Saturday, March 29, 2014

WWJP?

     If Jesus knelt by my side, hands clasped, head bowed, what would he pray? That's an awesome thought: Jesus praying for me?

     When I read John 17: 20-26, it gives me insight to the answer of my question. Verse 24 says, "Father, I want those you've given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you've given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."

     If I personalize this even more, it drives the message home: "Father, I want Rachel to be with me. Please can she come, too, to live with us for all eternity?"

     I'll get to see Jesus in all his glory and experience the love that's been present since before creation. This is Jesus' prayer for me, for all believers.

     To continue, I will paraphrase verses 25 and 26, inserting my name: "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you and Rachel knows that you sent me. I have made you known to her, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in her, and that I myself may be in her."

     How intimate! How intensely loving this prayer becomes when I insert my name.

     Jesus, I love you so much. I am so happy tha you protect me, love me, save me and want me to be with you where you are, where you will wipe away every tear, where there will be no more death, or mourning, or sorrow or pain. (Revelation 21:4).

Sunday, March 23, 2014

My Testimony

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony."
Revelation 12:11

     The question recently presented to me, "What moments in your life define your faith?" stirred answers from within, but only after much thought. A comparison was made to the Apostle Paul, but that intimidated me. I thought, "Gee, I'm no Paul, I've not much to tell." Upon further rumination, I DO have much to tell! If I did not, I would be denying the power of my Savior.

     Every tree has roots. Blessed by Christian parents who practiced their faith, we went to church regularly, had daily devotions after supper and prayers at bedtime. My mother would tuck me in every night, the wool blanket from the cedar chest with its woodsy smell combined with my mother's kisses secured me against all evils. She would frequently ask me, "Do you know Jesus loves you? Do you trust him as your Savior?" Always, an affirmative nod brought a happy smile and a toasty hug.

     I always knew God was real, largely because my folks used Scriptures to guide their family, giving God credit for everything. When I was in grade school, we were at a park in Akron when I suddenly experienced anaphylactic shock from a bee sting. Hives, delirium and nausea quickly created the need for medical intervention, but where was the hospital? Who would help? A ranger came along at just that moment, immediately guiding us to the help I needed.

     Again, divine intervention rescued me when I became lost during a family vacation out West. Thinking my family was right behind me, the solitude that soon proved otherwise was devastating to me. Scared and tired, I had walked for miles, crying and praying, but I was never alone. With dusk approaching, a helicopter was being prepared for dispatch, but God sent one last couple along the path who bore the kindness of angels to me.

     Childlike faith has a way of taking a back seat when the teenage years arrive. For some reason, all that was precious became cause for embarrassment when friends were around. It hurt deeply to now act ashamed of Jesus (I know how Peter must have felt when Jesus looked at him following his denial), but I felt Jesus would give me time and understanding while individualism beckoned me. ("Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.")

     When I was 16, I went on a youth group outing in Pennsylvania called "Jesus '77". After music and preaching, a sea of teenagers were praying in small groups across a field. There was a young man whose leg was in a cast, from hip to toe. A group was fervently praying for his healing, when suddenly he fell to the ground, the cast bearing a split from top to bottom. Kids began to peel it off in a frenzy of praise and glory to God! Never before had I felt so palpably the power of the Spirit.

     I'd relish saying that I came home with the faith of Paul after he trod the Damascus road, but I had a lot to learn first.

     Being a young bride, far from home in a troubled marriage propelled me to fully rely on God as I sought God's word with hunger, especially consuming the Psalms. For the first time, I read the Bible on my own, discovering such gems as the eighth chapter of Romans. God answered me directly and I was a rapt listener.

     Several brushes with disaster assailed me during my residence in Texas, but one happenstance was undoubtedly miraculous. Driving along a four lane road, without preamble, cars piled up before me, closing off all avenues of escape. I shut my eyes, bracing myself for impact, but God brought me safely to the other side of the collision without a scratch. How and why, I do not know, but I credit Him with saving me once more.

