CELEBRATE LIFE!!

Many sacrifices were offered on that
joyous day, for God had given the people
cause for great joy. The women and
children also participated in the celebration,
and the joy of the people of Jerusalem
could be heard far away.
Nehemiah 12:43

God's people certainly had their faults and did their share in disappointing their God of love and of great patience. Despite all of the tribulation and ups/downs of life, the people of Israel certainly knew how to have a party to celebrate God. Why? God had given the people cause for great joy. He has done the very same for you and me as well but not just on one occasion.

My least desire in writing is to be morbid in any way, but have actually been thinking in a positive, celebratory fashion so hang in with me. When I was in high school, I learned from a conversation my Mother and grandmother were having that folks age 50 and older usually make a habit of reading obituaries in the local newspapers. They often read the obituaries of people they had never known. I found that very strange, but both ladies assured me that when I reached their ages, I would do the same thing.

 I can't say I have adopted that habit and yet, every now and then, I can't resist taking a peek at our local newspaper's obituary column. We are still fairly new in the area so I very rarely know anyone listed who has died.

On rare occasions, when reading obituaries, I come across one or two that are unbelievably positive and encouraging. Usually with such articles, I see a simple phrase that tells me a lot about the deceased. It might say, “On Tuesday morning, 10:00 at such and such a church, we will CELEBRATE THE LIFE of.......” That is wonderful and such a tribute to a life well lived. How wonderful it would be to celebrate each others life while we are still alive.

No matter our stage of life, we all, at times, tend to look back...to remember, reminisce, ponder the past or whatever we choose to call it. Unfortunately, our nature is to look back at our negatives, mistakes, disappointments and failures. Perhaps we have been through times of great sin or straying from the Lord that brings only thoughts of conviction and letting the Lord down. We can all look back, spending hours chastising ourselves for letting down family, friends and yes, God Himself.

BUT...God has been far too good in my life to allow Satan to feed my mind with the negatives I can no longer do anything about....negatives I long ago took to God's throne of grace where they have been placed under the blood of Christ.

SO...I am choosing to celebrate some things from my life I can rejoice over, not because of any good in me, but because of God's goodness toward me. I will include all of us in these things because of many of these events we share in common.

*Our day of salvation...remember that new-born feeling?
*Receiving my first Bible
*Vacation Bible Schools and past Sunday school teachers/pastors
*Best friends through the years.
*Graduations
*Engagement and wedding
*Children coming into the home
*Job promotion
*Church homes
*Winning folks to Christ
*Special times in the Word of God

I could go on and on just as you could as well. I realize that thrown in with the good, there are the ugly things squeezed in between. It is then we make a choice as to what we choose to dwell on. In Philippians 4:8, Paul charged us as to what we should think about and he puts no time restraints on this positive thinking. He says to think things that are honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute and anything worthy of praise. This refers to our thinking not just in the present, but also from our past.

So....what does it mean to celebrate?
Celebrating is openly acknowledging a significant or happy day or event with a party or festive activity.

Can we not celebrate all of those wonderful, positive things God has done in our lives and leave all of the old garbage out of our thinking? Few people agree to attend pity parties. We don't have to throw some kind of party, but we could because of God's goodness.. I'm not going to send out any invitations to a party right now, but think for now, I'll go into the kitchen, pour me a fresh diet Coke and just smile awhile.

Father, right now I celebrate You and all you have meant to me through the years. You have forgiven me, blessed and loved me when I least deserved it. I thank You for Jesus and Your Holy Spirit. You are my wonder and my life. I love You. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

TIGHT PLACES

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth should change.
And though the mountains slip
into the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains quake at
its swelling pride.
Psalm 47:1-3

Brian and I recently visited Chattanooga, Tennessee where fifty years ago, we spent our honeymoon. We went to the places we had visited back then. I must admit that most of it had changed drastically (duh!). A favorite of ours was walking again through Rock City which is still a most fascinating place. Along this walk, one comes to places referred to as “tight squeezes.” It would be very hard for some folks to work their way through those places be it be a problem with weight or even in some cases hampered mobility.

Last night in our ladies Bible study, we took a look at Psalm 47, really spending more time on the above verses. The entire Psalm written to be sung is a Psalm of Gods love and the security He provides for those who are His children. Just in those three verses we read of God's strength in our lives, especially in times of trouble. God being our refuge is such a comforting thought. A refuge is a place we can go to for safety and help. I think in our day of shelters of various types...homeless, battered women, rescue missions sponsored by churches and even pregnancy centers. All are the extended arms of God to minister in lives of need whether we recognize that fact or not...remember “Jesus with skin on.”

