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Friendship — The Gift of Love

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Be a Friend

During the early years of homeschooling, our children would read the Pathway Readers, written during a more simple era.  One lesson from them stood the test of time.  I must have quoted this a hundred times in my life as a parent!

“If you want to have a friend, you need to be a friend.”

Recently, we had a chance meeting with a man from our community.  (Actually, is anything really chance?)  He offered us his friendship — just because.  After spending a bit of time with him, we could easily see that he lives out what he teaches in a little book he wrote.  It’s called The Success Puzzle and in it, he explains simple, yet profound, truths on making the most of our opportunities.

One way Dick blesses others is to give his little book away to those he meets.  Needless to say, it has been relished as we read the wisdom contained therein.  The quotes below are a sampling of the truths found in his book:

“Friendships matter in life and in our journey of making a difference.”

A friend is “one who influences in the right direction.”

“Our major concern is that we be a friend to someone else.”

“Teach the lesson that you are not being a friend when you help someone do wrong.”

You know, there are always opportunities to re-learn things we thought we knew and practice things we thought we were good at.  This was one of them!

Let’s Do Things God’s Way

Life is entirely about being drawn to do things God’s ways and in His timing.  In living life on planet Earth, we spend most of our lives learning that our ways can’t be trusted because we so often act out of selfishness.  Then we learn that trusting God’s way is always best.  And guess what?  God promises we will certainly gain blessings when we follow a path of obedience and faith.  Seems simple, doesn’t it? 

Ah, but it’s not that simple!  And why?  Because we were born in sin and continue to follow our flesh.  It takes the “work” which Paul exhorts us to, to live and walk out our faith.  It takes work to go against our flesh, our way, our selfish path of getting what we want in life.  Not really simple at all.  But then again, could it be?

Could it actually be simple if we would just cultivate the strong faith spoken of in ages past?

Could we really do this obedience thing and live out the love of Christ?

Could we simply trust?

Let Go.  Let God.

I’m beginning to believe we can.  But in order to do it, we have to let go of all the extra stuff we have believed and learned and lived since we took our first breath!  You know, the greed, selfishness, fear, guilt, anger, pride…  Yikes, that sounds difficult.  Yet as each day passes, I’m seeing life wearing. me. down.  And I’m realizing God allows it for my good.  He allows it for all our good!

God wants our flesh and our will to be worn down so He can use us for His good.  As life takes its toll on us, we begin to see how pointless all our striving is.  Striving to get what we want, do what we think is best, and serve self above all.  Where has it gotten us really?

Oh, the peace and rest that comes from surrendering self to God and His purposes.

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Love God.  Serve Others.

So where am I headed here?  Simply to impress on us that loving and serving the God above must bring us to loving and serving those around us.  (Even when they aren’t lovely or perfect or the least bit like us.)

Here’s my point, and it’s one I’m trying to remember every day! —

Every one of us is trying to live here on earth the best we know how.

And believe it or not, God has offered us a reality and a direction for love and true success in life.  It isn’t by making tons of money, or gaining acclaim on the internet, or by having the most likes on Facebook.  It’s by loving and offering those around us a sense of value, just for being alive on this planet.

So let’s be a friend to others.  

Let’s offer a smile – a simple kindness – a word of encouragement.  

Let’s give them a sense of what Christ’s love feels like as they walk in our door.  

This, my friend, is what it’s all about!  Help others to do good and not evil.  Help them to see they are worth something in a world that makes us all feel very small.

It’s all too easy to follow what everyone else is doing.  To talk behind one another’s backs.  To add to the gossip.  To avoid those who don’t look like us.  To hang with only those who behave the way we think they should.  Instead….

Let’s love.

Let’s be kind.

Let’s see one another as God sees us….Beloved.  Child.  Rescued.

Today, let’s give the gift of Love & Life.  Our life in Christ can lift us higher than we imagined as we view others the way God views each of us.

