The Third of The Three

In some cases being the third of three might not sound so good, but in the case of Shammah it was a great thing.  Have you ever heard of him?  I hadn’t either until a couple of Sundays ago. 

Our minister mentioned Shammah in a sermon about lesser known characters in the Bible.   He challenged us to look this man up in the Bible to find out what he did. 

2 Samuel Chapter 23 tells us about some of David’s mightiest warriors.  These were extraordinary men who were loyal to David and to God.  They fought against the enemies of God’s people.  Through their efforts the Lord brought about great victories. 

The first three men mentioned are simply called “the three” or “the three mighty men” (verse 8,9).  Shammah is the third of these men.  Still, that is certainly nothing to look at lightly! 

“And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.  But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.”  (2 Samuel 23:11-12)

How amazing is this?!!  The Philistine army was gathered together in one place.  David’s men fled the scene.  Only Shammah remained.  He took his stand.  Such a simple statement, but it conveys so much!

I’ve read this passage several times – and read the entire chapter a couple of times too.  Such a powerful lesson is packed into these two verses.  Shammah had great courage to face all these men alone.  It seems the mighty warrior had no intention of giving up this plot to the Philistines.

I am reminded of Ephesians 6:13 – “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”  Shammah stood firm against the enemy and we must stand firm today too.  

I am sure we all have our own “Philistines” to face – our own plot to defend.  Everyone faces spiritual battles.  Sisters, we should help each other protect our souls.  We cannot be like the men who fled from the Philistines and left Shammah alone. 

The third of the three mighty men struck down the Philistines that day, but who actually worked the great victory?  The LORD did.  Our God worked the great victory!  All because Shammah took a stand. 

God still works great victories today – when we take our stand.  May we always have the courage to stand up for what is right!

Christ above all things – Robin

Made For This

Wow!  I apologize for the long lapse since my last post.  I certainly did not intend for so much time to go by.  

I was blessed last week to attend Maywood Christian Camp as a counselor and Bible class teacher.  It was certainly a blessing to me.  I love working with children and learning so many practical lessons from them.  

"Made for This" was our theme for the week last week at Maywood.  Our sermons each night were about something Christians were made to do.  We were made to worship our great God.  We were made to serve Him faithfully, to teach about Jesus,  to encourage, and finally Friday night’s lesson was “Made to Live the Life” – meaning the Christian life. 

Each lesson was powerful.  It reminded me of what Mordecai  told Esther “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.  And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  Esther 4:14

The book of Esther never mentions God.  But it is all about His providence in preserving the Jewish people.  Mordecai  raised the girl who became queen.  He wanted Esther to speak to the king about Haman’s plan to kill all the Jews in the country. 

There are many lessons in this book but I think the turning point is found in Mordecai’s charge to Esther.  He gave her a purpose.  He gave her the courage to take on the dangerous task of seeking an audience with the king. 

Esther rose to the challenge.  We all know through her efforts, the Jewish people were saved.  It is quite an incredible story. 

We are all created for the purpose of glorifying our Heavenly Father.  For some things, that is the same for all of us – like worship.  We all worship the one true God.  We all worship on Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

But for other things like service or teaching, we know our purposes aren’t always fulfilled in the same way.  Each of us have our own talents and abilities.  Some of us have more than one talent.  Some of us don’t, but we are still commanded to use what we have for the good of the church. 

We do not all have the same experiences in life.  We live in different parts of the world.  God doesn’t place the same people in my life that He places in yours. 

We each have our own unique personality and our own set of circumstances.  I was not created to reach the same people you were created to reach.  But we were all made to teach, serve, and encourage. 

We were made to live the life God gave us and to glorify Him through that life.  We were made for this life…. We matter … We all belong to Christ and He loved us before the foundation of the world. 

Isn’t it wonderful to know we were Made for This? 

“ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”   Ephesians 2:10

Christ above all things - Robin

 

A New Pair of Shoes

The past couple of weeks or so I’ve been looking for a new pair of shoes – more specifically a pair of sandals that will look good with a dress or pants. After a few years of service, I’ve finally worn out the pair I have.

Every time I go shopping, I come home empty handed. I either find something I like, but they don’t have my size - or for one reason or another, I don't like the ones I find in my size, usually because the heels are too high for me to wear without breaking my neck. Oh well, I know I will eventually find something.

From a spiritual perspective, the shoe is not nearly as important as how we walk, right? But that doesn’t mean the way we actually move our feet. In the Bible our ‘walk’ means our manner of life. It is much more about the way we do the things we do and say. And I know I need to work on myself every day!

