I've Got a Great Bod

 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139: 13, 14

    Usually, it's not until something goes awry that we then take note of how wonderfully we are made.

    Recent prayer requests on behalf of the ill have brought to my heart just how thankful I need to be for all the pieces and parts of mine which God has so wisely given to me, things I take for granted. So, I put forth effort to uncover some of these details.

    Take the uvula, for example (is that Latin for "punching bag?") It's been hanging around in the back of my throat for 60+ years now, but what's its purpose? I've discovered it blocks the passage into my nasal cavity so when I swallow, food and fluids don't come forth from that orifice, thereby causing a social faux pas. Thank you, Lord!

    Now that I've swallowed in a dignified manner, it's up to my epiglottis to guard the gateway to my trachea. This leaf-shaped flap, if working properly, prevents another social blunder from occurring at the dinner table. I'm so glad I have one of those.

    I had no idea I even owned a pylorus, but God gave me this watch valve that attaches to my stomach and regulates food being sent to southern regions. Along the incredible journey, my consumption is aided by peristalsis. This defines the involuntary muscular movements that move my food on down where it belongs. 

    I hope you'll join me in thanking our Creator for His attention to details. Though conversations that revolve around our digestive process are not considered proper etiquette, maybe we could silently express our gratitude as we partake in tantalizing treats this Thursday, praising God for just how wonderfully we have been Hand-crafted.

    Just don't let your humorous relative make you laugh so hard that milk comes out of your nose. That would reflect poorly on your uvula.

HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Needs vs. Wants

 "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1

        When, as a child, my mother had me memorize the twenty-third psalm, this first verse gave me pause. As I pondered its meaning, I asked my mom, "If I need the Lord as my Shepherd, then why wouldn't I want Him?"

    We are studying this psalm in my ladies' bible study. By way of introduction, we were asked to consider what our five or six greatest needs are in life.

    My list began with fresh air followed by clean water, but I am embarrassed to admit I listed my Bible, which I know to be a treasure, as number five. I guess it's because, initially, I was only thinking about what I needed to prolong my temporal life. But, there are thirsts greater than any need of mere air or water.

    In her book, "The Hiding Place," Corrie Ten Boom recounted the Nazi occupation of her country, Holland. As devout Christians, she and her family ran an underground operation to save the Jews, including hiding the hunted within a secret room of their home.

    After a betrayal of trust, a raid was conducted of their home in 1943 during which Corrie was beaten, arrested and taken into prison. The illness she'd had at the time of the raid flared into a pre-tubecular state while confined in miserable conditions, so after several weeks, she was taken to a crowded medical facility. When a nurse escorted her to use the restroom, she covertly whispered to Corrie, "Quickly, how may I help you?"

    Corrie's response: "Yes, oh, yes! A Bible! Could you get me a Bible?"

    What would your list of imminent needs look like? If in Corrie's position, would a Bible have been your first request?

    The thought occurred to me that a person can be seated before a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast and still be hungry. He can imbibe in laughter among friends, yet still go home quite thirsty. A person can also be fed by the Presence of the Living God while wracked with illness and starvation, because only God can truly satiate us down to our very souls.

"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your Name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63: 1-8

 

    

What Does Jesus Look Like?

 "When they crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to Him and begged Him to let the sick just touch the edge of His cloak, and all who touched it were healed." Matthew 14: 34-36

    What does Jesus look like? 

    The people who walked the ancient roads of the Promised Land had the benefit of seeing our Messiah in the flesh. (Can you imagine seeing God Incarnate?) But how do I recognize the living Savior these days? 

    I must look for the work of His hands in the bodies of His believers, we who are the temples of His Holy Spirit. Like the glow of warm light seen from stained glass windows of a steepled church on a snowy night, we are to let our light shine, inviting all to come and see.

    Reflecting on this past week, I saw Jesus on TV wearing the orange tee shirt of a Samaritan's Purse volunteer, mucking mud from homes in North Carolina, while another was repairing the roof after Hurricane Helene did her damage. 

    I saw Jesus in the petite form of actress Patricia Heaton as she was being interviewed in Israel. Though she has a husband and four sons in the States, she is doing all she can to support our Jewish friends who are suffering beneath burdens of war and antisemitism. She is living out the truth of the Gospel. She and a friend established the O7C (October 7th Coalition) to bring awareness and assistance to Israel and the Jewish communities around us.

    This weekend, I saw Jesus in the smiling, singing faces of actors who portrayed the characters of the biblical story of Ruth in a play we attended. In the final scene, a cross arose with scarlet ribbons of redemption flowing out toward the audience as voices swelled with the invitation to Come! Come to the cross for healing.

    Will a passerby recognize Christ in me? Am I plainly garbed in the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness, with the belt of truth girded beneath the shield of faith? Do the gospel shoes of peace carry me into the sea of humanity inviting others to Come? Is the joy of my salvation plainly evident? Are the fruits of the Spirit produced by the way I live my life? 

    When others see me, I hope they get a picture of what Jesus looks like. 

Less Like Me

by Zach Williams 

Lord, help me be a little more like mercy,

A little more like grace,

A little more like kindness, goodness, love and faith;

A little more like patience,

A little more like peace,

A little more like Jesus

A little less like me. 

Right or Left?

 "Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or left; keep your foot from evil." Proverbs 4: 25-27

    During a conversation with a friend last night, we spoke of the difficult choices which lay before us on Election Day. The thought came to my mind of the various verses in the Bible about maintaining our walk with the Lord - not turning to the right or to the left. Is it just a coincidence that these terms are used to define the Republican and Democratic parties?

    As I advised my friend, it is tantamount to the Christian to fix our eyes on Jesus. As we drive along, the political signs beckon us to lean this way and that, but if we keep our focus on the road ahead, we will not go astray. 

    In the book of Daniel, we are assured it is God who deposes kings and raises up others (2:21), but that doesn't mean we shouldn't exercise our right to vote prayerfully. We have a responsibility to uphold that which is valuable to the Lord as best we can at the polls. 

    When the outcome of this day is revealed on the morrow, nothing along my path with Jesus will have changed. No matter who is president, Jesus is still the King of kings and it is under His authority I live and move and have my being. Amen!

    When Jesus stood before Pilate, His flogged body bleeding through the robe of purple in which the mocking soldiers had dressed Him, He gave no answer to the governor's probes. Finally, Pilate stated frankly, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" 

    Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." (John 19: 10-11)  

    Even when it appeared that evil had won, God was at work executing his perfect plan of redemption, removing the sting of death and the power of the grave. 

    Perhaps you have already placed your vote, or you are flummoxed by the decisions before you. Let the Bible be your voter's guide: "Do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." (Deuteronomy 5:32)

    "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12: 1-3