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Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves;  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.  Philippians 2:1-4

 

 

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Why I Took A Blogging Break

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How LIttle I Really KnowTime…

Yup, it’s getting close to a year since I posted on this blog.   It’s hard to know how such a long span of time happened!  But then again, life is passing by at such a furious pace that it was almost too easy.

The word “furious” seems totally appropriate for how time passes.  It’s as if time is angry with us and that our enemy might just be stealing it from us.  Time with our spouse, time with our kids, time with our neighbors….and just who are those neighbors who moved in down the street?  You know what I mean!

So anyway, here I am, typing away again.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve typed, but not with the intention of posting, but just journaling my thoughts and lessons.  Life has had some crazy twists and turns for me and my family and the good Lord has been teaching me many lessons.  For those who’ve been following me for some time, you’ll know those lessons are why I named this blog A Mom’s Many Lessons years ago.  Life is packed full of lessons, each one seeking to bring us to the feet of our Father.  Each one attempting to draw us into a unique and amazingly peaceful existence with Him as our Master, Teacher, and Lord.  Each one pointing out our great need for a great Saviour.

So why didn’t I share with you along the way, right in the middle of those lessons?  I thought about that a lot this year and realized it’s pretty much summed up in the biblical admonition to not gossip – to not share with others until you know what the Lord might be up to – until you go to God first.  The verses below reveal where I got the strength needed to hold off writing and to seek God’s best during a difficult year.  They also remind us to seek God first and to not teach unless we are willing students ourselves!

Scripture Alert!  I’m giving lots of scripture references in this post.  Don’t ignore them!  Soak them up and you’ll know why I included them.  They will be health to your bones and nourishment to your soul.  And who knows, you never know when you might need the yourselves – isn’t that the beauty of Scripture anyway!
  • If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13
  • I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
  • A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak. Eccl. 3:7
  • Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Col. 4:6
  • Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Prov. 13:3
  • Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. Prov. 21:23
  • Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! …. James 3:1-12
  • Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Psalm 141:3
  • The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. Psalm 37:30

Who Are You Listening To Anyway?

When we share things before we’ve really dealt with them biblically, the lessons can be usurped and corrupted by another master, not one we should listen to.  Those lessons, our story, might be left unfinished due to using human reasoning rather than letting God’s wisdom and counsel do its perfect work.

As I’ve sat at the Father’s feet this last year (not perfectly, mind you – often I sought human methods – I’m not perfect and don’t want you to imagine for one minute that I am!) I could see my great need for time, counsel, listening to His still small voice, and letting those lessons sink in.  I’ve had so much to learn and I’m feeling more and more ready to share the lessons.  To help others who just might benefit from my hard-won lessons.  And they aren’t over yet!  Oh, no.

Reality check – our lessons continue until the day we die.  Each experience teaches us how vain, prideful, and just plain human we really are!  And they teach us how much we truly need God.  As you read the Old Testament, you will see a recurring theme.  God repeats dozens of time this phrase, “so they will know that I am God.”  That’s it!  It’s really quite simple.  It’s all about and all for God!

Simply trust.

Simply obey.

Simply rest.

It’s all about God and not us!  And there, my friend, you will find freedom.

Blessing as you walk the paths God has for you and learn to rest in Him.

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  • And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. … 1 Cor. 2:1-16
  • James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. … James 1:1-17
  • Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Psalm 51:6
  • Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.1 Tim. 4:16
  • Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. Prov. 10:17
  • This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. … 1 Cor. 4:1-21
  • For 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. Hebrews 4:12
  • He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, … Psalm 91: 1-16
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Are Christians Like Woodpeckers?

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Are Christians Like Woodpeckers?

I peered out my window the other day and saw an amazingly huge Woodpecker stabbing at the Crab Apple tree.  I watched in awe as he made his rounds, looking for whatever grubs he might find.  Somehow, it reminded me of people and how often we, yes, each one of us, look like that bird, seeking whom we might devour.  Looking for the holes and grubs in other people’s lives.  Trying to feed ourselves and feel better for all the wrong we see in the world.

