KICKING RANGE

Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Caleb and Nathan were scuffling and as is usual with boys, the scuffling escalated into a kicking match.

Grandma: “Nathan why did you kick Caleb?”

Nathan:  “Because he kicked me.”

Grandma:  “What does the Bible say about how we should treat each other?”

Caleb:  “The way we want to be treated.”

Nathan goes to Caleb and says:  “Go ahead and kick me, Caleb.”

(If you didn’t quite get what Nathan was saying, think about it for a little bit.)

How many times has God rebuked us for entering into a scuffling match with our brothers and sisters; then reminded us to treat each other as we would like to be treated.  But in our stubbornness and desire for revenge, we invite continued abuse.  In our hearts we are saying, "GO AHEAD; kick me!"  The "wheels of revenge" are already turning in our mind and a master plan is forming.  "You just wait!  GO AHEAD; KICK ME!"

STOP!!!  You CANNOT justify your own bad behavior and treatment of others by offering up yourself to be a victim.  Set an example to those who “use and abuse” you with LOVE AND FORGIVENESS…and stay out of kicking range.

PENTECOST COMES TO THOSE WHO WAIT

Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (NKJV)

FEAST OF PENTECOST/PENTECOST SUNDAY…50 days after Passover/Easter; celebrated across the world today in Christian churches.  If you belong to a Pentecostal Church or have experienced the infilling of the Holy Ghost, as the disciples did on the Day of Pentecost, excitement wells up inside you as you prepare to gather with other believers.  Could it happen again?  Will we experience a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit today?  Perhaps at least 1 or 2 will receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, this morning….maybe the preacher will preach a sermon using the text, “And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come…” hopefully the speaker will at least mention that it is Pentecost Sunday.

This afternoon, there are various reports of a “powerful” move of God, baptisms, and infillings of the Holy Ghost. It is so wonderful and encouraging to read, but I dare say no one actually experienced a “DAY OF PENTECOST.”  WHY?????  Is there a secret formula?  Maybe a dynamic, dramatic speaker could hype up everyone?  If we sing very loudly, “Holy Spirit, you are welcome here,” with our hands raised, perhaps the fire of God would fall…The prophets of Baal tried that in 1Kings; it didn’t work.  What if we installed a talented worship leader, new lighting, or instituted exciting programs?  NO, no and no!!!  SO WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

We need to look no further than Luke 24:49 to find the key to experiencing a “DAY OF PENTECOST” in every one of our congregations.  Jesus tells His Disciples, “I’m going to send you the Promise of the Father; my Spirit to dwell within you but you need to go back to Jerusalem and WAIT.”   WAIT?????...WHAT???? 

Can’t God move and breathe a fresh wind of the Holy Ghost over our congregation in the time we’ve allotted?  We give him a whole hour and sometimes even add an extra half hour every Sunday.  Surely God doesn’t need more time than that to pour out His Spirit…after all it’s not like it is the first time He has ever done this.  Besides, I have dinner in the oven, the restaurants will be full, there is an afternoon ballgame to watch, I need my Sunday afternoon nap…Lord, I need you to move NOW and HURRY UP!  Please.

Yes, I think we’ve identified the problem, we don’t like to WAIT!!!  And you’re right, God doesn’t need time to get His “act together;” WE DO!  The WAITING is for us; not for God.  It is to bring our minds into ONE ACCORD in ONE PLACE!!!  We may be gathered together in one room but our minds are NOT in one place.  Oh no, they are on Sunday dinner, afternoon activities and tomorrow’s responsibilities…we couldn’t hear the “Rushing Mighty Wind” even if it entered with the roar of a hurricane.

ACTS 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord, in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.(NKJV)

Hearing and receiving from God requires so much more than a weekly gathering on Sunday Morning; so much more than our beautiful buildings, professional musicians, state of the art sound systems, talented program directors and eloquent preachers.  If we really want to experience a DAY OF PENTECOST in our midst, we are going to have to be willing to WAIT.  Wait for an hour, 2 hours, a day or maybe even 10 days.  WAIT until we hear the SOUND of the Wind of God; WAIT until we receive the PROMISE OF THE FATHER; WAIT until we are ENDUED WITH POWER from on High.  We are going to have to learn to WAIT!

