Category: Biblical Wisdom

Sometimes the answers we seek to life’s troubles are in the Bible. Can I make a difference? Does God care? Am I good enough?Yes!

Peace Cannot Be Stolen

Posted on by Wendy
Peace from the Holy Spirit cannot be stolen.

Yesterday, I made a quick trip into Athens, to purchase a couple of Christmas gifts for two ladies who I have come to hold dear. I had been thinking about what I wanted to get them and then I had been given an unexpected gift card. I took it as a sign and I went on my little shopping trip.

As much as I dreaded the holiday traffic, it was unbelievably light and I was thankful for some time to pray. My morning had been hectic. I had to help my son get a cooking project together for his Spanish class. I didn’t have any time to read my daily devotion. I ran out the door and was a few minutes late for work.

My day turned out to be as busy as my morning was with zero downtime. As I drove along in the light traffic and the beautiful sunshine, I found myself praying. I also found myself asking God to show Himself.

When I arrived at the store, the items I bought cost almost exactly what my gift card was and there it was. God had given me an unexpected blessing and was allowing me to use it to bless others. I was basking in that revelation as I wound through the parking lot to head back home.

I patiently waited as one pedestrian after another, needed to cross in front of me. Every single one of them smiled at me and gave me a little wave for stopping for them. I felt a deep sense of peace.

As I continued through the parking lot, listening to Christmas music, I ended up in a fairly long line of cars, waiting to get back on the road. I was in no rush and I was enjoying the alone time.

Then I heard a blaring horn. Apparently, I hadn’t pulled up as far as I possibly could to the car in front of me and had partially blocked the entrance to a bank. I pulled up and the man who blew his horn, whipped in and gave me and incredibly angry look.

And then I remembered a conversation I had with our associate pastor one Sunday. I had a headache that day and I asked her to pray for me. She did. She put her hands on my aching head and said a beautiful healing prayer. She also told me she could feel my tension and her next words really stuck with me.

“Your peace cannot be taken from you because it’s given to you by the Holy Spirit. You only lose it when you willingly give it.”

How often do we allow the actions of other people to drive us crazy, make us angry, or bring us stress? A simple drive across town can make us see red if we allow it to. Then there are long days at work, hectic mornings, disagreements with our spouses or kids, financial issues, or health issues. All of those can be peace stealers, but they don’t have to be.

We have a choice. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts. Maybe we should guard our peace too, keeping in mind that we have an enemy who delights in taking it.

Remembering that it’s ours to give our to keep, well that changes everything. An angry man in traffic reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Peace of Christmas

Posted on by Wendy
Advent calls us to lean into the wonder of the birth of Christ and the peace He offers.

We are in the second week of Advent and our focus as the “Church,” is supposed to be on peace. The concept seems almost laughable at the moment, with protests and division all around us. I’ve read more than one account of families actually cancelling their Thanksgiving dinners because the rift and division caused by the election was just unbearable.

Now that Christmas is so close, I’ve read that there will be families that follow suit with their Christmas plans too. How did we get here? How did we get to a place where the outcome of a single presidential election becomes more of a focus than all we are thankful for or in this case, the celebration of the birth of Christ?

While the entire idea of families cancelling Christmas, parents not seeing their children, grandparents not seeing their grandchildren, families intentionally choosing to embrace bitterness and division just baffles me, I don’t know why I’m surprised.

Jesus said “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10

That sounds kind of like what’s going on with families being torn apart. Destruction is not Jesus’ mantra, but it is Satan’s.

Isaiah 9:6 is probably one of the most quoted verses during Advent. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Counselor, Prince of Peace.”

And there it is. During Advent, Christians are reminded that we are supposed to be preparing our hearts for the arrival of the Prince of Peace. There will still be strife and division. We live in a broken world and on this side of Heaven, there will always be tears and mourning at one time or another.

But, the Prince of Peace offers us a different kind of peace, the peace that settles deep in our hearts and souls and simply cannot be shaken by anything of this world, not sickness, not loss, not even death, and certainly not from the outcome of an election.

Christmas is a time when we are called to lean in very close to that baby in the manger and reflect in awe on His birth and what it means to all of us. We are to reflect on the skies full of angels praising His name. We are called to remember that because of that baby a time will come when, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4

This year we need Christmas more than ever. We need the young virgin and her story, and the shepherds and theirs, and the three wise men, and all of the angels involved.

