Blamess

Elizabeth and Zachariah

Somewhere in time, approximately 0 AD, the precursor to the Nativity Story happened.  In the Gospel of Luke, before he gets into telling the Nativity story, he tells the story of Elizabeth and Zachariah.  There is a part of this story that always captivated me.  

Zachariah and Elizabeth were both descendants of a priestly division, with Zachariah serving as a priest. There one great sadness is that Elizabeth was barren.  By the time the story opens, they are well along in years.  The Priests were chosen by lot to enter the holy of holies and burn incense on the alter to God.    Zachariah was chosen and he prepared to carry out his duties properly.  While he was making the sacrifice of incense, the angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah and told him he would become a father.  Zachariah was shocked and he replied that he and his wife were too old.    The angel told Zachariah he would be struck mute because he did not believe the words.  He was struck mute and unable to speak what the angel told him.  His wife Elizabeth did become pregnant and gave birth to the child that would become John the Baptist.  He was the voice calling out in the wilderness to prepare a way for the Lord.

It is an interesting story, but what did I find so intriguing?  Let me give you the description Luke provides of the couple from a couple of different versions of the Bible.

Luke 1:6 (NIV) “Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.”

Luke 1:6 (KJV) “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

Luke 1:6 (The Message Bible) “Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God.”

Blameless – clear conscience – that is what captivates me.  They not only followed all the rules of a Jewish household, they followed the Ten Commandments.  They were human so they were not perfect, but I think they were the type of people that never intended to do something wrong. They chose every day to follow God with their whole being and tried to honor him with their lives. 

I do try to do that, but my human side, my internal diva, takes over way too much.  I'm a nice person until someone cuts me off in traffic.  I don’t pray blessings on them at that time.  I love to encourage and motivate people to succeed, but when they succeed far above me, I become a little jealous.   I don’t think I qualify for either descriptor of blameless or having a clear conscience, but I’d like to.

There are people out there like that still, maybe you know one or two, but I am in awe of them.  I would love to finally get to a place that the same things could be said about me.  I would like for the goal of pleasing God with my life to push its way to the forefront of my life more frequently.  It’s still a goal, someday I will reach it.

After the angel told Mary she was going to give birth to the Messiah, she took a trip to visit Elizabeth and Zachariah.  I don’t know, but I bet she began to wonder if it was only a dream, but she knew there were changes happening in her body.  When she arrived at their house and called out a greeting, the baby inside Elizabeth leaped for joy.  Imagine what that must have felt like.  Elizabeth welcomed Mary as the Mother of her Lord.  They were the second and third people to know that the Messiah was coming.  Joseph was the fourth. 

Jesus gave some of the Priest’s a hard time because they were not serving to honor God, but instead they were serving to honor themselves.  Obviously not all Priests were like that.  There was the humble Priest Zachariah who believed in the Messiah before he was born and knew when He was coming because he had met the pregnant Mary.

I guess it doesn’t matter if we are blameless, all that matters is that we are forgiven.  From this point on, we just need to live for Christ to the best of our ability. 

Merry Christmas

A Virtual Christmas Concert

Somewhere in time, today, December 24, 2011, it is Christmas Eve.  The only story fitting for Christmas Eve is the Nativity Story.  I have decided to present to you the Nativity Story, taken from Matthew and Luke in a way that pays homage to the Christmas Cantata’s.  This will be music that celebrates the birth of Christ along with the words of the gospel telling the story.  I hope you enjoy it.

Mary

Luke 1:26 – 35 (NIV)  “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  The Angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, You have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his Father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a Virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

Joseph

Matthew 1:18 – 23 (NIV) “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with Child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

The trip to Bethlehem

Like 2:1 – 7 (NIV) “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her first born son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Have  Merry Christmas everyone - Thank you for checking out my blog this year!

Santa Claus

A Bone to Pick

I have a bone to pick with a chubby man in a red suit.  How did he weasel in on the holiday designated to celebrate the birth of Christ. 

Luke 1:30 – 33 “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with Child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.””

