Bold and Courageous

What does being bold and courageous look like?  It does not mean we pick fights 0r make harsh comments.  Quite the contrary.  It means we are bold and courageous enough to do the right thing – to be kind to everyone – to be gracious even when someone has wronged us. 

There may come a time when we must stand up for what’s right. The apostles found themselves in this position.  In Acts 5 they were arrested for teaching about Jesus.  The Jewish council wanted to kill them, but Gamaliel talked the council out of it. 

The apostles were beaten and released.   Acts 5:41 tells us “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”

Remember when Christ overthrew the tables of the moneychangers?  It was during Passover.  In the temple He saw those who were selling the animals used in sacrifice -oxen, sheep, and pigeons.  The money changers were there too. 

Jesus made a whip of cords and “He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen.  And He poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. And He told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:15-16).

That was certainly bold, wasn’t it?  Jesus was fully confident when He spoke out against those who took advantage of the people – plus they were selling right there in the temple!  This was wrong and Jesus needed to stop it. 

Now, I’m not talking about any of us turning over tables.  Hopefully, we will never have to do anything like that.  Still there may come a time when we must stand up for what’s right and speak out against evil. 

We can take courage and remember Jesus did when it was necessary. 

Other times Jesus was bold and courageous while being much calmer.  John 8:3-11 is a good example.   

The scribes and Pharisees wanted to test Jesus.  They caught a woman in the very act of adultery and brought her to Jesus.  They said under Moses’ law she should be stoned.  They asked Jesus what He had to say about it. 

Jesus did not yell out against their cold hearts or their unjust motives.  No.  He bent down on the ground and silently started writing in the dirt.  They kept asking for an answer. 

“He stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’  ⁸ And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground “(John 8:7-8).

The men didn’t speak again.  Instead, they all went away one by one beginning with the oldest.  Jesus asked the woman where all the men went. “Has no one condemned you?’  She said, ‘No one, Lord.’  And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:10b-11). 

Even though He got His message across without being contentious about it this was still a bold and courageous act. 

May we always choose to follow in our Savior’s footsteps.  Let's be bold and courageous for Him.

Christ above all things - Robin

Lay Aside Every Weight

Please remember to worship our Almighty God today.  Every gift we ever received is from Him.  Our Lord is full of glory and might and power; and He is gracious and merciful to those who love Him!

 Lay Aside Every Weight

I would have thought I was used to walking the distance from the hospital parking lot to Mom’s room by now.  After all, it’s been about two weeks now.  My body is still not used to that walk. 

It’s an uphill walk.  Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m carrying my purse, a tote bag, and usually a shopping bag with snacks or some other thing Mom or I need.  Yesterday the extra item was my laptop.  Extra items mean extra weight. 

Weight.  I thought about weight yesterday when I climbed the hill.  Hebrews 12:1 talks about weight, doesn’t it?  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Do we ever try to run our Christian race carrying all the extra weight of life’s burdens?  Things that slow us down - that hinder our running. 

What could some of these things be?  Maybe regret, guilt, or shame.  I don’t know about anyone else, but sometimes old sins still haunt me.  What about hurts that haven’t healed, fear, grief, or low self-esteem?  All of these things can weigh us down. 

 Then there are our responsibilities - the duties of everyday living.  Say the car breaks down, or our child is sick, or we just lost our job – this adds stress to our lives.  These weights could slow us down or tempt us to stop running altogether.  Oh, the devil would love nothing better!! 

We can’t let that old liar win.  Remember Romans 8:1?  Paul wrote “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  There goes guilt, regret and shame!  Lay aside that weight.

If we are grieving a loss or hurting for any reason, we can remember Ps. 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”  Trust Him.  Let it go.  It hinders our race.  I know how difficult it can be, and I know grief is a process.  It takes time.  Please our God is always there to help.

What about those who are fearful or have low self-esteem?  Don’t let these things weigh you down!!  Consider Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 

As Christians, we belong to Him; He is on our side!  The inspired Paul wrote to Timothy “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7).

As for all those responsibilities and stresses we face Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). 

Lay aside every weight.  Put it all down at His feet.  He will give us the strength to run.

Christ above all things - Robin

Foot Dust

I’ve been so blessed to share special time at Maywood Christian Camp with all my nieces.  Those are some of my sweetest memories of them.

One year my oldest niece, Kelsie had a top bunk. Now all girls may not want to sleep in a top bunk; but they all want to climb on the top and sit with their friends during free time.

Kelsie is very friendly and outgoing. She never minded if the others got on her bunk. The girls would talk and giggle together on her bed.

In the old cabins, there was an opening at the top of the wall that separated our cabin from the one next door.  By standing on the bunk, they could peek over at the girls next door. It must have been fun because they did this every day.

Standing up on a bed means dirty feet end up stepping all over the sheets and covers of said bed. One night, Kelsie looked on her bed and noticed evidence of feet having been there.  Frustrated, she said, “Hey, y’all keep leaving foot dust on my bed.” Kelsie began brushing off her bed.  

