A Word of Encouragement

During these recent weeks I have been (slowly) working to organize the thousands of photos we have accumulated, both in print and digitally, in the years we have been married. Looking back at the photos, and remembering the time and place, has been one way to cope with the craziness we have experienced in these very strange times. This week I came across some photos from our years living in the North Carolina mountains.

When we lived there, I so looked forward to spring each year. Winters in the mountains are often long and hard, and sometimes seem as if they will never end. But at the end of the long, cold, harsh winter comes a beautiful spring. Plants that seemed dead come to life again and even flourish.

My favorites were always the rhododendron. Many times, before winter ended, I would be convinced they would never bloom again, and each spring I was proven wrong.

Perhaps plants need to go through these really hard winters in order to flourish in the spring.

I think these plants provide a life lesson for us. Perhaps, like the plants that surrounded my home in the mountains, we too need hard winters in order to fully blossom in the spring. Just as the plant experienced the difficult winter and then thrived in spring as a result, we can come out on the other side of our difficult winters with beautiful blossoms as well.

If you're experiencing a difficult season, whether because of the virus, or because of something else, let that be an encouragement to you today.

"But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." 
(Job 23:10 NASB)

Getting Ready for Memorial Day

We're approaching the Memorial Day holiday, which traditionally has been viewed simply as a kick-off to the summer vacation season. However, in these days of coronavirus, vacations and other normal activities are no longer normal! Even so, Memorial Day is an important day to remember.


Memorial Day is so much more than just a kick-off to summer. This is a holiday which has its roots in the days following the Civil War and which began as a way to honor and remember those who had died in that war. Although in recent years it has been observed much like other patriotic holidays (Independence Day and Veterans' Day) as a way to honor all the men and women who serve in our nation's military, I believe it is important to remember why we have this particular holiday. 

 

This day is so much more than a day to honor the military, as important as that is. We have Armed Forces Day (the third Saturday in May) to honor those who are now serving in our nation's military. Sadly, unless you are part of a military family or you live in a community near a military base, you may not even be aware of this holiday. And we have Veterans' Day in November to honor all those who have served in our nation's military.

This holiday, Memorial Day, is a day set aside to remember those who have died in service to our country. To remember that freedom isn't free. To remember that all those who went off to war didn't come home. Memorial Day is a day to remember.

In places like Gettysburg and Vicksburg. At Bull Run and Bunker Hill. In faraway places like Normandy and Argonne. Korea and Vietnam. Baghdad and Mosul. Kabul and Kandahar. In all these places and many more, somebody died for you. Memorial Day is a day to remember that. Somebody died for you.

As you're celebrating Memorial Day with family and friends, let's remember.

This weekend, while you're enjoying your day off from work, or your day at the beach, or your barbecue, take time to remember.

Freedom isn't free. 

Remember.

Somebody paid the ultimate price so you can enjoy all these things.

Remember.

Somebody died for you.

Remember.


"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."  (John 15:13 ESV)

Saturated

It's raining this morning. Again. In fact, we have had a lot of rain this week. Quite a lot. Our rain gauge this morning showed we have received over 5 inches! As a result, the ground is saturated with water. If I were to walk outside, I'm sure I would find the ground is squishy!

But it occurs to me that there is a lesson for us here. I've written about this several times before, but it's on my mind again today. Just as the ground around here is saturated with water, so do we need to be saturated, not with rain water, but with the Word of God. And maybe we particularly need this lesson in this very strange season.

Being saturated takes time. The ground did not become saturated with water by a five minute sprinkle of rain. It became saturated by steady rain over time. It didn't become saturated by listening to people talk about rain, or by looking at videos of rain, or by hearing about someone else's experience with rain. It became saturated by actual rain. In the same way, we don't become saturated with the Word of God by hearing people talk about it, or by reading devotional books, or by listening to Christian radio. We become saturated by first hand experience.

How much time are you willing to commit to the Word of God?

Today, why not make a decision, a fresh commitment, to being saturated in the Word of God? I read these verses today in my quiet time. Perhaps these verses would be a good place to begin as we saturate ourselves with the truths of God's Word.

"The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure,

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the LORD are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the LORD is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true,

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward."

(Psalm 19:7-11 ESV)

 

 

"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness."  (1 Timothy 4:7b NASB)

Quality Time, or Just Going Through the Motions?

Some years ago, Gary Chapman wrote a best-selling book titled The Five Love Languages.

Chapman's basic premise is that we can't communicate with each other if we aren't speaking the same language. No matter how much a wife might love her husband, or the husband might love his wife, if they aren't speaking the same language, it's difficult to convey that love. Chapman gives us five love languages: gifts, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and words of affirmation. The idea is that if I express my love for my spouse or my children using my love language, and they speak a different love language, they will not feel loved in the same way as if I expressed my love using their language. That's a very simplified explanation, but you get the idea.

When I first became aware of Chapman's book a number of years ago, I would have told you that my love language was gifts. All the assessments I took confirmed that. 

I love giving gifts to people I love as a way to let them know I love them. And I love receiving gifts!  When I am given a gift chosen especially for me, I feel loved.

