BEING EQUIPPED WITH THE WORD

All Scripture is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof,
for correction, for training in
righteousness
so that the man of God may be
adequate, equipped for every
good work.
II Timothy 3:16,17

In our day, there are any number of Bible retreats and conferences folks can participate in as often as they would like. Some people attend those things because they are enjoyable and give a quick shot of spirituality. For others it may mean a salvation experience or re-dedication of a life that has perhaps come off of spiritual rails.

A couple of years ago, Brian and I attended a seminar at the Billy Graham Cove. The speaker for almost five days dealt with God's Word in general and our treatment or lack thereof, of it. The first few session really blew me away. Our leader didn't seem to deal with the Bible at all. We started out with our belief in God, how we know there is a God, how God speaks to us and how God spoke through His Son. I must say to you that it had been a very long time I thought in these basic ways, especially talking about how we feel about God. What DO we think about God? I don't mean just listing His attributes. Person to person, what do I think about Him and how engaged am I with Him? Such introspection, I saw, was necessary if one was to benefit from a positive approach to God's Word.

These led us in many ways of looking at the Bible...what it is, what it does and how did we get it in the first place. I know it all seems Sunday school-ish but we got down to some things I hadn't thought of in years.

For instance, our leader, Woodrow Kroll held up his Bible and simply said:

“Since God wrote only one book,
I think He would be pleased to have
us read it.”

During a question/answer time, he was asked the best version of the Bible one can read. Again his answer was simple:

“Read the one you have.”

With that we were challenged to consider that our Bibles are the only way to know God and not reading it is going to affect how we feel about God and how well we know Him. We also heard over and over that the Word is God's spoken Word, actually words from His mouth to the prophets and others in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, He spoke through His Son and Spirit. We're not talking about mental telepathy in the formation of the Bible. God spoke verbally, word by word, what He wanted His Word to say, using Godly men to receive the words, doing what writing God wanted, but spoken words that make up the precious book we call the Holy Bible.

We live in troubling days ...days of insecurity and yes, evil. The only thing that is going to keep us mentally and spiritually sane, is to be in our Bibles as often as we can. We won't benefit from just a light scanning over it. It must be digested and applied in these days. It's the only thing that can grant us the security we desire. His words to us will speak peace and truth to us for He is Truth.

Father, I'm so grateful You SPOKE the words of Your book, that tells me about You. Your book is THE source of my knowing You and learning from You. Thank You for your Holy Spirit, Who teaches all you want me to know about Yourself. May I be willing to walk in obedience and love as I know You desire. In Jesus name....Amen

GIVE THANKS

In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning
you.
I Thessalonians 5:18

A flood of memories rush through our minds when we think of Thanksgiving day. The older we are, the more the memories. For the most part, especially for we girls, the thing that comes to mind past or present is food. On that day, growing up for my family was having dinner around noon and then going to our high school Homecoming football game. I think it was the routine of most folks in our small town.

All of my Thanksgivings weren't that routine. I was in fifth grade, my Dad was in the hospital and the day before Thanksgiving, our cupboards were as bare as I had ever seen them. Mother and I knew the problem, but neither of us could say anything. About 10:00 the night before, someone knocked heavily on our front door. Mother called from the back bedroom and said that she would answer the door. She turned on the porch light, opened the door and there on our porch swing were two big boxes of food. Mother had been very private about our circumstances and I know I hadn't told anyone, but there it was. There was everything there for our Thanksgiving dinner the next day and more to do for some days after. I don't think a Thanksgiving passes but what I picture those two boxes sitting on our porch swing, Mother looked teary and I was so very happy with our mysterious bounty. I had just accepted Jesus as my Savior a couple of weeks prior to that evening. I just felt the Lord had given me a special present.

