CARE-WEARY

Casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you.
I Peter 5:7

Care as we are thinking of it right now has nothing to do with the kindness and service we render to someone in need. As we are looking at “care” here, we are the ones who are in need. Cares in the sense of our opening verse have to do with those things that are of real concern to us. We live in a “care-weary” world. Some folks are looking at divorce, financial problems, straying children, and often serious physical conditions. Many people care very deeply about our country, it's culture and condition. We care about the world our grandchildren may have to live in. We see policemen being gunned down, college students with little moral values in place, many folks in government who have proven to be pure evil in their dealings, athletes who won't stand for our national anthem, and other cares too many to mention.

Peter, when speaking of cares, doesn't speak in particulars because cares are very personal. What may be a care to may not be one for you. However on both parts, it's serious.

When Peter speaks of casting, he is speaking of throwing something away with no expectation of it's return. As children, we used to play catch. I loved that and could have spent hours doing it. I knew when I tossed a ball at a waiting friend, they would catch it and toss it back to me. We only tossed the ball with the speed needed to reach the other person. The anticipation was that my friend would toss the ball back to me and on and on it would go.

“Casting” is a stronger word. It indicates throwing something as far as you can in order to be rid of it with no anticipation of it coming back. This is the form of the word Peter is using so let's make some practical uses of CAST but in a spiritual sense.

C – Commit your burden to the Lord.

Do I consider that God is really in charge of my life? There are cares that come into our lives we don't understand and there seems no logic to it all. Whether we understand or not, it's a part of our relationship with God to give the situation over to Him for His working His will in it all. I don't know how many times I've gone before the Lord and simply said, “I don't understand what's going on, there is no logic to it but I give this over (commit) to You to work in it as You see fit.” You see that's not just playing catch with God, having my own expectations of return. I'm casting it on Him for Him to keep and work with in His way. That's a huge part of the trust we have in Him.

A - Ask for God's help in prayer.

Most of us aren't very good about asking for help. Maybe it's a pride thing or that we really don't want to bother anyone with a concern of ours. The sad thing is that this attitude carries over into our spiritual lives as well. I wonder how many times we have gone through the hardest of times, never even mentioning our concern to Jesus. Bottom line is that He cares much more about those things that bother us more than we can know. If I have a health concern, I want the best doctor I can find. When we have a problem, we want the most qualified person we can find to take care of that problem. Why wouldn't we give over our burdens to THE One Who has the power to do in our situations what we cannot do?

S - Search the Scriptures

When loaded with care, the unfortunate thing is that we don't like sitting down and reading a book...any book, let alone Scripture. And yet, the Bible is full of promises and solutions when we are loaded down with care. Psalm 119 is full of promises regarding God's Word and what it can do in our lives no matter our circumstances:

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path. (v 105)

Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee. (v 11)

In a time of care, the Psalms is a wonderful place to relax and soak up the promises of God.

T - Trust Him

Very often, a time of care is a time of testing as to what we really believe about God. Trust comes through relationship. This is why consistently growing in our relationship with God is so important. When we have done that, trusting His will comes easier because our trust runs deep in Him and His will in our lives. Proverbs 3 encourages us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart....”

So lets determine to be CASTERS when facing the cares of life. God s more about us in such times than we can ever fathom.

Father, we don't like the difficulties that fact us so often. May Your Spirit help us to grow in trust and love for You knowing You always have purpose in any events that come into our lives. Thank You for loving us and for caring so deeply for us. In Jesus' name....Amen

BEAUTY IN FLUTTERS

But he knoweth the way that I take:
when he hath tried me, I shall
come forth as gold.
Job 23:10

My Mother went with our family on a trip to our national park several years ago. We did the usual tours in the car, getting out at places, looking inside and outside of old preserved home places of many years ago. One particular cabin, the Ogle Place has a nice porch area as it was then. Mother walked to the end of the porch where there was an area that was just firm semi-wet mud. I heard Mother let out a little sound of surprise. I went to see what she was looking at. There on that dark, damp earth were newly “hatched” butterflies. They were huddled together as they tend to do in the beginning days of life. They tend to stay close together and practice fluttering their new wings. I lost count of those little beauties at 20 but there were more. All were a lovely shade of light blue with all of the usual black trim. It was quite the sight, especially for my Mother who had for many years such a love for butterflies.

