Don't just talk...DO!

John 3:16  "God so loved"…amazing, wonderful

"That He gave!!" Christmas is all about that.  God gave. He didn’t just feel or even talk…He gave. James 1:22 – God commands us also to DO.    Flip over one chapter… James 2:17 –  He actually goes one step farther: If we don’t do anything, our faith is effectually DEAD.

Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 25:32. In separating the sheep from goats it was not by who had the most theology degrees or the strongest “belief” system…but by ACTIONS.

Over & over throughout Jesus’ ministry, the people listened to Him speak & were amazed but their belief in Him came after He performed some miracle that they could actually SEE. Examples: John 11:45 (Lazarus) & John 4:45 (the Galileans) & again John 4:54 (healing of the royal official’s son).

Biblical definition of faith - FAITH IS A PRODUCT OF ACTING ON THE WORD OF GOD. It's in acting on it that our faith is proven & the result of that acting grows our faith even more.

We can talk til we’re blue & breathless, but if our faith isn’t backed by our actions we’re wasting our time.

Why did the Pharisees get into such hot water with Jesus?  In fact, weren’t they the only ones in His entire ministry that He really called out?  Their religious beliefs (which Jesus also shared, by the way) were not the problem. They were "administering" OT laws that had been prescribed by God!  Their problem was that they didn’t back up those beliefs with Godly actions. They used their beliefs as a hammer to beat people over the heads, but didn’t follow them correctly themselves. Talk about legalistic. They enslaved the people with rules & regulations, but eliminated the love that those rules are supposed to motivate. In my childhood, we called those kind of people “Bible thumpers” and I’d venture to say that all of you know one or two. They are really good at quoting Scripture & telling YOU what you should be doing but they are all talk & no action. Their lives may or may not reflect those same beliefs that they spout. In fact, when you are witnessing isn’t the first thing you always hear something about how the church is full of hypocrites?  Well, guess what! It is. Is something wrong with our Christian beliefs? No! The problem is that we are forgetting the REASON for those God- given rules…it’s all supposed to be about Love & pointing people towards the  God who is love. And while none of us is perfect, we should all desperately try to avoid deliberate hypocrisy!

Love in Action. That’s what the Bible, what this season, what our Christian lives, are supposed to be about. Our Christian faith is not just verses & rules. 

One of my favorite verses is Matthew 5:16!!
Does it say, “Let your light shine so that you can show others how bad & rotten they are while making yourself look bright & spiritual?”

Does it say, “Let your light shine so that everyone can see how strong your faith is & come running to you to bless them with your incredible Bible knowledge?”

Not in my version – It says, “Let your light shine among men that they will see your GOOD WORKS & GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN!”

You see, my motivation should not be about me at all. It’s to glorify God. Do you want to know why the Mormon church is exploding in the world?  Why the Jehovah’s witnesses are so good at capturing the hearts of the hurting & the needy? It’s not their theology…it’s their good works. They care & they love through their actions. They put feet to their faith, as Pastor Evans was fond of saying. They do the practical things…things like Jesus did.

Remember in Matthew where Jesus fed 5000 (not including women & children) or another time recorded in Matthew 16 where He refers to feeding 4,000. Words followed by actions. Jesus taught, but He also acted. His miracles validated His message. That’s the key to today’s thoughts.  Throngs are leaving the organized church because it is seen as “irrelevant” to their daily lives. Spouting “Christianese” is ineffective to reach the world. There are so many Christians who are like the ones referred to in James – the ones who see someone in need and yet do nothing but SAY pleasant words.  This is tragic. Nothing should be more important for us, those of us who know the truth, than to SHOW the love of God through our lives and actions so that other WANT to know our God of love that they see witnessed in us.

