Your OWN Understanding . . .

Coffee -- Tim Horton's at the Camp

Wayne and I love to go for coffee at various drive through windows. Our favorite is Dunkin Donuts. It's just one of those luxuries that we allow ourselves (all too often). That wouldn't be so bad, but Wayne has an AARP card. If he shows that at the double D's window, it entitles us to a free donut of our choice with the purchase of a large coffee. It is usually chocolate glazed. Mmmm!

This ritual of ours is a good starting place to talk about our responsibility to rely on the Lord in every aspect of our lives. The Bible says in Proverbs 3 that we should trust in the LORD with all of our heart and that we should not lean on our own understanding. If we are honest, we can easily look at our lives, our decisions, and the consequences and see that we can and should profit from wisdom outside ourselves. When we take an objective look around, we have to realize that we can and do make a major mess of things. That often happens when we trust our own opinions and decisions and fail to adequately consider and heed the clear teaching of the Bible and the good advice of people who love us.

Well, what does that have to do with drive-through coffee and a free donut? It is a matter of human nature and our propensity as sinners to turn in the wrong direction. This becomes confession time:

-- At first, Wayne ate his donut and I refrained.
-- After a few trips, I wanted a bite. Mmmm.
-- Over time we began to split the donut. Mmmm and Mmmm some more.
-- Here and there, we began to take one free donut and buy the second (not every time).

Now, a donut isn't wrong for most people but it is for me. I am a Type II Diabetic who opted to go without medications and control it by diet. That has worked very well for about eight years. My tests have always been good, but the good test results emboldened me to modify my regimen even more. Where will that end if I continue that path? I know. Things are on track now. Please pray for me if you think of it.

I don't know how a daughter becomes a mentor to her mother, but with her Biblical knowledge and nursing degree, I have gleaned much wisdom from Valerie and I appreciate it. We like to swap advice and do so seriously. Recently she wrote this and I think it fits into tonight's topic since it tells us three things that constitute good reasons for seeking godly counsel (among other things):

1. Satan hates those who are in Christ. He despises us with a white-hot hatred, a murderous passion. Nothing pleases Him more than to see Christ and His Word blasphemed in our lives.

2. Satan is a liar. Not only is He a liar, but He is an exceedingly good and very effective liar. If you think you cannot be deceived, you underestimate him and overestimate yourself.

3. If we have sense, we will be absolutely certain that we are not better or stronger than the millions who've been struck and hurt before us.

Friends and loved ones, we need each other. When we have big decisions to make -- especially those that impact our Christian lives -- we ought to quickly seek the counsel of someone who is willing to search the Scriptures with us and pray with us so that we will not fall for any of the myriad of lies waiting to overcome us. Remember that the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking anyone he may devour -- not literally eat up, but destroy. He wants to destroy our faith, our confidence, our reputation, our peace, our future. Don't rely totally on your own smarts.

Need someplace to lean? Lean on God. Lean on His Word. Lean on godly friends and family.

Conflicted Over Christmas

David Buza Adds the Angel

Christmas has always been a happy time in our family. This year it is, for me, a time to remember:

• When I was a child we always took a ride as a family just to see the beautiful lights and displays at homes, schools, and businesses. The air was punctuated with glowing sights and breathless exclamations. "Look at THAT!" "Oh, WOW." "It is so beautiful". 
• Another fond memory was our Sunday School program. Once my cousin Andrea kept stealing baby Jesus from the manger (her doll) and I kept grabbing it away and returning it until someone finally let her keep her baby! 
• I loved it when I was "big enough" to help pack the boxes of candy, nuts, and popcorn that were given to each child attending the Christmas program at Church. 
• Our children, for quite a few years, always gifted us with their own, costumed rendition of the nativity. Their Dad usually played the inn keeper from his seat on the couch and offered Mary and Joseph his stable. 
• We liked to cook Christmas goodies, a tea ring for Christmas morning, and we loved decorating our tree. 
• Family devotions grew at Christmas time until we added our own family communion service, using unleavened bread that we made at home. 
• Practicing and singing in the Christmas Cantata was something Wayne and I always enjoyed. 
• In our later years we try to go to each of our children's homes sometime in the last week or two before Christmas. Of course, that is a rare thing with Valerie's family. Time with our family members is cherished deeply. 
• And we love Christmas Eve service and singing the beautiful carols that we do not hear often enough!

So why am I conflicted? It is partly because the most important thing to remember about Christmas does not take its proper priority. Christmas is not primarily about lights, cookies, gifts, and spending money. Not at all. Christmas is a day that was set aside to remember the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Messiah. It is a day set aside to remember and celebrate one of the two most significant days in all of history (the resurrection is the other). Christmas is the day to remember a birth, the most extraordinary and most important birth EVER. 

