As seen on TV

 

While visiting my mother at the nursing home recently, I observed many elderly residents who were either in wheel chairs or bedridden. The ones who were ambulatory were very frail and weak, barely able to get around. As I watched them, I realized that even though they were in poor physical condition, many of them still wanted to maintain as much of their independence as possible...my mother included.  

My mother is among the bedridden residents and without someone in the room to help her, she is often unable to reach things she needs. While we were visiting, we could easily hand her things as she asked for them, but what would she do when we were gone? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that we had to find a solution. 

Later that day, when I was home cooking dinner, I heard a commercial on TV for a new product called a Grabber. I listened intently as the announcer explained the usefulness of this remarkable new tool. It could help reach things up high or down low. It had suction cup grips and while it looked very unattractive with its oddly shaped metal, it seemed to be a handy gadget. I made a mental note to find out where to buy one. 

The next day I was out doing some shopping. As I rounded the corner, something caught my eye.  I saw one of those grabbing tools they'd advertised in the commercial! It was marked with huge red letters across the top "AS SEEN ON TV" so I knew it was the one they'd been talking about. I took it down from the display and tried it out.  I tried to reach something that was on a higher shelf...the suction cups worked quite well when the metal arms were extended outward. I took a box and placed it on the floor beside my feet and then tried the tool again. It took a few minutes to grasp and pick up the box, but it was do-able. Neat! This might be a worthwhile investment. 

At the register, the cashier rang up my purchases and gave me a strange look when she came to the grabber tool. "It's for my Mom," I explained, as an embarrassed blush spread across my face. "Yes, many elderly come in to buy these," the cashier responded. 

On our next visit to the nursing home, I presented my mother with the grabber tool. I showed her how to use it to reach things she needed. She tried it several times and was quite pleased with it. This inexpensive tool was going to afford her a little more independence. As I watched her using the tool, I thought about how God uses us. 

Often times, I think God has to mold and shape us into useful tools that He can use. He may take hurt, bitterness, or pride and use those to shave off areas in our lives that need to be refined. He may use challenging circumstances to mold is into more caring and loving tools of His mercy. Whatever He designs us to do, He will bend and twist and shape us into the perfect vessel...one that's able to accomplish His purpose and His plan. What a joyful thought to realize that we are chosen tools of God and we are perfectly suited for His use. 

"In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay: some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanse himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." 

2 Timothy 2:20-21

Even a Grabber can be a noble tool when placed in the Master's hand. Noble is defined as "grand, splendid, magnificent; having greatness of character and excellent qualities." Wouldn't it be a joy to be one of God's chosen vessels for noble use? I know my mother appreciated and now treasures this weird looking metal tool because she knows how helpful it is to her. It allows her to extend her withered and frail arms enough to reach things that fall out of the bed onto the floor. Having just the right tool for just the right job makes a huge difference! What will you allow God to use you for today? Will you allow Him to mold and bend and shape you in a vessel for noble use? It might be fun to see what He'll use your willing heart to do in the lives of others!

The best kept secret

Life...it's hard. Have you ever struggled and worried because your life wasn't going the way you wanted it to go? Do you feel that way right now?

You have legitimate needs and desires. You know what would make you happy and you pray for it with all your might, asking God to help you get it. But if it doesn't happen, you may feel frustrated, bitter or disappointed.

Sometimes you do get what you want, but then you find it doesn't make you happy after all, just disillusioned.

Many Christians repeat this cycle their entire life, wondering what they're doing wrong. I should know. I was one of them.  Did you know there is a secret that can free you from this cycle? It's really easy to understand and to do! All you have to do is trust God. Yes, that's it...trust God. Ah, you say, that's no secret!

But in actuality, the secret lies in putting this truth into practice, by making it such a powerful theme in your life that you view every event, every sorrow, every prayer with the unshakable conviction that God is totally, spotlessly trustworthy.