The creator of the universe, our God in trinity, took the form of a human and came to earth to dwell.  That deserves a celebration.  So how does Santa Claus fit into all of this?

You may be thinking I’m just a little grumpy and that’s why I am questioning Santa Claus, but my struggle with Santa Claus has existed for years. I learned he didn’t bring presents one Christmas Eve when I was six.  I heard some noise in the living room, so I tip toed out and found my father putting together something for Christmas in the morning.  It was then I knew that my parents, not some guy in a red suit, were responsible for my Christmas presents.  Then I knew why the girl across the street got the easy bake oven and I didn’t.  There were fewer children in her family, so I am sure they could afford it easier.

I have lots of brothers and sisters, but I have one sister that is eleven years younger.  When I was about sixteen, I tried to tell my five year old sister that Santa Claus was a fairy tale.  Jesus was real, but Santa was not.  She flat out didn’t believe me.  In a way, she was partially right.

Somewhere in time, approximately 280 AD, Saint Nicholas was born.  He is the person that the legend of Santa Claus came from, for the most part.  I grew up with Santa Claus, as I believe most of us did.  Saint Nicholas was a real person.  He was raised by devoted Christian parents, but they died in an epidemic while he was a teenager.  This did not seem to rattle his faith.  He was ordained into the priesthood at the age of 19.  He led a ministry that was noted for its love and generosity.  He was imprisoned for his faith, but when Constantine came to power, he was finally free to return to his coastal village in Turkey and continue to minister to his people.

There are many stories about his life.  In one story, there were three girls too poor to have the dowry necessary to get married.  The remaining option for them was to go into slavery.  He threw bags of coins, through the window, on three separate occasions, to give each girl a dowry. There were other stories focused on his generosity and caring towards children.  He was a beloved person in his community.  He really demonstrated God’s love by loving others.

He died on December 6^th, 343.  His life was commemorated on that day with the exchange of gifts, one to another.  This was done to celebrate the generosity Nicholas showed during his life.  After Nicholas’s death, the tradition of Saint Nicholas day spread.  The first country to adopt the tradition was Russia. 

When they took the remains of Nicholas and moved them to Italy, the tradition spread.  Before too long, Saint Nicholas day spread to most of Europe. 

So how did Saint Nicholas and the birth of the Christ become intertwined, well the reformation has something to do with it.  One of the changes in the reformation is that people no longer celebrated saints, so that eliminated Saint Nicholas’s day.  The reformers wanted to emphasize the birth of Christ.  Christmas started on Christmas Eve and it was devoted to story of the Christ Child.  The exchange of gifts happen around January 6^th, which was the day celebrated as the day the wise man appeared with gifts for the Christ child.

Despite the reformation, the legend of Saint Nicholas was not easily dismissed.  Every culture added some element to his persona. An American cartoonist created the existing chubby man in a red suit we all know and love.  I think if Nicholas was alive today he would be shocked by all the fuss over a simple priest in a small village.

I don’t think the celebration of Santa should supersede the celebration of the Christ child, but I do think we can adopt some of what Nicholas stood for.  He spent his whole life and his parent’s fortune giving to others as a form of service to his Lord and Savior.  Perhaps that would be something we add to or increase as part of our Christmas celebration. 

The following quote is from the Veggie Tale “Saint Nicholas”.  “I can love because God loves me, I can give because God gave.” 

If that is our focus, to give and love others, than this will be a good holiday regardless of our circumstances. 

This Video features Matthew West, Amy Grant, Operation Christmas Child and Veggie Tales, what could be better than that.

 

Amy Carmichael

The Desire to Serve

Somewhere in time, December 16, 1867, Amy Carmichael was born in Ireland.  Many of us have heard the name and some of us are very familiar with her story.  Amy is best known for being a missionary to India. 