Another reason I am conflicted is the controversy over creche displays, the public singing of traditional Christmas Carols, even calling our national tree the Holiday Tree instead of a Christmas Tree. People say "Let's Keep Christ in Christmas". I understand that on the one hand, but on the other hand I wonder why unbelievers would even want to celebrate Christmas? If it is about sharing love and gift-giving, that could happen at any time. What about New Year's Day? The fact is that without trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, Redeemer, and King, there is no reason to celebrate the Incarnation. Only the Christian understands why. We know that people need Christ in their lives far more than we need Christ in Christmas. 

If your are a Christian, please consider the following verses and take them to heart during our celebration of the first advent of Jesus Christ. Remember and cherish in your heart that the day of His birth in Bethlehem was the day GOD became flesh to live on this earth for thirty-three years and then to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sin:

" Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." From Philippians 2 (ESV)

A Broken Stove

The Bible says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. . . " (Philippians 4:19)  In context, this promise was being made to people who had been very generous in giving toward the needs of others. So is this a promise only to those people? Is it a promise to all who are "givers"? Or is it a general promise to ALL believers?

It is not my purpose to answer that question. I can only say that I have seen the Lord's hand in meeting many needs we and others have experienced. Let me tell the story of a broken stove just to illustrate God's gracious generosity to His children. 

Once upon a time, there was a wonderful stove on Craig's List in Wisconsin. It was a white Maytag stove with a double oven and a black glass top. It was a perfect stove for a large family. It had self cleaning ovens and the top was super-easy to wipe down. The price was right, too. Even though there were many ways the money could have  been spent, a stove is a necessary item. The purchase was made, and what a blessing! 

Not so long after the stove was hooked up in the kitchen, a spice bottle fell from the cabinet and cracked the glass top. This was very disappointing and left the family with only three working burners. Over time the crack in the stove top grew larger and larger. Finally the stove was no longer safe to use, since spattered oil or grease could run under the glass top and catch fire -- Thanksgiving was coming along and how were we to cook the turkey? The vegetables? It was time for Valerie to check Craig's List once more. 

Ha! A stove was listed. Someone else needed to be able to cook the Thanksgiving turkey but they had a broken element in the bottom oven -- same stove, but the stainless steel variety! They couldn't get it fixed in time to cook turkey, so they bought a new stove. The OLD one was available for $200.00. What a buy that was! Check: money was available. Check: that stove would fit in the back of our minivan. And, yes, the stove was still available. Time to go to Illinois for a replacement stove. 

A few hours later, our crew arrived at home with their purchase. Once home, Valerie discovered that a few pieces of the cracked glass had totally broken off, so there could be absolutely NO top of the stove cooking any more. God provided and He provided at the perfect time. The stove lasted until the very day it was replaced. 

Back to business. Things were moved around, and the floor under the stove was cleaned.  Amalie (13) removed the bottom heating element of the new stove and replaced it with the old one. The ovens, the broilers, and the burners ALL worked, and what a NICE stove! What a wonderful provision from our gracious and kind Lord. Not only did the stove WORK, but it was the very one that Valerie hoped to have. 

Just an aside: The door handle to our Maytag stove at home was broken -- a replacement would be $100.  Valerie gave us the handle to her old stove and it WORKS for our oven door. What a blessing for US! 

As I end this story, I hope you see the wonderful lesson that the LORD cares about every aspect of our lives and that He delights in providing for our comfort and joy. 

Thank you, Lord! And thank YOU for the new oven door handle to fit our stove here in Maine.  

Watching Other Lumps

Have you ever thought what it would be like if all of us looked alike, dressed alike, and all had the same job? It sounds strange and inefficient to me. I am so glad that God put a variety of color, texture, taste, sound, and people in this world when He created it.

Take a look at what the Bible has to say about the people of God -- the Church:  "Christ has given each of us special abilities—whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts. . . Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God. Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity;  until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ."
(From Ephesians 4 in The Living Bible). Other portions of the New Testament talk about the diversity of gifts of the Spirit, all given according to God's will to be used to honor and glorify Christ and to bless others. 

Personally, I love the concept of being clay in the hands of our Heavenly Potter. He makes us, molds us, shapes us, and gives us the gifts and talents necessary for us to be the people that He created us to be. It is my frequent prayer to the Lord, to ask Him to help me be the person that He created me to be. I really believe that if we embrace His call and live in harmony with His plan for us, we will be joyous people and fulfilled in this life.  On the other hand, if we craft our own path and try and live independently of our Master and one another, don't you think we will do a lot of stumbling and have a lot of scars to nurse? 