UNDERSTANDING, BEAUTY AND ETERNITY

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Life hasn’t turned out the way you had pictured; the fairy tale has been shattered, your body is broken or perhaps you are walking through a fog of overwhelming grief.  Whatever your situation, it isn’t fair, it isn’t beautiful and “if this is God’s plan for my life” it wasn’t thought out very well.

Every one of us views the world through the prism of our current situation.  If life is good and “all is right with the world,” our rose-colored glasses are just another accessory as we stroll merrily along the path.  And then, without, warning, the rose-colored glasses get “stepped on” and we grab the dark “shades,” not because the sun is shining brightly but to hide the dark circles under eyes swollen with tears.  Where is the beauty?  Does God even notice; does He Care?  Where IS God in my situation?  I will never understand WHY!!!

UNDERSTANDING!!!  Our wisdom has met its limits and “no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”  We look at a puzzle piece and fret because we cannot visualize the finished puzzle.  We have been around the entire puzzle, turning the piece in every imaginable way but it just doesn’t fit the picture.  Tightly clutching the seemingly, errant puzzle piece will never bring the solution.  Open your hand, let go of the confusing piece; God has been working on your puzzle from the beginning.  Perhaps this is the piece He needs to complete the work He has started in you.

BEAUTY, when does that happen?  Life gets messy and sometimes downright nasty; we search but we see no beauty in the storm clouds that have gathered.  How can this be the WILL OF GOD?  IT ISN’T!!!  I know that there are many Preachers and Fellow Believers that will tell you, “ACCEPT IT!  THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE!!!  “BALONEY”  This is NOT what God intended for you from the beginning, but He WILL USE IT for your good, if you stop trying to figure it all out and place it in His hands.  Though the back of your tapestry may look like a “knotted mess,” God sees the front…a beautiful masterpiece, fashioned by His hands.

“This world is not my home, I’m just passing through.”

When WHY is illusive, ask God to give you a glimpse of ETERNITY…the eternity He has put in your heart. Embrace the truth, life in this world is just temporary; it is just “staging;” preparation for all God has planned for our eternal joy.  Not one of us is going to get out of this world alive, but death is merely the GATEWAY TO ETERNITY.  Though we may never understand, we can conquer the flood of fear, secure in the knowledge of His great love and the faithfulness of His sacrifice on the cross.

 So we give in and we give up…Go ahead GIVE UP; place the situation and your trust in the only one who can work all the twists and turns of life into a beautiful ending; IN ITS TIME.

NEVER BE ASHAMED

Psalms 119:116 Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

“America, America, God shed His Grace on thee.”   Is there anyone left who would write that song today?  And if someone actually penned the words, would it be accepted in the halls of our schools and government?  Or would they be labeled a right wing kook or religious fanatic?  We may as well face the truth; we live in a country, founded on Godly principles, where it is no longer “cool” to be identified as a Christian.

It is ok to be identified with a religion or even have a baptismal certificate from childhood, as long as tolerance has become your central TENET OF FAITH.  If you believe in ABSOLUTES or Heaven forbid, SIN, you will be ridiculed on SNL, in our colleges, from the Supreme Court and even prominent religious leaders.  So…we who hold fast to our Faith and the Word of Truth are relegated to our ever decreasing world, where we can still worship in freedom, whisper encouragements and risk loss when we dare to stand on principle.

You may feel that you are another Elijah in I Kings 19 and just want to hide in a cave until death or Jesus comes; which ever happens first.  But listen; the “still small voice” continues to whisper, “What are you doing here, Elijah, John, Mary, Susan?”

I Kings 19:18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.

Though our voices may have been silenced in the Public Square our faith and resolve have not waned; God has thousands who have not bowed to Baal and kissed him.  There is no reason to be ashamed, WE HAVE A HOPE!  Make the decision today, be determined, take a stand; God will uphold you according to His Word…which by the way is forever settled.  Grab hold of the WORD OF GOD…love it, live it, hold it close; it will sustain you and you will NEVER BE ASHAMED!

BE STRONG AND STAND; GOD IS ON OUR SIDE; ARE YOU ON HIS?  HE IS OUR HOPE!

LESSONS FROM MY MOM

Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her.

Things my Mom taught me by living life….

