Ignored

I actually began this post quite some time ago. I wrote it - and then deleted it - several times. I think I must have been in the middle of some giant pity party when I began writing. The reason for the pity party is long since forgotten. But the reason for the deleting was that way too much of my pity party was showing through! So in the interest of "speaking [or writing] only that which is good for building up" (see Ephesians 4:29), the "delete" button was given a workout!

All that got me started thinking about pity parties in general. About why we have these pity parties. I'm sure that varies from person to person. There are likely as many reasons to feel sorry for oneself as there are people! It might have to do with a bad medical diagnosis. Or it might have to do with personal relationships or a break-up. Maybe it comes as result of financial hardship or a job lay-off. It could be that no matter how hard you try, you can't lose weight. Or maybe it's just that you hate your hair color, or wish you were taller or shorter or maybe you're just tired. So many different reasons for a pity party.

Maybe it all starts because we feel ignored. By friends. Or by family. Maybe we weren't invited to a birthday party or a family gathering. Maybe nobody called. Maybe we didn't get picked to be on the team.  

Being ignored......no matter the reason......can really set off a flood of emotions, and can often lead to our feeling sorry for ourselves......the classic "pity party".

Did you ever stop to consider how God must feel when He's ignored?  He often is, you know.  I'm not meaning to suggest that God feels sorry for Himself. I don't mean that at all.  But I do mean to suggest that perhaps the next time we're feeling pitiful because someone ignored us or didn't pay attention to our request or didn't do things the way we wanted them done (or any other of the myriad reasons we feel sorry for ourselves), perhaps we should stop and consider our own behavior. As in.....if I am having a pity party because I feel that someone in my circle of family or friends is ignoring me and not including me in family plans, perhaps I should stop and consider whether or not I, however unintentionally, might have given them reason for that behavior.

But let's go deeper. Let's take the focus off ourselves. Off all the times we feel as if we have been ignored.  What about all those times when we ignore God?

When we never stopped to think of Him? Or what He might think about a particular choice?
When we didn't say "thank you"?
When we didn't consult His opinion?
When we didn't include Him in our activity or our thoughts or our decisions?

Those things probably happen much more often than we would like to admit. But the reality is that when we choose one thing, we have to ignore another. When we choose to spend our time going to the gym rather than having a morning quiet time, we have made a conscious decision that one of those things is more important than the other.   

Yes, physical exercise is important. But how much more so is spiritual "exercise"! It doesn't have to be an either/or decision. But we do have to prioritize what's most important and order all our activites based on that priority. Which means that we can't say God is most important and then put time with Him at the bottom end of our daily "to do" list. We can't say "I love God", and then fail to spend any time with Him.

If you continually ignore your friends or family, and if you continually neglect to spend time with them or call them or include them in your invitations, what would that say about your relationship?

And if you continually ignore your relationship with the Lord and continually neglect spending time with Him and continually fail to include Him in your thoughts or activities, what does that say about the quality of your relationship?

Something to think about.

"For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him."  (2 Chronicles 30:9b ESV)

Saturated

It’s raining today. Again. In fact, we have had a lot of rain in recent weeks. Quite a lot. As a result, the ground is saturated with water. 

But it occurs to me that there is a lesson for us here. 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 these early days of a new year.

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 or podcasts. We become saturated by first hand experience. 

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

Here at this first month of a new year, why not make a decision, a fresh commitment, to being saturated in the Word of God?

"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)

The Blessing and the Curse of Social Media

Community is important. Being connected to friends and family is a vital part of our existence. We need connection. We crave connection. When I first became aware of social media, I lived in a very isolated spot in the North Carolina mountains. Social media became a way to not feel quite so isolated. A way to connect with people.

That’s the up-side of social media. Social media has helped us stay connected. In that way, it is a blessing.

But there is a down side to social media. Everything we see or hear or read on social media isn't true. It isn't posted with good intentions. In fact, that applies to all media. 

We have become more and more aware in recent years just how much the news media tries to control the narrative of our lives. How much media - both news media and social media - are being used to spread fear and panic. This is the curse of social media. Of all media.

How do we avoid being led astray?

Be cautious.

Before you jump to accept something you read on Facebook and begin to share it with the world, check the facts. Is it true. Is it honest. Is it helpful. Does it honor God?

Be connected.

More important than your connection to social media is your connection to the Word of God. That is the plumb line by which everything must be measured. Before you share something to social media, ask the same questions. Is it true. Is it honest. Is it helpful. Does it honor God?

This last one has caused me to think very carefully about what I post. And to take down some things I had posted in the heat of the moment! We have all been guilty of those kinds of posts. But let's be careful!

Know the truth.

Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32)

Knowing the Word, and the God of the Word, helps us make wise decisions. About what to believe and what not to believe. About what to post on social media. About so many things!

To know the Word means we will be spending time in the word. Not just a quick verse of the day, or reading a quick morning devotion, but spending time in the Word. We should be like the Berean Christians in the book of Acts who "examined the scriptures daily…..”

We are living in challenging times. We are bombarded with information. A 24-hour news cycle. Social media in various forms. Let’s be cautious. Let's not fall into the trap of believing everything we see and hear on social medial. Let’s not fall into the trap of reposting everything that comes across our news feed without first examining it carefully.

Let's hold everything against the plumb line of God's Word.


"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things." (Philippians 4:8 NASB)

Success or Failure?

