I have shared that the weekday morning routine in my home includes devotions with the kids.
Because we get scattered in the afternoons, the morning hour is the only time I can be sure that we’ll all be home together.
We are currently reading our way through John MacArthur’s book From Ordinary to Extraordinary. It’s the cutest little book and packed full of wisdom!
This morning’s devotion was about the secret to spiritual success.
The kids and I read about Peter’s denial of Christ. Can you believe that this man, who vehemently denied that he was a disciple of Jesus (even cursing in the process), later went on to be the rock upon which the Church was built on!!!
Wow!
That this man, who failed so miserably at such a critical time, had an impact on the world that is still felt today…well, it’s just mind-boggling!
And the most amazing part of this story?
This man did not accomplish anything from his own efforts.
Nope.
He fell from grace with a mighty thud and landed on his rear (my words, not MacArthur’s).
In other words, he was brought to his knees…humbled in probably the most unglamorous way imaginable.
And that’s when God lifted him up and was able to use him for His glory.
See, the world constantly pushes out a message of self-sufficiency…giving 110%…doing things on your own. That is, after all, how you get ahead at work or school, right?
However, things work a little different when you’re trying to gain ground spiritually.
I have been guilty of thinking I’d “mastered” control over an area in my life…patted myself on the back…and been brought rudely back to earth by some sort of lapse.
When we rest on our own laurels, we fall. It’s inevitable.
However, when we humble ourselves before God and acknowledge our helplessness, He lifts us up.
I think that’s why so many people lose hope and give up. They think that because they’ve failed that they are unable to do what God demands of them.
But they are giving up at the most critical point.
We’re taught that weakness is failure, but in the Christian walk, weakness LEADS to success. It’s at that point where all of our haughtiness and pride is stripped away, and God clothes us with His righteousness.
What a beautiful picture of success this is…much finer than anything the world could bestow upon me.
There are some moments that we, as mothers, tuck away into the recesses of our hearts.
This morning, one such moment presented itself to me.
Rooster and I got up and went to church. Chicky, you might remember, is playing in a tournament at Disney World.
As we sat, waiting for the service to begin, I glanced at the bulletin, making note of the verses that would be preached on.
I leaned over and asked Rooster if he wanted to open his Bible so he could read along.
“Sure,” he said, “What are the verses?”
“Romans 12:2,” I said.
He then looked at me and said, “I don’t need to open my Bible. I know that verse.”
I raised my eyebrow, and he proceeded to recite it, word for word.
Romans 12:2 (New International Version)
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
My eyes grew wide. It’s not a short verse.
Rooster smiled and told me that it’s always been one of his favorites.
Here he is, a boy of 15, and he’s memorizing verses. Not unusual, I know, but it’s still not exactly the norm.
It was a moment that touched my heart.
Ever since my children were young, my number one goal as a parent has been to raise children who love and serve the Lord. Forget being respectful. Forget being obedient. Yes, these are important, but if they love and serve God, everything else will fall into place.
This is a moment I’ll treasure for a very long time.
As we sang the following song, my heart rejoiced in the knowledge that God is working in Rooster’s heart.
Sweetly Broken – Jeremy Riddle
To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing
For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just
Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered
What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified
You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled
Chorus:
In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness
I’ve often said how much I love the Living Waters ministry.
Ray Comfort goes out on the street and asks strangers very poignant questions about life, death, and eternity. It’s always interesting to see how people react.
The guys in this video do something that I’ve had done to me…try to distact Ray with questions.
As you watch, listen for the questions you’ve either asked or had asked of you.
Observe how Ray answers them. I love it! This, my friends, is the Gospel…plain and simple.
This past week, I finished reading In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon.
It’s a fairly old book but has a timeless theme.
If you’ve never read it before, I highly recommend that you do.
We all seen the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets. I think this phrase can be traced back to this book.
Simply put, the book is about a group of Christians who make a one-year pledge to ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” in every situation in their lives. The book traces how the community outside of the church is affected by this pledge, and how the movement spreads to another city.
The message of this book isn’t so simple though. Parishioners go beyond the surface and experience a change that cuts to the core. Most of them make changes in their lives that cost them dearly, and they often paid the price…financially and socially.
The message at church this morning was from 1 Peter 4:1-6:
Living for God
1Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
My pastor spoke about how Christians often experience persecution because of changes they make in their lives.
Don’t you just love when you’re hit on several different fronts with the same message. Whoever said that God doesn’t speak to us today sure doesn’t know my God (the ONLY God).
I see two common themes here – choice and suffering.
In both cases…the book and the sermon from this morning…people have to make choices. Who do we serve? How much of ourselves do we give? Do we just pay lip service, as some from the book did, or do we serve God past the point of being comfortable?
I am guilty of giving just so much and no more. If it’s out of my comfort zone, then I stop. The rare case was the weekend I served as table hostess during my church’s women’s retreat.