But, perhaps most of all, we need to remember that even though man made no room for God, He came anyway. He will always find a way. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Intentional Prayers

Posted on by Wendy
We can learn to pray for God's will not our own.
We can learn to pray for God’s will not our own.

My mama and I were talking on the phone a couple of nights ago about her upcoming trip to Canada. She has never been to that particular part of Canada and was super excited. She was a little bummed when she learned that her dog sledding excursion was cancelled because there wasn’t enough snow.

I completely understood. I mean, for a lifelong Georgia girl, the idea of having enough snow to go dog sledding, is pretty exciting, kind of exotic. We chatted for a while longer and as we were saying goodbye, she asked me to pray for snow, but not a blizzard.

We laughed at that and said good-bye.

I thought about our conversation the next day. She was just joking. She’s actually quite a prayer warrior, but in our customer service driven society, I feel like we often try to get picky and sometimes downright bossy, with our prayers.

We pray for the perfect job, but we don’t want to move or work harder. We pray for rain, but not on Saturday because we have plans that day. We don’t pray for simply enough money; we pray to win the lottery.

We pray for healing both physically and emotionally, but want it to be immediate, involving no work on our own part, even though we often made the choices that put us in the need of healing. We pray about losing weight, but keep eating cookies.

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him how to pray, the prayer we call, “The Lord’s Prayer,” was born. One of the first parts of that prayer has to do with surrendering to God’s will. That’s not easy when we are raised with slogans like, “have it your way” and “you make your own destiny.” Perhaps we should ask ourselves if we believe that God’s plans for us are good. Do we trust in God’s destiny for us?

Jesus also tells us to ask for our daily bread, not for riches. Most of us are not content with that concept either. We want to have and spend as much as possible.

But, God was well aware that life for His people on earth will always have ongoing tension between the physical and the spiritual. We live on the earth for a time, but we are not supposed to be of it. He sent us Jesus to rescue us from our own nature.

Jesus became one of us. Taught us. Healed us. Died for us to save us and then rose for us. We can learn to pray like true children of God because Jesus taught us how in Matthew and still teaches us today through the Holy Spirit.

Advent seems like the ideal time to be a little more intentional about our prayers. Thankfully, we have Heaven cheering us on.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

No Matter the Weather

Posted on by Wendy
No matter the weather, God has us covered.
No matter the weather, God has us covered.

Yesterday at work, the most popular topic of conversation was that rain was headed our way. Weather is always a well discussed subject in rural Georgia, but lately it’s been the centerpiece of our thoughts as well as our conversations.

We haven’t had rain in 42 long days here and to add to our misery, a good portion of the north Georgia mountains are on fire. In a state known for its humidity, we have become much more like a desert lately.

Rain is one of those things that we don’t give much thought to unless it is interfering with our plans somehow, like a day at the pool or the 4th of July picnic. The other instance that causes us to really think about it, is times when we need it.

Rain is an interesting phenomenon. Too much of it makes the earth flood and causes all types of disaster and damage. Too much rain will kill crops.  Too little of it results in drought. Crops can’t grow without rain. Trees are weakened without rain. We would eventually run out of drinking water without rain.

It’s all about balance. Isn’t it always?

I found myself pondering the concepts of rain and drought all day yesterday. I thought about how our lives go through times of drought and floods as well.

Sometimes we find ourselves wondering if the rains of change will ever stop. There are seasons where we want more than anything for the earth to stop turning. We long for a day of peace where nothing changes and nothing new happens, good or bad. We get to a point where we truly believe that just one more thing added to our already heavy load, will actually drown us somehow.

We don’t dare ask, “what else can happen?” but we think it. We find ourselves praying for peace and stability and we wonder if God hears us.

But, then there are those seasons where we wonder if anything will ever change. We pray and pray for some spiritual rain, for guidance, for a new plan or the next step, or answers, and we find God is silent. We wonder if He’s even listening to our parched prayers as we send them upward.

He hears our prayers in times of floods and times of drought and in every season in between. He is at work in our lives in every season and those who are willing to stubbornly hold onto faith and stand fast, will see His work eventually. Neither His power nor His plan can be missed if we are always at watch for them.