What an honor and blessing to be used of God to encourage another person, to share the Gospel with a lost one, to give food to the hungry, to pray for those who mourn. We love it, don't we? I do. 
Yet, another blessing that fills our hearts is to see how God is working in the lives of other people. It is a joy to watch the "other lumps" as the Lord makes them more and more like Himself. To see others grow, to watch deeds of generosity, to witness kindness and love in the Church is a wonderful thing. Spending time with other Christians and hearing their testimonies about their walk with God is a very encouraging thing. It increases their faith and ours. It helps all of us to grow. 

Just a thought: A few years ago there was a big emphasis on the need to identify our spiritual gifts and put them to work. There were assessment tests that people could take on paper or online to help determine your spiritual gift. That is all well and good, I guess. But somehow I think God is more practical than that. As we walk with Him, He gives opportunities to us where we can serve Him or others -- those are the open doors. Go through them! And I believe He gives us a real LOVE for what He is asking us to do. And He is using all of that in the process we call sanctification -- growing us, making us more holy, making us more and more like Jesus.

So let's keep our eyes open and WATCH God at work in our lives -- and let us not forget to watch the other lumps, too.

   

In The Midst



Wayne With Friends at Holmes Bay Church

There is an old hymn that my friends and I loved to sing when we were teenagers. The chorus says, "No, never alone, No, never alone, He promised never to leave me, Never to leave me alone."
Jesus did promise His eternal presence with His people on several occasions. Even when He stood on the Mount of Olives immediately before He ascended into Heaven He said, "I am with you always." What a comfort it is to know that nothing can separate the believer from our Creator, our Friend, our Redeemer, our King. No matter what happens -- whether in life or in death -- He is with us every hour of the day and every step of the way.

 Once a friend and I went to a Pastor's Wives Conference and there were around 3,000 of us there. What a blessed privilege to be surrounded by so many who love the Lord and fellowship together in joy and harmony. Last year we went to a conference where nearly 5,000 people were gathered in one place. What a thrill to hear all those voices as we joined together in worship, singing praises to our glorious God and Loving Savior. At both of those events the teaching, the testimonies, and the fellowship were something one can never forget.

 

There have been many times over the years of our lives that we have met with the few. Wayne and I were the only two at prayer meeting a few times. But even then, God was with us and ministered His grace to us. Jesus made it clear that He does not only minister in the big conferences or the mega Churches. He tenderly reminds us in Matthew 18:20, ". . .for where two or three are  gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

 

Some of our greatest blessings have come at times when there were only a few of us. One of those times was at a prayer meeting in our local Church. There were less than a dozen of us at a midweek prayer service, and Wayne was leading the meeting. An elderly, retired pastor was in the service as he often was. At one point he spoke up and said that he had been reading the verse that where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is in the midst. Then he began to weep. He told us that He had burdens on his heart and as he thought of that verse again, he looked around the room. "Look", he said, "I am right in the middle of all of you. That means JESUS is right beside me!" The very thought was uplifting to each one of us!

 

Many years ago, I read a book by a monk named Brother Lawrence. I honestly do not remember much about the book but I remember the title: Practice the Presence of God. The very thought of being aware of the presence of our Lord is a wonderful one. Jesus will (and does) walk with us wherever we go. What a comfort!

 

Haldor Lillenas wrote these words:

 

"Jesus will walk with me down thru the valley, Jesus will walk with me over the plain;
When in the shadow or when in the sunshine,  If He goes with me I shall not complain.

 

"Jesus will walk with me when I am tempted,  Giving me strength as my need may demand;
When in affliction His presence is near me, I am upheld by His almighty hand.

 

"Jesus will walk with me, guarding me ever, Giving me victory thru storm and thru strife;
He is my Comforter, Counselor, Leader, Over the uneven journey of life.

"Jesus will walk with me in life’s fair morning, And when the shadows of evening must come;
Living or dying, He will not forsake me. Jesus will walk with me all the way home."

 

Imagine! He is with us one on one, He is with us in our large gatherings. And where there are only two or three who love Him, He is in the midst! How thankful we ought to be.

 

 

May We Teach Them HIS Way

In Matthew 18:6 Jesus said, ". . . but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."

My dear family and friends, there is nothing that we ought to fear more than discouraging our children or being a bad influence on them -- and not just our own. What an awesome responsibility we have to nurture the children that God brings into our lives and to teach them by word and by example.