I wonder how different my life would be if I asked the question of “What would Jesus do?” before I embarked on something.
Truth be told, I think I’m scared of what I would be asked to do.
How much of my time would I be asked to give? Would I have to stop knitting socks for myself?
What about my money, which is being deposited in small increments right now? How much will I be asked to give if I truly ask the question.
It can be difficult to ask the question, act on what God speaks to your heart, and then answer to society about it.
Remember how I walked out of the movie a few weeks ago?
I know that people might have thought it was extreme. I mean, kids hear that kind of language at school all the time. Sex is everywhere…in magazines, on TV…
And yet, if I want to walk in Jesus’ steps, I will have to make these kinds of choices…daily. Any suffering I might endure is temporary, as my pastor pointed out today. He told us to imagine eternity as a line stretched to the farthest reaches of the universe. Then, image one small black dot along that line. That dot is one life…our’s. The suffering in our lives would be represented by a fraction of that dot.
It’s finite and one very itsy bitsy piece of the overall picture.
What a small price to pay for salvation that will last an eternity.
The message of this book will stay in my heart. I know I won’t act in accordance to what I know Jesus would do in every situation. I know that the best I will probably do is a minute fraction of what He would do.
But I know that every step that I follow will be one more in the right direction.
Two nights ago, I watched the movie, Saving Private Ryan. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
I’m sure that most of you have seen it before. It was made in 1998. Somehow, it never made its way to my DVD player, although I have heard references to it many times.
This was probably the first time in a long while that I’ve sat, riveted, to the television…no knitting in my hands. I did not want to miss a single scene.
For those of you who haven’t seen it, I’ll sum up its storyline.
Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is tasked with the job of searching for Private Ryan (Matt Damon), a paratrooper who has landed somewhere behind enemy lines. General George Marshall orders Private Ryan’s extraction after learning of the death of Ryan’s three brothers. His desire is to spare Ryan’s mother further heartbreak.
The movie is graphic. War is not a pretty thing though.
I sat, horrified, as I watched soldiers get slaughtered on Omaha Beach. When I heard a reference to Kasserine Pass, I was proud that I had paid attention during my military history class. I knew that this was the site of a battle in North Africa during an early phase of World War II.
As I watched the movie, I listened for a line that my pastor spoke about in a recent sermon.
You can hear Captain Miller utter the words in the following scene:
If you missed it, he says, “Earn this; earn it.”
Poignant words.
He was telling Private Ryan that he needed to live his life in a way that would be worthy of the lives sacrificed to save it.
I couldn’t help but think about Jesus, who sacrificed His life so that we — sinners — could live.
There are a couple of popular “theories” about going to heaven:
1) You have to earn your salvation by doing “good” things.
2) If you don’t do anything “bad,” then you’re a “good” person and will go to heaven.
According to the Bible, both trains of thought are misguided.
God’s Law demands a payment for sin. God will only accept the blood of an innocent one — hence the sacifice of an unblemished lamb in Old Testament times.
There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. It is a gift offered to all people.
Go through the 10 Commandments and ask yourself how many you’ve broken. The Bible says that hating someone is the same as murder (1 John 3:15). Lusting after another person is the same as committing adultery in your heart (Matthew 5:28). Stealing is…well…stealing, whether it be another’s words (plagiarism) or time on the job (i.e. goofing off). Taking the Lord’s name in vain is blasphemy (Exodus 20:7).
There is not one person on earth who can say they have kept all ten Commandments. Hence, every single person is “bad” according to these standards.
What if I had been standing in front of Jesus as he neared the time of his death. I wondered if He would have told me to, “Earn this.”
I remembered the story of the criminals who were crucified with Jesus.
39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”
43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
I am so thankful that Jesus didn’t look across at the criminal on the cross and said, “Earn this; earn it.”
That criminal couldn’t. He had been condemned to die. He was hanging on his own cross. His life was over.
He knew he was a sinner. He acknowledged it before God (remember that Jesus is God).
He knew he needed a Savior and recognized Christ’s authority over sin.
Powerful stuff and a powerful example to us.
We cannot earn our way to heaven. Just like the criminal, we are condemned to die.
This sounds harsh, but the message should not be sugar-coated. Yes, I know that’s the popular way to present the Gospel these days, but folks, it’s the truth.
The awareness of our sinful nature should drive us to our knees in humble submission to God.
One day we will be asked to pay the penalty for our sins. We may have served on the PTA, given food to the homeless, or taken in stray animals, but at the end of our lives, those things won’t matter. Just like my “good” works didn’t exempt me from paying my speeding ticket last summer, neither will they cover over my sins on Judgment Day.
Good works FOLLOW salvation. They do not precede it.
