn the occupation. Besides, in Mark 6:3 Jesus is referred to as "the carpenter, the son of Mary."
The word used in this text is the Greek word "tekton." It is more of a general term meaning "artificer" or "craftsman," but it is still generally believed that Joseph and his adopted son Jesus worked with wood. The Israelites were not known to have been very skillful in this work -- Solomon brought in the Phoenicians to help in the building of the temple. [I Kings 5]. However, according to Manners & Customs mentioned above, they taught the Jews many skills that included "paneling, cladding, and carving." They were apparently skilled enough to be included in the exile by Nebuchadnezzar.
For the most part however, being a carpenter was not a very glamorous job at all. It was full of hard work. When carpenters built a home, they began with felling trees themselves and shaping the beams for the roof of a house. This required a lot physical strength and endurance. Other jobs for a carpenter would include making furnishings for the home and tools for farmer- such as yokes for the oxen.
Now thinking about this - let's draw a few parallels. We already know that Christ is the chief cornerstone. Thinking about our Christ having been trained as a carpenter, about Him perhaps cutting down a tree to make the beams for the roof of a home reminds me of the fact that He carried his own cross -- perhaps the cross represent the beams of the roof of the church. In our earthly homes a roof gives shelter from the outside world. So the church is our spiritual home while we are on this earth. It provides shelter from the outside sinful world. The church is our refuge - a place we can come to be cared for, loved and nourished. Jesus built His church by carrying the beam [the cross] on His own shoulders, thereby He has provided us shelter from the sin of the world.
Most of us like a clean home. Some of us are better at keeping our homes clean than others - again, I am speaking of our earthly homes. We use various cleaning agents to clean the dirt and filth from our home. But the church, our spiritual home, is kept clean by the most wonderful cleaning agent of all, the precious blood of Christ.
Our earthly homes are our dwelling places. It is where we go to be among family - among those that we love. The church is our spiritual family. We are told to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to be so full of love for one another that people will know we all belong to the same family - that we all come from the same house. Another parallel is that those in an earthy family {who usually live in the same house} sometimes have certain physical similarities. As members of the family of God -- as followers of Christ, we are supposed to bear a strong spiritual resemblance to the Son of God.
Christians are also called the habitation of God. We - as members of the church - we are the dwelling place of God. Seeing then that Jesus built the church, we realize that He built a dwelling place for Himself and for God. We all know that dwelling place is within the heart of every member of the church. It is through us that Jesus and God are glorified.
Our homes are also gathering places - where many members of one family come together in love to celebrate special occasions. As church members we come together for a special occasion too - every Sunday we commemorate the sacrifice of Christ - the building of His church -- by partaking of the Lord's Supper. That is the most special occasion there is. As church members we should come together in love to commemorate this.
Christ built the church - His dwelling place -- the building which provides us spiritual shelter. As the Master Carpenter, He also built furnishings for His house -- with each piece of furniture created to perform a certain function within the home. These furnishings are used by different members of the household. Some furnishings {chairs and stools} support and give rest to the weary. Other furnishings like tables hold our food which provides us with nourishment. Some members give us spiritual food by way of teaching in Bible class or offering comfort and encouragement.
Bear with me please, I'll make just one more comparison and then provide a scripture that I feel brings home at least some of these points. My last comparison goes back to the yoke. Carpenters made the yoke for the oxen. They also made other tools used in farming. Do you remember when Jesus said - Take my yoke upon you? Well Jesus meant Himself. He wants us to walk with Him -- to allow ourselves to be guided by Him. But also perhaps the yoke is representative of the church -- because we are told to "bear one another's burdens." We are supposed to walk right alongside our brothers and sisters and help them when they need it. But wearing the yoke together is also a symbol of unity. The yoke is for two - you and the church. With the yoke we work and move as one.
Consider Ephesians 2:19-22 -"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the the chief cornerstone. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Jesus is the chief cornerstone - the very foundation of our faith and of the church. All the prophets pointed to Jesus. Our Lord Himself spent about 3 years in ministry with the apostles giving them His commandments and teaching them about the Heavenly Father. He is the foundation of the building of the church. The crossbeams are the beams of the cross carried on His shoulders - sanctified by His blood.