     God's strength is made perfect when we are at our weakest, and I had a smorgasbord of weak moments ahead such as divorce, bankruptcy and single parenthood. The love and trust rejected by my husband were channeled into God and family as I moved back to my childhood home, an emotionally crippled young woman.

     One thing I learned: never stand in judgment of another, thinking I would never behave like that, because Satan can and will coerce a Christian into doing most anything, especially during weak moments. For years, my personal journey took me into places of bleak sin. I berated myself, thinking I was unworthy of the love of Christ, but the Bible says, "There is now therefore no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus". The story of Jesus' compassion toward the adulterous woman became my personal song ("Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.")
 
     Faith ebbs and flows. The tide is high and flowing freely when I stay close to God through prayer and Bible study, but an arid land replaces all when I shut the Good Book. Sometimes, it is most difficult to believe in Someone I cannot see; other times, it's as natural as the air I breathe. The summation of faith for me can be found in this poem by an author unknown to me:

What God Hath Promised
 
God hath not promised
 
Skies of blue,
 
Flower-strewn pathways
 
All our lives through.
 
God hath not promised
 
Sun without rain,
 
Joy without sorrow,
 
Peace without pain.
 
 
But God hath promised
 
Strength for the day,
 
Rest for the labor,
 
Light for the way,
 
Grace for the trials,
 
Help from above,
 
Unfailing sympathy,
 
Undying love.
 
     I wish to encourage other Christians not to shy away from sharing your testimony. Everyone has a story to tell. By keeping silent, we give the devil a foothold. The blood of the Lamb is a powerful thing so add fuel to that fire by bragging about the things Jesus has done for you. Only God can make a message out of a mess. 

Live Up to His Name

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
Proverbs 22:1

     My husband asked me if I liked having his name. I most certainly do, but I teased him by saying, "If your last name had been Twinklebean, I would not have married you."

     As the Bride of Christ, I also have taken on a name - the Name of Christ. With it, I have a responsibility not to drag his name through the mud by my actions. It's a good name that I never wish to profane.

     "At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." (Philippians 2:10) There is power, prestige, healing and respect that embody that name. I shall strive to live up to that name by living in faith.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Pray Only to Jesus

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men."
1 Timothy 2:5

     This verse clearly states one God and one mediator between us. A mediator is an intercessor, one who pleads on behalf of another, intervening for the purpose of agreement. The intercessor between God and me is Jesus himself. To give that right to anyone else is to diminish the work he did at Calvary, to water down the blood he shed for us. Who has earned the right to sit at the right hand of God? Only Jesus, so I pray directly to him.

     I was saddened to see a person's prayer to the Virgin Mary printed in the classifieds. This person was asking her to assist him in his necessity and to have mercy on him. I urge this needy person: you can and should pray directly to Jesus! Mary did not give her life as a ransom for all mankind. She has gone the way of other believers who have left this world. She cannot help you, but her Son can! Only He has risen from the dead and conquered the grave. Alleluia.

     1 John 2:1 says: "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But in anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Will the Real St Patrick Please Stand Up?

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
2 Corinthians 4:4

     Every St. Patrick's Day, I am nettled by the beer-swilling revelers in green. Do they even know who St. Patrick was?, I wonder.

     At age 16, Patrick was captured by Irish pirates. Abruptly taken from all that was familiar to him, he was enslaved in a foreign land as a shepherd for six years. Though he could have allowed this experience to embitter him, he used this time to strengthen his relationship with God through prayer. After this time, he went home, but he eventually returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary, leading many to salvation in Christ. He used the shamrock as a visual illustration of the Holy Trinity.

     Satan is a consumate counterfeiter who loves to warp anything that points to Jesus. He'd rather have people exalt the Easter Bunny than see the empty grave. He loves it when we herald the generosity of Santa Claus rather than kneel before the Babe of Bethlehem.

     Perhaps this St. Patrick's Day, we can thank God for selfless missionaries who risk life and limb to bring the gospel to dark places. There are numerous Patricks out there today who are being persecuted and executed for the Christian faith. Stop and pray for them. It will result in more abounding, powerful ways than drinking green beer and donning silly shirts.