I’d venture to bet that had the criminal, by some miracle, been granted a stay of execution at the very last moment, he would have lived out his days in service to our Lord.
What did follow that man’s conversion was God’s grace. Surely it softened death’s sting. All he had to do was ask for it and take hold when forgiveness was offered.
Perhaps the most fitting words are, “Accept it.” In doing so, we bring glory to Jesus for the sacrifice He made for us.
I love how Ray Comfort uses Michael Jackson’s death as a springboard for sharing the gospel. It’s amazing how many lost people there are in this world. It simply makes my heart hurt.
I encourage you to watch the video all the way through. It is very poignant. People should not fear death. If you have a relationship with the Lord, you don’t have to.
She and a host of other teens from her youth group left for Kentucky this morning. They’ll be re-roofing houses and doing a lot of other manual labor to help some of Kentucky’s poorest families. It’s a trip that the youth have been taking for years.
This is Chicky’s first time going. Rooster went last year but can’t go this year because he has band camp.
Please pray for the group…for safe travels there and back and for protection from injury while there (i.e. nobody falling off of roofs or snake bites — one child got bitten from a vicious snake last year).
Please pray also that God will use this time to draw Chicky closer to Him. That is my single-most desire for the girl. When you walk closely with the Lord, everything else in life falls into place.
No, it doesn’t mean that life magically becomes a bed of roses. What it does mean is that you are in God’s will…you stand on a foundation that is more solid than any temporal thing the world has to offer. Through good times and bad, that foundation remains.
God has an interesting way of molding us sometimes, doesn’t He?
I’ve been reading my way through a series of teachings that deals with Biblical meekness. Nancy Leigh DeMoss, of Revive Our Hearts, started the series on June 18th, and I believe it ran through June 30th.
I HIGHLY recommend that you read or listen to, at minimum, the first day’s teachings. You’ll be hooked. I printed out the series to read at my leisure as I tend to be a visual learner.
Meekness is about surrendering yourself to God’s will. It’s not about being a doormat or being mousy. It’s also not about being pushy and demanding your way, as is common in these days. The feminist movement left an indelible imprint on most women’s lives, and it has not always been for the best.
The lessons I’ve read thus far have made my head spin and convicted me of many areas in my life that need changing.
I am not (nor are any of us) naturally meek. There are times when I’ve found it easier to hold my tongue and accept whatever is laid before me. Those instances are far and few between.
Using coupons at stores is not one of those times.
Boy, oh boy, do I struggle when I head to the register after shopping for deals. You see, I know a store’s policy (or so I think), and I’m just waiting for the battle that’s about to ensue as soon as I hand over my stack of coupons. Some people are embarrassed to use coupons. They don’t want to make waves.
I’ll guiltily admit that I think a small part of me loves the thrill of it.
Did that just sound bad?
Yeah, I guess it did.
It’s not that I go looking for a fight. I just expect it as stores don’t want to lose money, and I don’t want them to have mine.
Today was a classic example of the small battle that I fight against myself.
I went to Target armed with an arsenal of firepower (i.e. coupons). I browsed shelf prices looking for items that I could purchase for 60% off or more. And I found a few good ones. I had coupons that would allow me to get a nice razor for free, two sticks of deodorant for $.49 each, and five frozen dinners for $.79 each. I think I had 14 or 15 coupons for these few items.
When my total rang up, I knew it was wrong, but I wasn’t sure what the problem was, so I sat in the car and tried to figure things out. Armed with my receipt, I marched back in and headed to customer service. Sure enough, my cashier had not taken off $6 in coupons, nor did one of my razor coupons ($2) scan properly.
The cashier explained that Target doesn’t allow items to zero out (i.e. you can’t get things totally free), so I wouldn’t be able to use my second coupon on the razor. I will admit that I argued a teensy bit, but keeping in mind the lessons of meekness that I’d read (and the fact that I’d already saved $4 on the razor, making it $1.99), I stopped out of respect for the store’s rules.
She did refund $6 for the other coupons.
I headed home, still unsatisfied. I wanted my razor for free.
When I got home and studied my receipt again, I figured out that another $2 in deodorant coupons had not been taken off my bill. To be sure, I consulted with the Coupon Queen (i.e. my mother-in-law), and based on my explanation, she agreed.
I headed back to the store. Good thing it’s only a mile from the house, or I would have spent more than my coupon on gas.
I marched in, ready to do battle.
The clerk was patient. She tried to explain that yes, I had gotten my coupon discount, but the receipt was written in some sort of weird accounting language (i.e. regular math, which I don’t comprehend). She then re-rang everything on her register and allowed me to look at her screen, which looked totally different from my receipt.
Sure enough. The store had taken off those $2 in coupons.
I hung my head in shame. And embarrassment.
It’s not to say that I was rude to her, because I wasn’t. But I had doggedly insisted that the store owed me that money.
