Give 'Em a High Five!

Last week I accompanied my son's family to a small local park that featured just two pieces of playground equipment.  A young woman was there with her three-year-old daughter and infant son, who was quite content with swaying back and forth in the infant swing, watching his sister play.  My granddaughter, Bella, joined the older girl, who she had never met, and immediately called her "my friend".

The girls played happily together for 20 minutes or so, climbing up the steps to the slide and going down over and over again.  On one such descent, Bella was at the bottom of the slide while her friend slid down.  As the girl reached the bottom, Bella exclaimed, "Good job! High five!"  All the adults immediately cracked up laughing because it was so adorable, but it also really touched my heart because my little one seems to be a natural encourager. 

I believe all of us appreciate being appreciated. Hearing someone compliment something we have created or celebrating something we have accomplished is a lovely feeling.  Last week, I received a comment about my blog post that not only warmed my heart but also gave me more motivation to continue just doing what I do with my writing.  I know my audience is small and I'm not reaching thousands with my words, but I have heard many pastors say they would preach the same to a congregation of one as to an auditorium full of people.  The expression of the gift and the obedience in using it are what is important.  I realized through that comment that God is responsible for the expansion of the message, not us.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

When you offer sincere words to someone who has blessed you with their gifts and talents, you play a part in the continued flow of what they produce in their lives, but don't stop with just the people who are highly visible.  Thank the person who made the coffee or set a table or picked up the trash or any of the hundreds of things people do to make the lives of others better.  Talk to the teenager who is stepping out to attempt something new and give them words that will boost their confidence.  Give the senior person some verbal applause for a life skill they have shared with you. 

The words you speak may seem insignificant to you, but they could be a turning point in the life of another person  I urge you to look for opportunities this week to give that gift of encouragement to someone in your life - and not this week only, but make it a priority in your life. 

Hebrews 10:24-25

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Power Source

Every night, before I go to bed, I plug my cell phone into the charger and put it on my nightstand. As a woman of the 21st century, my phone has become my camera, my computer, my calculator, my library and most importantly - my alarm clock.  I rely on that phone by the bed to make sure I get up on time in the morning to prepare to head out to my job at a local elementary school.

After I am up and moving in the morning, sometimes I'll stop to take a quick look at the weather or my email.  One morning last week, when I looked down at the screen, I was surprised to find that the power percentage on the phone was in the single digit numbers.  How could this be?  I'd had it plugged in all night!

After doing a little investigating I found that although I had the phone plugged into the charger, the charger wasn't plugged into the power strip on the floor beside the bed.  I have no clue how or when the plug became dislodged from the outlet, but it certainly explained why my phone was nearly dead first thing in the morning.

My life is a little like that cell phone sometimes.  I'll plug it into things that I think are beneficial to me, like church activities or listening to praise music in the background when I'm doing something around the house, and expect those things to give me spiritual nourishment.  Those things can be edifying to us, but if we're just going through religious motions and we don't have our hearts truly focused on God, then those activities are not "plugged in" to the true source of power.

What can this look like in our lives?  We can continue to struggle with the same life-controlling issues for a very long time while on the outside looking like we are trying to connect with God. We can attend church, but not really engage with the word of God that is being preached.  We can occupy ourselves during the sermon by making a grocery list instead of taking sermon notes or checking out social media on our phone.  We stay until the service is over because it wouldn't look right to slip out early.  We can even come to the altar and ask for someone to agree with us in prayer addressing the circumstances in our lives.  What's wrong with this picture?  Our cord isn't really plugged into the power source.  We're just waving a charger around to show people that we are trying to do what's right. 

In a world that seems to be getting further and further from God, shouldn't we as His children be connecting with Him in a way that is real and vital and life-sustaining?  Religious activity will never change the heart.  Going through the motions will not transform or sanctify us.   A real connection with God will do all those things and more.  Even those who have been "in church" for a long time can find themselves growing complacent and disconnected.  

What I'm talking about here is drawing near to God.  When I looked for that phrase "draw near" in the Bible, I found two very distinct ideas.  I leave you with the same question I'm asking myself - which of these scriptures pertains to you?

These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. (Matthew 15:8)

OR

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)

Whose Hand are You Holding?

Last Sunday was a beautiful day.  My son, Josh, and daughter-in-law, Brittney, decided to take a walk on the Virginia Creeper Trail with my granddaughter, Bella, who is two years old.  As they began to walk, Brittney told Bella that she had to hold someone's hand on the trail.  Bella said, "I hold Bella's hand!", and she clasped her little hands together in front of her and traipsed off down the path.

While that's an adorable story that will probably be retold many times in our family's life, it's also a picture of how we are as the children of God sometimes.  We forget that no matter how much we have matured in the faith, we are still children and we still need our heavenly Father.

 Bella's parents wanted her to hold a hand for several perfectly natural human reasons, but those reasons are the same reasons we should be holding on to the hand of God as we go through this life.

1.  Direction and guidance -  As a toddler who has not walked this trail before, Bella doesn't know which way to go or even where she is headed, but her mother's hand can guide her. Though we sometimes think we know all about life, we really don't know the wisest path to take or even what destination God has in mind for us next.  We need to rely on Him to show us the steps to take and to guide us to the places in our lives that He has prepared for us.