I'm afraid we mostly think of food on Thanksgiving, but are encouraged to think about God's blessings in our lives, especially from the previous year. Brian and I went shopping Friday in preparation for the special day when one of our children will be here. For some of the time I sat in the car while Brian finished up some things and I enjoyed watching many, many people coming and going from the grocery store. I love people watching most any time, but I couldn't help but wonder what their holiday would be like. Would it all be just eating or do people ever give a thought to God's blessings in their lives.

Sitting in the car with my notebook, I started to list some things I know I'm so grateful for that I've probably already thanked the Lord for. What I noticed is that we always seem to think about the really big things and take for granted the smaller things that mean more to us than we even think about. I also felt convicted that I shouldn't have to think of things of gratitude at this time of year when God is just so good to me every day of the year.

For instance, when thinking about little things but really they're not, I first thought of water. It comes into my house through various faucets. I drink it, cook with it, take a bath in it, clean with it, wash clothes in it and thought of some other things. I turn it on without a thought that it might not come through into a sink. My mind went to pictures of folks around the world drinking from muddy pits, no fresh water available. Water...just a simple thing but more than simple, it's God's provision.

I've thought of some other things I take for granted that are important and my list grew writing down simpler things of life I'm so grateful for. Some bigger things that came to my mind among which are people who have meant so much to me this past year. I've had some friends who have gone to Heaven...people who may not know the influence they have been in my life. I've thought of our three children who God is blessing in so many ways and what a joy it is just observing them. Another special blessing is our church staff that works so hard not just on Sunday's, but every day of every week ministering to our church family. I can't thank them enough, but can thank God for each one and their families.

What I'm saying is that perhaps we should get practical this year. God knows our hearts and already knows the blessings He has brought to our lives, but big or small, I think He would appreciate a hearty “THANK YOU FATHER.”

O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
let us make a joyful noise to the
rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence
with thanksgiving, and make a
joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Psalms 95:1,2

PS: We never knew who brought those boxes, but to this day, I still feel grateful for those boxes and those who secretly brought them on a cold November night.

Thank You Father for Your goodness in our lives every day. You bless us with not just big things but the small things that add warm touches to our lives. You gave Your best when You gave us Jesus Who means more to us than anything we could think of. Thank You for giving us so much, but mostly Your love. In Jesus' precious name....Amen 

"SAY THE NAME!"

Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name
Philippians 29:

It's a new phrase we are hearing on the news that is being screamed from the streets by terrorists in sympathy for a person who they feel has been killed by corrupted law enforcement. In anger, such folks will get in the faces of innocent passers-by screaming the command in their faces, ”SAY THE NAME.” No one should die because of unfortunate circumstances, but the yelling goes on and on only to intimidate.

Names are more important than we think. New parents labor over what to call a new baby. The baby may be named after a family member, Bible person or just pulled from a book of names. It is a title every human being is called by so we can't underestimate the importance of ones name. A name should be respected in every way but never misused. Of course, the most precious name for we believers is that of Jesus, God's Son.

For many years in our churches, we sang a hymn that I often sing the chorus to myself:

Jesus is the sweetest name I know
And He's just the same as His lovely name.
And that's the reason why I love Him so
For Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

I understand that there are folks who have a problem with God's/Jesus' name. There are non- believers who don't hesitate using those precious names in their cursing. Even unbelievers know there is power in a name.

Much like protesters, I too want to shout “SAY THE NAME.” It wouldn't be the name they choose to hear, but it's the only name that has any true meaning. His name has power as is especially seen in the book of Acts. The Christian leaders did much in the name of Jesus. His name today is still a powerful one. People find hope and comfort in just saying that name. Having worked in a hospital, I've heard patients in extreme pain saying Jesus' name softly with tears. We call on Jesus who is our mediator in prayer. I've had times when tired or discouraged when trying to pray that all I could say quietly was that precious name.

In these days of despair that is all around us, the last thing Satan wants to hear from us is our saying that precious name even to ourselves. That isn't taking His name in vain...it's calling on the One and only who sees, understands and can act as He sees fit. He loves hearing His name just like as a mom, I love when my children say my title...Mom.