Carpenters were hard workers who possessed physical strength and endurance. Think of Christ and how hard He worked as He taught the people and as multitudes thronged Him constantly. Through the years, I have heard many lessons on the fact that not many could have survived the physical stress of the beatings and torture that Christ endured before He ever even went to the cross. I know He was the Son of God and that is what helped Him the most, but perhaps His years of working as a carpenter was also good physical traning for Him.
So as for the church - our spiritual home on earth - Jesus laid the foundation. We walk on foundation of faith in Him. He also gave us the roof over our heads that protects us from the outside elements. He created a Himself a dwelling place. He made individual furnishings with provide different services within the building. We are individual members convicted and converted to become individual furnishings within the household of God. In doing so we provide different services within the church. The church Christ built is place where individual members come to share with, support and love one another. We come together to weekly celebrate the special occasion of His resurrection.
Yes, in thinking about all this. I find it very fitting that our Savior was a carpenter by trade. He is indeed the Master Carpenter -- and His masterpiece is the church He died for -- bought and built with His own blood, sweat and tears.
Christ above all things,
Robin
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Pay It Forward
We were blessed to have a new sister in our prayer group Monday night. She is a wonderful addition to our little band of sisters. The next day on our group text she said she felt so blessed and so good after our meeting that she felt like going and doing something to "pay it forward." That's a fairly popular saying these days and was even more so a few years ago when a movie came out by the same title. I never saw the movie, but I understand the principle.
I know we have talked about it before, but Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that there is no new thing under the sun. The Bible is always true. Knowing this, who do you think came up with the idea of "paying it forward?" Of course you know! It was God - and His Son Jesus.
Think about it --- everything that Jesus did -- all the good He did -- all the truth He taught - was meant to be paid forward. He taught the apostles about love and service to God. In turn, He told them to go "preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Get it -- Jesus said - I taught you - now you go teach others. And part of that teaching is to teach those you teach to teach others also.
Jesus meant for His gospel to be preached and taught until time is no more. He wanted to continue through the ages with people teaching people and then teaching them to teach others. Again, that is part of what this loving business is all about.
We should love lost souls the way Jesus loved them. We should have the same desire the Heavenly Father has - that no one should perish. We are supposed to sow the seed of the Kingdom. Then it is up to each individual to choose whether or not they will follow the path they have been shown.
We talked about love last night -- but again, Jesus wanted His love to be "paid forward." Did He not tell the apostles - "Love one another, as I have loved you?" OK - well how did Christ love the apostles? Well, He loved them so much that He taught them about the Heavenly Father. He loved them so much that He stilled the raging storm while they were in the boat. He loved them so much that He fed them as well as the five thousand. He loved them so much that He promised them a mansion in His father's house. And then He promised them a Comforter. He loved them so much that He humbly made Himself a servant to them and washed their feet. And then He loved them so much He died for them. But before He died -- He said "Love one another as I have loved you." I think we can see that our love for one another is supposed to be an active, caring servant kind of love.
I really didn't mean to talk about love again -- but you see that is at the root of everything we do. Think of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5 through 7. A good part of that teaching is based on the pay it forward principle. Be a light to the world. Do good works to glorify my Father. Seek first the kingdom of righteousness. Go the extra mile. Because you see, if you are are hungering and thirsting for righteousness and you are being filled -- then go help fill someone else.
The point of all this is - if you are being blessed, then please bless others. It is what Christians do when they realize how good God has been to them. It is what God expects us to do. When Christians - when we understand that our sins are forgiven and we are walking in the Light and have that hope - the confident expectation of Heaven - then we will share God's goodness with others. It will just come naturally. The stronger our faith and love grows for Jesus - the stronger our love will be for others also.
I was just going to say the more like Jesus we become -- then the more like Jesus we will act. Wait - it seems like I just said the same thing twice -- but as we strive to be like Christ - the more Christ like we will be in our actions toward others. We will have more compassion. We will want to do good for others - to help others when and where we can. And as Christians help us -- then we help other Christians and it really does keep moving forward. Isn't that wonderful?!!