Amy grew up like a normal girl of her time.  She was a little precocious, but that never hurt anyone. One story that I read said when Amy was a little girl, that she prayed to God to turn her brown eyes blue.  When she woke up the next day and her eyes were still brown, she was severely disappointed.  Her Mother told the little girl that God answers every prayer and the answer to that prayer was no.  He had a reason for everything and He had a reason for her brown eyes.  Amy also suffered with what they called neuralgia.  Reading the symptoms, what she had reminds me of chronic fatigue.  She would be weak and achy, causing her to take to her bed for weeks at a time.  The interesting thing is the disease never stopped her.

She was raised in a Christian home, but her faith became her own as a teenager.  Shortly after her commitment to Christ, her father’s business started to struggle and she had to leave school and come home.  Once home, she was not idle.  In her day, there were girls that worked at the surrounding mill.  They were very poor and they would come to church with a shawl over their heads. This earned them the name shawlies.  Many people looked down on the girls, so Amy started holding meetings just for them.  Her meetings were so popular that she had to find increasingly larger buildings to hold her meetings.  Her last building held up to 500 people. 

Her father had died, so her mother moved to England and Amy came along.  She began working with Shawlies there.  It was there that she was called to the mission field.  Everyone tried to talk her out of it. She was a young woman. She was not married. She battled a debilitating disease. She was told it was foolish of her to want to go, she was not strong enough.

I Corinthians 1:25 (NIV) For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God stronger than man’s strength.

She began to doubt the call herself, so she talked to her mother. Her mother confirmed that God had indeed called Amy to mission work. 

Amy’s first stop was Japan.  When she was there, her interpreter encouraged her to dress like a native.  She didn’t want to, she liked her western cloths.  At the home of a Japanese woman, to whom Amy was trying to ministger to, she found out her need to cling to her western cloths hurting her ministry.  The entire time Amy was talking, the woman was completely distracted by Amy’s fur lined gloves.  From that point on, she dressed like a native. 

How often do we cling to things we like and think we need, when God is telling us to let go and see what he will bring to us instead.

The climate in Japan was too hard on her, so she went to India.

She would spend more than fifty years in India.  Sometimes God opens doors in unusual way.  I have read a few different versions of the story, but Amy’s ministry started in an unexpected way.  One day she was in the market and she ran in a little girl named Preena who was running away from the temple.  She had been sold to the temple as a slave.  One story I read said she clung to the cross Amy wore on her neck has her captors tried to take her back.  This began a long ministry to the children in India.

Preena was the first child that Amy began to take care of.  What people in the Western world didn’t know, or care to hear, was that little girls sold into slavery were often also used for prostitution to help fund the temple.  When Amy told people about the atrocities, they assumed she was exaggerating, but sadly she was not.  Amy would darken her skin with coffee and with her brown eyes and the traditional Indian dress, she could enter their temple unnoticed.  She did this and found what Preena told her was true.  From that point on, she made it part of her mission to rescue these girls. 

You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving." This is a quote from Amy.  She really believed this.  At time this caused her trouble, she was arrested for her work with the temple girls, but they could not convict her.  She continued her work, even when she was so sick she could not get out of bed.  During those times, she would write.  She had several book credited to her.  Many were used to train other missionaries heading out into the field.

Matthew 20:28 (NIV) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. 

I think Amy is an excellent example of someone living her life out fully for Christ.  She truly desired to serve and not be served. 

Joyful, Joyful, we adore thee

A Classic Hymn


Somewhere in time – this week and in 1907. This week I woke up one morning with the Hymn, Joyful, Joyful we adore Thee going through my head. It caused me to really think of Joy. At this time of year, we are celebrating, but are we joyful? I looked up the definition of Joy in Webster’s Dictionary. It says, “a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.”

Now consider this verse in James.
James 1:2-3 (NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

So here is the question, how do we feel joy when we face trials of many kinds? I think the answer is not to look for joy in the people and things around us, but joy comes from God. Consider the last half of the definition of joy, “emotion evoked…by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” If our hope is in Jesus and our prospect is a home in heaven, then we have more than enough reasons to be joyful. I think joy is a choice that we have to make every day and it must be important because it is listed as one of the fruits of the spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Joy is tied to a complete trust in God, knowing that He is always working for our good and always there to see us through. Our joy is in Him.