 “Ezra had determined....” (Ezra 7:10 CSB)

Now that we are a couple of weeks into the new year, how are you doing on those goals you have set? Are you making progress, or have you given up already?

When we are not making good progress, the problem is often in our preparation. In other words, have you set yourself up to fail or to succeed?

Consider this example. Let’s suppose for a moment that you, like many others, set a health goal this year. Perhaps to lose some weight, or to exercise more consistently, or both. In order to achieve your goals, you first must make a decision. That first step toward success is a commitment to do what it takes to move you toward your goal. If your goal is weight loss, you must first commit to it, followed by taking steps that will help you be successful (deciding on a plan, shopping for appropriate foods, getting rid of the junk food in the pantry, for example).

In other words, it means being like Ezra, the Old Testament priest, who “had determined….”.

Let’s consider Ezra’s example as it applies in other areas. Specifically, let’s consider how it applies to our spiritual goals. That was Ezra’s determination. Ezra set a goal. He made a decision.

“Now Ezra determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach it.”

Whether your goal is to read the Bible through this year, or to memorize Scripture, or to join a Bible Study, or whatever your spiritual goal is, this is how you set yourself up for success. It starts with a decision. A commitment.

But the decision alone is not enough. The decision must be followed by action. Just saying “I want to….” or “I should….” is not enough. 

What steps have you taken to reach your spiritual goals this year? Have you

• Made a decision/commitment?
• Made a plan?
• Set aside time?
• Been deliberate in how you choose to invest your time and energy?

If not, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Good intentions alone are not enough.

If you’re already two weeks into the year and are without spiritual goals, or you feel like you are already too far behind, don’t give up! Start fresh today. Make a good decision!

What Do Your Knees Look Like?

I haven't given a lot of thought lately to what my knees look like. Actually, I'm more in tune with how my knees feel (sometimes not too good) and how they sound (sometimes not too good) than how they look. And if you have had or you need knee replacement, your knees may not look so great

But I’m not talking about our physical knees.

The Apostle James has often been referred to as "Old Camel Knees" because of his devotion to prayer.

Have you ever really looked at a camel's knees?  I snapped this photo on the Mount of Olives on a trip to Israel. 

This camel doesn't have very attractive knees, does he?  This particular camel spends his days giving rides to tourists there on the Mount of Olives.  He spends a lot of his time kneeling down to let the tourists get into the saddle.  

He spends a lot of time on his knees.

 

Apparently the Apostle James spent a lot of time on his knees to have earned the nickname "Old Camel Knees".  What a wonderful example for us to follow!

 

Let’s think about prayer today. About our devotion to prayer. About the value of prayer.

“I don’t think we can even begin to fathom the effect of our prayers on the lives of others, not of the effect of their prayers on us.” - Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth in “The Quiet Place, a Devotional Journey”

What are you praying about today? How much time and energy are you devoting to praying about those things? What do your knees look like? Are you deliberately carving out time in your day to pray?

I'm praying for my family. For my husband and my sons and my grandsons and my daughters-in-love.  They are always in my prayers.  And I pray for my extended family as well.

 

I'm praying for friends who are dealing with various health issues. For my Church family. For my Bible Study group.

 

I'm praying for guidance and directions for some writing projects that are in their early stages.  

 

I'm praying for my country.  

 

I have quite a long list.

 

What about you?  Who and what are you praying about?  

 

How can I pray with you and for you?


"God answers our prayers not because we are good, but because He is good." (A.W. Tozer)

"Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice." (Psalm 55:17 NKJV)











Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I hope your new year is off to a good start. We had a very quiet New Year's Eve, at least until the fireworks started. I was asleep long before midnight, in spite of the fireworks. But it was already January somewhere in the world, so I'm ok with that. We celebrated New Year's Day at church, followed by a traditional meal of greens, peas, ham, and cornbread, then spent the day relaxing. So far, this new year is good!

When I began blogging on New Year's Eve 2008, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. In the beginning, in many ways, it was a lot like talking to myself, or perhaps talking to an imaginary friend across the table! It was something like keeping my journal online, as I just wrote about whatever was on my mind or what was happening in my life. Along the way it has become a vehicle for me to share what God is teaching me. Through everyday life experiences. Through what I read, whether in Scripture or elsewhere. It has become a place to sit and think, to reflect on life lessons. And a place to share those life experiences and life lessons with others. Along the way, I've tried to share honestly from my heart and it has been my hope that in some small way, the words I write will be an encouragement to someone somewhere.

When I began, I had no idea that I would still be writing all these years later. Or that I would publish a book. I had no idea how many people would read the words I have written. No idea how hearing from those who read my words would encourage me.

I had no idea. But God did.  

And as this blogging journey continues into this new year, I have no idea where it will take me. But God does.

"Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established."   
  (Proverbs 16:3 NASB)


As one year has ended and another has begun, I want to thank you for stopping by. And I want to offer my very best wishes for a Happy New Year, a year of joy and peace and our Father's bountiful blessings! As we begin this new year, this is my prayer for each of us:



Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be,

In working or in waiting, Another year with Thee;

Another year of leaning Upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, Of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of mercies,Of faithfulness and grace;

Another year of gladness In the shining of Thy face;
Another year of progress, Another year of praise;

Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of service, Of witness for Thy love;

Another year of training For holier work above.

Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be

On earth, or else in heaven, Another year for Thee.

 -Frances R. Havergal