Blessings that are waiting

Psalm 86:5 (NKJV)

5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

It is comforting to know the goodness of God’s nature. For God is long suffering and is ready to forgive those who seek redemption. God is also abundant in His mercy to those who call upon Him.

Steve DeNeff and David Drury write in Soul Shift by Wesleyan Publishing House, 2011, p. 55:  One time, my dad wanted to congratulate me on something I had accomplished in the sixth grade. He took me to K-Mart and made a wide sweeping gesture with his hand toward the whole store from the entrance. He said, "To congratulate you, I'll buy you anything in this whole store tonight." My eyes widened as I thought of the possibilities.

At the time, I didn't have a full grasp on how money worked or how much money Dad had. So I sort of limited things in my mind. I didn't even look at the huge stereo systems, expensive bikes, or anything that cost more than one hundred dollars. Instead, I chose a cassette tape case that was less than fifty dollars. I was content with just that case. It was more than I could afford myself, for sure, so I chose that one. It was nice. Only many years later did I find out from Dad that he had one thousand dollars cash in his pocket that night. What's more, he brought his checkbook just in case that wasn't enough. In my selection, I limited his blessing in my life.

Imagine how much God has in his pocket for you. You don't ask God for all the spiritual power you could because you forget that you are his child. Like me and my earthly father, you don't realize all he could do for you, in you, and through you.

Patient and gentle

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Christ was often presenting a message of love among the people. Here the apostle follows up with that message saying we should remain humble before others; we must present ourselves in a gentle manner; we must be patient and we should do all of this with the love of others in mind.

My mother, brother, and I lived with my mother’s parents growing up. My mother was a single mom trying to support two boys and the only way for her to make it was to share expenses with my grandparents.

The house might have been a little tight. It was a 1958 house, ranch style, with 2 bedrooms. We had 3 adults and two young boys living in this house built for a small family. Yet it never seemed to faze either of my grandparents.

My grandfather in particular was a very gentle and patient man. I can remember a day where my brother put on a pot of oil on the stove because he wanted to cook some French fries. It’s the way you did it back then, because there were not any French frying machines. To make the story short we left the house to pick up some fried chicken from Maryland’s Fried Chicken without my younger brother telling me about the oil on the stove. We returned with the chicken just as my grandfather was arriving home from work. Walking in together we noticed smoke and the reflections of a fire coming from the kitchen.

This is where I really saw my grandfather’s patience at work. He slowly removed the burning pot, took it outdoors and extinguished the flame. Then he quietly went and retrieved his ladder, a bucket and sponge. He filled the bucket with warm soapy water and started to wipe down the smoke blackened walls and cabinets of the kitchen.

My grandfather never fussed at my brother, but instead said it was an accident. He stayed calm the entire time just wiping down the walls to remove the soot. And he did it all with a gentle attitude.

This is how we are supposed to live among each other.  Instead of reacting with anger, we should react with understanding. Instead of making a bigger matter of it, we clean up the mess. And most of all show the grace and mercy of love, as my grandfather did, by telling us it was all ok and things would be fine.

Christians - Putting others first

Mark 9:25 (NIV)

35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Before making this statement Jesus The Bible tells us this in the preceding verses, “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”  But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.” Jesus knew their thoughts and explained that those who want to be first in the lives of others must become last to themselves. Mother Teresa is one such modern day servant who served many, often putting her own needs last. I remembered her and so too many others will remember her for her servant’s heart.

Awlwyn Balnave, of Calgary, Canada tells a personal story. A few years ago, an old acquaintance of mine served as a police officer in a northern native settlement in Canada. One day a rabid wolf wandered into the aboriginal settlement. My friend eventually shot it, but not before it attacked a young man and his grandmother in their home, making kindling out of a chair the young man used to protect himself from his attacker.

There were about 150 sled dogs in the village—more than a match for one sick wolf—yet the intruder was left alone to do her work. Why? My friend explained that in order to prevent the dogs from fighting and wounding each other, they had each been tied to wooden stakes spaced far enough apart to prevent them from reaching any neighboring animal. Because of this, the wolf walked freely among the dogs, killing some and badly wounding others. In isolation they were no match for their foe, and they suffered terribly for it.

