Bits, Bullies, and Bleeding Backsides

I am pleased to introduce a new contributor. Adrienne is a personal friend of mine whose writings spur me to deeper thinking and reflection. Enjoy more of Adrienne’s thoughts at Provision Farm.

Don't let love be a mere outward show...love one another devotedly and with brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect." Romans 12:9, 10.
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Recently, our family acquired a third horse. To recap, we purchased an unbroken mare with a miniature horse buddy about a month ago. The unbroken mare has been coming along so beautifully in her training, that we were eager to have another full sized horse so that my husband, Daniel, and I could ride together. As it has been, Daniel's been riding the 'unbroken' mare every day with no bit and bridle and has successfully gotten her to obey his commands.
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Our newest horse is another mare that is white and fully broken. She's very sweet, but timid. Herein lies the problem. Our mare that we had previously has lashed out at her with a vengeance. She is deeply preoccupied with being the 'head mare' of the barn and denies access to it for the white mare. Feeding time has become a nightmare. The very first day here, the poor darling sustained a terrible kick to her rear end resulting in a cut in a very delicate place. This cut is still healing.
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Today, God spoke to me about this issue and said it's a problem in the church. He said that there are many who have submitted to Him because He is holy and trustworthy and is the only one who can sort out the mess of their life. However, these same people can still retain bitterness and a biting venom toward other people. We, brothers and sisters, are deeply imperfect. We hurt each other; often when we don't mean to. We can either be preoccupied with 'staying on top' of others or we can submit to not only God, but each other. My mare accepted me as master because I'm good to her, but she will not yield to a fellow horse.
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Paul goes on to say in Romans,” Be sensitive to each other's needs--don't think yourselves better than others, but make humble people your friends. Don't be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but try to do what everyone regards as good. If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people. Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God's anger."
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My white mare is indeed 'turning the other cheek'. As many times as the other mare bites her and chases her, she simply moves along and minds her own business. How often are we the catty and immature one picking fights? And how often are we the submissive and docile one that keeps their nose clean?
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Today, I hit a breaking point; as one day the Lord will stop tolerating the evil that we endure at the hands of malicious or just immature people. I took the unbroken mare's buddy from the pen so she lost her sense of security. I put the miniature in with my sheep and goats and then stood back to watch. Her malice grew toward the white horse, so I had to step in further. I put her in a stall (which I never do) and I began to groom and pet and treat the white horse in front of her. She pawed the ground angrily and leapt at the dividing gate. I just calmly doted on the white horse and let her jealous foe watch. Then, I led the white one to the dividing wall so they could stand nose to nose. I held her there and forced them to 'hash it out' in an environment that no one could get hurt. Each of them sniffed and moved their muzzles up and down each other's necks. Often, one of them would open their mouths to bite, so the other would whinny and kick. They, therefore, set the proper boundaries with each other and are safe to be left alone with each other now. Beautiful success! God is indeed teaching me much about people through animals.
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I exhort you, dear friend, to prefer others above yourself. Instead of chasing someone out into the rain and mud, stand aside and give them your portion. Instead of taking offense at someone else's insult to you (whether intentional or not), be the grownup one and 'show the example of respect' by overlooking the offense. By the strength we receive by being sons and daughters of the Most High, we can do this. God will step in and level the playing field because He is just. If you suffer any persecution, you have an ally and His name is Christ. Stand with Christ and stand blameless in front of a Holy God. To honor God, we must honor each other. We receive power through praise to submit to the Lord's will toward each other. Oh, and without coincidence, the white horse's name is Praise.
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Prayer:
Father, You are good and worthy of praise! Please help me in this hard area. Preferring others does not come naturally to me. I want my own way and do not want to give others my portion. Help me to walk in the Spirit of Christ, honoring You in heart and actions. Amen.
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Challenge:
This week, search the Scriptures for verses dealing with being easily offended, becoming bitter, and holding grudges. When opportunities arise for you to take offence, take a step back and make the choice not to fall into the trap of the enemy.
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Adrienne Michelson 2010