The Bible assures us that we never walk alone. We get assurances like:

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up, the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6

Our forecast reminded me that the weather, like our circumstances, will always change. Sometimes the change is welcome and sometimes it is not. Either way, God’s got this whatever your this may be.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Sneaky Idols

Posted on by Wendy
Putting God first, gives us peace.
Putting God first, gives us peace.

Yesterday, our sermon was on the Ten Commandments. It was given by our Associate Pastor. I haven’t heard a sermon on the Ten Commandments in a long time. Before she began, she reminded us that our God is a God of law and order.

We are given rules to keep us safe. She used the example of driving a car. If we all got in our cars and drove in any direction, using any rules that we choose, disaster would surely follow. Good point.

She pointed out that rules are not optional and then she covered each one of the Ten.

When she got to having no idols, I found myself squirming a little. Sure, I’m not going to bow down to any kind of man-made image, but not being ruled by anything earthly, is more of a challenge. Things like seeking success, dream chasing and security don’t look bad on paper. But, when they become our focus above everything else, including our worship of the one true God, they become an idol.

She also threw something else into the mix I had never considered, fear. She said if we are living in fear of anything, losing a job, a medical diagnosis, ending a relationship, financial worries or even fear for our country, we are allowing fear to become and idol.

If we allow our fear to take the place of our faith and trust in God, then it’s an idol.

I thought about her point all afternoon. I thought about how it applies in my own life as well as those people around me. There seems to be a lot of fear these days. There are a lot of worried people and certainly a lot of chaos. Fear is sneaky. It can take over very quickly if we aren’t vigilant.

Could it be that the fear simply comes from taking our eyes off of God? Could it be that if we return our focus to God, first as individuals, then as families and then as a nation, that the fear would disappear? Would it then be replaced by peace?

Peace seems to be something that people desperately seek these days and it also seems to be so elusive. Could it be that a simple return to the basics, putting God first, could change all of that? Could it be that God knew that truth all of those years ago when He gave the Ten Commandments to His people through Moses?

As Christians, isn’t that what we claim to believe, that God is sovereign, that He loves us and He has a plan?

Yesterday’s sermon reminded me to watch out for idols, especially the sneaky ones. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Power of a Preposition

Posted on by Wendy
Being thankful is a choice.
Being thankful is a choice.

In the past few days, I have come across two different bloggers who commented on the verses from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which read: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.”

It’s a very familiar verse for me and I see it quoted often. It’s meant to bring comfort. God has a plan even during the bad times.

But, this week, after two different writers pointed one that one preposition makes a huge difference in that passage, I really sat up and took notice. I don’t believe in coincidences where God is concerned.

The Holy Spirit had something to tell me. Both writers said that the Scripture says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances.

Those two prepositions have really swirled around in my head this week. Isn’t it amazing how one little word can change everything?

We aren’t called to be thankful for the sickness, or for the tragedy, or for the disappointing circumstances. We are called to find something to be thankful for in those dark times.

We aren’t called to be thankful for sickness, but we are called to be thankful for all of the people who reach out to help during the sickness, who would never have had the opportunity to do so otherwise. We aren’t called to be thankful for the breakup, but we are called to be thankful for renewed relationships with family and friends that may have come from it, or maybe even  renewed relationship with God, that would never have happened without the breakup.

Rejoice always because we get to go to heaven one day and live with Jesus. No matter what happens to us here on earth, we are travelers here, not permanent residents.

Pray continually. Never stop praying because prayer changes everything whether we can see it or not.

Give thanks always. There’s always a reason to give thanks and God always has a plan.

These are verses to live by and I have held them close to my heart the past few days. Perhaps you need to hold them close too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He’s Got This

Posted on by Wendy
Be at peace. He's got this.
Be at peace. He’s got this.

A couple of days ago, we had person after person, come into the office and complain about the heat. I even heard a few grumbles about how it had never been this hot before in Georgia, in November.

After I arrived home, curiosity got the better of me and I Googled it. Turns out, November 1, 2016, was not the hottest Georgia November on record. That distinction went to November 1, 1961.

It’s not that it’s the hottest November on record; it’s simply the hottest November many of us remember. There is a difference.

That little revelation got my wheels turning and I decided to do a little election research. We’ve all heard that this is the nastiest and weirdest presidential election in American history. Turns out that’s not true. One Google search turned up article after article, listing anywhere from six to ten elections that were just as bizarre.

