To Love and Good Works

Note: There have been some technical difficulties with the formatting of this post that I have been unable to rectify.  So, excuse the wonky layout, but be assured that the words shared are wonderful!

I am very blessed to share a devotional by a dear friend and fellow Fresh Starts contributor, Mrs. B.

Our family recently hosted a Christian Passover Seder for our community.  In preparing for these in the past, I often went to the Jewish store to get something we needed for the Seder, and I noticed the long tassels that the Orthodox Jews wear.  In the Old Testament, the Lord gave a commandment to wear those tassels, and some Jewish and Messianic sects continue to do so today.

³⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, ³⁸ “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. ³⁹ When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. ⁴⁰ The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.” Numbers 15 (NLT)

Many people wear things that are associated with religious beliefs, both Christian and non-Christian.  Years ago I wore a head covering, and the main reason I did it was to remind myself to pray and to keep the Lord’s ways; it served to remind me of Who I belonged to and why, and it helped me keep my focus on Him.

How does that translate to us today?  We are told in Hebrews 10,

²³ Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. ²⁴ Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ²⁵ And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. (NLT)

Perhaps WE are the “tassels” in each other’s lives?  If that is so, then it is vital that we spend

time together, despite our current American culture of distance and individualism. I know how

hard it is to get a young family fed, dressed, into the car, and off to gatherings and times of service

and outreach with other believers. But it is important to walk closely with others in community on

this narrow way.  When I see you, I am reminded to keep my heart and eyes devoted to the Lord

and that you and I were made to worship Him all our days.  You are the “tassels” I need to see.

Prayer: Father, as I walk this narrow way, please remind me that I need my spiritual family.  Help

me to submit my life to Godly people who will serve You with me, and who will speak the truth to

me in love when my eyes get off of You.  Help the “tassels” of my own life to be holy and devoted to You so that I can motivate others to love and do good works for Your Kingdom.

Challenge:  Ask the Lord to give you greater awareness of how your life can motivate others to acts

of love and good works.  Ask Him how you can gratefully say with Paul in Galatians 1:24, “And they were glorifying God because of me.” 

A Broken Heart

I have tried to come up with a witty beginning to this devotional and it’s just not happening.  There is no way to dress it up; it must be blurted out and left to the reader to grapple with the matter.  Here goes…

Is your heart broken over your sin and the sin of others?  Is it broken, not because someone hurt you, abused you, spoke ill of you, stole from you, or anything else a human being can inflict upon another, but because sin grieves the heart of God?

The sin of an unbeliever grieves God’s heart because it separates that person from a relationship with God the Father through the sacrifice of Christ.  God does not desire that any should perish, no matter how despicable that one might be.  That is hard for us to understand, but when God says He is not willing that ANY should perish, He really means it regardless of our human thoughts on the subject.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

The sin of a believer grieves the heart of God because it is a direct rebuff of the sacrifice made to bring us back into a relationship with the Creator of the universe.  Each and every time we sin, we sin against God.  In the process, others are hurt and the holy name of the Lord is besmirched. Our sin is a choosing to walk opposite of God’s way – a way proven and promised to bring blessing to us and honor to Him.

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.  “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,  nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.  Ephesians 4:25-32

When non-believers sin against you, cry out for their salvation.  When believers sin against you, refuse to wallow in hurt feelings.  Instead, approach them biblically and pray for their repentance; repentance, not just so that you feel better, but because it will bring them back into fellowship with the Lord. (So many times I tend to think that I am all that and a bag of chips and how awful it is that someone would to something wrong towards me, when my real concern should be that GOD is grieved!)

When you see our world sliding faster and deeper into despair and wickedness, beg the Lord to let you experience what He feels as He sees His creation destroying itself when there is a better way, a perfect way – Jesus.  Pray accordingly, allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through you. Praying for someone you love deeply is so much different that praying for someone that you frankly wish was not even alive.  We need HIS divine ability to pray in the right manner.

May our prayer today as Christ followers be, "Break my heart with what breaks Yours."

Prayer:

Father, please break my heart with what breaks Yours.  There are no other words.  Amen.

Challenge:

When you sin, or experience the ramifications of the sin of others, immediately ask the Lord to give you His eyes and heart.  Pray for His will to be done and hearts to be changed.  CHOOSE to respond as He would have you respond, not as you feel.

Jen G 2012

Special thanks to my brother in Christ, BC, who, through his writings, brought me to a place of understanding on this subject.

Waste Not, Want Not

Yesterday, our church had several baptisms.  One of the girls being baptized had been adopted into a lovely Christian home as a baby, but her health issues and biological parentage were something that could potentially be a discouragement to her. As my father was about to dunk this beautiful girl, he reminded her that nothing is wasted. 

Nothing is wasted.