This is what Henry J van Dyke said regarding Joyful, Joyful we adore thee:

These vers­es are sim­ple ex­press­ions of com­mon Christ­ian feel­ings and de­sires in this pre­sent time—hymns of to­day that may be sung to­ge­ther by peo­ple who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of sci­ence will de­stroy re­li­gion, or any re­vo­lu­tion on earth over­throw the king­dom of hea­ven. There­fore this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.

Enough said. I have included the lyrics to Joyful, Joyful and the video performance. I think you will enjoy this updated version of this classic hymn.

Henry J van Dyke – regarding Joyful, Joyful we adore the

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

Thanksgiving

What are we thankful for?

Somewhere in time, December of 1621, the pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving.  This was not the first time a day of thanksgiving was celebrated in America, but it was the time our tradition was built upon.   The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in November of 1620.  They were completely unprepared for the harshness of the coming winter and even though they hurried to build shelters almost half of them perished before the coming spring.   

With the beginning of spring came help for the Pilgrims.  A Native American named Samoset appeared and he spoke English that he had learned from fishermen and traders.  He saw their plight and brought another Native American to live with the pilgrims and teach them about agriculture in the new America.  This man’s name was Squanto.  Governor Bradford said that Squanto was a “special instrument of God for our good… and never left us till he died.”  Squanto also became a Christian because of the witness of the Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims recognized it was by the grace of God and the help of their new friends that the harvest that year was bountiful.    The pilgrims and other early settlers, kept the tradition of having a time of Thanksgiving in the fall and they offset this with a time of prayer and fasting in the spring. 

President George Washington and congress issued the first federal Thanksgiving proclamation, declaring in part:

                Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor…”

Thanksgiving was a day that each President made a declaration for, but the days varied a little from President to President.  It wasn’t until 1941 that Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday in November the day set aside to celebrate Thanksgiving in America. 

Thanksgiving in America is about food, family and friends. These are the basic things we celebrate.  Others add football to the mix, I put planning my black Friday shopping to the list.  It does not matter how we celebrate, all that matters it that we take time out to be thankful.  Not just for stuff, but for life.  The first pilgrims were celebrating that they would survive the next winter. 

I was listening to World News in the morning and they had a chef cooking Thanksgiving in a town almost destroyed by the recent tornadoes.  What struck me about this interview is the words of a Pastor.  This is not word for word, but the essence of what he said.   He said, this is a great Thanksgiving for us.  We now realize what we have to be Thankful for and it is not stuff.  Imagine losing everything.  Suddenly you become thankful that you and your family are alive and have food to eat.  That is what the Pilgrims were celebrating. 

If you want more information about Thanksgiving, or any other fact that deals with American History, click on the link below.  It will take you to Wall Builders.com.  This is a source of true history for those interested.

http://www.wallbuilders.com/

The next big Holiday for us is Christmas.  I will be decorating today. Yes it’s early, but I can’t wait to get started.  Christmas is in a way a day of Thanksgiving also.  If Christ had never been born, he would never have died to save us.  Salvation is truly something to be Thankful for.

I found this little video, it is the 90 second version of the Thanksgiving story.  I hope you enjoy it.

A Sermon in Three Points

Sunday’s thoughts


Somewhere in time, November 13, 2011 – I went to church, just like any other Sunday. One of our Pastor’s verbalized what I believe most Pastor think and that is they hope that the congregation actually retains some of what he preaches on Sunday. I understand that need, I used to be a teacher and I always wanted my students to retain at least a portion of what they learned past the next test. So almost one week later, I am going to recall the essence of the Sunday sermon. Of course, the sermon will be interspersed with my own thoughts and ideas on the subject, so you can’t blame my Pastor if you think it’s off base.

We have been studying John, this week, Chapter 16. The scenario for this Chapter is Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples. He knows the crucifixion is coming, but they have no idea. So here is my version of a three point sermon.

1. The Christian life is not meant to be static. Many times we find ourselves in a groove of the mundane. Doing the same things over and over and I know that is part of life. I go to work five days a week at the same time, sit in the same desk etc, but that is not what defines me or validates my existence. Our walk with Christ should never be that way. It should be dynamic and always changing. If God is not working on some element of your life right now, than I would be concerned.