There are a lot of very haughty people who claim no spiritual affiliation or belief in Jesus who will come to realize one day who Jesus has been all along. Philippians 2:10,11 tell us:

That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth,
and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

We could never in our day convince unbelievers that such will come about, but when Scripture says it, it's going to be a reality. Meanwhile, we should have such a love for that name. We sing about that name often. One of those small refrains is a special one to me.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Sweetest name I know.
Fills my every longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.

Dear Jesus, how precious is Your name. It reminds us of love, miracles, love, a cross, Your resurrection and yes, love. Thank You for loving us despite our being so undeserving. May we praise and honor you in every way not just because of a name, but because of who You are. We love you....In Your name and Yours only...Amen 

JESUS, OUR PEACE

Peace, I leave with you; My peace
I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be
troubled, nor let it be fearful
John 14:27

Ask any person the one thing right now they would love to have in their lives. The list would result in being lengthy and items varied. Some may list some spiritual qualities and goals but when really looking into the depths of one's own spirit, peace may be an expressed need. However, peace may not be close to the top.

My first acquaintance with the word peace was when very young. My parents spoke of my uncle who was in the Army and would be coming home soon because of the end of the war. They spoke of the enemy as “giving up” and a paper was signed on a ship called the Missouri. I just took it that it was happening somewhere near St. Louis. No matter, it meant no more war and there would be peace.

Since that time and with much maturity, I have learned that peace isn't just a paper signed by two enemies that brings about an end to a war. I've since learned through time and trial that peace can be viewed in different ways. Conflict will always be a part of our lives until Heaven. Peace is not the absence of conflict. For we believers, peace can be a part of our lives despite any conflict we face.

Peace like love is of God. An unbeliever cannot know either of those things without a relationship with Jesus. Looking at the epistles of the apostle Paul, one finds within the first few verses a consistent blessing....”grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” How interesting that in every case, Paul puts grace before peace. The simple fact is that without the grace of God that enables our salvation, there can be no peace.

For us, peace is a gift. Jesus said it's something given to us by Him. At the giving of this promise by Jesus, He was facing death in a short period of time. He knew his disciples were troubled as He spoke of leaving. They were anything but peaceful, but He assured them of a peace He was giving them that the world could know nothing about. His peace is totally different from what the world offers.

The peace of the world is often found in distraction. There are those who find their peace in money, the next new car, friends, a new dress, a few cocktails during one's day, travel, overeating and even drugs. Many folks may use more than one of those things to give moments of what they would call peace. That peace, however, is temporary and soon, other distractions from the pains of life are required.

We are living in world that is crying for peace and many are looking for it in all the wrong places. We are finding the world seeking it's own kind of peace, is affecting us who know what Jesus intends what our peace is to be. Jesus said His peace wasn't anything like what the world's peace. He even suggested the world will try to give us it's peace. I'm afraid we often fall victim to what the world has to offer.

The human mind is a wonderful thing. It's who we are and it will be what we feed it. Jesus gave us instruction...”Do not let ”....your heart (mind) be troubled. Otherwise, we have some decisions to make as to what we feed on that will either be a blessing or cursing. This means we have a control as we focus on the One Who is the source of our peace. When I look away from him, my eye wanders to outside influences. Jesus has provided the peace we need. I wonder how often we even pray for peace in our lives. We're not to be troubled or fearful (both the opposite of peace) as the world is. We aren't meant to be victims but victors through Christ Who loves us and Who is our peace.

