Our Christian Responsibility - by Joy Wells

“…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me….whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.”       Matthew 25:  40, 45

It is a sad fact that many go to bed hungry each night; as Christians, we do what we can to alleviate this form of suffering.  But I wonder how many countless more individuals go to bed hungry for a word of encouragement and the recognition that they matter.  Perhaps the real challenge to our own personal growth is the challenge of our responsibility to those around us.  Indeed, we define our faith in the ordinary stuff of our daily routine, and the way we are with others may be the truest test of our faith.    How do I respond to the homeless person on the street?  What about the sharp-tongued, harried mother just trying to get through the check-out line?  The irritating comments made by someone I disagree with?  How about the lonely widow down the street?  The list goes on and on, doesn’t it?

Read again the words of Jesus above.  There is no escaping the reality that all our thoughts, words, and deeds addressed to others are in a real sense addressed to Jesus!  “Though Christ no longer visibly moves among us, we minister to Him in the ragamuffins within reach.  Each encounter with a brother or sister is a mysterious encounter with Jesus Himself.”  (Brennan Manning, Ragamuffin Gospel)

 “The kingdom of God is within you.” * As Christians, Jesus lives within each of us, and His light is within.  Indeed, we are people with a treasure inside, and that treasure is beyond price.  Let’s not discount what we have to give to those who may be hurting.  Let’s be “a vessel for honor, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” *   Mother Teresa was such a vessel.  She said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”  Elizabeth Elliott put it more directly:  “Let me not imagine that my love for the Lord is very great if I am unwilling to do for a human being something very small.”

Finally, let’s remember that love leaves a legacy!  Our deeds are our monuments!  We have the privilege to live in the future, long after we are gone.  When we honor the Lord by extending love to others, our acts will live on, growing and building in other lives exponentially.  What a wonderful thought!

Lord, thank You for loving me in countless ways!  I want to return Your love by loving others.  Help me to see Jesus in each person I encounter today, and let me extend the light of your love in any way that I can, if only by a smile or a kind word.  Let me think with the mind of Christ, see with His eyes, and love with His heart.  Amen

*Luke 17:21, 2 Timothy 2: 20-21

On Keeping Your Word - by Dr. Chris Duke

“I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that that went forth from my lips”
                                                              Psalm 89:34 (ESV)

 

Dr. David Jeremiah shared a story in a recent devotional that underscores this very scripture: 

While cleaning his home last year, Darwin Day, 70, of Grand Prairie, TX found a set of old Topps Baseball cards from 1957-1958.  Included were packets of Bazooka bubble gum, that had a wrapper which offered a prize from the company to anyone who correctly filled out in the scores from certain teams in certain games.  Since there was no deadline listed on the communication, Day filled it out and sent it in. 

Executives from Bazooka were surprised to say the least, but they kept their word.  They sent Day a baseball glove, T-shirts, a Bazooka pillow and lots of Bazooka bubble gum!  The company made good on a promise that had been made almost 60 years before!

We all make promises.  We make covenants.  Occasionally, circumstances make delivering on these covenants difficult, but we find a way.  I have in a joking way shared with my wife Ann that whether it’s a business, civic or family matter, “I have to sometimes live up to a promise if it just about kills me in doing it!”  After all, Jesus gave us the gold standard for challenging us to keep our word.  Matthew 5:37 (ESV) says “let your yes be yes and your no be no.  Anything that goes beyond this is from the evil one”.

Life teaches us that before we speak up, we should measure the consequences of answering “yes” or “no” carefully.  It is more honorable as a Christian to say “no I can’t” than to say “yes I can” in order to appease, but not follow through.

Prayer:  Lord, help us with wisdom this Lenten season.  Help us all commit to causes worth our time and energy, that also are commitments you desire us to make.  Above all, help us keep our word with others.

Closing thought:  If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath or binds himself to a pledge, he should do all that proceeds out of his mouth.  Numbers 30:2 (ESV)

Worrier or Warrior? By- Rhonda Pepper

Many things are passed down from grandmothers, to mothers, to daughters.  Many of these things are great and make us who we are.  Unfortunately some are not so great.  I have inherited the “anxiety” gene from generations of womanly worriers.  If there was an Olympic medal for worrying, I would have several.