2. The God we worship is a trinity. Three in one. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was set to be crucified, he knew that God the body would be leaving, but God the spirit would be coming. In a way this is better. While it would be so great to have Jesus to sit down and talk to, Jesus could not be everywhere at all times and the Holy Spirit can. This is a concept that many people struggle with. I make sense of it this way. I am made in the image of God. I have a mind, a body and a spirit that will go to heaven when I die. God has the same, only he can divest Himself of his three parts in order to reach humanity. That is pretty cool.

3. John 16: 7-8 (NIV) “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to instruct and convict us. It is not our job to convict the sinner of their sin, it is the job of the Holy Spirit. I am especially glad that is not my job. Since we are all sinners in need of God’s grace, we all need to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit instead of trying to convict others. As a Christian, the Holy Spirit is not done. As we study God’s word, the Holy Spirit is that still small voice that speaks to our spirit and helps us to grow and change in our faith, this is the righteousness part. Something we could never attain on our own. We also know that when we die, we will face judgment, but because of the sacrifice of Christ, our debt has been paid.

Now that we know all of this, what do we do with it? For one, we should know that the Christian faith is unique. You don’t just come forward and commit your life to Christ and consider that the end. No that is just the beginning. Other religions that I am familiar with, the walk of faith is guided by a list of rules. You work hard, you do what you’re supposed to and maybe you will get to go into paradise. With Christianity, it may appear that we have rules as well, but really it should be about a relationship. Having a relationship with God means that as we know more about Him and want to be more like Him and the desires of the sinful nature lose their hold. It’s never gone entirely, but you will notice sinful habits loosing appeal as you move closer to the light of Christ.

The Crucifixion gave us a way of salvation that is not based on our merit. God knew we would need it. It also freed up the path for the Holy Spirit to come and work in our lives. This working made us aware of God’s grace, because no matter how good you or I am, we will never be good enough on our own to make it to heaven. We need the sacrifice of Christ to pave the way for us. Our job now is to tell others about our experience and let the Holy Spirit work with them.

As with all good sermons, there has to be special music to back up the point. Enjoy the video.

So Long Self

The Battle Within

Somewhere in time, November 10, 1988, I married my husband Bill.  This week we had some time off work and we took a few days to get away.  It was fun and we went to the zoo and did some walking.  One of my husband’s favorite CD’s to listen to when we travel is the Mercy Me Tenth Anniversary greatest hits CD.  They have a song called, “So Long Self.”  I am not sure how long the song has been out, but we have owned this CD for quite a while.  The message of the song is a fun reminder that our human nature is sinful and we battle against this to choose God’s nature and not our own selfish nature.

The chorus of the song is as follows:  So long self, well it’s been fine, but I have found somebody else.  So long self, there’s just no room for two so you are going to have to move.  So long self, don’t take this wrong, but you are wrong for me, farewell, oh well, goodbye, don’t cry.

I like the song, it is pretty fun, but I don’t think we often realize we are in a war.  We live in a world that constantly pulls at us to give in to our human nature and not the nature God gives us.   I know in my life, I deal with this battle every pay date.  Money is not a bad thing and it certainly helps to pay bills and buy food, but when I have extra, what is my first inclination?  That is the war between the flesh and the spirit.  My first inclination is what I can get for me.  I have a coupon for Kohl’s etc…  My first thought is not, where can I give this extra.  I know that Phoenix Rescue struggles to give Thanksgiving to hundreds of homeless and poor families here in Arizona, but that is not my first instinct.  I know that Samaritan’s purse reaches all across the world and operation Christmas Child is a big need this time of year.  But again, that is not my first choice.

This struggle is not unique.   Paul mentions the struggle in Romans 7:15 (NIV)  “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  Galatians 5:17 (NIV) “ For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 

Jesus went off to pray because He knew his crucifixion was imminent and He told the disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (NIV)

By default, we choose things that satisfy our flesh and not our spirit.  We wage a constant battle with in ourselves between the spirit of God that lives in us and our human desires that we were born with.  It takes time to have the things of the spirit take precedence.  The longer we follow Christ, the better we get at winning the war, but the struggle never ends.    