We would agree that "our" children are not our possessions. They belong to God and He has entrusted their care and keeping to us -- parents, extended family, and the Church. The responsibility to teach and train them is serious and it is an awesome commission. God takes it very seriously. For example, just after God gave the Ten Commandments, Moses repeated them to the people and instructed them. He said, ". . .  you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today.  You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house!"

Friends, how much time do we spend in training our children from the Scripture? Do we read God's Word to them? Do we pray for them and with them? Do we teach them that the ways of the world are not God's ways? You know, it is not natural for children (and us) to love and obey Jesus. We are sinners and our natural inclination is to sin and rebellion. Even as Christians, we find that we are at war with sinful thoughts, wrong motives, and ungodly behavior. We struggle all of our lives. We tend to compromise and can sometimes find ourselves making excuses for sin in ourselves and in others.

We live in a wicked world and the old devil (I refuse to capitalize his name or title) is out to deceive, to tempt, and to destroy. Oh, how careful we must be that he does not use us as tools to bring spiritual harm to the children, God's precious jewels.

Let's sit down with the Bible and prayerfully examine ourselves. Let us ask ourselves some questions:

• What am I doing to help the young people around me to know Jesus, to trust Him, and to grow in grace?
• Do I pray for them and praise them when they do well?
• Do I correct them with love and grace to show them God's love or do I discourage them?
• Do I apologize to little ones when I am a poor example to them and thus teach them how important it is to repent when we sin?
• Am I supportive of Christian parents and respect the decisions they make in their own homes since they must give account to God, or am I critical of them and encourage rebellion in their children?
• Is my example godly by the way I speak and behave or do I compromise with the world?

Those are serious thoughts. We can teach them HIS way only if we walk with Him. A prayer to that end is reflected in this wonderful, old hymn: "Teach me Thy way, O Lord, Teach me Thy way; Thy gracious aid afford,  Teach me Thy way. Help me to walk aright; More by faith, less by sight; Lead me with heavenly light, Teach me Thy way."

Oh, Lord, help! Without YOU, I can do nothing.
 

Our Transparent Facades

The Bible says in Hebrews chapter four that "the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Do you wonder what a transparent façade is? My husband says that is an oxymoron! And, indeed, it is an oxymoron if we are talking about the decorative front of a building. Some are beautiful to the eye -- such as the façade of a cathedral, a castle or the Taj Mahal.

Some of the handiwork of mankind is amazing. But I want to talk about a different kind of façade. That is, the false front that we put about ourselves when we try and make ourselves appear to be something that we are not. It could be something as simple as a pasted-on-smile when our inner person is angry, sad or afraid. We all put on a façade when we go for a job interview. We call that putting our best foot forward and that works until the interviewer asks us something like, "tell me your strongest qualities and your weakest areas." Whoops! If we are going to be honest, the façade has to come down.

We don't need to be going around and talking about all of our own faults or airing our dirty laundry with others. Some things are best kept privately between us and another person or with God alone. That is because we may have sin or temptation that would harm others if we talk about them. I remember a preacher named Harold Vaughn who said we should never cleanse our own conscience with the tears of another. For example, it is wrong to bring up something from the past to someone who would only be hurt by that knowledge.

Yet, God has told us to confess our sins to one another. He has told us to pray for one another. And we need to do that. It is good for our spiritual health. But it can be unpleasant. Let me tell you a story from the years of my young motherhood. Once a group of women was meeting in a home for prayer and Bible study. I had been struggling with feelings of jealousy toward a member of our family and I knew in my heart this was sin. So I confessed this to our group and asked for prayer. One of the older women said to me, "Why, Brenda! Christians don't get jealous." That hit me hard and discouraged me. For a minute or two I questioned my relationship with the Lord, but realized that I was His child, I had sinned, I wanted forgiveness, I wanted healing, and I expressed that to the group. The same lady said, "that is not being jealous. That is feeling badly."  A person could call it feeling bad but in my heart it was jealousy and it was sin.

What are we to do when we have thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are not glorifying to God? First of all, we will know the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We will know that we have sinned. We are called to repent and we ought to do so immediately. God's wonderful promise in I John 1:9 is that when we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive ... and to cleanse!

When we throw up a façade and pretend that we are righteous in our own self effort, we are being hypocrites. By doing so, we may fool people around us but don't forget: our facades are transparent to God. He knows our hearts, our actions, our intentions. He is always ready to forgive and to help us live as the people He created us to be. What a blessing!

I love Psalm 139 and the fact that He knows everything about me. He is LOVE and He offers His mercy and grace in all our joys and trials. Take comfort in these words and realize our Lord is not standing by waiting to beat us up when we falter -- when we sin:

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it. . . .
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!"

