Category: SPIRITUAL GROWTH

THANKFUL EVERY DAY

Bobby said his favorite part of Thanksgiving was “when everybody goes home.”

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, the day we give thanks for the usual stuff: family, food, and football. Maybe on Thanksgiving eve, we attend a special service and sing songs of worship, hear a brief homily, and then return home to work harder than any other day of the year. We vacuum the stairs, dust the furniture, polish the silver, pick up the toys, and throw dirty clothes into the hamper. Of course, we make sure the litter box is empty (or at least guarantee the cat odor is gone). Then finally, we can “die”. All that for family we may only see once a year!

“WHEN EVERYBODY GOES HOME”

That is a scenario I cobbled together from several reports, both from adults and from one of my 2nd graders. At school, we went around the circle asking what part of Thanksgiving was their favorite. Most of the answers were about food and games, but when we got to Bobby (name changed of course) his answer was a little more honest, he said his favorite part was “when everybody goes home!”

THANKSGIVING NOT A CALENDAR DATE

Does this sound like your day of Thanksgiving? Is it simply another day of food and family and even a few days off from work? Not according to David. He expressed thanksgiving in times of joy and in times of persecution. “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever”(Psalm 30:11-12). His thanksgiving was not a date on the calendar. It was an essential portion of him, an expression of rejoicing in the knowledge of a powerful God.  

SATURATED BY THANKSGIVING

The apostle Paul did not see giving thanks as an occasional day either, but an element which saturated his life. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Perhaps we should print a new calendar with every day marked as Thanksgiving.

Remember those friends or relatives you do not have an easy relationship with? Paul pleads with two women, Euodia and Syntyche, to agree with each other, along with the others that are written in the Book of Life. We must even do this with rejoicing and thanksgiving.

HOW TO GIVE THANKS DAILY

Can we make giving thanks an everyday part of our devotion to God? Of course. Here are some of the ways:

We can begin every day by giving God thanks for another morning, health, and loved ones. So, let’s celebrate Thanksgiving together as part of the Body of Christ on that day, and let’s continue to remember His goodness the other 364 days of the year.

Click this link for even more verses to spur you toward thankfulness in this season of your life.

HARD IS NOT THE SAME AS BAD

Struggles deepen our relationship with God

Admit it. You and I want to pick out even the tiniest bit of hardship from our lives and throw it away. We download apps to avoid waiting in lines or how to evade people or. How can we steer clear of situations that are difficult to deal with?  We pray for quick healing, safe travels and smooth circumstances. Then there are Godzilla size trials such as serious illness, financial ruin, death of a loved one and broken relationships.  We universally want to avoid what is hard, whether it be big or little.

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

Abby Harberstadt wrote the book “Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad”. Athletes around the world, women who give birth and those who recover from surgery would agree wholeheartedly that just because something is hard doesn’t make it bad. Arduous workouts lead to athletic success.  Hard labor gives us children.  Corrective surgery cuts away what is diseased and brings us back to good health. Those are certainly hard things, but not bad things. They are blessings in disguise.

GREAT THINGS THROUGH THE HARD STUFF

God accomplishes great things through the hard stuff of life. Like physical muscles, our spiritual muscles get stronger with repeated, regular use and training.  Heavy weights and big hills are a necessary part of the process. The Holy Spirit uses challenging circumstances which give birth to and strengthen our character.  When we submit to God’s scalpel, He cuts away ugly parts of us and shapes us to look more like Jesus–the ultimate critical surgery.

DEEPENING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Trials and tribulations in life are a major component in each of these processes. Paul writes, “But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).Beyond maturing our character toward Christlikeness, struggles deepen our relationship with God. 

GROWING IN TRUST

When my husband and I trained to work with foster children with attachment issues, we learned that caring for children when they are sick or injured deepens their attachment to their caregivers. It helps them to learn to trust.  As God holds us close and cares for us through painful circumstances, we can know Him in a manner we cannot learn any other way.  We become more attached to God in a fashion that defies words. Our trust of Him begins to permeate the deepest parts of our hearts.

CONSIDER IT JOY

James tells us, “Consider it pure joy by brothers and sisters whenever you face trials” (James 1:2).This does not mean we must have happiness about trials, but that we can live through them with biblical joy. Joy is a deep settled confidence that God is in control of the details of our life. 