I call my selfish nature, my internal Diva. That is the one that thinks I should be driving my new Camaro down to Kohl’s and using my thirty-percent off coupon.  The side that listens to the spirit takes the 2009 Hyundai that I am still making payments on to Wal-Mart to buy groceries.  Not that owning a Camaro is bad, but it depends on what your focus is on.  Should it be on our wants or the needs of others?  I have realized that my impulses are bad, so I should not act on them.  When I take time to stop and think, then the still small voice of the spirit can remind me what is really important in life and it has little to do with my car or my clothes.

Each of us struggles, but if we realize we are in a struggle, we have won half the battle.  I hope you agree with me that it is time to say, so long self.

Crazy Enough

The Commandment to Love

Somewhere in time, Approximately AD 60-65, the disciple Matthew wrote what we now know as the gospel of Matthew.   Last year, Mercy Me put out an CD titled “The Generous Mr. Lovewell”.  I hope you are wondering what the two have in common, well both have a section that tells us to love.

Let me give you Matthew Chapter 6:47 from the Message Bible. “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love you friend’, and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that.  I’m telling you to love your enemies.  Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.  When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God created selves.  This is what God does.  He gives his best – the sun to warm and the rain to nourish – to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.  If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus?  Anybody can do that.  If you simply say hello to those who great you, do you expect a medal?  Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.  In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow-up.  You’re kingdom subjects.  Now live like it.  Live out your God-created identity.  Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

I like the Message Bible for a different presentation of familiar scriptures.  I especially like that it tells us to grow-up.  This particular passage, I have read this many times and I always kind of by passed it.  I do not hate anyone, so I am doing well.  I assumed, but lately I have really started to think about this.  Is indifference a form of hate?  I don’t know, but I can assure you it is not love.  While I did not hate anyone, I was indifferent to quite a few and that is not love either.

At work, I had to come up with a song that I could share with the group. I think they were trying to build morale.  I had just purchased the Mercy Me CD, “The Generous Mr. Lovewell”, so I picked a song from there.  The words below are the lyrics from that song.

 Crazy Enough

Call me crazy.

But what if we learned to love our brother for nothing in return.

Oh how the rules would change. 

Reaching out to the ones who need help. 

Treating them as you first would treat yourself.

Now that would be insane.

It may just be crazy enough  to work if we could only love.

What if we somehow changed the world?

It may just be crazy enough.

It is so strange to think that one day we will truly see everyone the same.

Oh, could we be so kind.

To sing along when life’s playing their tune.

And cry with them when their heart’s broken in two.

Have I lost my mind?

It may be just crazy enough to work if we could only love.

What if we somehow changed the world?

It may just be crazy enough.

Oh, have I gone mad believing that love still has a chance?

It may just be crazy enough.

It is amazing to me how God can use a song to send me a message.  This helped me change my perspective.    If every Christian, chose to love as Christ loves maybe there is still hope for us to change the world. Something else I read helped me to understand just how important it is to God that we love others, not just the ones that love us. 

Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) “Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love you neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

All the Law and the Prophets, everything we consider a rule or a commandment can be handled, just by truly loving. In my Christian life, if I just concentrate on loving God first and then loving others, everything else will fall into place.

My assignement for myself and everyone willing to take the challenge.  Find someone that really is not loveable and reach out to them in love.  It may just be crazy enough.

http://youtu.be/LfmNKmB-Ap8

Harriet Beecher Stowe

God has a purpose for every life.

Somewhere in time, June 14, 1811 Harriet Beecher Stowe was born.  Harriet was born into a large family headed by her father Lyman Beecher.  Her family has many notable characters, and they all lived out their faith with commitment and determination.  Abolition was one of the causes they fought for.  Harriet was married to Calvin Stowe, who was a professor of Theology at Lane Seminary. The same place her father worked.  She went on to give birth to seven children, six of whom survived. 