It's time to tear down my facades. They are transparent to God!

Where is God?

The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms.
He thrusts out your enemies before you;
It is he who cries, ‘Destroy them!
--Deuteronomy 33:27

 

One time I was working on a talk entitled "Hope and Healing in This Troubled World." Wayne was working at his desk and I was at mine. Suddenly I asked him, "Where is GOD when the bottom falls out?"

 

I thought he would give me a few points that could be expanded for the talk. But his answer came without hesitation. It was one word: "underneath". So simple, but so profound! I shall never forget it.

 

Tonight I chose this picture of Grampie Wayne holding baby Isaac. His arms are "underneath" and this baby is resting in peace. He is safe. He is secure. He is comfortable. He is dearly beloved.

 

This picture and these thoughts are precious to me because in their own, faltering way they remind me of just how blessed and cherished we are by our Heavenly Father. I know this grandfather and I know he would protect his loved ones with his very life if need be. How much MORE God has done for us -- and will continue to do!

 

Life on earth can be very tough. Sometimes the bottom really does fall out. When trials and sorrows come, we are often reminded of just how fragile and helpless we are. I've been there, and so have you. Two things comfort me at those times. First, all that challenges our peace and well-being on this earth is temporary. And secondly, we never walk alone. Never!

 

Consider this old song by Dottie Rambo:

 

"I feel the touch of hands so kind and tender.
They're leading me in the paths that I must trod.
I'll have no fear for Jesus walks beside me
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.

"Soon I shall hear the call from heaven's portals
Come home my child, It's the last mile you must trod
I'll fall asleep and wake in God's sweet heaven
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Clay Doesn't Decide

One of the things on my mind as I began writing this little blog was my desire to be the person that God created me to be. This is nothing new to my heart, but at seventy years of age it seems I should be a lot closer to that goal by now.

If you are a Christian, you can probably relate. You may look at your life and evaluate your accomplishments and your missed opportunities and hope that you have made a difference for someone along the way.

Most likely you want to be a helper and an encourager to your family, your friends, and the people that you meet on your journey. And if you are anything like me, you wonder if you have spent too much energy on yourself and too little on others. It is easy to question your motives and also question your effectiveness.

Wait! We keep forgetting, don't we? We give lip service to the fact that that HE is the Potter and we are the clay, but do we really understand that our job is to yield to Him while He makes us into the kind of vessel He wants us to be? In His hands, we are molded and shaped and fired and used for His purpose in the time and place of His choosing. So the question isn't so much what have you and I accomplished, but how much yielding have we done? How often have we stopped struggling to be who WE think He wants us to be? In His hands, we are being used whether we know it or not.

Let me give you an example. This one blew me away. It really did. A couple of weeks ago, I went into my Mom's Church and took a seat near the front. We were a few minutes early. All of a sudden a woman that I had never met came over and said, "I am so glad to see you. You are Ruth's daughter, aren't you?" How did she know who I was? That remains a mystery. The woman told me that she reads my blogs and told me they are helpful to her. Really? I had no idea. How did she even find the blogs? To my knowledge, that Church doesn't know about them. Maybe she did a search or maybe someone passed the site along. That remains a mystery, too.

Later on, we found out this lady is facing serious surgery. I am so happy to have met her and to have been given the opportunity to talk with her. It was a joyful thing to share a blessing that God gave me a few years ago. It is an honor even now to pray for her. What an awesome GOD we serve. He orders circumstances and He does things with us and through us to help others -- and He even does that without our knowledge. What a wondrous thing it is to be in the Potter's hands and to be involved in  what He is doing!

If we are Christians, the LORD has given us gifts, placed us where He wants us, and is using us to bless one another and to bring glory to Him. . . "God has so composed the body. . . that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." (From I Corinthians 12)

The Glory of His Presence

Holmes Bay Baptist Church

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper
    in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!


Without question, the greatest joy of my life is time that I spend alone with God whether it is in a house of worship, in a quiet moment at the breakfast table, reading the Bible online, or communing with Him at night from the 
silence of  our bed.                                                         

What a wonderful sense of peace, comfort, and joy to know that He will never leave me nor forsake me.  From childhood, I have had the question: "How can God keep track of everybody from all of the world and from all of history all at once?" It is amazing and it is mind boggling. The Psalmist addressed that question in the 139th Psalm:

"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you."

It is true that I cannot hide from Him, but it is equally true that I am always in His loving care. What does that mean to me? It means that in the most joyous times of my life, He is there to make them more wonderful. It means that in the sorrows of life and the pain, He is there to hold my heart and give me assurance that He will never leave me, even though I walk "through the valley of the shadow of death."  He will do that for you, too. I hope you know Him.