Psalm 37:23      The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way.

2.  Safety and protection - Bella doesn't have enough life experience to know all the things that could potentially harm her.  Though she tells me all the time, "don't touch the bees", she hasn't had a run-in with a snake or a farmer's barbed wire fence strung between the trail and his field. There are things that will capture her attention and imagination that she'll want to check out more closely, but the loving hands of her parents will make sure that those things that entice her are not things that are a threat to her. The Holy Spirit can prompt us, warn us, and teach us about the things of this world that have been laid as a snare to draw us away from Him.

2 Timothy 4:18     And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.....

3.  Insight and teaching - Though everything in creation is new and exciting to a child, they won't always notice some of the things that an adult will recognize.  Bella's daddy can lead her to the edge of the path to see an interesting bug or lift her up to peer over a fence at a calf grazing in the field.  He can tell her the names of the things that she sees and can explain what is happening.  If we stay close to God, he can give us insight and revelation into the day-to-day things in our lives - just like seeing parallels between the behavior of a toddler and our relationship with Him!  If we are close enough to listen, there is much we can learn from a God who knows everything.

Jeremiah 33:3      Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

4. Relationship and trust - Isn't it just the sweetest thing to have your child or grandchild reach up to take your hand?  The sense that your little one wants and needs the reassurance of having you close and knowing they are putting their trust in you makes your heart swell with happiness.  God is the creator of our emotions and I imagine that He feels them as well.  It must delight His heart so much when we put our hand in His, desiring to be close to Him and expressing that we trust His wisdom to lead us on our path.

Psalm 73:28     But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.


This week, God has used this little story about Bella to ask me some hard questions about my walk with Him.  There have been times when I have hard-headedly charged down my own path, holding my own hand and forgotten all that is available to me in His hands.  Just because my head knows how to do this Christian life does not mean that I can do it apart from the One who gave me that life in the first place.  You cannot do it by yourself either.  Don't forget to reach up for His hand.

Shining in the Darkness

This evening, as the daylight began to dim, my husband looked out at the shed in the backyard where we have a solar light attached to the right of the door and remarked that it hadn't come on yet, though other solar lights in the yard were burning. Looking out a little later though, it had finally begun to shine.

It made me curious to find out how solar lights work.  There's a solar cell that changes the sunlight into direct electrical current.  That cell is the dark panel you see on the top of the light. Without getting into all the technical jargon, the short story is there are layers of negatively-charged electrons and positively-charged spaces in the cell and when the sunlight comes through the cell, it stirs up those negatively-charged electrons and forces them into the positively-charged spaces. This, in turn, transfers the electron stream into a direct current of electricity which is stored in a battery until it is needed.

Later, when there is no sunlight to convert, a photoreceptor senses that it is dark and the light turns on, supplied by the battery which has stored the power. The light will shine as long as there is power in the battery or until the photoreceptor registers that the daylight has returned.

So why am I writing a science blog today?  As usual, God takes the mundane things in life and shows me something that I can apply to my life.  We are like the solar light.  Our spirit is like the solar cell soaking up the sunlight of the glory and love of God which can push the negatives in our lives into positive new places.  This opens us up to the power of the Holy Spirit which we "store" in our hearts and shine on others when His light is needed in their lives. We will have moments in our lives when we will sense that a situation is in darkness and we'll know that it's time to release what God has given to us. Just like the solar light, we can only shine as long as there is power within us, so we should constantly be seeking to be in the beautiful light of His presence so we can stay continually filled.

The Six Commandments ?????

In Mark 10: 17-23 we find the story of the "rich young ruler" who asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. I found something recently in that story that I have never noticed before.  As Jesus answered, He quoted only six of the ten commandments to him.

Jesus said, "You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal, 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' ' Honor your father and your mother.'" (Mark 10:19)

I found many different explanations of this in articles and commentaries. Some I agreed with while others seemed to miss the point altogether.  What really separates these six commandments from the other four is this:  these commandments concern how we treat each other.  Sometimes these are called the "horizontal" commandments.

The other four concern our relationship with God and are sometimes called the "vertical" commandments.

1.  You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.  You shall not worship idols.
3.  You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4.  Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

I think there are probably many people who keep the last six commandments.  They have chosen to be people of a high moral standard. Even atheists can see the value of treating others well and avoiding criminal behavior.  Most people who have engaged in activities that those first six commandments prohibit have discovered that the natural consequences of these acts are negative, hurtful, and filled with natural punishments here on earth.

The caution I have for the Christian in these comments is one I have to remember myself.  If I continue to live in a moral way, just because it is wiser, I am no different than a moral atheist. It's possible to do good works, treat people with kindness, even attend church, but still neglect my relationship with God. 


At this point in my life, I'm not likely to take up any new vices.  I laid aside the ones I had many years ago when I asked Jesus to forgive me and make me a new creation.  I'm not stupid enough to revisit those choices or make new decisions that would take me into situations where I do not want to find myself.  If I just mechanically obey the rules though, without letting the spirit of God flow through me and give me His life on a daily basis, I open myself up to be influenced and set myself up to begin to compromise.