This attitude speaks volumes about Christ to the world around us, as they watch how we handle trials. We also experience joy as we take time to remember adversity; searchand acknowledge ways God uses it to change us. Be intentional about thanking God for these blessings in disguise and the fruit they produce. “Hard is not the same thing as bad.” Hard can be good, even if it takes us a while to realize it. 

Click for more about finding joy during trials.

Joseph’s Encounter: How to Forgive the Unforgivable

Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more?

Post WWII, Corrie ten Boom went on a speaking tour of Germany, to win to Christ the hearts of her former enemies. She remembered, “It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower door in the processing center at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, My sister Betsie’s pain-blanched face.… My sister’s death.” Could Corrie forgive the unforgivable?

DEALING WITH THE UNFORGIVABLE

In Genesis 42:1-43:10, can you imagine the same type of shock when Joseph recognizes the group of men at the palace door? He instantly remembered the brothers who despised teenaged Joseph with such a revulsion and enmity that they sold him into slavery. With crocodile tears they told their father that a wild animal killed their brother. Since then, more than twenty years passed. How does Joseph deal with the men he had known as brothers, now bowing before him, begging to buy food?

Joseph is the last person on earth the brothers expected to see, especially in Pharaoh’s Court. The aristocracy before them spoke with great authority and appeared Egyptian. This man is Pharoah’s right-hand man.

EVERYTHING COMES FULL CIRCLE

Do angry vengeful thoughts first swirl around in Joseph’s brain when he recognizes them? “Joseph recognized his brothers; they did not recognize him. Then he (Joseph) remembered his dreams about them.” The God of the Universe reminds Joseph that everything has come full circle. The dreams he was given years ago in which God placed him over his brothers, are being fulfilled.

ENTITLED TO REVENGE

Certainly, Joseph is entitled to revenge. Have his brothers changed? Do they regret their wicked attempt to get rid of Joseph? In their minds, Joseph “is no more”. Joseph uses an interpreter, so they assume he doesn’t speak their language. Then Joseph hears them say, “Surely, we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”

WHERE DO THEIR HEARTS STAND?

Joseph knows his brothers as tricksters. After all their father’s name is interpreted as “someone who seizes or circumvents”. Joseph gives his brothers a run for their money to reveal where their hearts stand. In the process, he makes possible his heart’s desire: to see his younger brother Benjamin and father, Jacob. Dad has never recovered from the loss of Joseph. Jacob laments, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”

Joseph maneuvers the situation in a series of tests: the silver in their saddle bags and Simeon being held hostage in Egypt. God provides the answers regarding the former tricksters at the palace door.

FORGIVENESS IS POSSIBLE EVEN WHEN COUNTERINTUITIVE

What lesson do we learn from this? Forgiveness is possible even when it is counterintuitive. Joseph responded in wise trusting obedience to God when confronted with the deepest hurts of his past. Corrie Ten Boom remembers, “Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.” Who is knocking at your door? Is it that trickster, the one who has deeply hurt you? Or is it much worse, Corrie’s guard from Ravensbruck? How are you going to respond to God’s call for wisdom and forgiveness?

Click to hear the story of Dana St. John

Navigating Rules: A Christian Perspective on Authority

It was with great irritation I read the notice. Surely it didn’t apply to me?!

Of course, someone eventually noticed my flaming red Kia parked in the small forbidden parking lot. I found the bright orange notice under my windshield wiper. Due to construction, the regular lot for substitute teachers is out of service; filled with temporary classroom trailers. Subs are to park in the lots at the rear of the school, regardless of the inconvenience. We must trudge around the circumference of the large building to enter via the locked front visitor entrance. This may be easier with good knees and non-arthritic feet. However, my knees and feet are both old and decrepit. And so, it was with great irritation I read the notice. Surely it didn’t apply to me?!

SURELY IT DOESN’T APPLY TO ME…

Did you ever receive a rule and think that it must not apply to you? Maybe you dutifully obey all the other rules. Why do you have to obey this specific inconvenient rule? An experience like this can shed light on one’s attitude toward authority. My attitude needs readjustment. Does yours?

