Whiter Than Snow

There's snow in the forecast.  Whether or not it will actually snow here in Spartanburg remains to be seen, but many of my friends are very excited at the prospect.  My friends in the mountains have already experienced some snow this week, and another 12-18" is forecast there.

A friend asked me this morning if I miss that.  My honest answer is, "no, I do not."

Snow is beautiful, but I have spent enough of my years living in very snowy places, with very cold temperatures, shoveling lots of snow.  I have had enough.  If I really want to see snow now, I can get out my photos and enjoy it that way!

 





It's interesting that there is snow in the forecast when I have had the words to the old hymn Whiter Than Snow on my mind so prominently this week.

Break down every idol, cast out every foe.  Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

That has been my prayer this week.  My prayer strategy.  I have been specifically praying that the Lord would reveal any "idols" in my life.

"Idols" to us here in 21st century America are rarely made of wood and stone.  They are electronic.  They are the time-stealers.  They are our pride and our sense of self-importance.  They are our ego.  They take the form of good, rather than best, choices.

And so I am praying that the Lord will reveal anything in my life that has become an "idol" to me.  Anything that takes His rightful place in my life.

We may or may not get snow here in Spartanburg, but I want my life to be as pure before the Lord as fresh-fallen snow.

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;

I want Thee forever to live in my soul;

Break down every idol, cast out every foe -

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,

Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;

To get this best cleansing, I all things forego -

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 

(-James L. Nicholson)

 

 

"Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me."

(Psalm 51:10)

 



Tune My Heart

Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy praise.

Our laundry room is in the process of getting a makeover.  When completed, it will be a much more functional room.  And it will be neater, as well, which will make me very happy!  There was a long wire shelf over the washer and dryer, which has now been removed.

 

 In place of the shelf, there will be nice white cabinets.  It's currently a work in progress, which will hopefully be finished today.  Then I can begin filling all those cabinets with stuff!

In my previous career as a beauty consultant, I did a lot of makeovers, helping women choose the right skin care products and the right eye shadow and the right lip color.  It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed helping women feel better about how themselves.  For me, that career was about more than lipstick; it was an opportunity to encourage other women, to get to know them better, and to bring some joy and sunshine into their daily lives.

Have you ever felt you needed a makeover?  Maybe a new hair color, a different hair style, a different eye shadow, or perhaps a new wardrobe?

While each of us may from time to time need an update to our hair style or our wardrobe, far more often we need a makeover on the inside. A spiritual makeover.

In the spiritual sense, it's much like tuning a musical instrument.  You can polish the piano or the violin or the flute, or any other instrument, all day long, but if that instrument is out of tune, all the polish in the world won't help.  It will still be out of tune, no matter how much the exterior of the instrument shines.

That's true for us as well. No matter how good we look on the outside, it's what's inside that counts.  I think that's why David prayed, in Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God."

When we place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are given a clean heart.  But too often that heart gets "dirtied" by our thoughts and our attitudes, our prejudices and our resentments, our bitterness and our worry.....by all those things that are the sins of our lives.

We get that cleaned up when we pray as David did, "Against You, and You only, have I sinned.....Create in me a clean heart."  (Psalm 51:4, 10)

That's the first step in our spiritual makeover:  confession of sin.  Before you get a makeover, whether at a party or at the cosmetic counter or in the privacy of your own bathroom, you have to wash your face.  You have to clean the old makeup away.  That's what confession of sin does. 

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul gets specific about some of the things we need to have washed away in our spiritual makeover.

"But now you must put them all away:  anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth."  (Colossians 3:8 ESV)

And then comes the makeover.  This spiritual makeover is much more than a new lip gloss.  Much more than an external change.  A spiritual makeover involves attitudes of the heart.

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."  (Colossians 3:12-14 ESV)

Do you need a makeover today?

Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy praise.

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount!  I'm fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

 

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be.

Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it.

Seal it for Thy courts above.

 

(words:Robert Robinson; traditional American melody, John Wyeth)

Filled with Wonder

I read a number of blogs on a fairly regular basis, some written by friends and acquaintances, and some written by people I have never met.  Often the posts I read trigger a thought for this blog.  What someone else has written might inspire me to write on a similar topic.  Or to write something on a parallel theme.  Quite often, what I read triggers a thought on a completely unrelated topic.  The brain is a mysterious thing; I can't explain it.

Yesterday, as I was reading my friend Melanie's post about one of God's grace-gifts in her life, I had one of those experiences.  You can read her post here:  http://pleasuresforevermoreps1611.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-whisper-and-smile.html

After I had read Melanie's post, the phrase filled with wonder kept reverberating in my mind, so I stopped what I was doing and began to think about that phrase.  To ponder it.  The list of things that fill me with wonder is quite lengthy.

