Oil Spill

Psalm 119:105
Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path

At the time of this writing the Gulf Coast is battling a horrific oil spill unrivaled in our nation's history. Peter and I were talking about what he heard on the news in regards to some of the procedures that were bypassed or compromised prior to the explosion and subsequent leak. It seems that it was not a single incident, but rather a series of ignoring the systems in place. This led to the now infamous oil spill. In the spiritual realm, we can also do the same thing. God's word is the manual for our life. If we read the word and follow what it says, we live a life of integrity and wisdom. But, when we don't listen or compromise we start going down that slippery slope that leads to failure. Most people don't wake up thinking to themselves "I think I will have an affair today" or "I think that I will cheat my employer". No, it is the small things that we start doing that takes us on a path that we didn't intend. They seem harmless, but in the end are dangerous. We have heard that it is the "little foxes that spoil the vine." That is not to say that "big" things don't get us into trouble spiritually or relationally (because they can and do!), but a lifestyle of compromise is insidious. We don't think that little indiscretion can wreak havoc on our lives. So, we plow right through, not giving much thought to our actions. I pray that we live a life that doesn't overlook or compromise God's truth in our lives.

Points to ponder:

Are there things in my life that I am compromising?
Am I seeking God's wisdom in order to live a life of integrity?
Do I recognize that when I compromise or ignore God's word that I am sinning?
Has any behavior or attitude come to mind while reading this that I should change?

Meditation verses:
Psalm 119:125

¹²⁵ I am your servant. Give me wisdom
so I can understand your rules.

Psalm 111:10

1. Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord; those who obey his orders have good understanding. He should be praised forever.
   Psalm 18:30
   The ways of God are without fault. The Lord's words are pure. He is a shield to those who trust him.
2. Psalm 25:4
   Lord, tell me your ways. Show me how to live.

Streams of Living Water

I love flowers. I have been blessed with a garden that has one of my favorites - hydrangeas. I cut two of the beautiful blossoms to place in my bedroom. A couple of hours after placing them in the vase, I noticed that one of the flowers was completely wilted. The other bloom stood proudly hydrated and showing off its glory. At first, I just thought "oh well" got a dud. But then, I took it out of the vase and I noticed the hard nodule at the end of the stem. It was the point where I had made the cut from the bush. I always cut the stems again when I get back in the house before I place them in the vase. Somehow, I had neglected to cut the stem again, therefore, its source of water was stifled. I began to think about how as believers, the flow of living waters can be blocked. The flower that was drinking of the water was thriving. The flower that was right there in the same vase was dying. (I know that technically since they were cut from the bush, they were both dying, but let's not get too picky.) Our source of living water is Jesus Himself and the Word of God. Jesus said it better than I could. John 7:38 says "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." If we don't believe in Christ, we cannot survive. We may live among other "flowers" who look just like us, but eternally we are perishing. The good news is that once I cut the hard nodule out, the flower perked right up. It was now receiving what it needed to carry out its purpose of bringing beauty and joy to the beholder. I can relate to that. In order for me to carry out God's purpose and plan for me, I must be connected to the Source of life constantly. I sometimes have places in me that need to be cut away too so that I may bloom. Thankfully, God is the Master Gardener who lovingly and gently prunes away what hinders growth. Will you trust Him today to be your Source and Gardener for life?

Scriptures to meditate on:

John 15:2 "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.'

John 3:16
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 4:13-15 13 "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15 "The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

For quite some time now, I have enjoyed observing the various birds that come to feast upon the feeder I have in my yard. I have seen cardinals, bluebirds, wrens and finches to name a few. It brings me great pleasure to see their beautiful colors and hear the melodic songs they sing. Recently, however, some of that joy has been displaced by the largest crows I have ever seen eating up all the delectable seeds that had previously been reserved for my songbirds. There seems to be no short supply of what I consider to be nuisances and not my desired feathered friends. Their addition to my yard is univited and unwanted and I have considered them only a slight step above the carrions that eat the dead carcasses left behind. It got me to thinking though about how we respond to people that we consider undesirables...you know, the poor, the sick, the elderly perhaps...Most of us are attracted to people who are beautiful, cultured, financially secure etc. Not unlike those birds that I find to be attractive. It is easier to be friendly to people that are friendly. It is easier to like people that are likable. It is easier to like people that give me something in return. But, is that how Jesus would have us be? I don't think so. Who did Jesus associate himself with? Was it the most popular, talented, and handsome leaders of his day? No, it was the tax collectors, the lepers, the forgotten, the undesirables. Those people needed His love and bread from heaven possibly even more than the desirables did. I am not saying that you can't have the beautiful songbirds and only have crows. God gave us the birds to enjoy and to bring us pleasure. Only He wants us to let a few crows eat our seeds. Don't resent the people (or crows!!) that God sends your way...they need to eat too...

Scriptures to meditate on:

Luke 14:12-13 (New International Version)
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

Romans 12:16 (New International Version)
16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.