One of the first was John Adams vs Thomas Jefferson back in 1800. Yep, the Founding Fathers were not above dirty tricks and mudslinging. There was Grant vs Greeley in 1872, where the country was very divided on women’s suffrage and Hayes vs Tilden in 1876, where the electoral votes and popular votes didn’t match. In 1920, Eugene Debs ran a campaign from prison. In 1948 not a poll existed that had Harry Truman defeating Thomas Dewey. Yet, Truman won.

The inherent narcissism of the human race, has every generation believing that this is the worst thing that has ever happened, whatever it may, be from weather to politics. A little search in history, usually proves us wrong.

I get it. Things always look the bleakest when they are happening to us, personally. But, as bad as cancer looks to us now, what did the Bubonic Plague look like to the people who lived in the 13 and 14 hundreds?

Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” It goes on to talk about how we don’t remember men of old or in other words, the people who came before us.

This verse should not only bring us comfort during these times when the world seems so unsettled and strange, but also in our personal lives. There is nothing that we are going through that hasn’t been experienced by others before us, not sickness, or financial issues, or relationship issues, or job issues, or even spiritual issues.

Since God breathed life into Adam, He’s been willing to faithfully stay by our side through all of the uncertainty, if we keep our focus on Him. He will see us through whatever we face if we only trust and obey Him. His word gives us countless reminders if we commit to reading it.

There’s nothing in 2016, that is new to Him. He’s got this.

A hot November day reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Courageous Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Courageous faith can change lives.
Courageous faith can change lives.

In my current Bible study, I’m reading the book of Joshua. It’s one of those Old Testament books full of action and easy to teach to the VBS crowd and the teens. There are lots of miracles in it.

What caught my attention this time, was the very first chapter, where God is about to have Joshua lead the Isrealites to the Promised Land. At last, after forty years of wandering, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In verse six, God tells Joshua to be courageous and then in verse seven, He tells him to be very courageous and reminds him to obey the law.

Then in verse nine God says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Three times God tells Joshua to be courageous, seems like He was trying to make a point.

Skip ahead to chapter two and we find Rahab the prostitute. That’s her title at this point in the story, but Rahab has decided to stop living in fear and to make a change. Rahab tells the Israelite spies that her people’s “courage has failed,” and “their hearts are melting in fear,” because “the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” Joshua 2:11b

Rahab decided that she knew who the real God was and she decided to help His Israelite spies and then she boldly asked them to save not only her, but her entire family. They agreed.

When Jericho fell, the Israelites kept their promise to Rahab, the way God always keeps His promises to those who are faithful.

Think about that for a moment. One woman, and not even a revered woman, a prostitute, found the courage to acknowledge God and put her faith in Him and because of her courage, her entire family was saved.

Rahab went on to have a son named Boaz. Boaz married Ruth and they had a son named Obed, who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David, yes that David, King David. So, yes, Rahab is in the lineage of Jesus, not too bad for a prostitute who decided to change her ways.

Rahab’s decision to choose God, secured her place in history. She chose courage and not fear. She chose faith.

I find some parallels with Rahab’s time in history and our own. There’s so much fear right now. As Rahab put it, there are hearts that are melting in fear, fear of the election, fear of terrorism, fear of violence, lots of fear.

I see it on the news everyday. I see it on Facebook everyday. The Book of Joshua reminds us that God’s people are not to live in fear. Joshua was told to be courageous and have faith. Rahab chose to be courageous and have faith.

Their faith not only got them through very dark times, it also lead to much brighter times ahead. Perhaps there’s some wisdom in their story for all of us.

Maybe we all need a little more courageous faith these days.

A morning Bible study reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Lessons from a Leper

Posted on by Wendy
When they followed Jesus' command, they were cleansed.
When they followed Jesus’ command, they were cleansed.

Last week, our sermon was on the ten lepers that Jesus healed. Lepers, in the Bible, lived on the edge of society. They had to call out to anyone who came near them, to warn them they were unclean.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for Passover when the lepers cried out to Him. He was on a mission. He knew His time had come, yet even though He had important plans, even though He knew the brutality that was coming to Him in a very short time, He still took time to heal them.

That’s the love and compassion that Jesus has for humanity.