Living as Christ would have us live is hard – sometimes it is very hard. We fight the good fight every day, don’t we? A few of the devil’s tools are disappointment, discouragement, doubt, and full blown depression. That old snake in the grass loves to use all four of these! Oh, yes and I forgot one of his favorites – deceit.

In Revelation 12:9 the devil is called “the deceiver of the whole world.” The Savior Himself called the devil “a liar and the father of lies.” He will use many sources to try to trick us into many things. One of those things is that you are of no value to Christ.

Please do not ever believe that lie. Even if you or I were the only person or persons to ever live on this earth, God would still send His son to die for our sins. He loves His creation that much!

God’s love for us does not lessen every time a new child is born. That is not the way our Heavenly Father is. The Bible tells us He is not willing that any should perish. He wants all of us to repent and follow Him.

Well, it seems I veered from my original topic somewhat – chased a couple of rabbits, so to speak. Then again, believing God loves us has a lot to do with the way we walk.

It is the way we walk. Paul told the Ephesians to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2

See what I mean? Christ gave Himself up for us, so we are to walk in love. Treat everyone we meet with love and respect. Sisters, that’s the why and the how right there in one sentence.

A few verses later we read “for at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true).”

The shoes don’t matter. How we walk does.

Christ above all things - Robin

Lady's Squeaky Ball

Hello there!  I hope everyone is well.   

Being a German Shepherd, Lady is a very high energy dog.  She loves to play fetch.  The only problem is when either of us take her out to play, usually she only fetches one time.  This is especially true if we throw her favorite ball to her first. 

The one she loves to play with is a bright orange squeaky ball.  Once she gets hold of this one, she rarely lets it go.  So I take another ball outside with us.  If I don’t, our game is very short.  The funny thing is when I throw the second ball she chases after it, but she keeps the squeaky ball in her mouth. 

Lady is missing out because there is no way she can catch the other ball I throw.

Oh well, I certainly get my exercise walking after one ball only to pick it up and throw again.  About one time out of ten, Lady will release the squeaky ball so I can pitch it out to her. 

It makes me think about my relationship with God.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve taken my troubles to God and He has thrown them away for me!  But what do I do?  I chase them down and then I hold onto them all over again. 

Why oh why do I do that?  God does not want us to be without His love and comfort.  He is willing to give us strength, peace, courage, and love.  We should not miss out on all the love He sends our way.

I don’t always accept the comfort and wisdom God offers because I am so busy holding on to my own squeaky problems instead of giving them to God to keep. 

Our God is an awesome God!  He can help us when we are weary, heartbroken, and feel all alone.  He WANTS to be there for us.  But He can only do this when we are willing to let go and allow Him to handle our problems.    

Hellen Keller once said, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”   Oh, how true this is!

Psalm 55:22 is such a comforting verse.  “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

Another verse that hits home right now is 1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”    

Only when we cast (throw) our burdens to God, will He be able to send us blessings instead! 

Christ above all things - Robin

A New Pair of Shoes

The past couple of weeks or so I’ve been looking for a new pair of shoes – more specifically a pair of sandals that will look good with a dress or pants. After a few years of service, I’ve finally worn out the pair I have.

Every time I go shopping, I come home empty handed. I either find something I like, but they don’t have my size - or for one reason or another, I don't like the ones I find in my size, usually because the heels are too high for me to wear without breaking my neck. Oh well, I know I will eventually find something.

From a spiritual perspective, the shoe is not nearly as important as how we walk, right? But that doesn’t mean the way we actually move our feet. In the Bible our ‘walk’ means our manner of life. It is much more about the way we do the things we do and say. And I know I need to work on myself every day!

Living as Christ would have us live is hard – sometimes it is very hard. We fight the good fight every day, don’t we? A few of the devil’s tools are disappointment, discouragement, doubt, and full blown depression. That old snake in the grass loves to use all four of these! Oh, yes and I forgot one of his favorites – deceit.

In Revelation 12:9 the devil is called “the deceiver of the whole world.” The Savior Himself called the devil “a liar and the father of lies.” He will use many sources to try to trick us into many things. One of those things is that you are of no value to Christ.

Please do not ever believe that lie. Even if you or I were the only person or persons to ever live on this earth, God would still send His son to die for our sins. He loves His creation that much!

God’s love for us does not lessen every time a new child is born. That is not the way our Heavenly Father is. The Bible tells us He is not willing that any should perish. He wants all of us to repent and follow Him.

Well, it seems I veered from my original topic somewhat – chased a couple of rabbits, so to speak. Then again, believing God loves us has a lot to do with the way we walk.