At the end of verse one is the word “trouble.” The interesting thing about that word according to my reference Bible is that it is translated “tight places.” When I saw that translation, and seeing that during those times, God is a very present help, I thought of tight places through life I have gone through. As I recall, some of them were really tight especially during my single days. There were work and financial stressors where there just wasn't any wiggle room.

We've all known those tight places during family life. Tight places could include job issues, financial woes, challenges in child rearing, and even health problems that in any area could bring troubles (tight places) that seemed impossible to deal with or get out of. It seemed the more we wiggled to solve or get out of such problems, it seemed to be of no avail. At times, the more we wiggled to escape, the tighter the place became. In it all, God was a help during those times even if we didn't recognize Him in it all.

The other two verses in this section refers to something we are all experiencing in our country even today. There are times were glide through Scripture as if what we are reading is just historical and not for today. The other two verses refers to weather issues. We see that the earth will change. Yep, God is SO smart. Mountains are spoken of crumbling, tumbling into the sea. Volcanoes tremble and some even spew lave into nearby oceans. When that happens because of the heat, the water roar and foam because of the hot lava falling into the water.

We hear in our day regarding “climate change.” I'd like to shout from the mountain tops that climate, no matter what it is, belongs to God. He can use it as He sees fit...IT'S HIS. Politicians can come up with all the solutions for climate changes they choose but it will be to no avail. They blame us in some ways for the changes in our air...misuse of fuels, industrial smog and even cattle “passing gas” while roaming their fields. No doubt our weather in our day is different from past years. The Psalmist tells us that we are not to fear no matter what happens weather-wise on our earth.

For many people in our day, weather has created some tight places in their lives. We have seen on our TV's horrible fires ravaging through forests and homes. Flooding has destroyed entire cities with their being reports of people who have drowned. It would seem we've had an unusual number of tornadoes and hurricanes. Unusual cold weather has spread across our country with unrelenting snow storms striking in some unusual places. All of these events disable and destroy...tight places.

In it all, whether our tight places are personal or national, we have a Heavenly Father who is totally in charge of everything. I don't expect unsaved politicians to think spiritually about anything. While they are full of panic, we can be full of trust in God, knowing He's in charge. We also know that in it all, God is trying to get our attention.

We have decisions to make...”Therefore we WILL NOT fear...” We can choose to trust during those tight places and not be fearful. God is our “very present help.” May we rest in that fact no matter what comes our way.

Dear Father, thank You for being my refuge in times of trouble and problems...my tight places. I may not understand circumstances that come my way but I know I can trust you in every disturbing event in my life. You are my strength and joy and have been in the tight places of my life. Help me to keep my eyes focused on You in the bad or good weather of my days. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

WISE GUYS

For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness before God...
I Corinthians 3:19a

My Grandma Benbrook would sometimes say of folks she considered to be know-it-alls that they were “too big for their britches.” I was never quite sure as a very little girl what she meant when often speaking of adults like that, but when she would tell me the same thing about myself, I had a pretty good idea what she was talking about. Now I realize my view of myself including a young ego were each inflated far beyond my size or age. As we read or watch anything of today's events, hear commentators or even people interviewed, all seem to appear to be the wisest of the wise when in reality, the opposite probably is true.

This morning while clicking through various TV channels, I came across one of THOSE news channels I so rarely watch, but caught Franklin Graham's name mentioned as an upcoming person to be interviewed. I watched that interview that began with a referral to Franklin's father. Just as his father, Billy Graham, would have done, he presented the complete plan of salvation. Right in that moment, THAT news broadcast was caught in the net of the salvation story whether they wanted to hear it or not.

However, the commentator seemed to tolerate those moments so he could dig deeper with Franklin about the President. Bottom line, the commentator wanted to know what Franklin thought about all the lies the President supposedly had told since coming into office. I guess a New York paper had published a number that had been calculated by some watch service. I quickly prayed for Franklin as the interview was live, that he would be very careful, and yes, wise in his answer. He didn't disappoint me. He let the commentator know that despite such calculations, he wasn't aware of lies told by the President. He added that “we all have lied at one time or another and have regretted it.” He included himself and the commentator in that comment. Franklin was having to respond on the spot. Knowing the commentator, he probably didn't give Franklin is questions ahead of time.

We all have witnessed people who would claim to be wise. Many consider if they have some kind of advanced degree from a university or seminary, that they are automatically wise. I would choose to differ with that. I don't know how many times I have told women that there is a huge gap between wisdom and horse-sense. Horse-sense comes with living life, gaining in practical knowledge we apply to every day living. Wisdom is a different thing.