There is an old song, "why should He love me so?" All I can say is that it is God's nature to love. He has poured out His love in a way that I cannot ever understand. And, YES -- in view of all of this I can think of NO wealth, position, power, or anything the world has to offer that would or should be preferable to me than to serve the one true and living God and Creator of the universe.

A doorkeeper is a menial job, but the door belongs to the King of Kings! I have to say I would love to open that door and welcome people in. What about you?

Inscribed on HIS Hands

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. . "
                        -- From Isaiah chapter 49

There is a simple but sweet little chorus that we used to sing a number of years ago. "Oh, how He loves you and me. . ."
All of us have times -- some more than others -- when we are mystified that GOD should love us as much as He says He does. We especially feel that way when we look closely at ourselves and see that we do not deserve God's love. We wonder why and how He would bless us the way He does.

Perhaps that is why God uses the analogy of a parent to communicate the truth of His love. He is our Heavenly Father. He is our "Abba" (Daddy) He says that He cherishes us the way a mother does her baby.

Most of us can understand that picture -- especially those of us who are parents. There are times when we are SO disappointed in the actions or attitudes of our own children. Most of us have shed tears over their crimes and misdemeanors. Some of us have faced some tough situations with our children or because of them. But no matter how difficult things were, there remained a place in our hearts that cherished them. We never gave up hope. Through the various heartaches, love endured.

You may or may not be a parent, but you ARE someone's child. It is very likely that you have been on the receiving end of that kind of love. You may remember an embrace or a few. You may remember encouraging words. You have probably heard, "I love you SO much and I want the very best for you." If that is the case, you have a small picture already of the kind of love that GOD has for you and me -- and for all of us.

When I read that Scripture from Isaiah tonight, I pictured God with a tattoo across the palm of His hand. I imagined my face indelibly inscribed there. I cannot be wiped off His palm and He will never remove me. He will keep me there even when I bring grief to His heart and disappoint Him. He will keep His eyes on me even through tears that may flow over MY high crimes against Him. 

Are you discouraged? Are you battling an illness? Do you have financial needs? Does your heart ache over a wounded or broken relationship? If you belong to Jesus, He is holding you and He will not let you go! 

Someone has aptly said that whenever we come TO a difficult circumstance, God will bring us THROUGH it.  He will not stand idly by and root for us, but He will enter into the difficulty with us. "He holds my hand. . . the way may be long but my Savior is strong and He holds my hand." 

Count on it. It is true!  

How Do I Meet God's Standards?

Three Men of God

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.

                                 Psalm 130:3-4

If you are anything like me, you know people who just seem to have it all together. You look at them and think, "oh, I wish I could have their talent, their looks, their personality, their faith." You admire people who always seem to be there for others. They are the people that you know you could call at two o'clock in the morning and they would not hesitate to help you out. When you compare yourself to such a person you know that you fall short. You know your life will never meet the standards that guide their every thought and deed. You would love to be such a servant of the Lord, but you know how weak you are.

You and I think that way because we are forgetful people. We think we have to dig in our heels and work hard to make ourselves acceptable to God. We forget that is impossible. It is not possible for us to ever meet God's standard of righteousness by our own effort. Remember how we were comparing ourselves to other people that we admire? That was foolish of us. They are not God's standard. Jesus is! God's standard is perfection and we cannot perfect ourselves, can we? Nobody can.

That is what GRACE is all about. God has given to believers the very righteousness of Christ. He has done for us what we could NEVER do for ourselves. He sees us as clean, as pure, and as lovely as Jesus. How can that be? It is a supernatural transaction where God took the righteousness of Christ and imputed it or credited it to those who are saved.

He has taken our failures, our weaknesses, and our sin and He has put them away from Himself. They are gone, never to be remembered by Him again. The Bible says He has cast them into the deepest sea and put them as far away as the East is from the West. We are forgiven. Forever.

The next time we are tempted to struggle for righteous lives, let's remember that we are clay in the Potter's hands. It is not what WE do by ourselves. It is not our own works. We are His and we can have confidence that He is working in and through us according to His plan and purpose for us.

Romans 5 says, "therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. . ."





 

Love

I like to stand on the shore, the breezes filling my nostrils and coaxing me to inhale the salt-laden air.

The eternal washing and pounding of the surf quiets my soul and my heart clasps thoughts of peace.

My eyes follow the foaming breakers while my mind soars with the gulls as I contemplate the majesty of creation.