OK - let's put it this way. When I was away from the church - years ago -- it was the kindness and love of Christians that brought me back to the church. And some of that kindness came from Christian brothers and sisters who were total strangers to me. Yet, I was literally loved back into the church. How can that be if they didn't know me? Well, those Christians knew God. They knew what God had done for them. They knew that Jesus had died for them and perhaps they realized that at some point someone had done kindnesses for them.
Do you see what I am getting at? They didn't love Robin - they didn't know Robin -- but they showed love for Robin because they love God! Thank you! I am eternally grateful for those precious faithful Christians who did that for me. So then over the years without even thinking about it - I have done some of the same things for others that those Christians did for me.
Christians baby sat for me while I took a night class. Another Christian woman and her teenage daughter baby sat for me while I was an assistant den mother for my oldest son in Cub Scouts. Flash forward several years later and without even thinking I volunteer to keep a sister's children (whose husband is away)while she works on Sunday afternoons. My sister in law asked me why I was doing that. Why? It just came to me naturally to offer to do this because it was done for me.
Just the other day I was buying some toys for a family who had three children. They had recently lost their home in a fire. Many people from the church had helped them with things for the home they had just moved into.
I knew they lost everything and for some reason I thought of those children. I figured they probably didn't have many toys left, so I bought the kids something. It just really seemed like that was the thing I should do.
While I was shopping for the toys, one of my Christian friends walked by. We talked for a few minutes, then both of us went on our way. It wasn't until I got home that night that I remembered the lady I had spoken to while shopping was one of the very ladies that bought my children Christmas presents during the time I was a single mom all those years ago.
I don't know about you, but that seemed almost like a sign to me. If I had second guessed myself about buying toys instead of buying some household items for the adults - well all that second guessing went right out the window. Remembering what she did for my children validated my reasoning for doing what I did. It was a special kind of blessing to get this reassurance. And I do not think for one second that all that was coincidence.
Wow! I have typed this so fast -- it was like I was trying to say everything in one big breath. Maybe sometimes I just get really excited when I think about how God works in our lives!
I didn't tell you all these things to brag on myself; but only for examples to illustrate the point I am trying to make. Paying it forward is not new. It's like I said earlier, when we reach the point that we understand we have been given the most precious gift of all -- the gift of eternal life -- then we just naturally want to reach out to others with love and kindness and goodness.
Christians helped me because they loved God; it wasn't because of me. They were just returning the favor God did for them. It took me a while to gain the maturity and love for Christ to understand -- to desire -- strongly desire to want to do the same thing. God is good and when we realize God is good to us, then it is the most natural thing in the world to want to be good to others because of that.
So I challenge you -- all the blessings you receive from others because they love God -- please love God enough yourself to
pay it forward.
Christ above all things,
Robin
I know we have talked about it before, but Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that there is no new thing under the sun. The Bible is always true. Knowing this, who do you think came up with the idea of "paying it forward?" Of course you know! It was God - and His Son Jesus.
Think about it --- everything that Jesus did -- all the good He did -- all the truth He taught - was meant to be paid forward. He taught the apostles about love and service to God. In turn, He told them to go "preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Get it -- Jesus said - I taught you - now you go teach others. And part of that teaching is to teach those you teach to teach others also.
Jesus meant for His gospel to be preached and taught until time is no more. He wanted to continue through the ages with people teaching people and then teaching them to teach others. Again, that is part of what this loving business is all about.
We should love lost souls the way Jesus loved them. We should have the same desire the Heavenly Father has - that no one should perish. We are supposed to sow the seed of the Kingdom. Then it is up to each individual to choose whether or not they will follow the path they have been shown.
We talked about love last night -- but again, Jesus wanted His love to be "paid forward." Did He not tell the apostles - "Love one another, as I have loved you?" OK - well how did Christ love the apostles? Well, He loved them so much that He taught them about the Heavenly Father. He loved them so much that He stilled the raging storm while they were in the boat. He loved them so much that He fed them as well as the five thousand. He loved them so much that He promised them a mansion in His father's house. And then He promised them a Comforter. He loved them so much that He humbly made Himself a servant to them and washed their feet. And then He loved them so much He died for them. But before He died -- He said "Love one another as I have loved you." I think we can see that our love for one another is supposed to be an active, caring servant kind of love.