My co-counselor and I looked at each other and laughed quietly. “Foot dust” was a new one for us.  

That was years ago, and I am never at camp that I don’t think about foot dust at least once during the week.

Just as Kelsie could clearly see the evidence of her friend’s presence on her bed, so we can easily see the evidence of other people’s influence in our lives. This is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

When we involve ourselves with other Christians and participate in church activities – our actions will become more righteous. Our faith will be stronger.  Surrounding ourselves with good people helps us to be better people.

However, if we aren’t careful, our more worldly friends can lead us into temptation. Sin may become more attractive – and more easily accessible. Before we know it, our bed has been trampled and a lot of foot dust is left behind.

This is why we always tell our children to choose their friends wisely.  As adults, we should realize we aren’t immune to peer pressure.  We can’t completely isolate ourselves or our children from the world. But we can carefully guard our hearts and our minds.

Don’t allow others to affect our walk with Christ.  Remember, Jesus always comes first.

We do not have to be rude or judgmental.  There are ways we can kindly and lovingly choose to bow out of worldly activities others participate in.  We have to do this – not just for the sake of our own soul; but for the sake of those who may be looking to us as an example.

Proverbs 25:26 – “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”

Our actions are the evidence of who we allow to influence us.  Are we letting others leave foot dust in our beds?

Christ above all things - Robin

 

 

Going to the Grocery Store Hungry

 Sunday afternoon after worship, I went to the grocery store and bought lunch plates from the deli.  Usually we go to Subway, but we wanted something a little different this past Sunday.  The only problem with this is lunch was not all I bought. 

I had not eaten anything that morning.  I only had a quick cup of coffee.  By the time I got to the grocery store I was hungry which means I bought way more than a couple of plates for lunch.  Which means when the cashier told me what my total was, I was quite surprised! 

I didn’t realize I had quite that much in my buggy.  I wasn’t worried though.  After all, everything I bought would be consumed at some point in time. 

On the way home I thought about being spiritually hungry.  Have you ever been there?  Sometimes I don’t even realize how malnourished I am in the spiritual department – that is until I get curious about something in the Bible.

Then, I dig right into it.  I practically immerse myself in whatever topic I have on my mind.  Sisters, it is so satisfying to feed our souls with God’s word! 

There are many things a good Bible study can do for us.  We learn more about God’s will for our lives, that is certainly true.  But when we study how Christ interacted with man, we realize how much He loves us!

The wonderful victories in the Old Testament show us that God stands by His people.

Bible study brings us closer to God.  He seems more real to us … more present in our lives.  Yes, God’s love is universal – but it is also personal.  He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves.  Through providence God works in each person’s life individually. 

And the absolute best part is, it is all free!  There are no bills for spiritual food.  We don’t have to go through a checkout line.  There are online Bibles we can read and most people have several Bibles in their homes. 

If we know someone who doesn’t have a Bible, we can buy them one!  Or give them one we already have.  Let’s make sure we help feed those who are spiritually hungry.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). 

The Savior also said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). 

And let us not forget the beautiful passage from Psalm 107:9 “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

We shouldn’t allow ourselves to become spiritually hungry.  Our Lord will always be there for those who seek Him. 

Christ above all things – Robin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't Let Others Drag You Down

Hello!  😊

I hope this will be a little encouragement for all of us.  

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Although most are teens now, my husband was a favorite among the younger children in the family. They loved to have tickle fights and other such nonsense with Uncle Robert.

Once our oldest great nephew was with my mother-in-law. He was about three, I think. He was looking at pictures of family members she had on display in the living room.

As he looked at the pictures, she asked who everyone was. He knew almost everyone including ‘Uncle Robert.’ However, when my mother-in-law asked who I was he looked at my picture for a few seconds and simply answered, “her.”

He knew I was part of the family, but couldn’t remember my name. A situation like with a young child like this is one thing. It is another thing entirely when an adult refuses to acknowledge us.

It can be painful when we find ourselves in circumstances like these. It can damage our self-esteem – make us feel unworthy. It is sad, but it happens.

This is when we need to do our best to separate ourselves from the situation. We cannot let it pull us down.

Doubt and discouragement are two of the devil’s biggest tools. He will use people and different scenarios to make us feel small and insignificant.

We should remember Who we belong to. Christ loves us far beyond anything we can ever imagine. Romans 8:37 tells us “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Remember Elijah? He had that fantastic moment on Mount Carmel where he defeated the prophets of Baal. God was there that day.

Jezebel didn’t ignore Elijah; but she still made him feel small and unimportant. She threatened his life. Even a prophet of God was not important to her.

Elijah was afraid. He ran. God was there then too. He sent an angel to feed him and care for him. God never scolded Elijah for being depressed and afraid. The Lord actually gave him a little time.

We can read about this in 1 Kings 19. On Mount Horeb, God sent a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire but He wasn’t present in any of those powerful forces.