Brian and I just returned from our drive through Cades Cove and noticed all the places we saw “fluttering beauties” of different colors. They remind me of little active stained-glass windows. We saw the blues, yellows, golds and on and on. What a sight. I love how wonderfully our Creator shows off His handiwork.

I learned something in my youth about butterflies though. Many teachers will have a cocoon on a shelf in their classrooms for young students to observe the process of a butterfly's birth. There have been times when a well-meaning student, when seeing the activity beginning with the cocoon, wants to pick it up and take it apart in order to help the butterfly. However, what we know is that a butterfly cannot be helped with that process or it will die.

With human birth, we are used to helping with that natural process as much as we can for the comfort of the mother and safety of the baby. Even with human birth, there are things that must happen for a baby to survive. That first cry is vital as it helps to open up its lungs to begin the breathing process. Measures can be taken if that doesn't happen to help the baby survive.

However with the “baby butterfly” God has instilled in it the strength to push itself from the cocoon. Better yet, as that process is taking place, there is a chemical that is released gradually into the small, delicate wings of the butterfly. That can't happen if someone tries to help the butterfly out of the cocoon. When it emerges from the cocoon on it's own, it's wings are strengthened and with some practice in fluttering, will be able to fly. If the natural process doesn't take place, the human helper may feel he has helped when in reality, he has contributed to the death of the fledgling butterfly. It won't be able to fly. It can only lay and thus become prey to birds who will find it a tasty morsel.

I'm thinking of some folks who are really struggling. Folks may give suggestions and even extend help for one facing a difficult time. These strugglers may receive a lot of advice, lots of helpful attention, but the struggle goes on. In our culture, there appears to be answers for every kind of problem. doctors of every type, therapists, medications, counselors...many of which can be Christian in nature. Holistic methods including special diets and exercising may be recommended, but the poor individual is still struggling, and is left at the end of the day, in a state of utter frustration.

Let's face it, there are times when we face a difficulty we don't understand, we do what we can to find a solution. That is the normal thing to do. Maybe there's a doctor, medication or counselor that can help. No matter the help, our first response as Christians should be to give it first to the Lord. In the end, He is the ultimate problem solver in any of our lives no matter the solution He provides.

Sometimes, God wants us to struggle for a time that will bring into our lives a strength and growth we wouldn't know otherwise. Suffering for we Christians will always bring about spiritual benefit. We will know a new strength come into the wings of our lives that enable us to soar spiritually, bringing glory to our Father.

As beautiful as a butterfly is in it's maturity, flitting about from flower to flower, so is the beauty seen in the life of one who suffers, but allows God to bring beauty in their lives that blesses all who see His end result.

Father I pray for so many friends right now who I know are really going through some difficult things. They see no solution, but You have the answers. You are big enough to handle any difficult time we face. If You choose a time of suffering for us, may we accept it with a spirit of grace knowing You will never leave us or forsake us. In the end, You will bring forth a special beauty in our lives. In Jesus' precious name I pray...Amen

PEACE vs PIECES

Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:26

Unrest, discord, family problems, serious health concerns, financial woes, wayward children, political unrest, culture plummeting and on and on it goes as we look at today's unrest. These all affect our personal peace from time to time in one way or the other. Fortunately, all of these don't strike at us individually all at the same time, but each of us if not now, perhaps later, find ourselves sitting in the middle of some of life's pieces. We wonder if our shattered lives can ever be put together again or if we can possibly get through it all one piece ourselves.

For one, let's be honest with the fact that we will one day or another find ourselves with some part of our lives laying in pieces. The positive thing about pieces is they can usually be put back together with only a few rough edges to deal with. Should we go through a time of real shattering in our lives, the pieces are usually too small to make any sense of, let alone put back together. Day's with pieces are going to come so we are wise to be aware that it will happen. It's the nature of life, of the way Satan operates, especially with wanting to bring down any Christian he can

Pieces are very individual. Although some of us may go through some similar circumstances, they will never be identical. Every divorce splits folks apart legally, but the faces are different as are the causes. It's more and more important that we Christians stand ready to be encouragers for one another.