The Master-Designer is the focus of my mediation and I stand in awe of Him, self fading into insignificance.

Out there beyond the reach of my hand, my eyes measure the horizon where sky meets and melts into the sea.

By my standard it is so vast, yet by God's measure it is miniscule: a mere comma in the galaxies.

Comparing myself to all this, I continue to fade into obscurity. I am not the center of the universe.

I reaffirm that God is all and in all. It is by the power of His hand that the worlds are held together.

Transcending time and space His love wings its way into my soul -- the personal God reaches into my life.

Love that reaches beyond the boundaries of Heaven and fills all of space, touching every man, comes to me.

It approaches me in the person of Jesus Christ who loves me above all the rivers and mountains, stars and seas.

Entering my life is the Savior against whom I have rebelled and whose love my actions so often deny.

What an unworthy piece of clay I am to receive the greatest gift that the God of Eternity has to offer!

Within this shell of humanity is no merit to gain for me even one glimpse into the face of the Creator.

Were I to own all the gold of Africa, all the Emeralds of the tropics, all the jade of the East -- I could not buy it.

Should my life span a thousand years and be filled with acts of charity, I could not earn it.

Had I access to the wisdom of all philosophers and sages in a million worlds such as ours, I'd not understand it.

What no riches could buy -- That which no merit could gain and no wisdom could comprehend came freely through LOVE.

(Undated but written in my young adulthood.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
      Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

From Psalm 8

You Never, Ever Know

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
(From Romans 12)

We Christians are called to live differently. It is unacceptable to live for ourselves and our own interests with little or no regard for others. Rather, we are to be caring and compassionate people who are always ready to help the lonely, the needy, the hungry, the homeless, those who mourn. We are called to serve God by serving others.

There is an old song we used to sing at Church when I was a child. Its message was very strong and compelling to me. Perhaps you have heard it: "Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do, Do not wait to shed your light afar, To the many duties ever near you now be true, Brighten the corner where you are."

It really is a good thing to see a need and be able to lend a helping hand or an encouraging word. But the thing that thrills my heart the most is to see God do His work while I have the privilege of just being more or less an eye witness. It is the times when I plan nothing, but God does His work while I look on. Let me tell you about one.

It was a nice, sunny day and there were a few free minutes before it was time to cook supper, so I decided to take a walk. Our children were playing in the yard as I set out. They were to play nicely and Mom would be right back. Along the way I passed a home where new neighbors had very recently arrived. It would be good to stop and welcome them, my mind said. But I told myself, "not today. There is too much to do. Tomorrow I will bake a loaf of bread and stop at their door for a minute to welcome them here." But the nagging thought came back: stop now! 

I couldn't shake the idea that the visit should be now and not tomorrow, so I back-tracked and walked up to the door. I knocked. A woman opened the door, smiled broadly, and said, "YOU are a Christian, aren't you?" Then she went on to tell me that just as I knocked she was on her knees praying that God would send her a Christian friend. That short visit made her day and it taught me an unforgettable lesson. It taught me to simply be available, to follow the Lord's prompting, and to leave the outcome to Him.  

 


 
 

Memory From A Cavern

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." --From I John, chapter one

Sometimes I wish we would plan ahead for the inconvenient things that can happen. For example, when the power goes out in our house at night we are usually scurrying to find a light source. Probably most of you know exactly where to reach a flash light or some matches and a lamp or a candle when that happens. Not us!

No, indeed! One recent evening it began to rain. Thunder rumbled and our lights went out just as a loud crash almost shook the house. It was easy to find a candle holder and place it on the bar in the kitchen. Earlier in the day a box of matches stood nearby. I blindly felt along the counter for that box, but it was nowhere to be found. "Oh, no", I thought, "what if the electricity is off all night long like it was the last time?" What a pain! It is hard to stumble through the house in the dark. But it wasn't pitch black. There was enough light for us to see our windows, but that was about it.

This incident reminded me of the time we had experienced total darkness in a cavern in Virginia. As the tour guide explained the wonders we saw and heard, he stopped and said that he was going to turn off the lights so that we could experience total darkness. When the light went off, the ensuing blackness was almost palpable. People were awestruck. Nobody spoke. I wondered if anyone could breathe.

Then the guide said that he wanted us to see the effect of a little bit of light in a totally dark place. And he struck a match. It was amazing! There were probably twenty-five or more people in our group and we were spaced quite a distance apart. But the light of that single match was enough for us to see one another quite clearly. Everyone was astounded.

I will never forget that day. It reminded me that Jesus called us lights in the world. It is our place to reflect the light of the Gospel so that others may see and know. When we are discouraged and feel that our light is too dim, we need to remember that is not true. This world is a very dark place. And the more darkness there is, the greater influence our light will have.