A Woman of Worship

As I was spending time in the word, I learned more about Mary (the sister of Martha) in Luke 10:39. She was truly a woman who enjoyed being at the feet of Jesus. She really expressed her love and devotion to Him in every way.
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Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37
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Reading about how she showed her affection towards Him makes me think of how I show my affection towards Him. It made me think of the passage in Matthew 22:37. Do I really love the Lord with ALL of my heart, with ALL of my soul, and with ALL of my mind?
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She seemed to demonstrate that even to the point of pouring oil onto His feet and washing them with her HAIR (John 12:3). Mary didn’t even think of herself at that time. She wanted to show her affection to Jesus. She didn’t care who was around as she did it. She just focused on Him and Him alone. Oh, how I pray to show my love and affection to Jesus like that. I’m so glad that today can be that day.
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Prayer:
Dear Jesus, forgive me for not showing my affection and love towards You as much as I should. Help me to see where I’m giving more time and attention to so much else that it’s taking me away from You. In Your name, Amen.
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Challenge:
What about you? Where are you when it comes to showing your affection and love towards Him? Make today a day of worship.
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Zinnada Hodges 2010

There's a Cow in the Road

Last week as my husband prepared to leave for work, our six year old admonished him to watch out for cattle. We live in a small town and my husband drives through an industrial parkway on his four minute drive to work. A cow in the road on the way to his office would be highly unexpected – something we are pretty sure he will never encounter. ‘Watch out for deer’ is a much more useful reminder as my darling sees those almost daily, even in town. We laughed about it, but as usual it came back to my mind later attached to all sorts of interesting spiritual implications. Do let me share!
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Because experience has taught us that deer are out there and that there are more of them at certain times of the day and year, most of us are watchful while driving. We expect the deer. With this in mind, let’s think of the ‘deer’ as expected sins that we encounter on our spiritual road. Anger towards our children, selfishness, gossip, and laziness are on the short list of expected sins that distract us from the path in front of us. Others might be the lack of self control with food or being impatient. We all deal with these expected sins, usually recognizing when we are being tempted and hopefully working to avoid them.
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Cows, on the other hand, are the sins we are not really watching for. We are not expecting to be tempted to have an extramarital affair or start drinking to get through a day of homeschooling. Most of us would say that those things would never happen to us. We might think we would never be as offended with a person as to hate them, or have built up our character in our minds to a level that we think we are immune to struggling with jealousy, extreme excess, or a snarky attitude.
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I have hit some cows in my lifetime. There I was driving down my spiritual road, comfortable in my polished Christian car, when WHAM! a large Jersey bovine jumped out from nowhere. Because I was not actively watching for anything more than the expected deer I was completely surprised by the cow.
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Psalm 119:104-105 says, “Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The Word of God is our light. When we are faithfully studying and meditating on the Scriptures we have the light we need to see the expected and the unexpected. His Word gives us wisdom and guidance to make it safely past any animal in our spiritual road.
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Prayer:
Father, thank You for Your faithful, ever bright Word that guides and directs me. Please help me to be watchful for all the tactics and ploys of the enemy. Thank You for victory when I walk in Your ways. Amen
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Challenge:
Identify some potential cows in your life. Do you struggle with online gossip or nastiness when you are signed in as a faceless person? Maybe you have become too fond of over the counter pain killers with added sleep aids or struggle with lustful thoughts when watching certain television programs. Be mindful of the things that are unexpected. A fun book to read is There’s a Cow in the Road by Reeve Lindbergh. This secular children’s book is a silly rhyme about a bunch of out of place farm animals that start congregating in the middle of the road. Although unintended by the author of the book, the story reminds me that where there is one unexpected sin, other unexpected sins are waiting to join in if the issue is not dealt with.
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Jen 2010

Likeminded

The word ‘likeminded’ seems to be cropping up more and more of late. It probably is not really being used more, I am just more conscious of the term. Suddenly it seems to be on every forum, in blog posts, in book titles and descriptions, even on the radio. One thing I have learned over the years is to take notice when the normal seems to morph into something bigger than usual in my mind. It usually means a lesson is waiting to be learned.
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The word likeminded is used in three places in the King James Version* of the Bible. In all three passages, likeminded was used in conjunction with having the mind of Christ.

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In Philippians 2:19-21, Paul assures the people that he is sending someone to care for them. He had to send someone because there was no one nearby who sought to serve Jesus above their own wants, desires, and needs; there was no one likeminded.
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Romans 15:5-6 is a short prayer of blessing for the Philippians. Paul prayed that God would grant them to be likeminded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, desiring that they would glorify God with one mind and one mouth. Notice that Paul was encouraging them to glorify God with ONE mouth and ONE mind. They were to focus their energy not on their own selves, but on Christ.

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Philippians 2:2-5 seems to speak most clearly on the subject of being likeminded.
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Philippians 2:2-5
Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

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Once again, this word, likeminded, is connected to Jesus. (vs. 5)

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The word likeminded in these Scriptures is not meant to push people into boxes with others who are exactly alike. On the contrary, it is meant to draw people together in Christ to glorify His name. HE is to be what makes us likeminded. Not our preferred version of the Bible, denomination, clothing, style of worship, educational style, entertainment choices, single or double income, marital status, or size of family.