Harriet wrote about many things, but the cause of abolition was one that weighed heavy on her heart.  One of her brothers moved to New Orleans and he would write her true accounts of what was happening to people bound in slavery. She also read many abolition papers and listened to many stories of what the slaves endured.  She decided to do something about it.   She began writing a serial, which is a series of stories that are published a chapter at a time.  She wrote them for a newspaper, but they were so popular they were combined into a two volume book, the one we know as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.    The book has survived for over a hundred years.  I recently purchased a copy at Borders.

I believe that God’s plan for Harriet was to write and more specifically to write a work of fiction called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”  This book caused somewhat of a sensation as it brought to light the humanity of the slaves, by giving them personality.  People related to the stories and wanted to do something to change this situation for many enslaved people.

Upon meeting Harriet, President Abraham Lincoln is reported as saying, so you’re the little woman that caused the big war.  Many people worked to end slavery, so why do we remember Harriet, because the purpose of Harriet’s life was to write.

Harriet Beecher Stowe said this: “I wrote what I did because as a woman, as a mother, I was oppressed and broken-hearted with the sorrows and injustice I saw, because as a Christian I felt the dishonor to Christianity - because as a lover of my county, I trembled at the coming day of wrath."

You may be thinking that when God has a purpose, we end up with people like Billy Graham or Mother Theresa.  I believe they are two people that really found God’s purpose for their lives.  I also feel there are others out there called to do great things in different ways.  Some are called just to pray, but when they pray things happen.  Others are called to love.  Have you ever watched the nursery volunteer love a baby that was not their own.  Others are called to serve the homeless or give to those in need.  No notoriety and no fanfare, just humble service.

Philippians 2:13 (NIV) “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Harriet wrote many things, but her work of fiction is what has gained the most notoriety and lasted the longest in print.  I love the fact that God is not limited in what He can use.  He can use pastors, preachers and missionaries and He can use a writer of fiction. 

What is God’s plan for you?  You may not know what it is, but God still has a plan and He will work it out in you according to His purpose not yours.  I’m glad that it is up to Him and not up to me.   

The Sinful Woman

What are we in the Light of God’s Holiness?

Somewhere in time, about AD 33, Jesus was at the house of a Pharisee.  He was invited as a guest, but when he entered the house, he was not given water to wash his feet, which was a custom at the time, and he was not greeted with a kiss.   As he is reclining at the table, a sinful woman enters.  She falls at his feet and washes them with the tears that gush forth from her over filled eyes.  Seeing no towel, she wipes the feet with her hair.  She does not stop as she anoints the feet with costly perfume and kisses them as if they are precious. 

We have all heard the story, it is found in the Bible, in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter Seven, and verses 36-50.  Put yourself in that room, where would you be? Sometimes I think I would be sitting at the table, I am a religious person. I go to church, I do my best to live my life according to God’s standards.  Were the religious people at the table evil?  Not really.  The owner of the house was a little rude since he did invite Jesus, but he did not treat him like an honored guest, but not evil. 

Think of this. Have you ever put something on in the dark and then stepped into the light to find a small stain.  Have you ever tried to match a white to a white only to find one discolored?  I know I have and it is a little inconvenient because you have to change. The point is that exposure to the bright light or compared to the clean, the dirt and stains are evident.   That is what happened in the story.  The sinful woman had opened her heart to the light and purity of God and she saw the sin and stains in her own life as she recognized the holiness and purity of Jesus.

The religious people in the story were still in the dark.  They had no concept of who sat at the table with them.  Do you think the scene would have been different if they had?  I think so.  Even though I am a religious person, I am a Christian because I was a sinner that needed God’s redeeming grace.  I may not have been an obvious sinner like the woman at Jesus’s feet, but there are no degrees to sin.  Sin is sin and we are all guilty.  If they would have realized, they would all be at his feet.  The tears would come in torrents as the secret sins, the little lies, the pettiness were exposed to the light of the Son of God.  Compared to the holiness of God, what we have to offer is nothing but filthy rags by comparison. 