That's where we mess up. We want to trust in anything rather than in the Lord. We'll trust in our own strength and abilities, in our employer, in our money, our doctor, even in the airline pilot. But the Lord? Well…

It's easy to trust in things we can see. Sure, we believe in God, but to allow him to run our life? That's asking a little too much, we think.  The bottom line is that our wants may not agree with God's wants for us. After all, it's our life, isn't it? Shouldn't we have the say over it? Shouldn't we be the one who calls the shots? God gave us free will, didn't he?

The world tell us what's important: a high-paying career, a head-turning car, a drop-dead-gorgeous home, and a spouse who will make everyone else green with envy.

If we fall for the world's idea of what matters, we get trapped. The new car, relationship, promotion or whatever didn't bring you the happiness you expected, so you keep searching, thinking "Maybe next time." But it's always the same, because you were created for something better, and deep down you know it.

When you finally reach the place where your head agrees with your heart, you're still hesitant. It's scary. Trusting in the Lord can require that you abandon everything you've ever believed about what brings happiness and fulfillment.

It requires that you accept the truth that God knows what's best for you. But how do you make that leap from knowing to doing? How do you trust in the Lord instead of the world or yourself?  

The secret lives inside of you! The secret is the Holy Spirit. Not only will he convict you of the rightness of trusting in the Lord, he'll help you do it. It's too hard for us to do on our own!

Because the Holy Spirit knows you better than you know yourself, he'll give you exactly what you need to make this change. He's infinitely patient, so he'll let you test this secret—trusting in the Lord—in little baby steps. He'll catch you if you stumble. He'll rejoice with you when you succeed. It's going to take effort to trust. Let me give you an example...have you ever played a game as a child where you were blindfolded? Maybe someone led you around from room to room and you had to guess where you were...you had to trust that they wouldn't run you into a wall...or maybe you were blindfolded and told to fall backward while someone was there waiting to catch you...you had to trust with all your heart that they would actually stay there and be ready to catch you and not let you fall, didn't you? That's how it is with God...you have to be willing to trust that He is always going to be there, even if you can't see or feel Him...He's there!

As someone who has gone through cancer, the deaths of loved ones, broken relationships, and job layoffs, I can tell you that trusting in the Lord is a lifelong challenge. You never finally "arrive." Each new crisis calls for recommitment. The good news is that the more often you see God's loving hand working in your life, the easier this trusting becomes.

When you trust in the Lord, you'll feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders. The pressure's off you now and on God, and he can handle it perfectly. He is trustworthy!!! 

God will make something beautiful of your life, but he needs your trust in him to do it. Are you ready? The time to start is today, right now.

Behold, I make all things new!

Moving from a house I'd lived in for over 20 years wasn't easy for me especially since we were moving to a much smaller place. When my husband told me that it was time to downsize, I felt fear suddenly rising up inside my heart. Little did he know that I'd grown quite comfortable and secure in our current home. I knew every inch of that house inside and out. I knew which door was opened or closed by the specific squeak it made; I knew where someone was in the house by the sound of the floor boards creaking beneath their feet...yes, I knew every inch of this house so well, that I could easily walk through it with my eyes closed. How was I going to pick up and move over 20 years of memories and familiar things in less than a month?

I was determined to be obedient. The Bible tells me that I am to submit to my husband and so, I submitted my will to stay to his will to leave. I began packing one room at a time and ask I packed, I cried. I cried because I was leaving the home I loved so dearly. I cried because I wasn't quite ready to move away from all of my family. I cried because I was afraid to journey into parts unknown (even though the city we were moving to was just over an hour away from our current location).

As I packed, I knew I wasn't going to be able to take a lot of the material possessions we'd accumulated over the years. Our new home was much smaller. I decided to make three piles...one to keep, one to donate/give away, and one to throw away. Each item would fall into one of the three categories and would help me select the things that I really wanted to take with me to our new house. Starting out was hard! As I came to an item, I asked myself which one of the three categories it fell into and at first, I didn't want to get rid of a thing! But as I continued, it became easier to purge. I looked at things that I'd loved for years and thought to myself, do I really need that anymore? 9 times out of 10, I could answer NO.