LIVE WITH JOY IN THE ROLE GOD HAS PLANNED FOR YOU.

My Mom’s greatest joy is being a wife and Mom and now a Mamaw and Mamaw-Great; just ask her.  No wait…if you are around her about 2 minutes you will hear about her 6 kids, I mean 12 because she has no daughter-in-law or sons-in-law, 16 grandkids; 22 because she includes their spouses, 13, soon to be, 14 great-grandkids and of course her Beloved Deloy; our Dad.

She has never felt left out because she didn’t have a CAREER; she had a MINISTRY.  Mom and Mrs. were the only titles she required and she has defined and perfected both of them.

HONOR GOD BY HONORING YOUR SPOUSE.

We knew that Dad was “King of the Roost.”  When we sat down to a meal, Dad would pray and we sat as quietly as 6 kids can until Dad was served first…that’s right…can you believe that the kids were “so disrespected” and unaffirmed?  Mom believed in God’s order of the family and taught us kids to Honor God by Honoring Your Spouse.

Although I’m sure my Mom disagreed with my Dad at times, actually I can remember a few arguments, she always showed him honor and esteemed him in our eyes.  She never went against him, behind his back and if he told us NO, she either stood with him or quietly persuaded him to change his mind, so that he retained his dignity and position.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

My Mom believes in the POWER OF PRAYER and she takes the scripture, “to pray without ceasing,” literally.  Every morning and evening she takes every name of her 63 kids, grandkids and great-grandkids to God in prayer, plus neighbors, friends, her pastor and special needs.

My siblings laugh with me, as we remember being separated from Mom in a store.  There was no fear, we merely listened quietly and looked up.  Soon we would see her big hair and hear her quiet whispers of “Jesus, Jesus,” as she looked through the racks. Her prayers have allowed we, the subjects to find our way many times.

BE THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING

Mom lives a lifestyle of thankfulness.  Every breath she takes, every task she performs, her possessions and even her family, to her, are a witness of God’s goodness, and…she is careful to express her heartfelt thanks for them every day.

Mom and Dad and 3 little kids had moved into a new house, for which she was so thankful but she didn’t have a washer and dryer.  Dad bought a washing machine on time and mom would either hang the clothes out to dry or in winter, Dad would take the wet clothes to the local Laundromat and dry them.  Finally, Dad was able to purchase a dryer; Mom was so thankful.  I remember walking downstairs and finding her on her knees, by the washer and dryer, thanking God.  A lesson that so impressed me to LIVE A LIFESTYLE OF THANKFULNESS in my life also.

BE A GIVER; EXPECTING NOTHING IN RETURN.

Mom’s “Love Language” is GIVING.  She gives her time, her resources and her talents to everyone she meets whether they are in need or just because.  She is always shocked when someone does something nice in return.  As she told me yesterday, “I feel so unworthy of all the nice things you kids buy for me.”  It comes as natural as breathing to her; MOM IS A GIVER.

As kids, we had the whole neighborhood in our yard and Mom would pass out popsicles, Kool-Aid or whatever snack we were having, to everyone.  There were pies and cookies for neighbors, boxes of fudge for the doctor and druggist and special little surprises for whomever happened to have a birthday; somehow she knew and remembered everyone’s special day.

Today, at almost 80, Mom takes a homemade lunch to the people at the Funeral Home at least a couple times every month; I think she has an ulterior motive to that one.   I found out a couple of years ago, she made chicken soup for the owner of the local grocery store because they were so sick.  WHO DOES THAT?  Even the florist loves her because of the special “treats” they have received.  Through her I have learned this lesson…A LIFE OF BLESSING COMES THROUGH GIVING.

LOVE GOD BY LOVING PEOPLE AND A HUG ALWAYS WORKS.

My Mom LOVES GOD above all and because of that love, she LOVES people.  Mom tries to see the best in someone in spite of their display of the worst.  It was so aggravating as kids to hear her to find a reason to excuse someone, when we wanted her to “trash” them right along with us.  She never put up with our bad behavior with an excuse, however, but we always received a HUG after correction was applied.