1 John says they will know we are Christians by our love….(yes, it’s a song as well but the truth remains). We can say what we want but it’s our actions that matter.  Read 1 John 3:18. The Amplified version is awesome… "Let us not love merely in theory or in speech, but in deed & in truth, in practice and in sincerity!!" It doesn’t say not to talk about our faith. The Great Commission says Go & preach! (teach, talk, witness) as does Acts I:8 - it’s the reason for our empowering by the Holy Spirit. But our words need action.  Remember our definition of faith: It is the product of acting on the Word of God. We show our faith by doing! And our faith grows as we reach out and DO!

So practically, what does all this Talking mean? It means Do. (In some ways I’m preaching to the choir here…the girls that help with WM, the faithfulness of our ushers & worship team, the ones of you who are constantly giving rides home…etc.) but through this season especially, we need to give because God gave…not just $$, although if you have some to spare the ministry can always use it, but in reaching out in practical, needed ways to share the love of God. Blessed to be a blessing is the key.

Last women’s ministry I handed out scrolls called ACTS OF KINDNESS SCAVENGER HUNT.   It listed just a few ideas for showing random acts of kindness (a new catch phrase that I hope is more than a bumper sticker!) It’s a Biblical principle. Use the scroll as a springboard for ideas but I challenge you to do one other thing. Attach a church card or add  the church phone number with a little note of encouragement. Reach out with a purpose...the purpose being not just earning brownie points in heaven but of ministering God’s love for His glory & being a witness to those who yet need to find Him..

And don’t forget that the Bible also adds “especially to those who are in the household of faith.”  You might not be able to do great things, but you can do what God puts on your heart to do.   So ask Him! Give someone a ride to church or home from church, donate towards the children’s ministry gift fund, pick someone who is struggling & treat them to coffee or a meal.  There are so many things we can all do!

You get it. You are all creative & amazing. It doesn’t have to be a big thing obviously, but  to borrow a phrase from Niki… JUST DO IT.

DON’T JUST TALK…DO!!

Spelling "Thankful"

       I know...Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is in full swing. I've heard my first "Chia Pet" commercial and several stations are playing 24 hour Christmas music. The rush is on. Calendars are filling and "to do" lists are growing. Maybe more than at any other time in the year, however, we need to counter the "gimme/ I want" season with a reminder about thankfulness. What spurred my thoughts was a quote I was sent that said "Only in America do people trample each other for bargains on the day after they were supposedly thankful for all that they already have!" So I decided to share  "How do you spell 'Thankful?'" The letters in "thankful" were used as an acronym to teach a reminder lesson on fostering thankfulness.

T - Tally your blessings (you have so much to be thankful for...really...so remember)

H - Hold your tongue (once said, there's no rewinding either the words or their affect)

A - Ask for God's perspective (our own is so limited by time & experience)

N - Negate negativity (negatives cast a dark shadow on every situation & every relationship)

K - Keep your emotions in check (they're easily fired up but much harder to tame)

F - Foster family fellowship (chosen or biological, none of us are meant to go it alone)

U - Unleash your passions &  creativity (there's joy in serving others with your gifts)

L - Live in expectancy (God has a good life for you, full of amazing things....trust Him)

      These are simple reminders & yet in this busy & often frustrating time of year, we can lift our spirits by taking time to consider them. Gratitude is a spark that ignites both joy & peace. It reminds us of what is really important, helping us keep the reason for the season as our priority and that reason is simple ...God gave! Refocused, our lives will reflect a constant consciousness of all that God has done for us & the many blessings He has given us. His sacrifice & love will then cause us to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness that will permeate everything we do, spreading the true Christmas spirit in ways that nothing else can.

Blessings!