WHAT A REPUTATION!

From the chapter one in Titus, we surmise that the Cretin believers are an unruly group. They wrestle with being arrogant, quick-tempered, violent, dishonest, a rebellious people. Sources describe the people of Crete as “liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons”. What a reputation!

ATTITUDES ABOUT AUTHORITY

However, Cretins are slowly growing in Christ. What does Titus further need to instruct them on? Chapter three introduces the topic of attitudes about their rulers. How we behave toward those in authority, regardless of how rulers got into power. In our rearview mirror should be behaviors described as foolish, disobedient, spending and wasting our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  Going forward, believers are to be obedient, to be ready and willing to do good, to slander or abuse no one, to be kind and conciliatory and gentle, showing unqualified consideration and courtesy toward everyone. That is quite a turn-around. A true readjustment in attitude.

CONSIDERATION AND COURTESY TOWARD ALL

Believers are not to be hurling sarcastic, derogatory, and foul-mouthed words at those we disagree with. We must be kind and gentle. God’ children must show unqualified consideration and courtesy toward everyone, obey the law (as long as it does not directly violate God’s law) and be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, ready and willing to do good. Doesn’t matter whether we like the ruler or how they rule.

READJUSTMENT IN ATTITUDE

God’s reputation is at stake since we are His ambassadors. We swallow our pride, are respectful and obey the rules. Our personal convenience or preference doesn’t enter the equation. A true readjustment in attitude.

And so, I dutifully park my Kia in one of the designated parking lots at the rear of the building, fight the biting cold winds and trudge to the front of the school. All because God says, “Be subject to rulers and authorities, be obedient, and be ready and willing to do good.” Are you God’s ambassador in all matters of obedience? My attitude needed readjustment. Does yours?

GOD’S AMBASSADOR

MY CROOKED LIFE

My eyesight is never upright. When I pull into a parking spot at church, regardless of my best intentions, my Kia ends up crooked between the lines.

I have permanent double vision. Even with a prism lens over my right eye, my vision is remains crooked. The word “upright” means to be erect; not bent or curved. My eyesight is never upright. When I pull into a parking spot at church, regardless of my best intentions, my Kia ends up crooked between the lines. One time a church parking attendant called this to my attention. I replied, “Sorry, that’s as good as it gets.” My vision is not upright, it is bent and curved.

PERMANENTLY BENT, CROOKED AND FLAWED

Both upright physical vision and upright spiritual living are impossible for me via my own resources. My spirit is crooked; permanently bent with sin.  Gift Gugu Mona (a South African poet and writer) wrote, “There can be no one better than yourself, so be the best version of you because no one is born to represent another.”. Sorry Ms. Mona, you are dead wrong. All of us are a version permanently bent, crooked and flawed by sin.

REBORN INTO HIS VERSION

This changed when I found new life in Christ. I was reborn into His version, meant to represent Him every second of the day. Born to reflect Him and Him alone.

POOR, POOR ISAIAH

Transported to heaven, the prophet Isaiah realizes that the best version of himself is in ruins. “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: …And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” … the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:1-5). Isaiah acknowledges he is lethally ruined by sin. No matter how he tries to live a self-controlled, upright and godly life, he is fatally crooked.

OUR CROOKED WORLD

Like the Cretins in Titus 2:11-14, we live in a confusing, crooked world, hardened by evil. The clock ticks away while we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. What are we as believers to do as the minutes pass by?

Jesus Christ, didn’t come teach us to be the best version of ourselves and give us pointers on how to be nicer people. He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. God knows that even with all our best intentions, we are not upright. On our own we are bent, crooked and downright wicked.

COME TO THE END OF YOURSELF

Kara Tippetts observed, “When you come to the end of yourself, that’s when something else can begin.” Only by His grace can we come to the end of ourselves, and be redeemed and purified to be His possession, His people.

ENTHUSIASTIC FOR DOING GOOD

Christ’s purpose was to redeem us and purchase our freedom from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good. He alone is the One Who changes and empowers us to be upright and spiritually park straight between His lines. We no longer have to live crooked.

Suggested reading – Kara Tippetts’ book: The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life’s Hard

SOME DAYS MUST BE DARK AND DREARY

What do you do when a week feels like an eternity?

“Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary.” (except from  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Rainy Day”) Difficult times are a common part of life, but what about weeks? Months? Years?

The Fallen Warrior

How did King David feel as he endured the last decade of his life? This once strong warrior had defeated Goliath, brought the Philistines to their knees, and miraculously led a ragtag army through the wilderness while being chased by his relentless adversary, Saul. However, in the twilight of David’s life, two of his sons attempt to steal the throne from Dad. David’s health deteriorates due to age, stress, and exhaustion. He can no longer even stay warm at night. “Some days must be dark and dreary”.

Week that feels like an eternity

Rather than an entire season, what about experiencing just one dark and dreary week? That succession of days which feel like an eternity. I felt the oppression of such a week. The pressure as my heart drowned in a continual tide of confusion and fear. A client blew up at me over an issue that was not my making. The same day, a friend called me, still angry at God and life’s circumstances. I faced two medical appointments with specialists and had no direction whether either physical condition could be remedied. In the background is the continual pain I experience with a deteriorating back. Some weeks must be dark and dreary.

Unsettling hum of distress

It all contributes to an unsettling hum and sigh of distress. I can not control my circumstances. The only thing that I can do is cry out to God.

So glad that God doesn’t shut the door on me. When He sees my name on caller ID, God does not reject the call. He patiently listens and then He waits for me to listen. Often, I can’t hear the connection with Him because I am deaf, drowning in a my sea of spiritual dissonance.

The Choice

What do I do? What can I choose? Where can I focus my heart and mind?

David wrote this during some of his darkest days: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:4-7)

This is the recipe for when “Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary.” You can embrace this prayer: “Lord, make my face radiant as I choose to look to You.”

For further encouragement, click to listen to Hannah’s story.

NOT A SOLITARY SPORT

True Christian living (especially when no one is looking) shows all the world what you truly believe about God. We are His team.

Read: Titus 2 (AMP, NIV, NLT)

Ever drive by athletes training for long distance running? They often run in packs, however, rarely are they laughing or interacting. Their feet steadily pound the pavement, one grueling mile after another. It is an agonizing solitary sport.

CHURCH IS “ALL PLAY”

A healthy church is not a solitary sport. Andrew McClure describes the church body as “All Play”.  He recounts his days of playing basketball: “It was our responsibility as a team to put into practice the things we learned. One week we drilled a zone defense. To learn the concept our coach tied one big rope around all of our waists. If the ball moved to the left wing, everyone in unison would shift left. If the ball moved to the corner, everyone would shift to their places. The rope taught us to move in unison. To move with synergy.” We learned the duty of each individual impacts the strength and effectiveness of the whole.

The Cretins said they believed, but there was a disconnect in how they interacted as a team. They professed to know God but didn’t “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.”

INTER-GENERATIONAL TEAMWORK

Paul gives guidelines to the Cretin church, regardless of age, gender, or profession. No believer is exempt. Older men are to exercise self-control, be respectable, live wisely, know God well and be filled with love and patience. They are to teach this to the younger men. Older women are to honor God, not speak badly of others. They are to teach others, especially the younger women, what is good. This is inter-generational living and teaching in the church. It is expected teamwork; not a solitary sport.

The life of a woman in the pagan Roman world was challenging. Marriages were often arranged and loving both husbands and children was not the norm. Making it a priority to live wisely, purely, and to keep one’s home running smoothly was a Christian concept. Being respectful of their husbands and not bringing shame on the Word of God separated the Christian women from the pagans.

In the Cretin culture, how were the slaves or the bond servants to live? Counterculturally: to obey their bosses, behave as employees of Christ, not talk back or steal, and be entirely trustworthy and good. This behavior was nonconformist because the Holy Spirit empowered and drove it.

LIVES PROPELLED BY GRACE

All these behaviors bloom out of lives propelled by grace.  For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, … He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, … and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good.  (Titus 2:11-14) True Christian living (especially when no one is looking) shows all the world what you truly believe about God. We are His team; we are not solitary players.