Although I trust God, my ugly humanness makes me “what if?” entirely too often. Sometimes it is something very serious, but others it’s just petty. But it is always a sin.  What if I get in a traffic jam and I am late picking up my third grader?  What if my college student make more Bs than As?  What if I get a stain on my new white pants? What If? What If? What If?

What if, instead of wasting time worrying, that I use that time during Lent to build my faith and strengthen my relationship with God through prayer and t0 become a Godly warrior instead of a womanly worrier?

What if I remember that God is always with me even while I am experiencing anxiety?  Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

What if I remember what God has already done for me, Rhonda Jo Huffman Pepper? Praise the Lord, O my soul. And forget none of His acts of kindness. Psalm 103:2

What if I am both prayerful and thankful in EVERYTHING that I do?  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God? ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:6-7

Lent just might be the best season to turn my gaze and thoughts from all fears to the sweet face of Jesus and let Him handle my concerns.  My time worrying will not change a thing; but my God sure can. And I can rest in His peace.

Join me this season in laying down your worries at His precious feet. It’s not gonna be easy, but it is what He demands.   My goals are to remember your Word for me and talk to You whenever fears start creeping.  I want the warrior in me to overcome the worrier.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank You for forgiving me for worrying.  I want to lay my anxieties at Your feet.  Please help me to leave them there and know that You can handle them far better than I am able.  I don’t want my worrying habit be a stumbling block to my faith or to others.  Amen

Not Yet -by Joy Brown

When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped                                                                      Exodus 4:31, NIV  

When things don’t always go our way, it’s tempting to gripe at God, blame Him and want to rely on our own strength.

Almost everyone we know is walking through or has walked through a storm. If you are walking through a storm right now, do you feel God’s nearness?

Or does it feel like He has forgotten about you?

Have you wondered if God is with you?

Or do you believe He treasures you even though He’s not giving you what you want right now?

Guess what…He does has not forgotten about you! He is with you! He treasures you!

It is hard to wait, walk and worship in the storms. However, this is the perfect time to remember that God does listen to our prayers. If we trust and obey Him while in the storm, we will see how He leverages our hardships to actually work in our favor. We can rejoice over the way God will make all things beautiful in their proper time.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us (Ephesians 3:20, MSG).

Trust in the Name of the Lord. It is impossible for Him to fail you! Worship Him through your storms. Worship God because He is always good, even when we can’t see what He is up to.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to learn that You make me wait because You are making me ready. Thank you for taking Your time with me. You know what is best for me. Help me trust you and when it is all said and done, I know I will be glad I trusted You. Help me realize that I trust You now. My soul waits for You, Lord.

In Jesus’ Name, I pray.

Amen.

Never Too Late - by Mary Ashbaker

When I look back at my youth, I remember my mother taking my sisters, my brother and me to church every Sunday.  My father who was definitely the head of the house remained at home.  He ruled the house with a firm hand and no one disputed his word.  He did not believe in sparing the rod and spoiling the child.  My mother who most people considered kind but weak, never stopped praying for Dad to find the Lord.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made perfect in weakness.    2 Corinthians 12:9

My grandmother who lived next to us really did not like my mother – so her lack of love for her spilled over to us – her grandchildren.  Grandma went to church every Sunday but her love did not spill over to our family.

As the years passed, Dad became ill with cancer.  Mom prayed even harder for Dad to find the Lord.

Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.   1 Thessalonians 5:17

Her preacher came every week for two years and visited him.  They talked about sports, the world and upon leaving he would pray with him.  On one of the many visits home to Illinois, I felt it was time for me to talk to Dad.  I knew that I would not be at peace with him passing unless I spoke to him about the Lord’s love and grace.  As we sat on the porch talking, Mom stayed in the house – I’m sure praying.