Allow me to share just a few.

Recently my husband had a biopsy.  Even as we waited for results, he and I were both surprisingly calm.  The peace of God was very present, and I am filled with wonder by that.  I am so very thankful that the biopsy was negative.  No cancer!  I am filled with wonder and with gratitude!

Sunday evening after church we stopped to grab a bite of dinner before we came home.  As we were eating, we were talking about how wonderful it is to be able to do such a simple thing.  Stop after church for a leisurely meal and then drive about ten minutes to be home.  No more two hour drives home on Sunday night after church.  After four years, those Sunday night drives were getting harder and harder.  And just when we were wondering how much longer we could keep that up, God sent a buyer for our house and we were able to finally move to Spartanburg. What a blessing!  When I think back on those years, and on those drives to and from Spartanburg each week, and on God's perfect timing, I am filled with wonder!

Recently we saw the movie War Room.  (Finally!)  And then we watched it again with friends.  It's a great movie!  If you haven't seen it yet, I urge you.....I beg you....to see it!  Thinking about that movie, and about the privilege and the power of prayer, I am filled with wonder!

The beauty of a sunrise.  Or a sunset.  Ocean waves as they come to the shore.  The laughter of children.  Each new day of life.  I am filled with wonder.

Just to think about who God is!  That He desires to have a relationship with us.  That He provided a way for that relationship through the Person of Jesus Christ.  That He offers us relationship, for now and for all eternity, because of His grace.  That His mercies are new every morning.  I am overwhelmed.  And filled with wonder.

I've begun keeping a list of all the things that fill me with wonder.  It's already quite a long list!

What fills you with wonder?  You might like to start a list, too.


"Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples.  Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Remember His wonders which He has done."  (Psalm 105:1-2, 5a NASB)

Even on Monday Morning

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."        (Psalm 103:1 NASB)

For another day of life, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For a good night of rest, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For a comfortable chair and a good cup of coffee, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For the blessing of worship with my church family yesterday, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For the encouragement of the Scriptures, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For my family, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For my friends, near and far, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For the privilege of prayer, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For a roof over my head and all the comforts of my home, bless the Lord, O my soul.

For all the blessings of my life, and they are many indeed, bless the Lord, O my soul.

Even on a Monday morning, bless the Lord, O my soul.


"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things."  (Psalm 103:2-5a NASB)

Social Media. The Blessing and the Curse.

We are familiar with the many forms of social media available to us today.  Most of us use at least one, if not more, of these social media as a means to communicate, or to keep up with what's current, or to stay in touch with friends.  Those are all wonderful, and part of the "blessings" of social media.

But there's a downside.

For starters, can we agree that everything you read on the internet isn't true just because you read it on the internet.  Just because you gained a certain tidbit from Google, or from Facebook, or from Twitter, doesn't mean it's factual. 

Here's just one example.  I recently read, on Facebook, the following quote, which according to the post I read, was said by Adrian Rodgers in 1931.

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Adrian Rodgers may very well have said that.  I cannot prove that he did or didn't, and that isn't my purpose here.  But what I am certain of is that he did not say it in 1931.

If you are not familiar with Adrian Rodgers, he was a well-known Southern Baptist pastor, who for many years prior to his death pastored Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

Adrian Rodgers said many wise things in his lifetime, and he may well have said what I have quoted above.  But I am certain he did not say it in 1931, since Adrian Rodgers was born in 1931!   (I checked multiple sources to confirm that.)

My point here is that, in spite of all the good things about social media, there is a down side.

As in the case of this quote, we need to check more than one source before we blindly accept something as fact.

Another downside of social media is the lack of accountability.  We can use our various social media outlets to encourage one another, to share Scriptures with friends, and to send out uplifting messages, but there are just as many people doing the exact opposite.  Particularly in this election season, the vitriol is spewing forth, and people feel free to say whatever they want without being held accountable for it at all.  Political pundits feel free to overanalyze every phrase uttered.  Political watchers feel free to criticize a candidate's wardrobe or makeup or hairstyle or children, with no repercussions and no fact-check and without even a pretense of accuracy.  It has become acceptable to say whatever you think whenever you think it, with no filter for accuracy or courtesy or even common decency.  That's the world of social media.

And in this political season, that's a dangerous thing.

We are about to make very serious decisions about who will be the next President of the United States.  We are living in perilous times.  We face serious issues.  And we need to be serious and deliberate and thoughtful in our decision-making.  This is not the time to let the tweeters and the pundits make our decisions for us. 