The People's King, part 2

      The story of Saul is a cautionary tale of how our perspectives can change as circumstances unfold through our lives. Saul's story is not uncommon, as far as emotions & their reactions. There are lessons to be learned though his story, & God reminds us in the New Testament to take Old Testament lessons to heart - that's why He recorded them for us (Rom. 15:4; 1 Co. 10:11). So here are a few I took from this story.
1- God's plans are always the best & designed for His reasons! When you start thinking your plan is better than God's, watch out. God told His people again & again to do things His way. Every time they strayed, it ended in disaster. Saul's "better idea" cost him the kingdom, the blessing of God, & eventually his life.
2-  We are all accountable for our own decisions & choices. Others can influence us, threaten us, or challenge us but in the end it is our choice to follow God's path or go our own way. Saul tried blaming the people but God, through Samuel, rejected his attempts to pass the blame.
3-  Sacrificing, even for spiritual reasons, is less important to God than obedience. No matter how we try to make up the difference or what we give up in order to appease God, the gap remains. No amount of sacrificing can usurp the blessing of obedience. Disobedience is as idol worship...we become our own god by taking control. (and you know how God feels about idol worship!) 
4-  God already knows. Rationalizing, justifying, blaming, whining, & pouting do not change the fact that we have fallen. God isn't swayed by our crocodile tears, our excuses, or our tantrums. He knows the innermost thoughts & motives of our hearts & sees through any attempts to sugar-coat truth. We think we're so clever, but I am sure God just shakes His head & wonders who we think we're trying to fool!  God knows...& don't forget it!
5- Pride really does come before a fall. Samuel reminded Saul that once he was small in his own eyes & he should have kept that perspective. God wants us to succeed & do great things for Him, through His power & in His way. Pride is deadly because it takes the focus off of God & shines the light on us instead. That kind of scrutiny is never a good thing. Flaws surface, cracks become visible, & eventually the disintegration of emotions with their reactions causes the complete collapse. None of us has anything God hasn't given us so it will never be in our own strength or ability. The creation has nothing that the Creator didn't design. Pride really has no place.
6-  You are never the sole "beneficiary" of your mistakes. Generations can be affected by choices & decisions you make. Others are watching, learning, reacting, & being influenced for good or bad by your choices so seek God, listen to what He says, & then do what He says. Like ripples in a pool, we never know how far the repercussions will go.
      Saul's story is a sad one, not only because of how it ended but because there were so many points along the way where he could have repented & turned back to God. We all make mistakes & fail in so many ways. Until life is ended, there are numerous opportunities to return to God. He waits for you to repent & desires nothing more, so don't waste another day in self-pity, regret, or fear. Give Him your failings & let Him redeem them into something good. It will give you a freedom you never knew was possible. Don't delay...just do it!!