I think I surprised myself at the number of boxes I'd set aside to donate or give away. Even my husband commented on how many things were in that pile. "Are you sure," he said, and emphatically, I answered, "yes!" It was getting easier and easier as I continued. I could hear my grandmother's voice in the back of my mind saying, "honey, you know, less is more!"

When we arrived at the new house with all the boxes I'd packed. I was shocked! With all the things I'd gotten rid of, how could I still have this many?! Every room in our new house was filled to the brim with box upon box. As I began unpacking, I began a second purge and lo, and behold, I was able to get rid of even more.

As I went through each box, I no longer cried. I suddenly felt a freedom! I was feeling much lighter! God was removing my desire to hold onto the old things and was creating a desire in me for new things. Now I don't mean that in a strictly material sense because I'm not a materialistic person at all, so please don't misunderstand...God had blessed us with a brand new house and yes, it was much smaller, but we didn't need a huge house any more. All the kids were grown and gone...now it was just the two of us.

Our home was brand spanking new...everything glittered and gleamed with the newness! And as I unpacked, I began to feel an overwhelming sense of not wanting to put things that reminded me of my old life in this new house. Suddenly a verse of Scripture popped into my mind! "...Behold, I make all things new...." Revelation 21:5. Now I know that God intended that verse to help us comprehend the new work that He was doing in the lives of believers, but it was as if He was saying, it's okay. I understand how you are feeling...you have a new home and you don't want to put old things in it because this is a new start...a new beginning.

It really was a new beginning for my husband and I! When we'd married over 21 years ago, I already had 4 children and a home. My husband walked into a "ready made" family and instantly became a father. For 21 years, we had never been in that home alone. There was always someone there with us...children, grandchildren or friends. The realization that it was going to finally be just the two of us hit me square between the eyes and scared me to death. I don't know why, but it did! All I'd ever done for since I was 18 was be a mother. Being a wife always came last.

They say hindsight is 20/20 and that's very true! As I look back, I know that being a wife should have come first and being a mother and grandmother should have come after that. Blending families is always a hard thing to do and sometimes you just have to "make it work" in any way you can. That's exactly what we did...we made it work. But now God was impressing on my heart that it was time for my focus to shift. It was time for me to be a wife first and be a mother and grandmother second. This is where the fear crept in. I didn't quite know how to be a wife first.

Most of our boxes are unpacked now and we're beginning to settle into our new home. I'm slowly but surely learning how to be a wife first as my husband and I are able to sit down and talk without interruption...we're able to go out to dinner and enjoy each other's company...we're finding that God indeed is making all things new! Can you have a honeymoon after 21 years of marriage? I think you can when you allow God to show you that He has ordained this time. He is restoring the years we devoted to the kids and giving us this season to just enjoy each other.

You'd have to know me to understand how difficult it is for me to shift my focus from being a full time mother to being a full time wife. My children have been my world for so long that I can't remember a time when I wasn't a mother. Now instead of dinner conversations being interrupted by an excited child, the phone will ring and one of the kids will tell us about their day. It's not quite the same as it used to be...it's different and new. Where the house was once full of activity and noise, now it's extremely quiet. This will definitely take some getting used to, but I think I may learn to like it! God continues to remind me that He is making ALL things new...in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. I know that He wants to teach me to be an excellent wife and though my children aren't close by any longer, I'll always be a mother. I'll always drop what I'm doing to answer that phone call and hear one of their sweet voices on the other end of the line. My husband knows that it's going to take some time for me to learn to put him first, but he's seen evidence that I am really trying.