Mom taught me to HUG.  Mom would hug the dirty little babies that were left at the church nursery on Sunday Morning, then give them a bath and put on clean pajamas that she had purchased at a rummage sale.  Mom will hug the new believer that she has just prayed with, as they get up from the altar, reborn.  Mom will hug the lonely Pastor’s wife, the distraught neighbor, or the acquaintance at the grocery store, who has suddenly become her “best” friends. Sometimes, WORDS won’t fix things but a HUG will help and God’s love will shine through.

So many of Life’s Greatest Lessons have been exampled by and learned from My Mom.  But the greatest lesson of all is LOVE GOD, BE FAITHFUL AND ENDURE TO THE END. 

Thanks Mom, I love you and Happy Mother’s Day.

YOU COUNT THE COST

Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.

More lessons learned along the Journey to Health.  I hope you are not tired of my health updates and I hope you keep reading because I value my readers and their comments.  I write these to encourage me and others, keep me traveling ahead and so I don’t forget the many Spiritual Insights learned along the way…at 58, forgetting is an ever increasing possibility.

One of many Facebooker’s favorite things to post is a picture of food, either at a restaurant or accompanying a recipe.  Usually they are deliciously unhealthy and tempting.  I’m ok with that; believe me, I’m not such a health fanatic that I don’t love an occasional deliciously unhealthy treat or at least dream about fixing one, when my kids come.    As I have posted updates on my progress along the journey, one of the comments I read and other posts relate a problem, real or perceived by so many… “I wish I could eat healthier food, but it costs so much more.”  Of course, later, I read about a package of Oreos with a ½ gallon of milk, or a quart of ice cream or a bag of the latest flavored chips complete with a few Cokes.  So I decided to check…Does it really cost more to eat healthy food? 

As I entered the grocery store, I was faced with a whole world of choices.  I could buy anything, I desired, as long as my bank account had money and most of the choices were not healthy.  Have you ever noticed that the fresh produce is at the entrance of the store, right where you are grabbing a cart and getting out your list?  You have good intentions, check your list and put the few healthy items in your cart and quickly move on.  In my grocery story, the very next aisle is “Salty Snacks.”  Bags of chips, pretzels, nuts, popcorn; all the salty, fat-filled, deliciousness in their brightly colored packages call out, “buy me.”  MOVE ON!  

The next time you see really healthy items, you will be at the back of the store, with aisle after aisle of decadent possibilities.  As you progress, the end caps of each aisle hold more inviting choices, none of them healthy and often resulting in “impulse buys.”  The items were not on your list but, so irresistible that they ended up in your cart, then in your pantry and finally on your hips.  YOU COUNT THE COST!

Now to the real issue, “Will it cost me more to eat healthy food?”  My purchases:

4pack of Muscle Milk Protein Drink - $5.29; breakfast for 4 days….8 donuts -$6; breakfast for 4 days. 

Bag of organic spinach or washed romaine -$2.50, cucumber-$.65, green pepper -$1.25, Roma tomato-.88/lb; salad for 4 days – 5.28…Bag of Chips $3.59 – how many could you eat in 4 days. 

Bananas -.52/lb; equals approx. 3 snacks…Candy bar-$.75 each; $2.25 for 3 snacks. 

1 gallon milk - $1.79; 8-16 oz servings…6 pack of 16 oz. diet Coke-2.99; 6 servings.

 

Canned tuna -$.69/can; 2 servings per can; 4 cans-$2.76…1 pkg of hot dogs - $3.89; 8 servings but who eats 1 hot dog?

Strawberries – 4 pints/$5…1pkg of cookies - $3.29; how many strawberries vs. cookies would you eat?  

Boneless, skinless salmon fillets – 4 servings - $4.99…1 pound of hamburger -4 servings 3.89.

 Prilosec, which I no longer have to take 2/day; $9.98/14 pills.  Add to that BP meds, diabetic meds, asthma meds or whatever health problems occur, eating healthy costs but, IT WILL NOT COST YOU MORE!!!

Now to the SPIRITUAL application.  I would live for God but IT COSTS TOO MUCH!!!  I CAN’T do…and I COULD NEVER give up… or whatever excuse is offered.  OR, perhaps you “entered the race” with the best of intentions.  You got up from the “Altar of Repentance,” filled with the Spirit, determined to follow God.  You made it through the first aisle, sticking right to “the list.”  BUT, the further you walked down the “aisles of life,” the colorful “end cap” displays enticed you with their bright packages and delicious promises. NOW, you find you’re your “life cart” is full of “spiritually unhealthy” choices. Making the decision to follow God WILL cost you, BUT it WILL NOT cost as much as sin.  Put it to the test…YOU COUNT THE COST!