What a picture of the need for every Christian to belong to a body of believers. Alone and isolated, Christians present themselves as much easier prey for the schemes of the Enemy of our souls.

Precious in His sight

John 4:24 (NKJV)

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The duty of one who loves The Lord is to worship him in spiritual and truthful way. The should follow the essence of God and treat others as God would treat them.

Chuck Broughton, writes in "Reflecting God's Nature," in the Discipleship Journal (Jan/Feb 2003), on pp. 35-36: I was riding the crowded subway in New York City. Every 10 to 15 seconds or so, someone behind me shouted unintelligible words. The first time, I ignored them. After several outbursts, however, I turned around to see that they were coming from a disheveled man behind me.

Sitting fairly close to him was a woman reading a newspaper. As I watched, he reached out, touched her knee, and quickly brought his hand back. Not getting any response, he did it again a few seconds later. It seemed like a game a small child might play; each time, his face showed that he was pretending not to have touched her. No one said anything, but those sitting near him exchanged nervous glances and began to inch away.

I was caught off guard by what happened next. The woman put down her paper and looked at the man. I expected her to rebuke him. Instead, she politely engaged the man in conversation. "Do you know where your stop is?"

He nodded that he did.

"Do you need any help getting to where you need to go?"

He shook his head no.

I don't know what motivated this woman to treat a stranger on the subway with such kindness. But the way she asked these questions showed that she was genuinely concerned for his welfare. She chose to respond to him as a real person with real needs, not just as an annoyance on her commute.

The incident reminded me of how the Apostle Paul saw people: "We regard no one from a worldly point of view" (2 Cor. 5:16). Many people on that subway car including me had looked at the man from a human point of view. In contrast, the woman who spoke to him reflected the perspective Paul described. She addressed him as a person who had inherent worth.

How are you addressing those around you? Are you seeing them as God sees them, precious in His sight?

Warnings

Proverbs 27:12 (NIV)

12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Where there is temptation it is easy to be thrust into the middle of sinful and dangerous situations. With the sinful actions come consequences that must be dealt with. The prudent man however sees the problems which are to come and avoids the temptation. He forecasts the dangers and hides himself appropriately.

There are obvious warning signs, such as DANGER – High Voltage. We know that is something we should not touch and if we do there could be grave consequences.

I can never forget there were kids playing hiding seek at a local mall where my grandmother worked. Outside one of the entrance doors were large transformers that were marked, DANGER – High Voltage. Unfortunately the doors to the transformers were not locked and one of the young teens playing hide and go seek missed the warning and climbed inside the transformer. He was electrocuted almost instantly.

In high school a friend of mine went to the lake with a group from the high school track team. There were warning signs up about deep water and to take precautions if you could not swim. Unfortunately my friend did not know how to swim and ventured out to the rocky dam. He fell from the rocky dam into the lake. Others saw him, but by the time they realized he was in trouble it was too late - he drown.

The Bible gives us many dangers to watch out for. The Bible also gives us examples of people who ignored the warnings and suffered the consequences. Sadly there are still those of us who do not heed those warning signs and we find ourselves suffering the consequences of sin.

Father I pray for those reading that you would always provide an obvious warning to the temptations we face. I ask that you teach us from you word what to avoid so that we may not sin against you. Father I ask that you protect us as you have done for so many others of the past. Keep us safe in this world and keep us from the sin that wants control of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Stay vigilant in your desire to help others

Galatians 6:1 (NIV)

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

The apostle reminds us that as Christians we are brothers and sisters; for we have been adopted into the family of God through Christ. As a family we are to help others in the family. When trapped by a sin we are to gently help remove the sin from their lives. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to help; for if we get to close to the sin we may also be tempted to partake of the sin.

In a Los Angeles Times article – The roots of temptation, published October 20, 2003, written by Benedict Carey conveys the following: A simple plea for reassurance -- You'd tell me, wouldn't you? -- is about all the discussion many couples can manage on the topic of marital infidelity. It's rarely a genuine request: Everyone knows it could happen, but very few of us would really want to know that it did. The topic of infidelity is off limits for most couples.