Dad talked about Grandma professing to love the Lord but not living the life.  He talked about Jonah and the whale and confessed that was pretty hard to believe.  I reminded him that he lived with someone who did talk the talk and walked the walk with the Lord daily.  Then we talked about faith and inviting the Lord to come live in our hearts.  I left feeling that our talk did not make any difference in his life.

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as the mustard seed you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there, and it will move.”  Matthew 17:21

A few weeks before he passed, the preacher was visiting Dad in the hospital.  Dad never talked about their visit or what he said.  Later when I talked to Mom she said that Dad had asked the preacher to baptize him.

Through all of the suffering with cancer - my mother considered my Dad’s death peaceful for in his last days he came to know the Lord.  So after his death, we could see how my mother’s faith, love, strength, and prayers worked for all those who love Him.

Lord, give each of us strength to be the light for someone who does not know you as their Lord and Savior.  Help us to remember that all things work for the good of those who love Him.  Amen

Lift Up One Another - by Ben Mullen

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another even as also ye do.

                                                                                       -1 Thessalonians 5:11

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.  And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.

                                                                                        -1 Corinthians 12:25-26

I remember driving in to work one clear, cool autumn morning thinking what a beautiful day it was and how peaceful everything looked.  Then, my cell phone rang, and my mother told me that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center.  Of course, we all remember what happened after that moment.  I thought the country and maybe the world would devolve into chaos.  And, yet what I saw was such an astounding unification of people, people from all walks of life, all around the globe, coming together and supporting and caring and loving one another through this horrific event.  I saw this again following the December 26, 2004, tsunami and then again on the Mississippi Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.  It gave me, and continues to give me, great faith in humanity and more so in the fact that God’s word and Christ’s direction are in so many of us.  But, it does not take a monumental disaster for us to lift one another up.  Each of us endeavors to work through “mini-disasters” and challenges every day.  We should be attuned to the needs of one another and always be available to help, even if helping is simply listening or offering a prayer with our neighbor.  Learn to be trusted friends and remember that we are all integral parts of one body in Christ such that each supports the other in times of need and cheers and rejoices in the blessings each receives. The smallest of kindnesses often count in the largest of ways.  While one person’s crisis may not be a newsworthy event, the difference we make by following the Word of Christ by being one together is truly monumental.

Lenten Fasting - by George Duffee-Braun

Traditionally Lent is a period during which we give up something – usually something pleasurable or habit forming such as candy, chocolate, certain television shows, coffee, or smoking.  Many consider Lent as a 40 day period which can continue if the fasting or sacrifice is successful.

For some, the 40 days is a period of fasting to purify one’s system and draw closer to God.  Doing so is a reminder of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert and his temptation by Satan.

Or perhaps it is simply a time of meditation and prayer leading up to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

If nothing else, it is a period of time that most people recognize as a time to at least pause the daily routine, a time to reassess priorities.  This year, that pause comes at a most opportune time.

The nation and communities are deeply divided over the nature of government and the future course of our society.  Heartfelt opinions are leading to extreme irreconcilable differences, resulting in a risk of friendships and relationships being torn apart.  Leaders across the country are responding to and reinforcing their constituents’ opinions by in turn becoming not willing to dialogue with anyone with opposite opinion.

The fasting this Lenten period could be the pause that cleanses our spirits.  Instead of giving up a favorite treat, perhaps the fasting should be a spiritual one – giving up miscommunication.  Remember the words from a similar difficult period some 50 years ago – “people talking without speaking, hearing without listening.”  Suppose we simply resolved to fast from not listening?  Suppose we resolved to open our hearts to the Spirit to enter and lead us?

As I write this on Valentine’s Day, I am blessed by family love and devotion.  I am also reminded of that greatest love of all, the eternal undeserved love of God.  Can we use Lent to reflect that love in our actions towards others – the neighbors Jesus told us to love.  Can we show that love unconditionally to those whose opinions are different from ours?  After all, isn’t it easy to love your family and friends and those who love us? 

During Lent, it is time to do something difficult and love those different from ourselves  in opinion, culture, religion, politics or country of origin.  Giving up our personal opinions and distrust could result in greater purification of our spirit and lead us closer to God than any other Lenten sacrifice.

Luke 6:32 – “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”