As I unpack the last box today, I am amazed to find our wedding album. How appropriate, God! You always amaze me! I hear His voice reminding me of our wedding vows and how that special day 23 years ago was filled with excitement and newness. Looking around at my new house, I realize that I'm going to have to learn the sounds of it....learn to walk through it with my eyes closed....learn every nook and cranny...and I will...with time. "Behold, I am making all things new..." says the Lord. He is! He is giving me a new perspective! A new joy! A new outlook on life! Thank you, God, for loving me despite my short comings and my downfalls. Thank you for loving me through the silliness of tears for what once was in the past. Thank you for being willing to teach me to be a good wife and for allowing me to start fresh and new.

Tools of Satan

Lies, deceit, mistrust, division...one or more of these enter our lives on a daily basis. Some of them come boldly and some come disguised...but they do come. Why you may ask... well, that's an easy question to answer. It's because Satan wants us to focus on the things around us instead of keeping our eyes fixed on Christ. He knows if he can get us to pay attention to things that speak to our flesh- emotions, physical needs, etc. that we won't focus on the things that truly matter...the spiritual things...the things of God.

 

Satan is the great destroyer. He gets satisfaction from causing pain and anguish in our lives. He is a manipulator who plays on our weaknesses and causes us to make rash decisions based on what we feel instead of on what we know to be true. He is a master of trickery and often uses temptation to bribe us into acting upon it. Don't be deceived into thinking that he doesn't understand our fleshly desires because he certainly does! He observes our behavior and uses that to devise evil plans custom tailored for each of us. But don't lose heart! He does not have "absolute power" over us! He can only affect our lives in areas that God allows him to touch. He is on a short tether and God ultimately determines how short that leash is and when it will be reigned in. 

 One of the key areas that Satan loves to attack is our minds! One of his best tools is to plant seeds of doubt and mistrust. He loves to inflict jealousy, lust, and fear into our minds and as he does...he keeps our eyes focused on our immediate circumstances. How many times have you had a thought come into your mind that was not a good thought? You may not have recognized the thought immediately as being a tool of Satan. You may have just imagined something or felt a small bit of panic or fear for a moment, but remember this...God is not the author of confusion or fear! The Bible tells us that we are to capture every thought...in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One." Every thought that comes into our mind is not from God! The mind is the gateway to both good and evil. We can choose whether we want to dismiss those unpure, fleshly thoughts or whether we will act on them. We have the power to choose!

 

So how are we to know which thoughts are from God and which are from Satan? The Bible tells us exactly what to think about! In Phillipians 4:8 we read, " Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." So any thought that is not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable is not from God! Those thoughts of jealously, lust, hurt, fear, division, mistrust...those are all thoughts planted by the father of lies himself...Satan. The best way to combat those lies is to know the truth! The Bible says in John 8:32, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." And how can you know the truth? Only by reading the word of God, the Bible.

 

We are in a war daily and that war takes place in our minds. Our mind is the battlefield! So we need to be well equipped to fight in that battle and the first place the battle begins is at the door to our mind. Stand guard at that gate and hold every thought captive. In doing this, you will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and you can combat those lies with truth! Stand firm and be on guard because those lies straight from the pit of hell are bound to come your way in subtle, deceitful, sneaky ways today and in the days to come. But take heart! You are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ, your savior! Satan has no power over you because He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."

 

 

 

 

Something smells rotten in Denmark!

Smells...we're bombarded with them daily...some good and some not so good. This morning, as I was about to enjoy my breakfast, my daughter pointed out that a stink bug had gotten into the house. Immediately, I jumped up from the breakfast table and grabbed a can of bug spray. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said. I asked her why and she said stink bugs emit a foul odor when threatened. "I'm going to spray him before he has a chance to emit his odor," I said as I began to vigorously spray that little devil. Within just a few seconds, the room was filled with an offensive odor...was it the bug spray or was it the stink bug??? I really couldn't say but it was a powerful smell and was not pleasant.

I began to think about it as I sat back down to enjoy my breakfast and immediately, a verse of Scripture popped into my mind "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?" 2 Corinthians 15-16 NIV
We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ...hmmm. What did that really mean? Did that mean that when we allow Christ to live in and through us and permeate our beings we smell pleasant in the nostrils of God? And if that's true, then when we are sinful, walking in the flesh, doing our own thing without regard to how Christ wants us to live...do we smell offensive to God? I had to do a little more research to be sure, so I went looking in my Bible.