As I have said before, generally I try to steer clear of politics in this blog.  It is not my intention to use this as a platform to persuade you to a particular candidate, nor will I use this as a platform to sing the praises of my chosen candidate. In fact, the jury's still out on that one! If you want to have a personal conversation about politics outside this blog, I'll be happy to have that discussion with you.  This blog is not the place for that.

However, as we begin this long, arduous journey toward November, there is one caution I would like to bring before you, particularly as we consider this in the context of social media.  We need more than a sound bite President.  The current occupant of the Oval Office was elected, at least in part, because he is good at sound bites.  But we need more than that.

We need more than sound bites.  We need more than tweets.  We need leadership.  These are difficult times in our country.  Regardless of your political persuasion, surely we can agree on that.  We have big challenges before us in areas of national security and the economy, and in many other areas as well.  Because these are challenging times, we need to think carefully about how we are going to cast our vote.  We need to listen carefully to everything the candidates are saying.  We need to go beyond the sound bites and the tweets, and beyond the opinions of political pundits and Facebookers.  We need to be a thinking people.  We need not only to listen to the candidates, but then to think carefully and analyze for ourselves what is being said.  We need to understand the principles by which each of these candidates can be expected to govern.

As we are listening, and as we are thinking, we need also to be praying.  Praying for God's blessing on our nation.  Praying for wisdom as we make our choices.  Praying for this nation to turn back to God.  And praying for discernment.

We need to hear more than just the sound bites and tweets.  We need to hear and understand the principles that guide these candidates in their decisions and their positions.

We need wisdom.  We need understanding.  We need discernment.

Don't be deceived by rhetoric and hyperbole and sound bites.

Don't get caught up in the social media circus.

We need more than that.

Let's do things the old-fashioned way.  Let's be a people who listen carefully, to what is said and to what isn't.  Let's be a people who think. 

And as we are using social media for our own purposes, whether political or to stay in touch with friends or for whatever reason, let's choose our words and our posts and our tweets wisely. 

Think before you share a post or a tweet. 

Is it true?  Is it honorable?  Is it right?  Is it pure?  Is it lovely?  Is it of good repute?
Is it excellent?  Is it worthy of praise?  (See Philippians 4:8)

Social media can be a wonderful thing.  Use it wisely.

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."  (Ephesians 4:29 NASB)


And as you are evaluating all the candidates and making your choice, keep this instruction in mind:

"Furthermore, you select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place them as leaders....." (Exodus 18:21 NASB)

Don't Be Afraid

One of the core principles of learning how to study the Bible is learning to look for repeated words or phrases.  It is one of the first disciplines we learn as we are learning to study.

This morning as I was reading my Bible, I was reminded of that principle, as a repeated phrase kept jumping off the page at me.

This year I am following a Bible-reading plan designed by 19th Century Scottish minister, Robert Murray M’Cheyne.  The M'Cheyne plan has me reading in four different sections of Scripture each day.  Currently I am reading in Genesis, Nehemiah, Matthew, and Acts.  In addition to Bible reading, I receive several devotionals in my e-mail box each day.  And there's a devotional book on my desk that I often read from.

In each of these readings today, I came across the same phrase.

Don't be afraid.

That's a good phrase to remember, isn't it?

In every circumstance of life.

When you are anxious.

When you are facing financial stress.

When there are health concerns.

When the economy is good.  And when it isn't.

When you see turmoil all around you.

When you listen to politicians and their blustering.

When you wonder what is happening to our country.

When you have concerns about presidential elections.

Or about paying your bills.

Or about the condition of your marriage.

When you're worried about your children.

Or your grandchildren.

In every situation of life.

Don't be afraid.

God is in control

And He is working all these things together for our good and for His glory.

Don't be afraid.


Jesus said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid." (Matthew 14:27 ESV)

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 (not too good) and how they sound (not too good) than how they look.  My right knee in particular is in very bad shape and a knee replacement is in my near future.  Right now it sounds a lot like a bowl of Rice Krispies.....snap, crackle, pop!  But enough about that.

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 our last 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 to follow!

 

Yesterday's post was about the when of prayer.  Today let's think not only about the when, but also about the what.  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?

 

Today I'm praying as I begin preparing to teach our Life Group lesson this Sunday.  In the weeks when it isn't my turn to teach, I pray for my co-teachers, Mike and Max, as they prepare, just as I hope they are doing for me.

 

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, as well as for those who were mentioned in our Life Group on Sunday who are in need of prayer.

 

I'm praying for guidance and directions for some writing projects that are in their early stages.  And I'm praying for wisdom and discipline to finish other projects that are begun but not yet finished.

 

I'm praying for my country.  For the elections this year.  That God would send us a Hezekiah.  (See last Friday's post for more about that.)

 

I have quite a long list.

 

What about you?   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)