Matthew 9:11-13 (New International Version)
11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Open House

My house is on the market because we are moving to a different state. It has been quite a process getting the house spit shine ready for marketing. I have cleaned, dusted and vacuumed until I don't want to have to do it again anytime soon. But that is not to be when you want to make a great first impression. Strangers will be coming in to peer into my closets, my cabinets and every other private place that anyone with gracious, southern manners would never dare to venture. Therefore, it behooves me to have all those secret, closed spaces neat and tidy. I wouldn't want people to think that I have anything to hide. Thinking about this makes me pause to think when God looks inside my secret place, otherwise known as my heart, what does He find? To the world, I could look pulled together, attractive, neat and tidy. But if I really examine my heart, is it cluttered with the worries of the day, sinful thoughts, or so dirty that it would take years to clean? God's word says in Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? " That is a warning that no matter how good I may look on the outside, I could be deceiving myself that I am not in right standing with God. Thankfully, when I confess my sins and my shortcomings to God, He forgives me. He promises to wash me clean. He loves you and me unconditionally and wants the interior to match the exterior. Just as it is a process to clean a house for market, the process of cleansing one's heart takes time and effort. We can't do it without the supernatural act of the Holy Spirit, but as we draw closer and closer to our Lord, He will make us beautiful beyond compare.

Challenge:

Is there any unconfessed sin in your life that keeps you from a close relationship with God?
Be willing to allow God complete access to every area of your life. I promise that even though it may be painful to bear it all, it will be well worth the freedom from bondage you may be in.

Verses to meditate on:

Psalm 139:22-24 (New International Version)
23 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 51:7 "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

In God We Trust

I just received an email (which I forwarded to some of you) about the new dollar coins that have come out. The email is urging people not to accept these new coins because they are missing the slogan "In God We Trust" on them. The hopes are that if people don't take them, they will not be circulated anymore. I think that this is just one more sign that we need to desperately pray for our nation. In light of all that our nation is going through and the election coming up it is time the church got back to doing what it was created to do-be the salt and light of the world. We are not called to be social scientists or merely activists, but to show the world how we are to live. I know that this is not my usual pondering about the mundane things I encounter, but I feel strongly that we should be praying for our country. Having said that, I can offer some words of encouragement. Some people think that if we take all references to God out of every situation, that God can no longer exist or influence people. I am so glad that God is not limited to His name being on a coin or displayed in the ten commandments. I am thankful that I serve a God who is everywhere all the time. One only has to look to the heavens to know that no human is capable of ever obliterating God. Psalm 57:5 says "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;let your glory be over all the earth." We are living in perilous times to say the least, but I know that God is still on His throne and He will prevail.

What's in a Word?

I was telling my mom that I had created a blog page so that she could read it. Being of the generation that really has no use for the computer, she understandably did not know what a "blog" was. I went on to explain to her what I meant by a blog site. Lest you think that I am so techno savvy, I had to look up later what exactly blog stood for. From what I have seen, it simply means "web logging" hence the shorter form of the two words. That got me to thinking about the word and how it could mean something else. (I know, my mind is warped to spend so much time on such a little word-hee-hee). Here's my version:
B-elieve
L-ove
O-bey
G-ive

What do I believe? Do I believe what I see or do I believe what God's word tells me? God tells me in His word to believe what He says despite what I may see. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 it says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." God also reminds me that I will have my prayers answered if I believe. Matthew 21:22"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Does this mean that I will never doubt? Of course not, but I can tell Him all about my doubts and fears. Does this mean I won't have to wait for an answer? It would be deceptive of me to allude that we won't experience these things, but we can put our faith in God always to see us through difficult times.
L-ove Am I loving others? Do I treat others as I would like to be treated? Do I love God more than anything else? These are crucial questions to meditate on and examine our lives. We are reminded in Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." In Mark 12:33 it says "To love him (God) with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." (emphasis mine).
O-bey Obedience is doing what God says when and how He says it. Enough said. Remember partial obedience is NOT obedience. Jesus, always getting right to the heart of any matter, said in John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command."
G-ive Most people think that when the bible or preachers talk about giving it's all about money. That's an important part, but not the whole enchilada. Give of yourself, your time, your talents, your gifts. Ask God to reveal to you how you can give both financially and otherwise. In this well known passage in Matthew 25:34-40 we are reminded that when we give we give to God. 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Remember too, that you cannot out give God Read Luke 6:38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Phew!! That's a lot of scripture!! Just start with one area that you think that you need to work on and ask God to help you. Now I am off to take care of some "partial obedience"!!

Cammy the Lonely Giant

I took my kids to the movies today. Before the movie began, they played a cartoon about a revolting giant who lived alone on an island. No one wanted to play with giant and she was very lonely. Her name was Cammy and she referred to herself in the third person. She confessed that she hated referring to herself as Cammy, but if she didn't say it, she would never hear her own name. I thought that this was one of the saddest statements I had heard in quite a while. Maybe I am reading much too much into this cartoon, but I can see the parallels of real life from it. (Just change one letter of her name and it could be me, after all!! Interesting...) Many people struggle with loneliness. It is a fact of life. Obviously, if you spend great periods of time by yourself, eventually you can become lonely. Conversely, you can be around people all the time, yet still be lonely. But there's good news!! God's word has something to say about it. Psalm 139:7-10 says, "Where can I go from you Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there:if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. and 17-18: How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you." I don't know about you, but these are such words of comfort to my heart. When I feel lonely, I know that God is always with me. He never leaves me and He thinks about me!!! It is hard to comprehend with my finite brain that God thinks about me. If that's not good news, then I don't know what is.



Application:

When you feel lonely, meditate on passages that remind you that God is always with you. Here are some to get you started

Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Psalm 25:15-17

My eyes are continually toward the LORD, For He will pluck my feet out of the net. 16Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted.

Matthew 28:20b

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Cammy the giant had to say her own name so that she could hear it. Fortunately, we have a Savior who is calling our name. Do you hear it?