Just Say Yes, Not Absolutely!

"Simply let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no', 'no'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
Matthew 5:37

     Am I the only one who is sick of hearing the word "absolutely"? I must hear it six times a day, either on television, radio or throughout normal conversation. This word is overused - why?

     An online article from CNN I found had some interesting viewpoints. It said that people have become so cynical, they expect spin and deception, so they feel the need to emphatically answer with "absolutely", as though it sets their answer apart from the norm.

     Paul Bossert, an assistant dean at the University of California, was quoted as saying, "In a time where there is so much mendacity and prevarication, a simple affirmative such as 'yes' doesn't quite cut it anymore." To better understand his point, I looked up the definitions of his chosen words. Mendacity is "a lie, a falsehood". Prevarication means "to walk crookedly, to evade the truth."

     Isn't that sad? Falsehood is so prevalent that we feel the need to mark our answers with the exclamation point of "Absolutely!"

    Jesus spoke plainly about this very topic in his Sermon on the Mount. We, as humans, have such limitations, we cannot even change one hair from white to black, but God can. If I live in him, his integrity becomes my own. By walking in the light, I should be able to plainly say "yes" or "no" and be as good as my word.

     Live truthfully.

When Jesus Touches You

"Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them."
Mark 1: 30 & 31

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, 'If you are willing, you can make me clean.' Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean.' Immediately, the leprosy left him and he was cured."
Mark 1: 40-42

     Faith heals. Just trusting in God's power brings relief. Peter's friends knew Jesus could rid his mother-in-law of her fever so they told him about it. The leper told Jesus, "You can." Imagine being a leper, having no human touch, being estranged from family and friends, suffering through a disfiguring disease all alone. Seeing Jesus, a flicker of hope fans into a flame through faith as you approach him, trembling. Will he shrink back? Will he command you to keep your distance, like everyone else does?

     No. Jesus, filled with compassion, reaches out his hand and touches you, just as you are, diseased, dirty, discarded by society. Immediately, your skin is rosy, your burden has been lifted by Someone who is stronger than you.

     This same Jesus meets us where we are, disfigured by sin, alone and discarded.  He reaches out his hands, receives the Roman nails and lifts our burden for all eternity. Praise God!

What's the Forecast?

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
Ephesians 6:13

     When the phone rang at an early hour to say that school was closed due to inclement weather, I was bewildered as I looked outside yet saw no snow or ice. However, the superintendent was wise in this decision after he heeded the forecast.

     It is important to dress appropriately for the various elements. Our bodies are vulnerable without protection, so if the forecast is ten degrees with a negative windchill, it would be foolhardy to go out in a denim jacket. Or, if it's ninety in the shade, will thermal underwear do? Of course not.

     The above verse forecasts a day of evil is coming our way. What can protect us?

  1. The Truth. Seek it, know it, act on it. Do not listen to the father of liars, who is Satan. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Listen to him.
  2. The breastplate of righteousness will protect my most vital organs. How? By living in a right relationship with God, everything I do is in proper alignment because I then live to please him.
  3. The Gospel of Peace. The Bible tells me that, as far as it is up to me, live at peace with everyone. Do my part to get along.
  4. The shield of faith. I can use it to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16) because faith is being certain of what I do not see, sure of what I hope for (Hebrews 11:1). The Holy Spirit helps me to believe God's promises.
  5. Salvation I wear as a helmet so when the accuser tries to crush me, I stand firm at the foot of the cross, awash in the blood of the Lamb. There is power in the blood!
  6. My sword is the Word of God. Write it on the tablet of my heart. Always be prepared to give an answer for my beliefs. Jesus used scripture to combat temptations; so shall I.
  7. Prayer. "Be alert and always keep on praying for the saints."(Eph. 6:18) I am not in this battle alone. I have a direct line to God with Jesus as my divine intercessor. I have a family of fellow believers who will pray with me or for me at any time, placing a hedge of protection around me. Jesus promised that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is there too.
A day of evil has been forecast but we need not live in fear. Dress appropriately and follow the directives of your Commanding Officer, who is Jesus. 