But as I'm growing older, I'm not quite as certain that gifts is still my primary love language.  Certainly I still love giving and receiving gifts, but as I grow older, time is the thing that means most to me. Being able to spend quality time with people I love makes me feel loved and special.

Face to face time. Or time in a phone conversation. Time for coffee together. Time. It means more and more to me as I continue my journey through life.

As I have been thinking about that over the last few days, it occurs to me to wonder if God might say the same thing. 

Please understand. I'm not trying to be flippant or blasphemous or disrespectful. But if God were to speak audibly to us and tell us how He would most like us to express our love for Him, I wonder what He would say. I'm sure He appreciates all the acts of service we do on His behalf, and all the wonderful words we say about Him. But I think that if these five love languages were to apply to our relationship with God, what He might like most is our time.

Not just time spent in doing good works or acts of service or witnessing. But some quality time spent with Him alone.

In this hurried, harried, crazy world we live in, are we giving Him that? Are we going through the motions, or are we really spending quality time with the One we love?

If we were to ask Him how we're doing, what would He say? 

Something to think about.

I miss my time with you,

those moments together.

I need to be with you each day

and it hurts Me when you say

you're too busy.

Busy trying to serve Me,

but how can you serve Me

when your spirit's empty?

There's a longing in My heart,

wanting more than just a part of you.

It's true,

I miss my time with you.

(Larnelle Harris, Phil McHugh)

 

 

You can listen to Larnelle Harris sing that song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UpMedIINdg 

A Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer. The coronavirus has changed how we gather publicly on this day, but it's still a day devoted to prayer for this great nation.

On days like this, a verse from the Old Testament book of 2nd Chronicles is often quoted. 

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)

This word from the Lord was originally spoken to Solomon on the occasion of the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. A few verses later in the same chapter, the Lord warns of what will happen if His people turn aside from the Lord's commandments. There will be consequences for abandoning the Lord's ways.  (2 Chronicles 7:19-22.)

There can be little doubt that as a nation we have turned aside from the Lord's commandments and are not wholeheartedly following His ways. Even more troubling, there are many among us who call themselves Christian, and yet are not wholeheartedly following the Lord. Could it be that the troubles we are facing as a nation stem, at least in part, from this root? And if so, is there hope for us?

I believe there is hope, and the solution is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, God's people, follow the plan outlined in these verses, God will hear. Yes, in its original context these words applied to the Jews. But there's a principle here that still is valid.

If my people. These instructions are not to the pagans or the politicians. Not to the atheists or the agnostics. These instructions are to the people of God. To the people called by His name. What are God's people to do?

Humble themselves. And here we get to the root of the problem. We're not very good at humbling ourselves. We don't want to humble ourselves, before God or anyone else. We want to be in charge.  We think we know what is best. We think because we are American we have certain rights to do and say and think as we please. Yet God says we are to humble ourselves. This is much like what Jesus instructed when he taught His disciples, and us, how to pray. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10 KJV). Even Jesus humbled Himself before the Father when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42 ESV)

To humble ourselves is to acknowledge that we are not God. A while back when my husband and I were out and about, we passed a church with a sign at the end of their driveway that read "Remember, God's still God and you're still not."  Remembering that is the essence of what it means to humble ourselves before God. Remember who's in charge!

Pray. We think we understand what prayer is, don't we? Too often people think of prayer as giving God our list of wants and concerns, a kind of to-do list for God to handle. Is that really all there is to it? Is prayer really only giving God a list, or reciting a memorized poem, or mumbling a quick sentence before we go to bed? Is that really what God meant when He said His people are to "humble themselves and pray"? I think not. 

Prayer is communication. And communication is two-way, meaning there is speaking and there is listening. Certainly one blog is not adequate to explain all that prayer is, but I definitely think God is expecting more than just a hastily mumbled mantra every day. Does that mean that longer prayers are better, somehow more spiritual? Does God hear us more clearly if we talk longer or use bigger words. Of course not. In fact, Scripture cautions against "empty phrases" (Matthew 6:7 ESV). The point is to be sincere in our communication with God.

Seek my face. This is an extension of the point about praying. Many years ago I heard someone say that we should "seek the Blesser, not the blessing". How often when we pray do we seek what God can do for us, rather than just seeking God Himself. Because God desires relationship with His people, He desires that we seek HIM and not just seek what He can give.

Turn from their wicked ways. This is the very definition of repentance, to turn from sin, to change direction. If we have sincerely sought the Lord, have humbled ourselves before Him, we will have become aware of those things in our lives that are displeasing to Him and we will want to repent.

Then. When we have followed God's instructions, He promises to hear and to forgive our sin and to heal our land. When we do things His way!

Will our land be healed because people gather in groups one day a year to pray for our nation? No.  It's a good thing when people gather together to pray. But it's a better thing, a more important thing, when individuals come daily before the Lord in prayer. To intercede for the nation. To intercede for families. To intercede for the lost. To commit themselves to doing things God's way.

A day of prayer is a good thing. A lifestyle of prayer is even better.

"Lord, teach us to pray." (Luke 11:1 ESV)