Another person who knew something about living out truth was William Wilberforce. He spent his life ending slavery in Britain. A body of believers, especially John Newton (former slave trader and writer of “Amazing Grace”), nurtured him in the Gospel. Do you realize you are God’s possession? Are you enthusiastic for doing good? Your lifestyle impacts the strength and effectiveness of the entire body of believers.

Click to read the story of John Newton

HEAVEN’S HOT MIC

Reacting to a sound bite, I yell at the TV, calling that person stupid and an idiot.

I attended my son’s basketball games and (to his embarrassment) I frequently loudly yelled encouragement from the stands. During a heated battle with a particular team, a parent was ejected from the game. No, it was not me! The parent in question was screaming taunts and jeers at the ref. I knew this unruly father proclaimed himself as a believer. I hung my head in shame for the dishonor he brought to our Heavenly Father.

WHO CARRIES YOU AWAY?

Some people might say, “Oh, it was just a sports game. People just get carried away. They were just in the moment.” Let me pose the question, “Who carries you away?” I don’t think the Holy Spirit performed the carrying in that game.

A HOT MIC MOMENT

Heaven’s hot mic was turned on. A “hot mic” is a microphone turned on and it broadcasts publicly something considered private. All the angels heard the hot mic recording of that parent’s foul and abusive language.

FOUL AND ABUSIVE LANGUAGE

Scripture is clear.  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful…And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. (Ephesians 4:29-32)The Apostle Paul speaks plainly. He refers to words that are coarse, obscene and not acceptable in polite speech. Words you don’t want on permanent record and caught on a hot mic.  Things you would not say it if Jesus was right in the room. However, Jesus is right in the room!!!! Just because you can’t see Him, He still hears us and knows our hearts. Heaven’s hot mic is live.

POLITE SUBSTITUTIONS FOR BAD WORDS

As nice believers, we may adopt what we consider polite substitutions for abusive or four-letter words. Once I was on a mission trip. One of my co-workers constantly and habitually used the expression “freaking”. I finally pulled him aside and said, “Every time you say that word with that tone of voice, I hear its equivalent echoing from my own past. Could you please not say it? I want to put my painful sins in the rear mirror.”

BROTHERHOOD OF FOUL AND ABUSE

Foul language and abusive language are brothers. Abuse is name calling and ridicule. Language considered insulting, offensive, disrespectful, and intended to cause pain.

Have I ever called someone “stupid”, “worthless”, or an “idiot”?  Yes, guilty as charged.

I watch the news and can’t believe the behaviors of individuals. Reacting to a sound bite, I yell at the TV, calling that person stupid and an idiot. Jesus warned: If you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. (Matthew 5:22) It is okay to disagree with someone, but using abusive language is clearly not acceptable for Heaven’s hot mic.

DON’T GRIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own. Don’t be the parent ranting from the basketball stands. Refuse to be the one who thinks substituting a four-letter word with an equivalent is a sound idea. Never, never be the child of God who ridicules and disrespects individuals. They called Jesus every name in the book; cursed him right and left, but He always honored God in His speech.

He calls believers His dear children. Who do you belong to? What is heaven recording on your hot mic?

THE END IS NEAR

I gave my writing class a challenge: “You are given forty days to live. What does it mean to “number our days” as the psalmist says and live them fully?

I gave my writing class a challenge: “You are given forty days to live. What does it mean to “number our days” as the psalmist says and live them fully? What choices will you make, what supplies will you need?” The clock ticks away as we make our choices. Should we write in capital letters in our planners: “THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!”?

There is an urgency in Galatians 5:13-15 and I Peter 4:7-11,17. What do we do with the time God gives us? “It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God” does not encourage us to float lazily along with the status quo (I Peter 4:17). The end is near!

BEDROCK OF HIS PLAN

What guidance are we given regarding time? Be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer [staying balanced and focused on the things of God so that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific and pleasing to Him.]  That’s the bedrock of God’s plan. Solid prayer; lots and lots of prayer. Picture a road with miles of asphalt. Prayer is the asphalt for wherever God desires to lead us. Without it, we become lost in the woods, useless, even though the end is near!

FERVENT LOVE

Posted on God’s road is a huge sign: Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another. Costly love. Fervent and inconvenient love. The love that stops me in my tracks and focuses on the person in front of me, regardless of how I plan my time. God writes using a large Sharpie on my calendar: the end is near!

