Truth, Whole Truth, Nothing But.....

And we have seen and do testify that
the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world.
I John 4:14

Several years ago, a young lady called me from CPS saying I needed to be in court the next week. She and I shared a foster child on our caseloads and she felt I might be needed to testify in. Telling me something like that is like pouring ice water down my back. I told her I would rather she did it instead of me, but she felt I knew the case better than she did. I've seen those court programs on TV. I've observed how lawyers and even a judge can make a witness's life miserable, but agreed to show up. Fortunately I wasn't needed to testify that day so all my loss of sleep for a week was for nothing.

When just a kid in my home church, it wasn't unusual to have a testimony time. I can recall people raising their hands to say, “I'd like to testify” and usually a woman, would tell what the Lord had done for her that week or would relay a big answer to prayer. That's something that isn't done much in churches any more that was such a blessing back then. I didn't think I could ever do that because I would have to talk in front of people and never wanted to do that in my life.

We've been in our new church a little over a year now. It's always so difficult finding one's way around and getting to know people. Having a social work background, I always have a tendency to sit and just observe people for a time. Right away, one lady I noticed sat in most of the services on a front row with a gentleman I came to know was an associate pastor. I watched her for a time as she smiled, greeted folks and often went to the alter to pray with ladies who went forward to pray. I remember thinking, “I sure would love to have her friendship some day.” Well, it didn't take long until Sandie and I became good friends. I made other friends as well, but because of where we sat in church, she was the one near enough for me to watch. Sandie's testimony was different from the other two I have mentioned. Her's was an unspoken one, but worth hundreds of words as I observed her.

We may be called on to give a testimony in a court room. In that place, we are asked to give a formal statement of proof of truth. It could be we witnessed an event, heard a conversation or saw something of importance needed in a court hearing. Testifying orally in church or some other setting of what the Lord means in our lives also requires truth. We must be honest in our reports of God's goodness and not speak words just to impress others. We also can't forget that as Christians, we all have a silent testimony that people witness when we have no idea we are being watched.

We are living in a day where people are starved for truth. We have lies on every side to the point that it's hard what to believe anymore. Politicians tells us what they think will bring in votes even if their promises are full of lies. Some people go fearlessly into court to testify knowing they are going to lie on the stand, running the risk of perjury charges if found out. In some cases, children learn by example from parents that lying is okay. I spoke to a Christian school principal one day and asked him what his greatest problem was in the school at that time. He simply said, “Lying children.” Lying children grow up to be lying adults if that sin isn't recognized and the problem taken to the Lord for help with some resolution.

There are some things having to do with truth we can count on and they are easily found in the Word of God. I am thinking of some phrases from Scripture I often think back to, such as:

*”I will guide you with My eye.”
*”I will never leave you or forsake you.”
*”Call unto Me and I will answer you...”
*”The God of love shall be with you...”
*”The joy of the Lord is your strength...”
*”He giveth more grace...”
*”The grace of God is eternal life...”

Those are just some phrases I ponder from time to time. Sorry I didn't look up their addresses, but it's just in phrase form that these words of truth along with others sink into my spirit so often knowing that those things will never change.

We must not allow the lies of the world to spill over into spiritual truth and allow it to cause us to doubt the things of God. When God says something, it will never change or waver. Everything in the Bible is a testimony of the fact that God is the author and sustainer of the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.

Thank you, Jesus, that You have assured us that You are “the way, the truth and the life.” You are all that wrapped up in one person and we can base our very beings on the promise of Your words. Thank You for such a sweet assurance of truth. In Your precious name....Amen

BEHAVE YOURSELF

(Love) doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil....
I Corinthians 13:5

Most of us probably can't remember when we first heard the word “behave.” I know I heard it while quite young. I didn't know what it meant, but it was usually said to me when our family was going to go out where my Mother didn't want me to embarrass her. I pretty much knew what she meant with that mild exhortation. It got really bad if she had to say it on location of the event. I learned through the years that when I heard the word “behave” that there was a certain expectation of my behavior while in adult company. The same expectations also applied no matter where I was whether at church, school or other places where I would be in public.