Romans 3:10 (NIV)   “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.”

Jesus tells the Pharisee a parable about two people who owe money and yet both debts are forgiven.  The point of the story is that the one who has been forgiven more loves more. 

Luke 7:50 (NIV) “Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.””

Forgiveness is a fabulous thing.  I hope everyone reading this as already asked Jesus for forgiveness and if not that you will soon, today even.   I know that when I get to Heaven and I am in the presence of God my Father, I will fall at His feet.  I expect to be crying.  The questions will be, will I be crying over all the past mistakes and wrong choices I have made, or will I be crying grateful tears that because Jesus died for me, to forgive me, I can live in his presence forever.  Either way, I will be happy to be there.

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Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones

When faith becomes real

 Somewhere in time, in 1850 the Jones family leaves Wales and comes to America with their four year hold son.      Like many families, the Jones’s came to America searching for a better life.  Life was hard and when their son, Samuel was ten years old, they sent him to work on a neighbor’s farm.  Samuel did not really like farm work, so when he was fifteen he went to Pennsylvania to work in the oil fields.  He was a good worker and he had ingenuity.   While working in the oil fields, he invented something that made the oil rig operate better.  Many people wanted it and he was now an industrialist.  Making money was his focus, so he moved to Ohio and leased some land to run his own oil rigs and opened a factory to make his product.  He was wealthy and getting wealthier every day.   Samuel Jones was a Christian, raised in a Christian home and he never abandoned his faith, but his priority was on making money.

One day, everything changed.   Jones was very successful but in 1894 the United States was in a depression.  He was still financially fine, but seeing the desperately poor and hungry caused him to rethink his priorities.  This was when his faith became real to him.  He has always been a Christian, but now he felt he needed to put his faith into action.

Matthew 7:12 (NIV)  “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Samuel Jones had a sign made and it hung in his office and it stated the essence of this verse.  “Therefore Whatsoever Ye Would That Men Should Do Unto You, Do Ye So Unto Them.”  He made this his life verse and began living it out.    By this time, Samuel lived in Toledo Ohio, this is where his factory, the Acme Sucker Rod Company, was located. 

The first thing he did was pay his employees $2.00 a day when the going rate was $1.00.  He thought it wrong that a man could work twelve hour days and his family still starves, so he set out to change that.    He also gave a 5% bonus as Christmas, even if the company did not make a profit.  During this time, the profits were small because economic times were hard.   Jones also had a company cafeteria and an on sight day care. 

He did not stop there, he was always active in politics and he went on to become the mayor or Toledo Ohio.  As mayor, he kept his sign in his office and tried to make Toledo a better place to live. He created public parks and bath houses.  He brought in speakers to educate and inform the public for free.   He also had a habit of giving money to anyone who asked.  The person receiving the money would always give Samuel an IOU.  When he died, they found thousands of these, but he never once tried to collect.  He gave freely. 

I found out about this man while reading a history book. In it was a short mention of this man as an example of progressive politics.  I really like this time period in political history, this time includes many people of faith getting involved to change things.  There was a foot note that mentioned the book “Holy Toledo”, written by Marnie Jones.  I purchased the book and that is where the information comes from. 

So why am I blogging about Samuel Jones?  I think each of us has a period in time when our faith becomes real, when our focus moves off ourselves and onto something greater.   We face a point in our lives where we move from conformation to transformation.  Doesn’t transformation sound like more fun than conformation?

Roman 12:2 (NIV)  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

In my opinion, Samuel Jones experienced transformation and it impacted the lives of everyone who knew him.    I feel like God is constantly at work in our lives.  When I was fourteen, my faith became real, but I have seen seasons were God worked to transform me in different ways.  I almost feel like I am in transition for another transformation and I am excited to see what God has planned for me next.

What about you?  Is God calling you to live out your faith in a unique and different way.  Is he calling you to boldness?  Maybe if each of us prayed for God to transform us into the person He wants us to be, we might be able to change our corner of the world, the same way Samuel Jones changed Toledo Ohio.