Jesus is a promise maker and keeper. He spoke the opening verse shortly before His time of departure from the earth...at least for a time. His disciples were troubled at the very thought of His leaving. He could have promised them anything He wanted to. He chose to leave them with peace. That peace has extended to this very day. It's available to us in abundance for the taking. That peace that is an inward quality in our lives may not necessarily pick up our pieces. Some may come together in time, but no matter the timing, the peace of Jesus is always ours getting us through a troubling time.

It was a good day when reading in my Bible, the verses I found in Philippians 4:4-7 that says with great admonition and encouragement:

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again
I say, Rejoice.
Let your moderation be known unto all
men. The Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall

keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.

These verses give us steps to take when sitting in the middle of some of life's pieces:

*Always be a person of rejoicing. The word “always” means just that.
*The Lord has not forsaken you...He is at hand in all you are facing.
*Refuse to be captive to worry. Worry never solved anything. Worry paralyzes our spirit.
*Take every concern to God...be honest with Him in your requests. Leave them with Him.
*If we refuse to rely on our own resources, but on God's, we will be amazed.
*We are promised the peace of God that no one will be able to understand.
*In addition, He will safely keep in hand our emotions and thinking through Jesus.

Another verse of importance is that found in Psalm 119:165:

Great peace have they which love thy
law, and nothing shall offend them.

What a wonderful verse that teaches the benefits of our being in God's Word. We need to be memorizing it, personally studying it, learning about it from outside sources, and swimming around in it if necessary. If we love God's law, we'll make it a vital part of our lives.

Don't ask me how all this happens apart from what we read in God's Word. He doesn't want His children to wander around crying, fussing, plotting and all that goes with solving our own problems. When we do, as the unsaved watch us, it doesn't look good on our God who we tell folks can handle anything. We must let go and let God do His work in our circumstances and within us that as we grow, God will be honored and glorified.

Help me Father, to accept Your peace but to do my part in being a person of rejoicing and prayer. I praise You for Your generosity in my life, filling it with Your love and peace. May I walk worthy of being Your child. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

A good name is rather to be chosen
than great riches, and loving favour
rather than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1

From the first breath we breathe and let out our first cry, a name for us has generally been already determined by our parents. I think today, parents think more about names and their meanings than what was done in my day. In my day, babies may have been named after a good friend or family member...sometimes just using a name picked out of the air. The name we are given, is the only thing we are given  that is free and permanent.

Through the years, even though a name is given to a baby out of love and with careful consideration, it's a fact that there are events in a child's life that can determine what that name comes to mean to others. I think we would call it “reputation.” There was a day before my day when parents stressed with children the importance of their name and guarding their last name. If a child did something that would draw negative attention to him or her, it reflected on the rest of the family. A name is important and it needs to be guarded and in a sense cherished.

I learned early in life how complicated my first name was. When asked my name, there were times I had to pronounce it for them maybe two times and at times even spell it. I hated the first day of school when a teacher would stand before the class and read off everyone's name. Teachers, even those who knew me and my parents, always said it wrong or distorted it. I never looked forward to that first day, but guess what...it was my given name by my parents and that's the way it would be for life.

I'm not sure even today if we realize the importance of our names. When I attended my 50 year high school reunion, there were people who couldn't attend, but their names were mentioned. At the mention of classmates names, pictures instantly came to mind of who they were in my life in high school. Even as adults now, names are important and register impressions with us. I can think of people in history I heard of in growing up years that registered in a negative way with me such as: Adolph Hitler, Lee Harvey Oswald, Lizzie Borden, Geronimo, etc. These folks were known for violent actions. Then, I can think of my former high school principal Goebel Patton and along with him a myriad of school teachers even into college, people I have worked with through the years, pastors I have grown under because of their consistent preaching/teaching of truth, and the list could go on of their positive influences in my life. When I hear their names be they family or otherwise, there are things that come to mind immediately of them.