My grandma on my Daddy's side suddenly passed away when I was quite young. I was at the ripe old age of 6-1/2. (Had to count that half year back then, if you remember). I know I didn't know what dying was so had to go through a brief schooling on the subject. I knew that flowers and dogs died, but people seemed to me to be pretty much in place for good. Bottom line was that I couldn't go to Grandma's funeral because I was too young, but was allowed to go to the visitation. Those were the days when many visitations were held in the family home. I remember Grandma laying in a big shiny box, looking like she was sleeping and she looked very pretty. There were flowers all over the place and lots of family, friends and neighbors were there. Before leaving our house I was told: “I want you to behave yourself...DON'T run around, touch the flowers, bother your cousins, or leave the house...” and on an on went the list. Occasionally, while there, I was reminded “Glendarae, behave” when I couldn't even figure out what I was doing that was wrong.

My Mother wasn't so interested in my “being” something as she was insisting on my “doing” things that met family criteria. That is nothing unusual for parents whether it was my parents or the parents of other children. However, the word “be” can be some distance from the word “do.” There are just some things we are without thinking. This is where character and integrity come into play.

There are many verses of Scripture, however, that address our BE-havior. In younger years, behavior is our practice for what and who we become. Then we will find ourselves doing what behavior has taught us. That can end up being for the good or even for the bad. There are some phrases that come to my mind from Scripture that admonish us in our “behaving” that may approach behavior from different angles. We'll let the Word of God speak for itself as it is so very capable of doing:

Be of good courage, and let us BEHAVE ourselves
valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our
God: and let the Lord do that which is good in
His sight.
I Chronicles 19:13
(This is such a good one for the days we are living in.)

I will BEHAVE myself wisely in a perfect way.
O when wilt thou come unto me?
Psalm 101:2

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how
thou oughtest to BEHAVE thyself in the house of
God, which is the church of the living God, the
pillar and ground of the truth.
I Timothy 3:15
(Paul had his hands full teaching those folks how to behave in church.)

This last couple of verses are as convicting for me regarding behaving as any others. Please accept that I'm talking to myself more than anyone else:

The aged women likewise, that they be in BEHAVIOUR as
becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much
wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober,
to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient
to their own husbands that the word of God be not
blasphemed.
Titus 2:3-5
(I have often reminded younger women that they are an older women to someone younger than themselves, someone who may be looking to them for life's lessons.)

It seems to me that we teach as much through our behavior, with others watching, as much as in what we say. We aren't children anymore, but perhaps there are times we need to say to ourselves, “Behave yourself.”

Above all, we should want God's approval as to if our behavior brings glory to Him. It can be hard during hard times, but the Holy Spirit has a very loving way of reminding us to behave ourselves.

Dear Father, please remind me through Your Word and Spirit to behave myself when I get off track. No more than I wanted to embarrass my Mother, I definitely don't ever want to shame You through any negative behavior. Thank You for loving me despite those times I disappoint You. I love you! In Jesus' precious name....Amen

What's Wrong?

As it is written in the law of Moses,
all this calamity has come on us; yet we
have not sought the favor of the Lord our God
by turning from our iniquity and giving attention
to Your truth.
Daniel 9:13

Who would ever have thought we would live in a day when terrorists would walk into a establishment in our own country and begin shooting at innocent people. Some have taken their wrath into school rooms, some into places of entertainment and forbid the thought, even into churches. There is a plot afoot to terrorize Americans on our own turf much in the cause of a false religion. The big majority of fault lies at the feet of the terrorists and their agenda, but we too must take some responsibility as citizens. Through recent years we have become cocky, filled with a false security that says that nothing bad can affect we Americans as has happened in other countries. In our moral laxity, we have also elected people into office who have no business even being put in charge of a dog kennel. More than anything, we have moved away from God and His principles.