COSTLY LOVE

Fervent love is costly. Love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. Regardless of how nasty the other person has been, giving them the grace of praying blessings for them. Expensive love is needed because the end is near!

HOSPITABLE LOVE

My personal plans fly out the window with the verse: Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Why oh why does God interfere with my time? It is inherent to His character. My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8) Often I want to demand of God, “What in the world are You thinking? This is not how I planned it!” Rarely does He reply to my impertinence.

GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY

While we wonder at His plans, He provides supplies for His plans. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God. Gifts. All kinds of gifts. The kindness of God, like a parent’s, has great variety. God knows exactly what we need foe all our circumstances.

The multifaceted grace of God uses the different gifting of believers to help each other grow and bloom in the Kingdom. What present has He given you? Are you driven to use your gift(s) as the clock ticks away and the end is near?

How are you using your freedom to prayerfully love, gifted by God? What if this is the last day God gives you on this earth? THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!

Click to listen to the story of Gladys Aylward, a woman who, despite all odds, kept forging ahead. She had time to waste.

INCONVENIENT LOVE THAT HONORS

Pastor Powell lived a life honoring others above himself even during the most difficult circumstances.

Pastor Powell was authentic. Consistently gracious, he consistently cared deeply for us even though my husband, Bill, was only part-time on the church staff. The year Bill came on board was in the midst of rough professional waters for Pastor P. A contingent of unhappy congregants wanted major changes which included booting out Pastor P. Rather than causing a church split, Pastor P made the decision to resign and pastor a much smaller struggling congregation.

Remaining friends, Bill went to visit Pastor P. The gentleman was just as gracious as ever to Bill. In their conversation, He prayed the best for Bill. Pastor P did not vent about the congregants who threw him under a bus. He honored others above himself. I felt severe loss a year later when Pastor P died suddenly of Epstein-Barr virus.

LOVE THAT HONORS

“To honor” means to hold someone or something in high regard, treating them with respect, esteem, and reverence, and recognizing their value and worth. Pastor P was a man of principle; one who consistently treated others both with compassion and honor. He treated with respect those believers who vilified him.

LOVING THE UNLOVABLE

Pastor P took Romans 12:1-2, the passage about a renewed mind, to heart. He responded in his behavior to the mercies of God with a renewed heart. Romans 12:10 uses the Greek word phileo for love. This is the family love of those living in community. It’s the kind of love where you not only invite the guests inside, but you make sure they have the best seats and food at the table. It’s love which actively pursues what is noble and best for others. It honors even the unlovable.

SLOW DOWN AND SAVOR

True love is fervent, relentless and may seem impractical. In Romans 12:9-21 there are 13 exhortations concerning love in this passage. Seems a little bit much. How can these admonitions make a difference in our lives? By slowing down. Don’t just fly at 560 miles an hour above a grove of fruit trees, look down and say, “My, what an impressive grove of fruit trees.” Instead, land the plane and walk through the grove. Stop and pick the fruit and eat it. Slow down and relish the beauty and the sweetness of these 13 exhortations. Meditate on the words and let them sink in. Romans 12 must be savored for true love to take root in our lives.

FAKE LOVE

What does “sincere love that honors” mean? Ray Stedman observes: “the English word sincere comes from the Latin sincerus, which means ‘without wax.’ It stems from a practice of the early Roman merchants who set their earthen and porcelain jars out for sale. If a crack appeared in one, they would fill it with wax the same color as the jar, so a buyer would not be aware of the crack. But astute buyers learned to hold these jars out in the sun, and if the jar was cracked, the wax would melt, and the crack would be revealed. So, the honest merchants would test their wares this way and mark them sincerus — without wax.”

This is sincere honorable love. Authentic. It is the honorable conduct I witnessed all those years ago in Pastor P. Love that honors makes a huge impact. When I get to heaven, after seeing Jesus, Pastor P is one of the first people I want to see. He took the passage about a renewed mind and properly responded in his behavior to the 13 exhortations. Pastor Powell lived a life honoring others above himself even during the most difficult circumstances.

Take time. Savor the 13 and let true love take root in your life.