In a small still voice the Heavenly Father asked Elijah why he was there. Elijah thought he was the only one left in Israel who was still faithful. God reassured Elijah he wasn’t alone. There were still 7,000 people in Israel who had not bowed to the false god, Baal.

God knows when we hurt too. He has great compassion for His own. And just like the Lord needed Elijah, He needs us. He has work for us to do in the name of His son.

Let’s not allow discouragement or doubt to drag us down. The devil will be happy if we feel unimportant because we aren’t working for God when we are hurting. People will disappoint us and make our hearts ache. Our God will never let us down. Never.

Christ above all things and much love to all – Robin

One of Mom’s Favorites - Psalm 19

Good morning  Please remember to spend some time in prayer and thanksgiving today!  An attitude of gratitude will bring joy and peace to your day.   

Being mother and daughter, Mom and I have many things in common..  One of those is studying and talking about God’s word.  A few nights ago, she shared an interesting story with me.. She talked about her middle school years.  One year her class did a choral presentation from Psalm 19.  In those days, teachers taught from certain parts of the Bible. 

She said the entire class participated.  From this experience, she learned one of her favorite verses.  It is Ps. 19:14 which is the last verse in this psalm.  “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart  be acceptable in your sight,  O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”  

This verse has stayed with Mom.  I’ve heard her quote it many times throughout my life.  I must admit it is a powerful scripture.  There is so much packed into this one verse!  First of all, it is a prayer.  David petitioned God asking for help.  

He expressed a sincere desire to please God.  In this plea David focused specifically on his mouth (words) and the meditation (thoughts) of his heart . As Christians, we should have the same desire.  That being said, we should learn to keep our hearts (or minds) pure and holy.  

We do this through study of the scriptures.  I know it seems like I talk a lot about studying God’s word, but it is necessary to please our Heavenly Father.  He always knows what is best for us.  Having a knowledge of God’s word gives us a firm foundation to stand on in any situation.  We will automatically praise Him when good things happen and lean on Him when the storms of life are raging all around us.  

We will not be easily provoked to anger.  Christian women should be the strongest, yet gentlest women on earth. Like the woman in Proverbs 31 we will open our mouths “with wisdom and the teaching of kindness” will be on our tongues (Proverbs 31:26).   

In other words, we will watch our mouths.  Knowing God’s word helps us control our thoughts and, consequently, our words..  

When we meditate on God’s word, it becomes a part of our very being.  We develop new thought patterns.  We are transformed instead of being conformed to the world (Romans 12:2).  We have our thoughts on things above, not on things of the earth (Colossians 3:2).

Changing our thoughts works changes our ways.  We realize the old ways of the world no longer work for us.  We learn to see others as Christ sees them.  We become more compassionate and gracious.  People notice the change in us, and our good works glorify our Father.  

Let us be like the Psalmist who wrote “I will meditate on your precepts  and fix my eyes on your ways” (Psalm 119:15).  

Christ above all things - Robin

When We Need God the Most

Life is full of simple pleasures.  Of course, it's also full of numerous little aggravations.  Almost every day we experience both.  It is our choice whether to focus on the good or the bad. 

We decide whether or not we are going to count our blessings or number our complaints.   Which option leads to happiness and health?  Which option enriches our lives?  We all know the answer to these questions.  Hopefully, we choose to count our blessings most of the time. 

I know life is difficult sometimes.  There can be days or weeks (or longer) when we feel like we are just moving from one mess to another -- and the blessings get really hard to see.  These are the times when we need to try the hardest to see. 

We need to search for a blessing of some sort because if we don’t, we might give up altogether.    If we don't find any blessings at our darkest moment, we may forever become the pessimist.  We risk becoming bitter and cold to others. 

Once, a sister from our prayer group said something that really hit home to me.  Another sister is going through a particularly hard time.  She said something like this “I know from experience that the time when you don't feel like coming to prayer group is the time when you really need it the most.” 

It made me think of the quote "When you think you are at the end of your rope, tie another knot."  Have you ever heard that one?   Where is all this going?

We can’t let ourselves become so embroiled in the bad stuff that we completely lose the good stuff God does for us.  For instance, if we don’t feel like praying, and we may be at our absolute lowest, that is when we need God the most and when we need to pray the most. 

It doesn't matter if we are hurting so much we can’t say the words.  We can just close our eyes, and ask Him for help.  The Spirit will take what is on our heart and give it to the Heavenly Father for us (Romans 8:26).

Prayer is one of the wonderful fringe benefits of being a Christian.  We get a special audience with God anytime day or night.  AND we get an intercessor too (Romans 8:26-27)!  God loves us.  We can always go to Him, especially when we are at our lowest. 

We can have full confidence in our Heavenly Father.  He is the perfect One to go to when we hit rock bottom.   Hang on to Him.  Don’t let go.  Don’t give up or give in.  Trust God.

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

Christ above all things - Robin