Our country was attacked by a foreign country at Pearl Harbor in 1941.. I was barely old enough to remember bits and pieces of it. Almost immediately, men and boys flocked to recruitment centers to sign up for enlistment in any one of our military services. Many who weren't accepted for any number of reasons, (usually physical,) openly wept upon not being accepted (my dad being one of those). Almost immediately large posters were taped in store windows or on sides of buildings. Many were pictures of Uncle Sam pointing his finger while saying, “Uncle Sam wants you.” Some posters showed a military ship of ours slowly sinking into ocean waters. That poster had the words, “Loose lips sink ships.” Any spoken word by anyone against our country in those days would have been in fear of personal harm or worse.

In those days there was a fierce loyalty by citizens toward our country. Everyone felt it their job to be supportive against a feared enemy. Our family, like most, saved old newspapers, metal cans that had contained food products and some folks even grew what came to be known as “Victory Gardens” in their back yards to help with food production for their families. Every member of a family knew the importance of doing their part in contributing to the safety of our people as well as a victorious outcome of the war.

One day, my mother and I were on a bus going to a nearby town to visit some relatives. A neighbor of ours thought it would be fun to teach me how to speak “pig Latin.” I wasn't very good at it as I was so young, but there on the bus, I made a comment to my mother in that interesting language. It came out, making no sense even to someone who knew how to speak that interesting verbiage. I will never forget how my mother reached over and lightly slapped me on the back of my head. She whispered to me to never again talk like that as our family could be accused of being traitors to our country. Something so innocent became a very big thing that this then little girl will never forget. Today, anyone can speak threats in a different language against our country and it's people with no consequences..

Today, we rarely hear of treason in our country and yet we are surrounded by it. Years ago, treason proven was met with execution of the culprit. Today, we hear it from the highest of government officials down to average citizens. Much comes from people new to our country, some who have come illegally to our shores. Patriotism sits on a shelf covered in the dust of years and needs to be taken down, cleaned off and practiced as in former days.

So what has happened to us? The list would be extensive, but in our day, our political correctness, to a great extent, is spelling our doom. I see nothing in the Word of God that even hints at political correctness. Search the Scriptures and one will find up front, frank and to the point honest approaches on any subject. I have been hearing a lot about the prayer of Daniel in Daniel 9. If you want a good picture of where we are right now as a country and all that has caused our problems, delve into that chapter. As you read it, as have I, you will get a very good picture of our country, what happened and what needs to happen for us to get back to what God expects of us. Believe me, as one reads this chapter, there is nothing politically correct about Daniel as he speaks/prays truth. Not only does he read his people their spiritual pedigree, but he also speaks to us as well in our day.

We want things to change, but we are looking for something great and dynamic to happen that will change things. God has always worked one person at a time. I agree that if there were changes in some of our leaders, it would help with the revival we so desperately need. Revival, however, must begin in the lives of stagnant Christians who have lost all zest for the things of God. Revival may cause some unsaved to come to Jesus, but revivals are us Christians, who have chosen a mediocre spiritual walk.

Whatever changes come in our beloved country must begin in us. We must get back to being people of the Bible and people of prayer as well. Change will be costly maybe even to the point of choosing between life and death. There is an element in our country now who hates Christians with a passion. We must be strong of spirit and in staying close to the Lord in whom we find our strength.

So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. Daniel 9:17 Amen and Amen!

TERRIFIC THREES

“Two's company...three's a crowd.”

Perhaps in some circles, the above saying is true. It never works for a married couple to have a third party involved in their marriage if the husband or wife is having a relationship outside the marriage. With many teenagers, when wanting to be with their best friend only, may resent the presence of another teenager. When we think of “threes” it doesn't conjure up positive thoughts.