God's Word tells us something about wisdom all through the book of proverbs. However, in the Word, we see the starting place in Proverbs 9:10:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom: and the knowledge of
the holy is understanding.

This verse and 1:7 are the themes of this wonderful book. Wisdom begins with God and our relationship with him. Otherwise, our words are nothing but a lot of “hot air” that may sound good for the moment, but that aren't beneficial or meaningful in the whole scheme of life. This is why degrees don't qualify us to be people of wisdom. Wisdom from God enables us to put to practical use the knowledge we have attained. Wisdom also gives us the ability to speak and think in ways that honor God and not necessarily impress the world.

Along with our having to have a personal relationship with God to be truly wise, that wisdom is then enlarged, expanded and strengthened as we become people of God's Word. Those folks who accept Jesus as Savior, and then don't stay strengthened by God's Word usually live lives in spiritual doubt. God has never intended for it to be that way.

Most people I have known to be people of wisdom rarely know just how wise they are. I've complimented some on something where they have shown wisdom. They are surprised being thought of as wise. The wise rarely recognize for themselves their wisdom. If they do, they are wise enough to give God all the glory.

The goal is not to be the wisest person walking the earth. The goal is to love and enjoy life in a relationship with God that is growing, loving and beyond all expectations. Our world right now needs people of wisdom. We see some crazy things going on in our country philosophically, politically and spiritually. We are hearing things from leaders in our states and country we never thought we would hear. In it all, God is lost to such “wise” folks, but He isn't. He's still in charge and still speaking through His people through the wisdom He sheds abroad in their hearts.

Father, help me to act and speak with Your wisdom. Help me to listen carefully as people speak and to have Your wisdom in my responses. Keep me close to You. I don't function well without Your direction in my life. Keep me alert to Your voice and I thank You with all I am for Your unending love in my life. In Jesus' precious name....Amen

ENGRAVED HANDS

Behold, I have inscribed you on
the palms of My hands; your walls
are continually before me.
Isaiah 49:16 (NASV)

In the above verse, God was speaking to a concerned people who were about to be taken into captivity. Although this event was inevitable, God wanted His people to have His assurance that they would not be forgotten by Him no matter where they went or in whatever dire circumstances they found themselves. His promise to the people of Jerusalem was so in depth, He promised to engrave them by name on the palms of His hands. Just seeing the walls of that city so precious to Him would be a reminder of His love for that city and it's people.

All of us have seen things that are engraved. Engraving means to deeply impress into something using an acid or some such substance, or to carve into something words or symbols. If we want to be a little sober, we have all seen grave stones, all of which have engravings of some sort. Such markers have become more decorative through the years. However when the engraving job is finished, the engravings are deep enough into the stone to never wear off

Some couples choose to have certain things engraved into their wedding rings...dates, Bible verses or brief words of endearment. Other types of jewelry may have engravings on them...watches, lockets, baby gifts and wedding items.

No matter the items, engravings are meant to inform (send a message), meant to last and meant to remind. As I type, I look at the back of my right hand and see an almost y-shaped scar. Scars are very deep engravings that many of us bear. Mine came as a result of a loving dog owned by a friend. He accidentally scratched my hand with his paw along with a great deal of exuberance.

When I look at the scar on my hand, I think of God's engraving the people and city of Jerusalem on the palms of His hands. He didn't need a reminder of them as He would never forget them just as He never forgets us. For God, it was a loving gesture. Many folks who tattoo their bodies, do so out of wanting a lasting and loving tribute to someone...a parent, spouse or child. When the people of Jerusalem were taken into captivity, it could echo in their ears when God said, “Look, I have engraved you on the palm of my hand.” Their captivity was inevitable, but so was the love and presence of God.

God has chosen to permanently hold His people in the palms of His hands. Thus, He considers our relationship with Him to be permanent. I'm also reminded that such a thing should indicate for me personally that I'm a part of a great relationship with God beyond explaining or even at times understanding. Jesus said of Himself as the good shepherd and of His sheep in John 10:28:

And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them

out of my hand.

The main thing we must not forget is that Jesus also bears marks on his hands...scars. Scars, for anyone who has them, are some of the deepest engravings there can be on the human body. His scars are a result of what He did for us on the cross. Jesus doesn't have to be reminded of what He did for us that day. He knows our name and lovingly holds us closer than we can imagine. In those scars is represented the name of everyone He died for on that horrible day. I'm represented there and so are you.

Thank You dear Jesus, for loving me so much. You wear me on your hands as a new parent bearing baby pictures for the world to see. You love me so much more than any new parent, close friend or favorite pet. Thank You for being You and for knowing my name. I love You so much...In Jesus name...Amen