It is the way we walk. Paul told the Ephesians to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2

See what I mean? Christ gave Himself up for us, so we are to walk in love. Treat everyone we meet with love and respect. Sisters, that’s the why and the how right there in one sentence.

A few verses later we read “for at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true).”

The shoes don’t matter. How we walk does.

Christ above all things - Robin

On the Way to the Ladies' Room

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving day and it was so crowded people were walking all over each other.  Audrey was at the mall shopping with other female family members.  But she began to think perhaps she should have stayed home with the guys. 

Like what seemed to be a hundred other women, she was headed to the restroom in one of the department stores.  The hallways were not made for the holiday crowds. Audrey heard the lady before she saw her.  “Well what am I going to do? I can’t go in there by myself.” 

Audrey noticed the elderly lady was with her son.  He was holding her hand as they walked along.  “I don’t know, Mom.  We are almost there, but I can’t go in there with you.  We will figure it out.”

It didn’t take but a few seconds to realize the son was holding the mother’s hand because he was guiding her down the hallway.  It was her eyesight.  This little lady was distraught because she couldn’t see well at all.  Surely not enough to make her way around in a bathroom with poor lighting. 

Audrey and the son locked eyes.   Audrey smiled.  He said, “Would you….” She didn’t even let him finish the question.    

“Of course!” she said quickly.  She meant it too.  Audrey had a tender heart and really did want to help. 

Audrey’s niece was a few feet ahead of her and turned her head when she heard her Audrey’s voice.  She smiled sweetly.  She wasn’t at all surprised by her aunt’s actions. 

They were at the door to the restroom now.  The son took his mother’s hand and put it into Audrey’s.  “Mom, this lady is going to help you.  I’ll be waiting for you right out here.” 

The little lady seemed quite relieved that someone was going in with her.  Mother and son both thanked Audrey profusely; but she just said “Really, I’m glad I was here.  It is very nice to meet both of you.”

It was highly unlikely they would ever see each other again, but Audrey knew she would never forget the lady or her son.  She really was glad she had been there.  In Audrey’s mind the day was a win for her. 

-------------

Kindness is a virtue.  It is part of the fruit of the Spirit – which means if we walk in the Spirit of truth, our lives will reflect that.  In 1 Corinthians 13:4 kindness is part of the definition of love.  “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.”  Christians should have this quality in abundance !!

There are so many people who are longing for a little kindness to be shown to them.  Treating others with kindness – being considerate of others – actually noticing them as a person,  could truly be a life-saving action. 

Even in the humblest of actions we can show others the light of Jesus by being kind in word and deed. 

Christ above all things - Robin

 

When We Are Hurting

My brother Todd is only two years younger than I am.  We had plenty of arguments while we were growing up; but he was my brother and I loved him.  I didn’t like to see him hurt. 

When we were growing up, we had a swing set in our backyard and it included a slide.  Oh, we all loved playing on the swing set.  A lot of our friends would come over and play with us in our back yard and we all played on swings and the slide. 

The slide was beginning to show its wear and tear.  The edge or border of the slide had separated from its surface. But we still used it. 

One afternoon Todd went down that slide.  He was barefoot just like all the rest of us were that day.  Somehow his baby toe got caught between the slide and its edge.  He lost the tip of his toe just above his toenail. 

He felt the cut but didn’t know how serious it was.  It was bleeding a good bit though, so he went in the house to show Mom.  That was when we found out what had happened. 

That was a scary day for all of us.  Todd ended up spending the night in the hospital.  Mom stayed with him.  Dad was at home with me and John.  When we got to the hospital to pick them up, Todd was still in pajamas.  They had wheeled him down in a wheelchair. 

We were both pretty young.  He was probably about eight – which meant I would have been about ten.   I thought he looked so little sitting in that wheelchair.  I was so concerned for him.  I didn’t want him to be hurting anymore.

We should be as concerned about our brothers and sisters in Christ as I was about my little brother.  We should do whatever we can to bring comfort to those around us who are hurting. We are members on of another.  When one hurts we all hurt or at least that is the way it should be.  

Think about it like this.  Let’s say we trip over something outside and fall.  Maybe we end up with skinned knees.  Our knees are sore and it hurts to walk.  When we walk around on skinned knees, all we can think about is how sore they are.  

Now think about your church family.  Who might be hurting?  Is there someone who finds it  very difficult to walk the Christian walk right now?  Do you hurt when they hurt or weep when they weep?  Do you think about them enough to go offer comfort and let them know you care? 

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:34-35

Christ above all things – Robin