These things I have spoken to you,
so that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation, but
take courage; I have overcome
the world.
John 16:33

Forgive me, Father, for worrying and being fearful over things out of my control. You've promised me Your peace. I'm sorry for not trusting You to be my peace, rest and contentment. Help me to find my rest in You and Your sovereignty. Please use me to be a witness to Your power, love and yes, peace. Thank You for Jesus Who is our peace. In His precious name...Amen 

ROW, ROW, ROW

...Be of good cheer;
it is I;
be not afraid.
Mark 6: 50B

One of my favorite places on this earth, to this day is the Baptist Camp I got to attend one week each summer through junior high school. I got to be a camp counselor for a couple of weeks each of my high school summers there. Only Heaven will reveal how God worked in my young heart during those days in that place. A city lake touches on a part of the camp so at one point, someone built a dock so that there could be some boating for camp attendees. I recall the first time I was told that as a counselor, I would need to go out in a boat, oar in hand and learn to manipulate myself on the water. Camp kids couldn't go out in a boat without a counselor so I needed to “step up to the boat.” I loved doing it.

In this process, I was reminded of a statement I heard and don't know the source or who said it in my hearing:. The person said, “Every one has row their own boat.” I couldn't figure out for the the life of me what that meant until I found myself in a row boat on a small part of that lake, all by myself. I found with me in that boat alone, that boat wasn't going to get to shore if I didn't do the work. I also realized that process was a real lesson in responsibility. What few times I was alone in the boat, I would have appreciated some company. The rowing would have been so much easier if there was someone to help. There wasn't though and the responsibility was mine to get that boat back to shore and docked properly.

To this day, I must say that as I read incidents of Jesus' disciples finding themselves in a boat during a storm and in real trouble, that it gets my attention every time. Some of those men were experienced in handling a boat because of their prior occupations so there shouldn't have been a problem EXCEPT for storms that could suddenly arise over the water, creating huge winds and waves. All was well until that happened and it's just as true today except in a different context.

Even in every day life, we are responsible to “row our own boats”. That's just the way life is. We can have the fellowship of friends and family, but when storms come, we often feel very alone...worried, nervous, frightened...especially when the “storms” in our lives hit and we wonder how we can possibly survive it all.

Jesus wanting some time alone, asked the disciples to go ahead of Him to the far side of the lake. It wasn't long until Jesus saw the storm that had hit the lake and that the disciples were really struggling. They were trying to row into the wind to get where they wanted to go, but it was only causing real panic. Before the disciples knew it, Jesus came walking on the water to them. They weren't sure at first it was Jesus, but He made Himself known and even got into the boat with them. Immediately the storm ceased and the disciples were shocked. The Scripture finishes with the disciples who should have remembered the feeding of the multitude that had just happened. This miracle in the boat shouldn't have surprised them.

How about us? Our life's boat may be rocking and heaving with the problems of health, finances, family concerns or even concerns for our country. We row and fight the waves wearing ourselves out emotionally. We need to remember that Jesus is in our boats. Remember that God has told us He will never leave or forsake us....that includes Him in our boats. He wants to bring His peace and strength into our lives. We can row ourselves to death and not be able to defeat any of the stormy winds that assault us. We like the disciples underestimate what Jesus can do in the middle of our storms. Worse yet, we forget the miracles and I do mean miracles He has brought about in our own lives.

We, like those disciples, forget the wonders Jesus has worked in our times of difficulty that were miraculous. Jesus has a more than wonderful track record in our lives so how can we forget it all. I recall times of prayer during a really tough time where it seemed like nothing changed. He doesn't change, He's still just as powerful to work on our behalf and better yet...He's in our boats. We still need to do our part in the rowing, but better yet to remember that He is our peace and strength. He's that presence that we can't ignore no matter how the winds and waves beat at our lives. Even if some storms don't cease after praying about them, we still have Jesus in our boat and He can get us through anything.

Dear Jesus, thank You for coming into my very small boat when I was at the age of ten. You have been a faithful presence ever since, especially in the difficult times I've had to face. You have worked in wonderful and miraculous ways and I'm so grateful. Thank You for Your continued presence in my life. I love You. In Your precious name I pray...Amen