The People's King, part 1

      I have been studying the life of Saul, the first king of Israel. His story is an example of what happens when we choose our ways over God's ways. The story of Saul is recorded in 1 Samuel.
      The Lord has been the ruler over Israel & has led them through many trials, but they want to be like surrounding kingdoms...they want a king. God knows that eventually they will cry out because of their choice but the people refuse to hear God's words (1 Samuel 8:18-22). So he gives them a king.
      At the beginning of his story, Saul was not power-hungry or even prideful. When we meet him, he is chasing after some lost donkeys. When Samuel the prophet of God begins to tell him that he will rule the people, Saul is full of arguments, much like Gideon was when the angel of the Lord greeted him with the words "Hail, mighty man of valor".  Saul argued with Samuel, "Am I not from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe of Israel? And is not my family the least of all the families of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? So why do you speak to me this way?"  Saul has no kingly aspirations but he is the chosen one. When the lots were cast & Saul was chosen, they had to go find him. He was hiding among some baggage. When he stood before them, he seemed a kingly choice: tall, good looking, from a good family. Unlikely though he thought he was, he became the people's king.
      At first, Saul appears to lead Israel well. God gives him battle favor and the people of Israel were happy. Our first glimpse of Saul's darker side comes when he tries to execute his own son, Jonathan, for breaking an oath that Saul should not have insisted upon (having soldiers in battle fasting) & that Jonathan did not hear, for he was already in the field.  Saul's insistence upon Jonathan's death is overruled by his own troops, and Jonathan's life is spared, but Saul's pride & arrogance has begun to rear its ugly head.
      Then came the time of fateful decision:  the battle with the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15. God's instructions were to totally wipe their kingdom from the earth as punishment for their treatment of Israel. (As the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, the Amalekites were cutting off & destroying any stragglers. They attacked them again after those initial times & forced them back to the Sinai wilderness - Exodus 17:8-16; Numbers 14:39-45) God's instructions were very clear. He wanted all remembrance of them eliminated. But when the battle was finished, Saul had saved both their king & the best of their livestock. Presumably the king would have been Saul's trophy & the animals would have added to his considerable wealth. Saul had chosen arrogance over obedience.
      This is where the turning point was made. When confronted by God, through Samuel, Saul could have repented & turned back to a life of righteousness but he did not.
      Initially, he acted as though he had obeyed. Greeting Samuel he boasted that he had performed as the Lord commanded (vs 13). When Samuel confronted him with the truth, he began blaming "they" & "the people."  He tried to put a religious spin on it by saying it was for spiritual sacrifices that the animals were spared. (vs 15-16) but Samuel immediately stopped his excuses by reiterating God's command. Saul tried to rationalize again & argued that he did obey God by destroying the Amalekites, only saving the king, but it was "the people" who took the best things to be sacrificed to the Lord. (vs. 20-21). This time there was no argument that would hold.  When Samuel said, "Does the Lord delight in sacrifices more than obeying His voice? To obey is better than to sacrifice..." Saul tried one more argument - "I disobeyed because I feared the people," but he knew it was futile & began seeking absolution. The blame game was finished & the buck stopped at Saul's feet. God would not rescind his judgment. The kingdom would be taken from Saul's family and given to another, one who was a man after God's own heart. Although he remained Israel's king throughout his life, the Lord's favor was removed from him. Saul spent his years in mental torment, bouts of extreme jealousy, & the devastation of betrayal. His life ended when he committed suicide after being wounded in battle-  a sad end for Israel's first king.
     That's the story. In part 2 of this blog, I will share the lessons that God spoke to my heart as I studied.  I hope they will impact your life as they have mine.  Blessings...

God is Still in the Miracle Business!

       The Bible tells us that God did amazing miracles in the Old Testament. He did them Himself at times & through His prophets or chosen leaders at other times.  Why? He wanted to show His people the awesome different traits of His character. He showed them His mercy, His provision, His healing power, His protection, His ability to fight their battles for them & His overwhelming love for them in spite of their unbelief and frequent failings. His character was easily seen through those things that He did.

     The New Testament Gospels record how Jesus performed amazing miracles. Why? He wanted to point the people away from the ritualistic religion that had taken His people into the bondage of law and return their hearts to loving God. He did miracles of healing, deliverance, & power over both nature & quantity. He raised the dead, healed incurable diseases, & showed the importance of obeying God rather than man. He didn't abolish the Law, but showed how its use was for the purpose of love rather than domination.

      The epistles of the New Testament show us that the apostles did amazing miracles. Why? They were showing God's power, through Christ's work on the cross, in order to validate the ministry & message. They wanted the people to see that Christ's body, His church, could continue on through the power of the Holy Spirit. The church would be established in spite of the fact that opposition rose against it both from established religion & secular governments. Their miracles were important in that they showed God's continuing presence on the earth, even after Jesus returned to His Father.

     According to Romans 15:4, the purpose of all this recorded information is so that we who have come after will be encouraged & have hope. It was not to tease us with something that we could never see or to make us envious of power that we could never have. It was to call us to a deeper intimacy with God & to propel us into an experiential knowledge of what we have in Christ and what we can do through Him.

     So has God changed His mind? Has He decided that our generation should wallow around powerless & ineffective?  Is there anything God can no longer do? Or is it merely the fact that we don't appropriate the power given us because of our unbelief?

     God is still in the business of performing miracles. Ephesians 1:19 says He wants to do amazing things through us & for us through His unlimited, immeasurable & surpassing great power. He didn't cease doing miracles when the Bible was completed. He didn't stop using His saints when the last of the apostles died. He is still in the miracle business. I'm not talking "name it-claim it" theology that uses God like a cosmic vending machine or a genie. I am talking about the power that God wants to exhibit through & for true believers whose faith allows them to see beyond the things seen to the things unseen. I am talking about divine deliverance, supernatural healing, & works of awesomeness that bring glory, not to any man but to the Father.
    