That's one reason social scientists have left the study of hidden love largely to novelists and poets. "Although we can describe sexual desire, we don't know how to measure it scientifically," said Dr. Stephen B. Levine, a psychiatrist at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine and co-editor of the Handbook of Clinical Sexuality, a guide to help doctors address sexual concerns.

For many years, most of what scientists knew about infidelity came from marital therapists' interviews with clients or from psychologists who asked men and women to answer questions about hypothetical affairs. In the last few years, however, researchers have finally begun to conduct larger, more rigorous surveys, asking about real experiences. The evidence has contributed to an emerging body of thinking about who cheats, when and why.

Contrary to one commonly held view, many people who report being in happy marriages commit adultery. Their yearning for variety warps their judgment, even when they fully appreciate the risks of infidelity. For when an affair is revealed, clinicians report, the impact on the marriage is usually catastrophic.

"Those who assume that only bad people in bad marriages cheat can blind themselves to their own risk," said Beth Allen, a researcher at the University of Denver who, with colleagues David Atkins, of the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, and the late Shirley Glass, a Baltimore family psychologist, recently completed an extensive review of infidelity research. "They're unprepared for the risky times in their own lives, the dangerous situations when, if they aren't careful, they'll suddenly be very tempted," Allen said. ["The Roots of Temptation," L.A. Times (10-20-2003)]

1 Peter 5:8 reminds us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” One moment you may think you are living a happy marriage, ready to give advice and the next moment find yourself trapped by sin. Stay vigilant that you may not be trapped by another’s sin.

Wisdom - Ask and it will be given

James 1:5 (NKJV)

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Here is an encouraging word for every discouraged person. When we are lacking in understanding we can humble ourselves and ask anything of God without fear. It’s God’s promise to us.

In his spiritual memoir A Stranger in the House of God, author and Moody Bible Institute professor John Koessler tells the story of his younger brother George. Since childhood, George's life consisted of heartache after heartache: because of a collapsed lung shortly after birth, he struggled with a learning disability that made him the butt of far too many jokes—even from his own family; his first wife cheated on him after being married for less than a year; he was permanently laid off from the only job he knew how to do well at the time. As the pain snowballed, George hit rock bottom. Because he hadn't kept in touch with George, Koessler was unaware of what was going on in his brother's life. A literal wake-up call concerning George's condition came late one night. Koessler writes:

I awoke from a sound sleep with a sense of dread, compelled to pray for my brother. In particular, I felt impressed to ask God to spare his life. The longer I prayed, the more anxious I became, sensing George was in some kind of grave danger…

A week later I got a phone call from my father. My brother's roommate contacted him saying George had tried to commit suicide. Despondent over his life, he slit his wrists with a kitchen knife. "He really meant business," my father said. "If his roommate had come fifteen minutes later, it would have been too late"…

My brother's roommate discovered him about the same time I was asking God to spare George's life.

With the encouragement of family and friends, George partnered with God to put his life back together. He learned how to cope with his learning disability and overcame his depression with the help of medicine. He worked difficult, trying hours as an emergency medical technician in order to earn a college degree—which he earned with honors. All the while, he was taking the all-important steps toward a life of faith. After meeting his second wife, Jan, at a church function, George committed his life to Christ.

George's transformation stirred in him a deep desire to serve others spiritually. This man, weighed down for so long by such profound pain, would eventually become the chaplain for the Detroit Fire Department. Koessler closes the chapter concerning his brother with these words about George:

He doesn't regret the difficulties he has faced. He doesn't see them as unfortunate twists of fate or himself as a victim of circumstance. He sees them as tools wielded by the gracious hand of God. "Without them," he says, "I wouldn't be the person I am today."

George doesn't consider any of his accomplishments remarkable. "I'm just a survivor," he says. "I'm no hero." Perhaps not to others. Certainly not to himself. But he is to me. [John Koessler, A Stranger in the House of God (Zondervan, 2007), pp.188-189]