If Jesus only spent time with likeminded people according to these criteria, I would have probably been left out of the picture. Why on earth would a single, homeless, renegade male want to spend time with a blogging home school mother who likes to bake? That would be plain weird. Unless we had the God of the universe in common.

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It is perfectly okay and normal to gravitate towards those who share common interests or experiences in life. I will obviously be more likely to join a home school group than a local Boosters club. My computer habits drift to home making sites and blogs of other moms, while my husband enjoys watching political and motorcycling videos. However, dividing our fellowship as believers along those lines of preference is dangerous and unproductive.

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If we as Christ followers were truly thoughtful when using the word likeminded, there would be more Christlikeness and less disunity caused by the segregation of preferences and non essentials. And in the end, there would most assuredly be more people won to Christ by the example of our love for one another.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the freedom I have in Christ. Help me to be like You in everything I do, showing love and kindness despite small differences in doctrine or preferences. Give me wisdom to know when something is against Your Word and grace to handle it in a loving, humble way. Amen

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Challenge:

Be aware this week of your use of the word likeminded. Examine your heart to determine if you want to be with others who love the Lord or who just do things the same way you do things in your spiritual walk.

Jen Gorton 2010

*I used the King James Version of the Bible as it is oldest translation available to me. I personally use the New King James Version and enjoy many other actual translations.

Jesus and Women

Studying the word of God can be so rich and fulfilling in every way. I’m often amazed at how much I learn and see the more I take the time to read it. I read a Christian book about Mary Magdalene to the kids one day. Ever since then, I wanted to find out more about her in the Bible. As I started reading the story I thought was about her in Luke 7:37-50, I realized it wasn’t about her. Nor is the story in Matthew 26:6-13. As I continued, I found out that those stories are about two different women.

The story in Luke 7:37-50, is about an unknown prostitute. The story in Matthew 26:6-13, is about Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Since neither of those stories was about Mary Magdalene and because I’m familiar with the story about the other Mary, I was curious about the lady in Luke. As I studied the passage, I was encouraged to see how much LOVE Jesus showed to this woman, especially since she was a woman that some would consider an outcast.

Then I read another familiar story in Matthew 9:20-22. It’s about the woman with the issue of blood. As I read more on it, the fact that SHE TOO was considered an outcast made my heart rejoice even more about how much Jesus reached out to her and showed her love.

But not only how Jesus showed love towards those ladies, but also how those ladies showed much FAITH! Each of those women had lived hard lives - not only in what they had experienced physically, but emotionally, too. We all know how hard it is for us females to have others view us harshly. I can only imagine the looks, comments, and other hurtful things that happened to them. But through all of that, those women heard about Jesus. They WORSHIPPED Him! Wherever He was, they came to Him. They didn’t care about who saw them or what someone would think. They just knew they needed the Savior, and so they came.

Reading about those women really challenged me. They challenge me in two ways:

Where’s my level of worship?
Am I willing to do whatever it takes to carry my troubles to Jesus? Even if it means being looked at or treated differently by others? These women knew they had troubles. They knew they had issues of sin. They knew Jesus was the only One Who could help them and give them what they needed. I am challenged to be that same way.

What’s my heart like towards the outcast?
It’s easy to see that the Pharisees and other “religious” people were wrong to treat those women the way they did. But, as I read how they treated them, I can’t help but to wonder, “What would I do?” How many times do I see a known sick person and truly take the time to find out on a consistent basis how she is doing or how I can pray for her (and really pray)? Or, how many times do I see prostitutes on the streets in various urban areas and not stop (if I could) to minister to them and find out why they’re out there?

Reading about those women just softened my heart more for women. This world is filled with hurting women. It’s a blessing to be women who have been set free through Jesus. It’s a blessing and joy to know that He saved my soul and has changed my life through His Word. I know many other women can testify to the same thing. But there are still some dear and precious women out there who are hurting so much. We need to go out there and share the gospel with many women who need the Savior.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You so much for softening my heart so much more for women. You are doing a wonderful thing, Father. Please help me to use every opportunity You give me to share the gospel and Your word with the women You bring my way. Help me, Holy Spirit, to respond to the prompting You give me. May I not allow fear to keep me from sharing with someone. In Your name, Amen.

Challenge:
It’s simple. Let’s strive to be more faithful and diligent to share the gospel and build disciples. As I looked at Luke 8:2-3, Jesus had many women disciples, too. May we be just as faithful as those women were.

Zinnada Hodges 2010