In our day, as we view our culture, it would seem there are those who have no care of their names and their names being almost desecrated. I look at our media today with folks who went to schools of journalism, determined to make positive impacts on their community or nation. It would appear now they have sold their souls to the devil himself all for making money or a reputation for themselves. The good quality of their names that once was, sits now in a mass of disrepute and shame. These are folks who are known with big names and what the general public thinks of them doesn't seem to matter.

I will ever be grateful for the last name God has privileged me to now own. Marrying a man of character, integrity and godliness is a blessing I can't describe. Brian is on the quiet side at least in public, but can be an absolute nut at home. He's always appropriate at home and outside the home. He loves the Lord and spends time in the Word. It's a blessing beyond words bearing his last name.

A speaker I once heard said that you can make terrible errors in your early life and from that point with God's forgiveness and blessing, live out your life for Him. When that person dies, it is the good of the last part of that person's life that lives in people's minds. It's just the opposite with one who has lived a strong, good life most of the time. When that person errs terribly in his latter years, that too is what will be left in the minds of others.

I understand there will be people who will always think poorly of others, never like them and would even do their name damage. We have to leave that in God's hands. We must, however, do what we can to maintain a good name...we Christians would use the word we don't use much anymore and that is the word “testimony.” I am responsible for the life I live and for the relationship I keep with my Savior. What others think of when they hear my name should be as protected from damage as I can. I owe that to my past and present,  but mostly to my Heavenly Father.

Father, I am at peace that my name is written in Your book of life and I'm so grateful for that fact. Thank You for the times You have forgiven me and led me down Your path and away from Satan's way. I treasure Your name(s) and praise You for all You do for me day by day.

In Jesus' precious name....Amen

THE SECURITY OF ORDERS

Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this

people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the

land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that

thou mayest observe to do according to all the

law, which Moses my servant commanded thee:

turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,

that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;

but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that

thou mayest observe to do according to all that is

written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way

prosperous and then thou shalt have good success

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a

good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou

dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee

whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:6-9

We've all heard statements through the years regarding authority:

“You're not the boss of me.”

“I don't have to do what you say.”

“Rules are made to be broken.”

“My life is my business.”

“Not all rules apply to me.”

If we look at the news reports today, it's obvious that the climate in our country right now is about as bad as it's been when it comes to respect for authority. I so admire the leadership in our country that is trying to do what's right, but are met with some of the most disturbing behavior that could ever come from supposedly educated, grown up adults. From God's Word though, we see where there has been a need from day one of man's creation for there to be rules, for without them, man is on a path to destruction and thus goes the nation.

I think I have the above verses underlined in about every Bible I own. Forgive my sharing this group of verses, but they are interlocked in such a precious way. I didn't feel I could separate the four of them. Prior to the death of Moses, he had laid hands on Joshua to be the new leader of the children of Israel. Scripture tells us that Joshua was a man of wisdom, a man Moses trusted to carry on with the leadership of the people. It wasn't going to be an easy job for Joshua. Moses and Joshua were two different types of individuals. Joshua was the one who was more military experienced. However, this was going to be a different “army” he was called to lead. God could read him and gave Joshua the above verses to encourage him.

Although Joshua could have considered God giving him an impossible task, he was still encouraged by the words God gave him. In every promise was the promise of God's presence. I like in verse 9 that God said, “Have not I commanded thee?” and then gave Joshua a listed of things to be. God didn't suggest that Joshua be strong, courageous, or fearless, but assured Joshua of His presence with him wherever he went. God never gives us commands without the strength and power of His presence with us to follow His instructions.

What might you be facing today that looks like an impossibility? As God spoke to Joshua, He speaks the same strength into our lives. He never gives us commands without pouring His strength into us to accomplish His will. We need God's strength for every task.

Am I a seeker...a seeker after God for His strength and wisdom in the “every-days” of life? I need God desperately in my life. He's not trying to boss me around. He always wants what is best for me in the purpose He he has laid out for my life. He is my security and strength and I praise Him for all He is doing in my life. He has the same desires for you as well.

Father, You are my strength, shelter, power, support, wisdom and so much more and I praise You for all of these things and more. Thank You for working in my life. Forgive when I don't heed Your direction and for not recognizing You in my life as often as I should. I love You. In Jesus precious name...Amen.