Aromas and fragrances are mentioned many times throughout the Bible. Many of the aromas came from burnt offerings of sacrificed animals laid on the altar to atone for sin. It was the burning of the offering that made it a pleasing aroma to the Lord which, in turn, caused it to arouse a certain kind of response from the Lord. According to Genesis 8:20-22 it was the pleasing aroma of the burning meat that led the Lord to promise that he would never again destroy the earth and mankind as he had done in the flood. The burnt offering was a way of calling on the Lord to pay attention to the needs, requests, and entreaties of his worshipers either independently or in association with the peace offering.

While those burnt offerings surely wafted into the nostrils of God, this tiny stinkbug's odor was wafting into my nostrils and I didn't like it. I wondered how many sacrifices and offerings were brought to God that emitted a foul odor? Many times in the Bible there is mention of a sacrifice not meeting the strict standards of God. A lame animal may have been presented or with perhaps one with another defect that caused it to be unacceptable; but more likely, it was the heart of the person offering the sacrifice that was unacceptable.

We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ...to me, that means that we carry Christ with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. When we enter a room, heads ought to turn just as they do when a woman enters a room wearing a heady perfume...everyone notices it immediately! Without ever having to say a word, they should be able to tell that we belong to Christ because we carry His aroma (His likeness, His love, His standards).

That smelly stinkbug smell is still lingering in my kitchen but it's not so bad right now. I am thankful for it because it reminded me of a valuable lesson...to always be about my Father's business...to always carry His love wherever I go...to always emit a pleasing fragrance of Him amid a world of lost people. Yes, there are so many smells that bombard us daily but just knowing that my character, my attitude, my odor wafts into the very nostrils of God reminding Him of Christ overwhelms me. I surely don't want to send an offensive odor of my sin, my flesh, my own selfish desires up to God, do you?

Are you ready to die for Him?

A few days ago, I read an article in the Washington Post that greatly disturbed me. The article explained that the North Korean president, Kim Jong un, had ordered 33 Christians to be executed. These Christians had been accused of the crime of trying to overthrow the government but in actuality, their only crime was their desire to spread the gospel of Christ by helping to establish underground churches.

In 2009, I had the opportunity to travel to China as a missionary. Webster's dictionary defines missionary in this way: "a person sent on a religious mission,  one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country." I left the USA headed to China with the intention of sharing my faith with those I met along the way. Upon arrival in China, I faced a huge shock as I witnessed armed guards throughout the airport. Although we'd been forewarned, I'd never traveled to another country and had no idea what it would be like to be in a Communist country. It was hard to grasp that our every move was being watched, that our conversations were being overheard, but we pressed on...I didn't face real persecution while there other than the ordinary surveillance that the Chinese government gave tourists, however I came to realize how little religious freedom really existed in China.

One afternoon, while working with high school and college students in a tiny apartment, several of our group decided to take students outdoors and talk with them. I grabbed my Bible and headed to the elevator ready to share the gospel with my students in a casual setting. As the door to the elevator opened, our missionary host stood in the doorway and gently removed my Bible from my hands. With a puzzled look on my face, he knew that I didn't understand why he was taking my most prized possession from me. He explained in a hushed whisper, "you cannot take your Bible out in public. Guards are everywhere and you could be imprisoned." The stark reality of being in a Communist country hit me square in the face and although I was very hurt that my Bible had been taken away from me; I was also grateful that God had timed perfectly for the missionary host to be at the foot of the elevator.

When I became a Christian at the tender age of 8, I made my profession of faith in Jesus at a small, Southern Baptist church. I went boldly before the church body and presented myself as a firm believer. Through the years, as my faith deepened and I have grown to know more of the personhood of Christ, my boldness has grown as well. I have learned that no matter what, I will never be ashamed of the gospel of Christ.  Even without my Bible in hand, I knew the Scriptures well for I had hidden them in my heart through years and years of Bible study.