But, what my pastor pointed out this time that caught my attention, was that, Jesus didn’t have a long conversation with them or go through any long ritual. He simply gave them a command. “Go, and show yourselves to the priests.”

And the next sentence is the headline. “And as they went, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14

The lepers were not healed until they obeyed Jesus. Their obedience led to their healing. Jesus said, “go.”

How many times does Jesus tell us to go? Go and apologize. Go and forgive. Go and share. Go and tell.  Go to the meeting. Go to the worship service. How many times do we just stay in the comfort of our own little world and stay? Stay and be angry. Stay and live with the hurt. Stay and hold on tightly to all we perceive as ours. Stay and be quiet. Stay and do our own will.

What would our lives look like if we simply went in obedience wherever He tells us go or did whatever He tells us to do? All ten lepers were healed. They were cleansed of all that had kept them separate and isolated. They were free.

We can be too. One of those ten lepers was so overwhelmed with thanks that when he realized what Jesus had done, he turned around, ran back, and threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. That particular leper, was the wisest of all. Not only did he obey, when he understood that his obedience had healed him, he couldn’t help, but to give thanks.

That leper, like Martha’s sister Mary before him, understood that at the feet of Jesus is where we should all be, when we are in need, but when we have been blessed as well. It’s easy to find ourselves at the foot of the cross when things are bad for us, when we are worried, sick, or scared. It’s another thing to understand that our thanks for our many blessings go there too.

One leper out of ten got it right and Jesus told him so. Jesus told him to”Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

May the one guy who got it right, serve as a shining reminder for us all. When we live in obedience with thankful hearts, our lives are permanently changed.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Trust and Obey

Posted on by Wendy
Obedience to God, changes everything.
Obedience to God, changes everything.

Our Old Testament reading in church last week, was on Naaman. I have always appreciated that story and found myself reading through it again. It’s found in 2 Kings 5.

Naaman was a valiant warrior and the Bible says that through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. We might want to take note here that Aram was not Israel. The Bible is clear that God doesn’t only control the destinies of His people; He controls the destinies of all nations. That’s a fact that as people of God, we might want to hold close at the present moment.

Also, take notice that, the Bible says through him, the Lord had given victory. God has always been in the business of using people to have His plans accomplished.

But, Naaman had a problem. He had leprosy. A servant girl, who was a captive from Israel, told her mistress, Naaman’s wife, that there was a prophet in Israel, Elisha, who could cure him.

I wonder if that lowly servant girl had any idea what part her faith would play in Biblical history. Her faith, her courageous testimony, encouraged Naaman to go and seek the man of God. There are no small parts in Kingdom building.

Naaman went, all puffed up, I suspect, bearing gifts. He was a proud warrior, after all; surely Elisha would be so thankful for the gifts, that he would be honored to cure him. Naaman certainly was not a picture of humility, a trait sorely missing in our own world too.

Elisha did not rush out to greet him. He sent a messenger to tell him to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River and he would be cleansed.

Naaman was insulted. How dare Elisha not come out and meet him! He wanted Elisha to wave his hands over his skin and heal him. Naaman wanted to be healed in the way that he chose.

But, God’s ways and man’s ways are rarely the same. God does not serve man. Man is called to serve God. God was willing to heal Naaman just as God is willing to heal us, but it’s rarely with the snap of fingers. Healing takes time and often effort on our own part and oh yeah, obedience.

Elisha told Naaman to wash himself seven times in the Jordan and he was so angry about the instructions, that he almost walked away sick. How often do we do the same? How often do we have the promise of healing within our grasp if we will only humble ourselves and obey God?

How often do we choose to walk away because of our own pride and stubbornness?

Naaman almost missed it. He stomped away angry, but his servants intervened. God had placed faithful people in his life, even though he didn’t have the faith required; the servants did.

Naaman grudgingly did it God’s way and he was immediately healed. Even though he wasn’t happy about it, he did eventually follow Elisha’s instructions.

Do we find ourselves, like Naaman, grudgingly following God’s instructions or do we find ourselves not obeying at all? Do we find ourselves with faithful friends who can encourage us to get on the right path when we are willfully following our own way?

Naaman’s story has so much to teach us about ourselves. It teaches us about the dangers of pride and about the rewards of humility and obedience. It teaches us about the value of faithful friends. It teaches us about the love and patience of our God. It teaches us to trust. It teaches us faith.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