     Knowing all this, how should our lives be? They should be full of peace, joy, & confidence that is not based on circumstances or situations always being favorable, but based on the knowledge that God is in control, that He always knows what is best, & that when we relinquish control to Him we can then rest, expecting Him to act.  He still does miracles. He still wants to do them. What do you need today? Ephesians 3:20 says He can always do more than we can ask or think. Ask, wait, believe & watch! He hasn't changed. He's still in the miracle business!!

Life Lessons, part 2

Last time I wrote about 3 life lessons that I was reminded of during the long season of illness that Dan's mom endured. They were 1- Don't ignore the smallest details; 2- Training a child is not something to be taken lightly; 3- Things that seem innocent can be deadly!

There are many other lessons that God brought to my attention through that period. I hope these next few will also be meaningful to you.
Lesson 4 - Little things mean a lot! Small gestures that  take very little time to do really mean so much to a person in a hard place. A card, a few flowers, a handwritten note of encouragement, or even a phone call can turn put a spark of happiness into a dreary day. In this age of texting, social media, & emails the thought that someone cared enough to take a few minutes to do something personal & individualized is such a boost. Emails & messages are nice but hearing a comforting voice or receiving even the smallest token of friendship or love really sends a hug straight to the heart. I am determined, after our recent experience, to try to do so much better at this. It takes more effort, but it's worth everything to the receiver!!
Lesson 5 - Give grace in abundance for some day you may walk in their shoes. It's so easy to criticize. When someone is hurting, they really aren't themselves & neither are the ones who love them. It is emotionally draining to care for or even sit with someone who is seriously ill or in pain. All of us have our breaking points & we need to put ourselves in others' shoes before we take their outbursts or barbs personally. Grace, grace, grace...if you can't spare any, ask God to give you some of His for it is abundant. You will never really "get it" unless you go through it, so be careful about judging words or actions from the sidelines.
Lesson 6 - Remember, the Thumper rule still applies. "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  Spouting Christian-ese or worn out clichés are NOT better than nothing. Sometimes it's better to just sit with someone & listen, hold a hand, or give a hug than to try to deny the pain, minimize the situation, or be Pollyanna! Encouragement, as I said, is nice, but platitudes are not.  Before you say it, ask yourself if you would want to hear it if you were the other person. (I remember a deaconess coming to the hospital room of someone who had just lost a baby & telling her that she should stop her "moping" because God knows what is best and her grief was a lack of faith in His plan! While God's plan IS always best, her timing was ill-advised & her "theology" didn't do anything to comfort or encourage!) We will all be judged by EVERY word that we speak, so we'd be better off to speak less & listen more!
Lesson 7 - Gratitude goes a long way! Hospice workers, nurses, caregivers, & others in that field are often criticized for their lack of compassion, & there may be some who have lost their sensitivity to the anguish of a patient or family in pain, but ours & most others who work in that area of service are amazing. They do their jobs efficiently, quietly, & respectfully - even the worst jobs you could imagine. They never raise a voice or react in anger, even when there is little or no cooperation. They relay information, without being overly dramatic about things, & are calming influences even in the worst of situations. Truly they have seen it all before, but they don't act condescending or make loved ones feel bad about their reactions. Ours acted as though we were their first concern & our loved ones their first patients. In fact, as we mirrored their kindness, our loved ones got even more attention. They were gentle & sensitive to all of us. After our season was finished, I showed my thanks for their efforts by sending a card and a large tray of brownies. It was greatly appreciated...& sadly one of the first positive acknowledgements they had ever received. (Of course there are always an abundance of complainers!) Before we write caring service off as part of the job, we would do well to consider how hard that job is and show a little appreciation - in whatever way we feel is appropriate!