But then, I saw in my mind’s eye, Jesus.  Yes, Jesus.  I thought of how I used to think of Him as one who also looked for the flaws and sins in each of our lives.  You see, my old-school, Catholic upbringing somehow gave me this picture of Jesus.  The One who judges.  I guess I heard of Him as judge and thought He was constantly watching and judging and condemning us.  So many of the early years of my salvation were spent wondering and worrying and watching everything I did to make sure I was in line with God.  Now that’s a lot of work(s)!

I am ever so grateful that God has done a great work in my life in recent years.  He has given many lessons to bring me to a true knowledge of Who he is and how he works in our lives.  Jesus saves now and judges later.  We only need to trust and obey and love to find health and wholeness in our life.  And then the real kicker?  We offer that same love to those around us.  Amazing simplicity!

So the moral of this Woodpecker story?  Let’s not allow old ideas to be master of our thoughts and hearts.  Let’s not be Woodpeckers in other’s lives, casting judgment, and searching for the grubs.  Let’s not use Christianity as an excuse to be the microscope peering into other people’s lives.  And certainly, let’s not picture Jesus as One who sits on the throne just waiting for our sin to pop out.

God loves us.  Jesus came to save the sinner and forgive past, present, and future sins.  All we need to do is follow Him, trusting that He is God.  Let Him do the rest.

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Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:15-19
When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him.  He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.  Matthew 25:31-33

Are Christians Like Woodpeckers really final

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Let Pain Do It’s Perfect Work

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Do you try to avoid pain, sadness, or discouragement? There's a better way. God tells us to mourn and weep, to let it grow us through the hard times. We live in a society that does it’s utmost to avoid pain.  We are told to “be happy,” “put a smile on your face,” and “grab a Coke, Starbucks, or Budweiser.”  You name it, there’s a slogan or a product to keep us feeling anything other than pain, sadness, or discouragement.

Yet, all we need are the Scriptures to see that God has other plans for us.  In James 4:9, we are told to mourn and weep.  This sounds like depressing advice, but Ellicott’s commentary reminds us that “For wretchedness, sorrow, and tears are the three steps of the homeward way to peace and God.”   It appears God wants us to know we have a better future than what presents itself today.  There is a better way.  We could be better people if we would only let God and the circumstances He allows into our lives do their work.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.   Matthew 5:4

My father died November 4, 2015.  It was a day that will be forever etched in my memory.  The man who was responsible for my very being is gone.  One of only a few persons who truly care about my life is no longer in my life.

As I was talking about my experience with some friends, they shared about how our society keeps death and sickness at bay; we clean up the messiness and anguish of death, confining it to hospitals and nursing homes.  We don’t allow it to do its work in the human soul.

I am a better, stronger person for having helped my Dad from this world into his spiritual spot in Heaven.   It was messy and painful and not a pretty picture.  Yet, I believe I grew a much deeper perspective of what it means to live, develop the spiritual part of our life (souls), and to leave this earth, our physical existence.

Most people in this world believe this is their only existence.  Their souls are empty spaces, void of life, not nurtured to know the living God.  They are hollow, empty shells of what they could be and devoid of the great work they could do for God.  Our soul and its future is the reason for our existence.  Not to have a house with the white picket fence, or a bazillion kids (or even just 1.8), or a six figure income (and a perfect figure!), or a summer home.  Nope.  We are sold this bill of goods as the American dream; but the only true source of life and future is in God’s plan, in Christ alone.

But somehow, someway, we must relish in this untidy, temporary life we have in order to understand the permanent, the eternal side of it.  Take time today to think of what distracts you from the “real” of life, from the messy, human part that was designed to cause us to truly consider that without God, we are nothing but dust!

Let God do His work and enter into the uncomfortable parts of life and death; don’t be afraid to feel and learn what is needed to grow deeper with Him.  See the value of your soul, not cast it away to be worried about another day.  God gave us our souls to be lived in eternity with Him.

Thank you, God for giving us eternity and for sending your Son to show the way!

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‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’   Isaiah 41:10
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.   1 Thessalonians 4:13

 

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