It is super easy to say “I love Jesus!  He is so good to me!” when life is hunky-dory. But sometimes.  Sometimes life is just not okay.  It hurts and is confusing and seems unfair. Everyone faces situations that bring feelings of helplessness, discouragement, or anger. Scripture is full of men and women who faced these same emotions.  As in your life, sometimes the experiences that brought those feelings and questions were the result of the person’s own sin.

Jonah had to travel where he did not wish to go, but God used it to show him his stinky heart attitude. 

Paul had something that pained him physically, but the weakness in his body caused him to rely on the Lord in a deeper way than his own strength would allow.

Mary had to watch her son die a horrible death.  That loss brought about the salvation of the world.

You might not always understand why the Lord is allowing something to happen; it is even harder to understand when the trial is not a result of your own poor choices (struggling with debt, dealing with a divorce caused by your unfaithfulness, etc.).  You can be assured, however, that if your heart is turned towards the Lord, He will use that circumstance in your life for good.

We all have a choice when bad things (or consequences) happen.  Curse God or praise God.  Which will it be?  Cursing Him - complaining, fighting against the situation, having a nasty attitude, bitterness – might feel good for the moment, but it will not bring blessing. Praising Him – choosing to acknowledge His faithfulness and goodness, honoring Him with our words and actions and attitudes - will bring His peace and joy.

Think of the words of Job.  “Though He slay me, yet I will praise Him!”  What an example to follow!  What will you choose to do today in your hard situation?  Don’t waste the opportunities you have to praise God in every circumstance and you will never want for His peace and joy in your heart and countenance.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Prayer:

Father, let my life reflect Your goodness.  Even when I am suffering consequences for sinful actions or poor choices, You are still with me and teaching me about who You are.  When I am suffering as a result of the sin of others, You promise to be my Defender.  When I am suffering due to original sin in the world, You say that you are my Healer and my Comforter.  Let me praise You in the midst of any storm so that Your name is glorified.  Amen.

Challenge:

What is happening in your life that makes you cry out, “Lord!  What are you doing?” or “WHY!?!”  First off, check your life for unrepentant sin.  If there is something there that needs to be dealt with, take care of it immediately!  That will not necessarily remove the consequence, but it will allow you to face it with grace and with the Lord’s help.  If your situation is a result of someone else’s actions, address the issue with them and give them opportunity to ask forgiveness and make things right.  If they choose not to, you must choose to walk in forgiveness and not become bitter.  If your trial is illness or loss due to a fallen world, allow the Lord to make His strength perfect in your weakness.

Jen G. 2012

Spring Break

I am taking a spring break. See you next week!

Jen

Subtle Like a Freight Train

When my husband and I first wed, I was all about being ‘married’.  That ring and the certificate said it was a-okay for me to prance around and seduce him.  And I did!  Or, at least, I tried to seduce him.  One year into our bliss I glided out in a silky, white, floor length nightgown and my darling said, “Babe.  You are subtle like a freight train.”

(It really should not have mattered that I was nine months pregnant with our first child and looked like a giant, hardboiled egg had been strapped to my midsection.)

I learned something that day, however. I learned that my husband prefers the not so in-your-face efforts to be attractive.  In order to be most desirable to him, I needed to rework my plan of action.  I was like a freight train, and he was looking for a dog whistle: silent, but fully communicative.  I have learned over the past 19 years of marriage that ironing my husband’s work clothes or making fish (gag!) for dinner will make him all warm and fuzzy.  So will clean sheets, a full bottle of Head and Shoulders, and a mess-free purse. 

 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another… Romans 12:10

I wanted flowers and romantic whispers and my darling was swapping a load or changing a diaper in the middle of the night.  I was chasing him around the house trying to be all Julia Roberts*, and he was longing for a new bar of soap to be waiting for his morning shower.  My complaints of his ‘lack’ of affection were really a slap in the face of his heartfelt efforts to show his love.

My point in this devotional, which is admittedly straying from my usual choices of topic, is this: Minister to your husband in the way he needs you to – not the way you always want to.  You might be a freight train and he is looking for a dog whistle.  Or…maybe you are a whistle and he is looking for a train.  Watch your husband to see how he shows that he loves you.  Watch the clues and follow them.  Both of you will be blessed.  Trust me, I know.  I am married to a dog whistle turned freight train…. ;-)

The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:11, 12

Prayer:

Father, please help me to know how to really show love to my husband in the way that he needs.  Open my eyes to see the ways he has been expressing love that maybe I have disregarded because it did not meet my idea of love.  Amen.

Challenge:

Play Nancy Drew this week and follow the clues to find your hubby’s love language.  Quietly begin to introduce things that you think might meet his needs in this area.  Consider taking the love languages assessment together at:  http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/.  Consider the Love Dare as well: http://thelovedarebook.com/. 

*When my husband worked in the corporate world, the men in his office took one of those silly “find your celebrity mate’ quizzes.  Angelina Jolie, Pamela Anderson, and Jennifer Aniston were some of the ones his coworkers matched up with.  My darling’s perfect celebrity match?  Martha Stewart.  No lie.

Jen G 2012