We both got a laugh. Thank goodness she was so nice about it.
As I walked out, I thought to myself that in today’s world, we don’t necessarily face Goliath’s…obvious enemies that loom large before our eyes.
No. Most often, our battles are fought on our own turf and in small ways.
Meekness is something I’m trying to learn. It’s difficult when you live with teenagers who will tell you the sky is green when, in fact, it’s blue. Meekness is accepting God’s will in even the smallest things and not fretting about them. Nothing happens with His allowing it. Hence, did I really need to fret over supposed “lost” coupon money?
No.
I think He was using it as a bigger lesson. It’s one I did not learn very well.
Thank goodness for sunrises that bring new days and fresh beginnings. I know that when I get up today, I’ll be given more opportunities to practice being meek. I can hardly wait (I think).
When I first sat down with the bulletin, I almost cringed when I read what was on it, “Living in Harmony.” We would be reading 1 Peter 3:8-12:
Why would I cringe, you wonder?
Well…I’m ashamed to say that Chicky and I got into a yelling match on the way to church. She was so angry that she sat as far over on her chair cushion as she could.
To sit down and read verses 8 and 9 tore at my heart…
8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
However, the pastor chose, instead, to focus on the middle of the verse…”be sympathetic.”
I took a few notes that I thought I would share.
He defined sympathy as the ability to see beyond yourself to others…to be able to feel the pain of others.
Seeing beyond ourselves is difficult and counter cultural in this “me” world we live in.
I was surprised to hear him say that it doesn’t come naturally. It is something we must learn and, in turn, teach our children. He likened it to taking your children with you when you shop and adding a few extra cans to your buggy to later give to a food pantry. By encouraging our young ones to send a card, flowers, or even balloons to a sick friend, we’re teaching them how to be sympathetic.
My pastor told the congregation about how touched he was when he learned that two girls in his first period high school class sent a single white rose to his father’s funeral. That flower was intended for my pastor, who wasn’t a Christian at the time. He later discovered that the girls were Christians, and he said it was one of many contributing factors that led to his conversion.
The pastor talked about how sympathy is a fundamental human need. I think that this was a point we can all identify with. Life is filled with hardship, and we all go through suffering.
It was my pastor’s third main point that brought tears to my eyes. He explained that Jesus is the full expression of God’s sympathy toward humans.
Time and time again, Jesus felt sympathy (and acted on it) during his ministry here on earth:
Matthew 14:14
When He went ashore and saw a great throng of people, He had compassion (pity and deep sympathy) for them and cured their sick.
Matthew 15:32
Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, I have pity and sympathy and am deeply moved for the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days and they have nothing [at all left] to eat; and I am not willing to send them away hungry, lest they faint or become exhausted on the way.
God’s sympathy eventually led to the ultimate act of compassion…death of His son…so we wouldn’t have to endure the forever suffering of hell.
I was blown away by the message. I was challenged as well. There are two main lessons here.
One: How to I imitate the actions of Jesus. No, I’m not going to climb on a cross. I’m not worthy. But I need to choose to be more sympathetic. Sometimes it’s easier when it’s something major, like someone losing a loved one. But what about the times when I hurt my children’s feelings and don’t seek to smooth things over? What about when the Mr. is sick, and I can’t take the grumpiness and do not respond kindly?
God, Himself, set the example that I am to follow…
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (Amplified Bible)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement),
4Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.
Two: How do I respond to God’s gift? I have a relationship with Him. I accepted His gift of salvation the day after my senior prom. However, I need to get on my knees more frequently than I do and confess my weaknesses and sins to him. I need to thank Him more often. And I also need to spread His Word as much as I can.
The question begs to be asked…
How will YOU respond? Friends…do you have a relationship with the Lord? Please, don’t ignore His gift. I wonder…how would you respond if your own children were facing a life of condemnation, and you offered yourself in their places. What if they rejected your offer?
Please know that throughout the week, I pray for my friends. I pray for your well-being, concerns I’ve heard you express, and most of all for your salvation.
We sang the following song this morning. I love it because the message speaks of being nothing without God. It is only because of His grace and ultimate sacrifice that I am who I am.
Bebo Norman – Nothing without You
Take these hands and lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise You near enough
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You
Take my voice and pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You
Chorus:
All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing without You
Take my body and build it up
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You
All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing
But I love You
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
With all the strength that I can find
Take my time here on this earth
And let it glorify all that You are worth
For I am nothing,
I am nothing without You
I am subscribed to the True Woman ’08 blog. If you’ve never visited, I encourage you to do so. It is dedicated to educating women about their proper, Biblical roles as wives, mothers, and daughters of the King.
Today’s post really hit home with me. If you’re into fiber arts, you’ll especially appreciate it. Even if you’re not, please go read it. You won’t be disappointed.
AuburnChick's Adventures 