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

FOLLOWING God – giving up your will to your Creator who loves you and will lead you into “spiritually healthy” situations with fulfilling consequences…Following your own will, which will lead you into “unhealthy” desires with destructive consequences.

TRUSTING God to be your Savior, provider, healer, guide, counselor and everything else you need and allow Him to be….Trusting in your own knowledge and wisdom, then when you come to the limits of your own intellect, and you will, having no else on which you can rely.

Staying FAITHFUL to the end and stepping into eternity, holding the hand of the One who is always faithful…Completing your “bucket list” and stepping into eternity, alone, afraid and uncertain.

YOU COUNT THE COST!

FOLLOWING GOD will cost you; your will, your desires and sometimes your comfort and ease BUT…SIN WILL COST YOU MORE!!!  Is it worth it?

YOU COUNT THE COST!

GOD WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Life has a way of overwhelming us.  We are walking merrily down a smooth path and suddenly we approach a boulder, a curve, a sharp incline or step in a deep hole. By the time we get up from our “stumble,” our teammates are so far ahead that we know we will never catch up, so we give up. Or we limp along immersed in our little solo “Pity Party.”  YEP, we couldn’t even get anyone to accept that invite.

The crowd is always cheering for the other guy.  Everyone else seems to “win the prize,” and we are left with a “participation ribbon” or sometimes just empty hands and a red face.  And we wonder…Are we standing in the “ring” all alone? Is there anyone in “our corner?”  YES!!! God is FOR YOU, but you cannot see Him or hear His, “you go girl,” until you get your eyes off your failure and fix them on the One who wants you to succeed!

God wants you to succeed!!! Many Holy Ghost filled people live their lives in fear that God is just waiting to pull the rug out from under them or slap them upside the head at the slightest provocation.  Lip service is given to God’s amazing grace and His infinite mercy but we seem to think those attributes only apply to salvation and do not include our continuing faith journey.  Is it because we don’t really know God or don’t believe God?  2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” If we believe this verse, perhaps we just have a hard time substituting “I” for “any” and “all”. 

I am the oldest child in a family of six children.  My dad was a hard worker and provided all the necessities of life and as many extras as possible for his family.  I enjoyed a wonderful childhood and never felt poor or underprivileged.  I always felt loved and had built-in playmates; something was always happening at our house.  Many of my friends, however, enjoyed some of the luxuries that I was well aware were not available to “people like us.”  My best friend in high school would spend weekends at her cottage in Baraboo, WI and she had a beautiful brick fireplace in her living room.  We lived in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath ranch, 4 bedrooms, counting the one dad fixed up in the basement.  If I ever attained “COTTAGE” or “FIREPLACE” status, I thought, I would have made it because “people like us” lived in 1200 sq. ft. ranch homes with 1 bathroom and gravel driveways.  Many times, I have needed God to reassure me that, because of His grace, I AM “one of those people.” God wants ME to succeed!

The book of Exodus relates the saga of the deliverance of the Children of Israel by the hand of God.  The Israelites had come to Egypt during the days of Joseph to escape a great famine.  They had lived in the land of Goshen for 430 years and were now enslaved to the Egyptians.  Their tasks became more and more burdensome until they began to cry unto the Lord for deliverance.  God raised up Moses to lead them to freedom and deal with Pharaoh. It was God’s desire to deliver his people then just as it is today.  This verse in Exodus illustrates how far God will go to deliver and protect us even when our hearts aren’t exactly true. 

Exodus 13:17 “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.”

 God wanted freedom for His people so badly that he led them in a way that would not tempt them to return to a foreign land and live as slaves.  God wanted them to succeed!

You are one of God’s people and He will go to any length necessary for you to be successful in your journey with Him.  When He filled you with the Holy Spirit, He endowed you with the necessary power to walk into liberty.  If you will follow the path God has laid for you, He will lead you out of the reach of the pull of Egypt and into freedom.  You can live a wonderful, fulfilled life today and be assured of eternal life tomorrow.  God wants YOU to succeed!