“Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.” (Proverbs 12:3, NLT) Several homes in my neighborhood, including mine, have very tall and very old trees. When the area was developed, the builder saved these beautiful old trees, and I’m glad. Someone had also planted a small, decorative tree in my front yard. It produced lovely blooms in the spring, but it had shallow roots. A storm damaged that small tree, and I had to remove it. It was too weak to survive. However, the large old tree with deep roots still stands. Oh, it may lose a dead…
“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (I Peter 4:9, ESV) My mother loved having guests for dinner. She was an old-fashioned country-style cook, and the table would overflow with good things to eat. Like most children, I knew how to embarrass my parents without even trying. This incident happened when I was probably about four or five years old. Once again, Mom had invited guests for Sunday dinner. I had this hospitality thing all figured out, so I took it upon myself to offer our guests a helpful little tip. I thoughtfully explained to them, “We had you to dinner today, so it’s your turn to have us come to your house.” This was NOT something I’d overheard Mom say and was then repeating! My brilliant little mind just decided that if we do something nice for you, then you owe us back. I suspect some might have that same attitude today. THE MEANING OF HOSPITALITY Luke 14 tells of a time when Jesus ate the Sabbath meal in the home of a Pharisee. The parable He told them that day taught the true meaning of hospitality. It isn’t about position and power. It is about kindness and love.…
“No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord.” Proverbs 21:30 We like to make plans. Our schedules are always filled with upcoming events, birthday parties, soccer games, etc. We like to do the same thing when it comes to our spiritual lives, always chasing the next big thing and pursuing dreams that perhaps aren’t meant to be. No plan can stand against our Lord, and we must learn the art of patience when it comes to the will of God for our lives. Do you struggle with this as much as I do? I don’t like to slow down or have curveballs thrown my way. I want to keep moving forward and to feel like I’m accomplishing something. Patience is key, and learning to be still can benefit our ministries immensely. Being still doesn’t mean doing nothing; rather, it means to keep pressing on but not stepping outside of His will. God has called me to certain things and avenues of ministry, but they aren’t meant to be for right NOW. So I will work at what I can – teaching Sunday school, worship leading, serving the church, and being a helping hand to my pastor…
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14 I’m not a very fashionable person. I love clothes as much as the next woman, but I struggle with pairing patterns, prints, and colors together. I try and keep it simple with dresses that don’t need to be matched with anything, and subtle, neutral colors. There is an article of clothing that we all should be brilliant at putting on, and that is love. This scripture tells us to “Clothe ourselves with love.” The message translation tells us to “Wear love,” for it is…
“But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted.” Exodus 8:15 Isn’t it so easy for us to look at Pharaoh and shake our heads in disbelief? After numerous plagues that destroyed his crops, land, and people, he still refused to surrender and allow the Israelites to go free. My daughter was on antibiotics a few years ago and hated the taste. I’m talking hated in the way that we sat in her room for three hours trying to get her to take it. It was late, we were exhausted, and she was being so, so stubborn. I sat there for 3 hours while she cried and even screamed about how much she hated it, but in the end, I prevailed. She took it and fell asleep quickly. Sweet victory. The more I thought about this story from the bible, the more I realized that we can have an attitude like Pharaoh. Yes, another plague had come. Yes, it was awful. Yes, it weakened him and his people. But once it was over and relief had come, he turned back to his old ways…
“Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” John 16:19-20 ESV The scripture doesn’t say that we “may” experience sorrow and weeping, but that we will for sure have to endure these difficult seasons. One of my pet peeves is when a person gloats. I’m quite competitive by nature, so when I’m losing, it infuriates me when someone rubs that in my face. It’s embarrassing enough that I’m losing, but now others know it too. The same applies spiritually. We, the church, have been tasked with holding back the darkness, and it does appear as though evil is sometimes winning. To make matters worse, there is a pride and arrogance that accompany evil, a gloating nature. We cannot allow ourselves to become distracted by what the enemy is saying. He is the father of lies, and no…