God is calling us to be faithful. He will be in charge of the results. Remember what Jesus said: "Let your light so shine before [others] that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in Heaven."

Lesson From Children's Play

Behind our house at the edge of the forest stands this work of a troupe of our grandchildren. All it took to produce this was some boys with active imaginations, a piece of tarp, some rocks, a fallen tree, scraps of metal, muscle, sweat, ingenuity and teamwork.

It has been there for more than a year now, gracing the back edge of our lawn but we do not have the heart to take it down. Why do we keep it? It is their handiwork and they are our grandchildren. This "what-ever-it-is" stays!

I suppose the boys who built this were convinced it would be a great retreat for them. Maybe they planned to take their sleeping bags, some snacks, and a bottle of water and be pioneers or explorers of a new, wonderful land. Maybe they planned to solve a mystery or make friends with aliens. I don't think anyone slays dragons anymore, but maybe they were going to do some other heroic deed. Whatever their plan, this was good, clean fun in the fresh air.

To our minds, it is cute for children to live out their fantasies. Pouring their energy into such a project helps prepare them for bigger and better things. After all, someone has said that "play is the work of childhood." We really do expect that as they mature they will put their time and energy into something with more stability than this creation out back. We hope they will continue to grow, improve, and make worthwhile contributions in their spheres of influence. 

What about us? As Christians, what are WE building? Are we diligent about it? Are we willing to give time and energy to becoming stronger in grace and faith? Do we read our Bible? Do we pray? Do we meditate on the things of God? Do we spend time in worship and fellowship with other Christians? Do we repent when we sin and ask God's forgiveness? Are we on God's team?

We know that God is at work in the lives of all of us who have trusted in Him. He is molding us, shaping us, and making us more and more like the Lord Jesus. But we must cooperate with God. We must yield to His work in us. We must trust Him and obey Him. We must understand that He really IS making "something beautiful of our lives." 

Let us BE the persons God created us to be. II Peter chapter one says, ". . .giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.   For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."




 

A Half Truth Is A Whole Lie (Yiddish Proverb)

Brenda and Kevin Buza, or is it?

In American court rooms, witnesses who take the stand are generally asked this question or one similar:  "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
Apparently, this question is designed to allow one and all to understand the importance of telling the truth and refraining from giving a false impression to the judge, the jurors, the attorneys, and anyone listening. To do otherwise is perjury, a crime. But this is how it looks to me: the prosecution wants to present only the damning evidence about the accused. The defense wants to suppress the damning evidence. The judge decides what evidence can be accepted in the court and what is not allowed. So what happened to "the WHOLE truth?" Sorry, I don't get it.

Family and friends, we have problems with the truth these days! Someone has said, "believe none of what you hear and half of what you see." Who said it? When I Goggled that quote, I found it attributed to Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, and Winston Churchill. I stopped there. See? We cannot even agree on who made that statement in the first place!

The issue becomes even more complicated when we realize that we no longer agree on what the truth is! In John 18, at His trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus stated His purpose for being in this world: "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." I personally believe Pilate's reaction to Jesus was very sarcastic: "What is truth?" Little did Pilate know that he was looking into the face of truth and didn't even recognize it. Jesus had told His disciples, as recorded in John 14, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me."

Most have rejected Christ and His message. I think one of the most tragic verses in the Bible is, "He came unto His own and His own received Him not." Is there any wonder that we have a problem with the truth in this world of today? In essence, humanity is not really interested in the Truth after all. In today's culture, truth is relative. You have YOUR truth and I have mine. What is true to you is true. And what is true to me is also true, even if it is the very opposite. Explain the logic in that, please.

Why am I even on this soap box? It is because I am personally finding it difficult to take anything at face value. In the news, on facebook, and in our personal conversations we are being fed twisted versions of events. People are being misquoted, taken out of context, and the bits and pieces of the truth we receive often bring with them false impressions. It is awful to feel that you have to check Snopes on just about everything (and I don't trust them, either).

Is this a "sign of the times"? II Timothy 4 speaks of a time such as this: ". . . the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,  and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." Is that where we are? Maybe so. We tend to believe people who tell it the way we think it is, rather than gleaning the facts and applying logic to them. And we tend to dislike people who do not agree with us. Be careful! 

 Note: The picture above is less than half true. The heads are of our son Kevin and me. I have no idea who the bodies belonged to originally. This picture was to be an incentive for the two of us to embrace a healthy life style and become fit! It wasn't meant to deceive anyone, so I hope it didn't.