I really didn't mean to talk about love again -- but you see that is at the root of everything we do. Think of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5 through 7. A good part of that teaching is based on the pay it forward principle. Be a light to the world. Do good works to glorify my Father. Seek first the kingdom of righteousness. Go the extra mile. Because you see, if you are are hungering and thirsting for righteousness and you are being filled -- then go help fill someone else.
The point of all this is - if you are being blessed, then please bless others. It is what Christians do when they realize how good God has been to them. It is what God expects us to do. When Christians - when we understand that our sins are forgiven and we are walking in the Light and have that hope - the confident expectation of Heaven - then we will share God's goodness with others. It will just come naturally. The stronger our faith and love grows for Jesus - the stronger our love will be for others also.
I was just going to say the more like Jesus we become -- then the more like Jesus we will act. Wait - it seems like I just said the same thing twice -- but as we strive to be like Christ - the more Christ like we will be in our actions toward others. We will have more compassion. We will want to do good for others - to help others when and where we can. And as Christians help us -- then we help other Christians and it really does keep moving forward. Isn't that wonderful?!!
OK - let's put it this way. When I was away from the church - years ago -- it was the kindness and love of Christians that brought me back to the church. And some of that kindness came from Christian brothers and sisters who were total strangers to me. Yet, I was literally loved back into the church. How can that be if they didn't know me? Well, those Christians knew God. They knew what God had done for them. They knew that Jesus had died for them and perhaps they realized that at some point someone had done kindnesses for them.
Do you see what I am getting at? They didn't love Robin - they didn't know Robin -- but they showed love for Robin because they love God! Thank you! I am eternally grateful for those precious faithful Christians who did that for me. So then over the years without even thinking about it - I have done some of the same things for others that those Christians did for me.
Christians baby sat for me while I took a night class. Another Christian woman and her teenage daughter baby sat for me while I was an assistant den mother for my oldest son in Cub Scouts. Flash forward several years later and without even thinking I volunteer to keep a sister's children (whose husband is away)while she works on Sunday afternoons. My sister in law asked me why I was doing that. Why? It just came to me naturally to offer to do this because it was done for me.
Just the other day I was buying some toys for a family who had three children. They had recently lost their home in a fire. Many people from the church had helped them with things for the home they had just moved into.
I knew they lost everything and for some reason I thought of those children. I figured they probably didn't have many toys left, so I bought the kids something. It just really seemed like that was the thing I should do.
While I was shopping for the toys, one of my Christian friends walked by. We talked for a few minutes, then both of us went on our way. It wasn't until I got home that night that I remembered the lady I had spoken to while shopping was one of the very ladies that bought my children Christmas presents during the time I was a single mom all those years ago.
I don't know about you, but that seemed almost like a sign to me. If I had second guessed myself about buying toys instead of buying some household items for the adults - well all that second guessing went right out the window. Remembering what she did for my children validated my reasoning for doing what I did. It was a special kind of blessing to get this reassurance. And I do not think for one second that all that was coincidence.
Wow! I have typed this so fast -- it was like I was trying to say everything in one big breath. Maybe sometimes I just get really excited when I think about how God works in our lives!
I didn't tell you all these things to brag on myself; but only for examples to illustrate the point I am trying to make. Paying it forward is not new. It's like I said earlier, when we reach the point that we understand we have been given the most precious gift of all -- the gift of eternal life -- then we just naturally want to reach out to others with love and kindness and goodness.
Christians helped me because they loved God; it wasn't because of me. They were just returning the favor God did for them. It took me a while to gain the maturity and love for Christ to understand -- to desire -- strongly desire to want to do the same thing. God is good and when we realize God is good to us, then it is the most natural thing in the world to want to be good to others because of that.
So I challenge you -- all the blessings you receive from others because they love God -- please love God enough yourself to
pay it forward.
Christ above all things,
Robin
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