My students and I walked across a grassy knoll and into a nearby pagoda. As we sat down, I whispered a quick pray asking God to give me the words to say. I wanted my students to understand that God is love and that He knows them by name. I wanted them to know that Christ died for them so that they might have eternal life. We sat and talked for hours as the guards with their machine guns walked the perimeter around us. I never felt afraid because I knew that God was with me and would protect me, but I was forced to ask myself if I was willing to die for the cause of Christ and my answer was emphatically YES!

I was able to see first hand that religious freedom isn't widely accepted in China. In fact, the Chinese people are encouraged to attend "Three Self churches" run by the Communist party. The three ‘Self’s are Self-governance, Self-support, Self-propagation, and respectively reject foreigners' influence on the church leadership, foreign financing and foreign missionaries, while “Patriotic” indicates the church's loyalty to China. Underground churches exist and many brave Christian converts do all they can to help spread the gospel without being caught and punished. They know that their punishment can be either imprisonment or death.

All over the world, missionaries are working to share the good news. In many countries, their crime is punishable by death. Does this deter the one who loves Christ? No! We, as Christians, are commanded to go into all the world and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our obedience to this command brings great blessing. So why, you may wonder, aren't people willingly working to propagate the gospel in our own country? It could be because many have "waxed cold", they've chosen to turn away from Christ and go their own way...the way of the world. They have learned to accept and tolerate ungodly behaviors instead of standing for the truth but woe unto them! God will not allow this to continue forever! He has given us a season...a season of choosing...choosing to be obedient or choosing to be disobedient.

The faithful 33 who have been sentenced to death in North Korea may soon be leaving this earth at the hands of an evil ruler via a trumped up charge; but their reward in heaven will be more than they could ever imagine. It will come at the hands of the God of love who will pronounce a new sentence upon each of them..."well done, thou good and faithful servant! Now you will reign with me forever!" They will never fear again...they will never hide again...they will worship freely 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at the feet of the one who died for them, Jesus Christ...and they will be truly free!

Will you say a pray for those 33 today? Will you ask God to give them the strength they need to endure what lies ahead? It isn't a surprise that God is allowing them to walk this path...He has ordained it, but please pray that they will be surrounded by His love and they will stand firm. Are you ready to die for Him? Would you be willing to face imprisonment or death for Jesus? Think about it...that day may be just around the corner....

Noise, it's all around us and some days it seems to be louder than others. No matter how hard I try to escape the noise, it seems to come at me from every direction. Some days it's overwhelming and today has been one of those days.

As I was thinking about noise, I remembered when I used to work in the counseling office of a large metro Atlanta church. We were always very concerned with protecting the privacy of our clients and so we kept an ambient noise generator running constantly.  If it became too quiet in the office, the voices of our clients could be easily distinguished and clearly understood. So we used the noise generator to cover the voices. But the noise generator didn't actually mask the conversations, it just tricked the ear so that what was being said couldn't really be focused upon or distinguished.

The more I thought about it, the more interesting it became to me. One kind of noise to cover the sound of another.  It's no wonder in this noise filled world that I have trouble at times hearing that still, small voice of the Lord. It's no wonder that I have to really strain to hear what He's trying to say to me. The constancy of sound–little noises, soft inward, ambient thoughts and fears and attitudes–tricks the ears of my inner man and masks His still, small voice.

In the Bible, God tells us "be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 As the noise of the day drones on and on, I have to purposely listen for God's gentle voice amid all the confusion and the distractions of daily life. When I hush my mind and listen with my heart, I can distinctly hear His voice above all the chaos of the day. I don't want to miss anything that He wants to say to me. So instead of having an ambient noise generator in my home to drown out all those voices that demand my attention and all the stresses of the day; I choose to put spiritual fingers in my ears and listen with my heart to the one who loves me the most. His voice is the one I want to hear above all others always.