We have to be careful not to rely on our own "rule-keeping" as our righteousness.  The Bible says that we are "the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus" (2 Corinthians 5:21) because the sinless Jesus became sin for us on the cross.  That's what this Easter week celebrates - that He died to take our sins upon Himself but rose again so that we might have life. Our righteousness is His righteousness.  The way we live is not a way to earn anything from God.  We've been given all we need and it's certainly not what we deserve.  

Relying on obeying those last six commandments and the scores of other unwritten rules that make us think we look the part of a Christian runs the risk of us becoming cold to God and self-reliant.  I think when Jesus quoted those six commandments, he was saying to the young man that He considered the first four to be a "no-brainer".  Loving God to the exclusion of all other things, speaking His name in respect, love, and power, honoring Him on the Sabbath and every day is the basis from where the power to live in true holiness springs.

If it's been a long time since you think you really messed up, think about this:  When is the last time you prayed?  When did you last read God's Word?  Are you relying on a pattern of behavior or are you drawing your very life from your relationship with God?  

Preparation

As I sit typing this blog post tonight, the sky outside my window is blue with fluffy white clouds, yet the weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms with high, damaging winds and hail and a possibility of tornado activity.  If I had no access to modern weather reports, I would never expect any such thing, based on what I see just outside my house.

People are being advised to secure things outside so they won't be blown away.  We are told to be watchful of the conditions so we can move our families to safety if conditions worsen.  We're told that fallen trees could bring down power lines and in some areas near where I live the power is already out.

Personally, I've prepared just as I'm being advised.  In case of a power outage, I'm currently getting the blog ready to submit, doing a load of laundry so I'll have something to wear to work in the morning, and planning to do some computer work related to my job. Dinner has already been prepared and consumed and if there's time before it starts storming, I'll have an early bath.  My entire Sunday afternoon and evening timeline is being determined by just the possibility of something happening.  Maybe it will - maybe it won't.

At the same time, all around me in this world are people who have not made any preparations for the life they will have after this one.  Though they may not believe it, that forecast is a sure thing.  Human beings will prepare for vacation, for retirement, for accidents, for natural disasters - but pay no attention to the condition of their souls and their eternity.

The signs of the times indicate that it won't be long until Jesus returns for His church.  Christians know that prediction is set in stone because God Himself made that forecast.  No, we don't know when, but we do know to be prepared. 

How do we prepare?  It's not just by believing facts.  The enemy himself knows all the facts. It's a knowing and acting upon this truth that shows that our trust is in Jesus.

Every sports fan has seen the scripture reference for John 3:16 - "God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Jesus also said, "I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live." (John 11:25)

There is your preparation, but it's only the beginning.  When you really believe something with your whole heart, it's not just an intellectual exercise; it's the basis for everything you do and say in life.

Are you prepared?  Do you know who holds your future here on earth and your eternity in heaven?  Are you ready for the storms to come?  I hope that you are.  If you watch and listen, you'll begin to see signs of the times and know that it's time to think about these things. I'm going to sign off for tonight and finish my list of preparations for this natural storm because now I hear the wind beginning to blow . . . . . . . . .

Do They Know?

On the way to church last Sunday, my husband glanced over to his left while he was driving on the interstate and said, "I never knew there was a church over there".  My eyes followed his line of sight and saw the building he had noticed for the first time.

His words, "I never knew there was a church......" hung in the air between us for a moment and we both said, "That'll preach!"  I don't know anything about the church family that uses that particular building. They may be doing a dynamic work in our community with souls being saved on a regular basis, people living free and holy lives, saints operating in their spiritual gifts, with leadership who is totally sold out to what Jesus has revealed to them as their mission and vision.  Then again, they could be a dried-up, dead, ritualistic bunch of folks who treat the church as a social club.  That church on the interstate isn't the point.  The point is:  I wonder how many people who don't know anything about God are in that state because they never knew there was a church.

In this case, it's not a church building I am considering.  The church I attend had two church homes before I ever moved to Virginia and has had two more since I became a member.  I'm talking about the church as a whole - not my denomination, not my congregation, but the church around the world - the Body of Christ.

How many of us only express our relationship with God within the four walls?  Are our churches open to new people?  Would a visitor feel welcomed?  What about someone who was obviously under the influence or dressed immodestly?  Can we reach out in love to them as they are?

We are not just the church corporately, we are the church individually. Are there people in our sphere of influence who don't have a clue what we believe?  Are we distinguishable from unbelievers in any way?  Are we being the church?

During my teenage years, I had a friend who talked about sharing her faith with others.  She would say that she didn't want to enter heaven only to see those she knew being turned away looking at her saying, "Why didn't you tell me?" 

When all is said and done, I know there will still be some who have not accepted Christ - those who think that I'm naive or crazy or stupid.  I don't care what they think of me, but I don't want to be their excuse for not accepting the truth of God.  I don't want them to say that they never knew there was a church. Let's let them know!