If you find yourself in the shoes I just walked in, try to recall these few life lessons. They are not the only ones, but they are important ones. You may be the calming, loving influence in your situation that everyone around you can depend on & count on when the situation seems overwhelming. It isn't an easy time, but you will get through it with more strength & grace if you let God's light shine through you & you remember these simple principles.

God bless you!!

Life Lessons, part 1

      Watching someone change from feisty & vital to lethargic & numb is never an easy process. All the time I was enduring the process, I kept asking God what He was trying to teach us. While He never decided to answer with audible words or even words of wisdom & discernment, I did make some important connections that looking back I can appreciate.
      Lesson 1 - Don't ignore the smallest details.  Major illness can start with the tiniest symptoms. While that should not make us turn into raging hypochondriacs, we should always be aware of changes that occur. Most of the time they don't mean much but awareness catches even the rarest of symptoms. Just like in the spiritual sense...when we become aware of tiny changes in our desire to go to church or our need for Christian fellowship, we had better do a self-check on our spiritual health. Small changes in attitude can fester into raging diseases of apathy & disinterest. A lifetime habit can easily be broken, especially when our enemy gets involved through small incidences of hurt feelings, self-pity, or bitterness. Don't allow anything like that to remain. Take care of it with forgiveness, spiritual infusions of worship & prayer, & increased fellowship.
      Lesson 2 - Training up a child is not something to be taken lightly. As parents, we have all been challenged with the Word to make sure our children have solid spiritual foundations. The importance of that was made vivid to me during the final days of my mother-in-law's life. She could no longer react, speak more than a few words, or even seem to focus. One late evening, as I was playing worship music to calm her spirit, I went over to turn down the volume & when I turned back to her, she was mouthing the words to "How Great Thou Art". She had definitely not been in church since her childhood & I'm sure had not heard that song in over 70 years, but its comfort & peace were still there in her mind when she needed it most.  As parents, & grandparents, we have the privilege of teaching our children God's amazing attributes & ways. We can't depend only on Sunday School or Christian friends. We need to be intentional about playing Christian music at home or in the car, reading Scripture & sharing Bible stories as families, & praying together. Even if our children seem indifferent, the Word gets in their spirits & stays. Don't let another day go by without Jesus in your world & daily life.
      Lesson 3 - Things that seem innocent can be deadly.  Mom had a long-time struggle with Diabetes that eventually took her life. When talking about it with others, I was amazed at how many people were unaware that it can be that serious. Most people just think it's a matter of reducing sugar or perhaps, in major cases, taking insulin injections. Unfortunately, there are tremendously more serious consequences in ignoring or minimizing the disease. Loss of limbs & gangrene poisoning are not things we like to consider, but they are very real possibilities when the disease goes unchecked. Sin & worldliness are much the same. We ignore the changing values & worldly standards of behavior blasted to us through our computers and televisions. We rationalize & justify our attitudes toward these changes as "being tolerant" or enlightened. We accept societal norms rather than standing strong on Biblical principles. We need to re-examine our reactions to sin. Do swear words still cause you to cringe or have you become immune to their impact? Does the sight of gore & extreme violence turn your stomach or are you fascinated by it? When viewing or hearing about crimes perpetrated against the innocent are you outraged or indifferent? Do your Biblical values & spiritual foundations affect what you listen to or watch? I am not being judgmental with this. These are questions every Christian should be asking of themselves & taking the answers seriously. If a stranger lived in my house for a few days, would he know that I was a Christian by my choices of television programming, music, leisure activity, & lifestyle? Since we are to represent God in our world, perhaps it's time to take a little self-assessment. Innocent though it may seem at first, ignoring worldliness which is infiltrating our lives can be deadly to us & to the world that we are supposed to be influencing. And, by the way, God holds us responsible for not showing the sinner his error. If you don't think so, read chapter 3 or 33 of Ezekiel. Ouch!
      There are other lessons that God reminded me of through these last months, which I will write about at a future time. For this blog, I have had enough of a challenge...& hopefully you have too!  Blessings...