When in high school and at our church, there were three of us girls who sang in a trio. Judy had a beautiful soprano voice, Donna had a beautiful alto voice and then there was me. There wasn't much beautiful about my lower “honker” alto voice, but the three of us managed to put a trio together. Many of the church members liked hearing us sing in church. We enjoyed singing together. The three of us read music so the trio came together pretty easy. One thing about a trio though is that it isn't worth anything if each one doesn't sing the correct part. There must also be an effort made to blend together as much as possible. I love trio music and we enjoyed those days. When singing in a trio, the simple fact is that three people are required, so threes aren't always negative.

Any lady who has been in any of my recent Bible studies knows that I have been absolutely fascinated with “threes” in Scripture. I can't share the entire list I've accumulated, but will share some that have special meaning in my own life.

I must start with the “trinity.” A few years ago, a lady told me that she didn't believe in the trinity because one can't find that word in Scripture. She's right about the lack of the word in the Bible, but we can't discount the fact that in various places in Scripture, the three persons of the trinity are mentioned together, especially in the beginning of some of Paul's letters, for instance:

...who was declared the Son of GOD with power
by the resurrection from the dead, according to the
SPIRIT of holiness, JESUS CHRIST our Lord.
Romans 1:4

There is a very profound teaching of Jesus that I sometimes want to yell at my television set when I see teachers and some preachers talking who seem to ignore some very basics of our faith, one being, when Jesus stated:

I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh to the Father but by me.
John 14:6

Despite what the world says about making it's own way to spiritual success, Heaven is impossible for them without recognizing Jesus as THE way, THE truth and THE life. We don't get to our Father without Jesus, our Savior. That's an important trio.

The things about our faith that distinguishes us from all other beliefs is that of LOVE. We can find the importance of love all through Scripture. The basic verses in the Old Testament and repeated in the New Testament are so foundational as to who we are supposed to be. It's the badge we wear that says who we are.

We've read this last verse in I Corinthians 13 often, perhaps not giving it much thought, but Paul thought it important. Verse 13 says:

Now abideth faith, hope and love, but
the greatest of these is love.

It doesn't mean the first two things aren't important, but without love, faith and hope don't mean as much in the whole scenario of things.

The next trio may not seem significant but has been very noticeable to me in studying the book of Mark and reading in the other three Gospels, that is:

“Peter, James and John....”

When disciples are listed in the Gospels, invariably one can see the same three men listed in the same order each time. They made up Jesus' inner circle. I wondered about Peter (foot in mouth, rash, weak in many ways) because Peter was so human that led one to wonder about his future in ministry. Check out the book of Acts after the filling of the Holy Spirit where Peter was a ball of fire for Jesus. What an encouragement to me that despite my weaknesses, Jesus can teach me, love me and change me into what He wants me to be. Thanks Peter!

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Matthew 4, Satan arrived in the wilderness to tempt Jesus and with every temptation, Jesus answered Satan with Scripture. Check it out...Satan tempted Jesus in three ways...physically, emotionally (mentally) and spiritually. At the same time, in I John 2:16, John speaks of the same three things we too are confronted with.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh
and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life
is not from the Father, but is from the world.

I have loved Luke 2:52 since I was a little girl. It had to do with Jesus' growth from babyhood to adulthood. I believe it's an indicator as to how we too are supposed to grow. This verse states:

And Jesus increased in WISDOM and STATURE '
and in FAVOR with God and man.

Let me share one more of the many I have found that is a very convicting verse for me personally. This verse is found in James 1:19.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren,
let every man be
swift to hear slow to speak, and
slow to wrath.

That's a threesome that is rather uncomfortable for me. I'm to listen more, speak less and refrain from anger no matter the circumstances.

I give you these “Terrific Threes” to whet your appetite that as you read Scripture, you might be alert to such treasures, that make for wonderful trios without music.

Father, I thank You for being my Father and for sending Your son Jesus to do all for me He did to save, and secure for me a place with You in Heaven. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who teaches me from my Bible the directions for my life. I love all three of You dearly....Amen