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Come Home

     "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So, he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
     After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So,  he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
     When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father's house and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
Luke 15: 11-20

     There was a Christian couple who had four daughters. When the youngest turned 18, she announced that she was heading off to a faraway place. Although they thought it was foolhardy, the parents gave her their battered suitcases along with their worried blessing, and let her go.

     Once there, she married the wrong guy at a young age and soon began to be in need. She found herself with child, bill collectors hounding her and down to her last box of rice. When she swallowed her pride, she asked per parents for passage to come home. After a long journey with a newborn daughter in her lap, she rounded the corner near her childhood home, wondering what would await her? Behold, a banner across the garage said, "Welcome home, Rachel and Lauren!" She was both humbled and exhilarated as her family gathered around, showering her weary soul with love. She'd come home!

     "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.'" (Luke 15: 22-24)

     Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, "O sinner, come home." You won't receive a lecture enumerating all your inadequacies. You will be cloked with the robe of righteousness and the crowned with salvation as your compassionate Father throws his arms around you and showers you with kisses.

     Come home.

    

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Picture the Devil

"On another day, the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to him, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord, 'From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.'"
Job 2: 1 & 2

     What picture do you have in your mind of the Devil? A red imp with horns and rotten teeth? Or perhaps a well-heeled gangster with gold teeth and a pinstriped suit? Whatever image you conjure up, the common denominator must be a creature who's up to no good, who incites evil by whispering heinous suggestions in one's ear.

     What would you do if you looked out your window and saw him canvassing your neighborhood like a Kirby Vacuum guy, cutting across lawns and going door-to-door? Would you open the door? Would you think he's paying a visit just to share a few off-color jokes and pop a top?

     Do not be fooled. The Bible warns that Satan prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Do not think Hell is like a smoky tavern that plays heavy metal music while people swear and throw darts. It is a place of utter darkness, foul smells and non-existant mercy. No one cares if you are thirsty. No one lends a friendly word or helping hand. Those are all Godly traits; they do not exist in such a place.

     Present yourself before the Lord while you have time. Satan has to do that, too.

The Power of Being a Christian Parent

"His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had runs its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning, he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, 'Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' This was Job's regular custom."
Job 1: 4 & 5

     Job was described as being a blameless, upright man who feared God and shunned evil. A wealthy man, he had ten children, many servants and animals and was "the greatest man among all the people of the East." (Job 1:3)

     It would be tempting, in Job's position, to become cocky and complacent, but he is so vigilant that he continues to plead to God on behalf of his kids, even after they have moved into their own homes.

     A lesson for me, as a parent, is evident here. I do pray for my daughters, but I need to specifically ask God to purify them, forgive them if they have wronged him in their hearts. I could get up early each morning, remembering the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for all people, thereby demonstrating to Him how much their righteousness means to me, their mother.

Plugged in to the Source

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:5

     My home in Painesville was affected by the power outage today. I was quickly reminded how dependant I am on my power source as the house grew colder and colder. The electric blanket no longer kept me warm as I slept. Since we have a gas stove, we were able to make instant coffee which helped but, even with long underwear, a woolen hat and scarf, three blankets and two cats on me, I was becoming miserably cold. Sixteen hours without heat was a real challenge.

     When the power was restored, I was so glad to return to my normal life: take off my Carhartt coat, watch a little television and work on writing this blog. I felt protected, cared for, embraced.

     During some down times in my life, I have allowed my sinful life to disconnect me from the Power Source. Outside of right living with God, I felt cold and miserable. Once I finally came to my senses, the Good Father embraced me like the Prodigal Son who made his way home. A ring was placed on my finger, a robe replaced my tattered clothes and the fatted calf was served up with dessert! Why would I ever want to leave again?

     Stay connected to God, our omnipotent source, and you will never be cold and miserable.