It's kinda funny to me that when I feel lead to pray about my next blog, the next thing that catches my eye is usually what I end up blogging about. This time I was sitting at my desk at work. As I finished my prayer I looked down at a picture of my kids. My eyes went immediately to their feet and I knew the topic of my next blog.
So when was the last time you had a pedicure? I had one last week. If I could afford it and had the time, I would have one every week! I am always amazed at how good it makes me feel. The most difficult part about the entire procedure is deciding a color to paint my toenails. Once that decision is made I am free to relax in the massage chair while my poor aching dogs soak in the bubbly water. It's really a good thing that there is usually a mirror across from me. Seeing my reflection helps keep me in check. Otherwise I can just imagine the crazy faces I would be making as I melt into the that chair!
"How love on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good
news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who
announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7.
Have you ever thought about feet as lovely? Probably not. Yes babies
have cute little chubby toes. Little kids have wiggly little piggies.
But lovely feet? Seriously?
Many times I've heard the story about how my mom smelled my feet when I was a baby. To her surprise, my tiny feet smelled like feet! Well that's what happens when you have a baby wear leather shoes for a while and then stick those same little feet up to your nose! And that brings me to another point.....those pedicures.....how in the world do those ladies work on peoples' feet day after day after day! The smells, the nasty skin they scrape off, the junk under the toenails, the toe jam. Gross!
Most of us think of our feet as our most unattractive feature. In our family, us girls are outnumbered 5 to 2. And I will say that, while the guys had adorable baby feet and little boy feet, grown men feet are just not pretty at all. Of course they don't really care. They find the most comfortable shoes they can and go for it. While us girls paint our toenails, massage lotion into our feet, pamper our feet (when we have a chance) and make them as pretty as possible by wearing the cutest shoes we can find!
Yet still feet really don't get much honor. The Bible tells of of a time Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He did this for several reasons. For one thing, their feet were dirty. They wore sandals on dirt roads. I kinda doubt they had nail salons on every corner like we have. Chances are those disciples' feet were nasty, nasty, nasty. And here was their Master, their Savior, washing their feet! But not only was He washing their dirty feet, He was setting an example of how a Master was to be. A good master can't be a good master unless he is also willing to serve. Jesus was willing to serve, bless and take care of His followers right down to their dirty feet.
Another point Jesus was trying to get across to His followers, was that we all sin. Even those who know Him as Savior sin. But do we need to be saved all over again? No. We only need to be cleansed from those sins. Once we ask His forgiveness and repent, we don't have to have those sins forgiven again. He looks at us like those sins never happened at all! So we don't need to have all our sins washed away again. Just the parts that are dirty. Like the disciples' feet!
Did Jesus wash everyone's feet? No. He washed the feet of His own disciples. His disciples had their past sins cleansed already. They only needed new sins, new dirt, washed away. Their feet had to be disgusting. But Jesus loved them so He didn't mind. Same for us. Our sins are so disgusting. But if we come to Him, He doesn't mind. He will wash our nasty sins away with His own blood if we just let Him.
Do you know Him? Would you like to?
Friday, May 30, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Create In Me a Clean Heart
As kids, we learned about a young boy named David. Just a little kid with a big faith in God. Everyone, even the bravest of soldiers, couldn't do what David did. Armed with a slingshot and a stone, David faced the giant Goliath. No doubt Goliath laughed and absolutely knew that David was no threat to him. Ah! But David had more than a slingshot and a rock. David had faith in God! A childlike faith perhaps. David knew what God told him to do and he obeyed. Goliath, who had defeated every attack up until that time, was no match whatsoever for the David's faith in God!
Well David grew and went thru some pretty crazy stuff. He became best friends with the King's son. King Saul because very much not a fan of David even though he enjoyed David's musical abilities. Interesting. Just had a thought. David was a very well rounded young man. Athletic and musically gifted. A Psalmist. Nice looking. And God's pick to be heir to the thrown. And he was named in the lineage of Jesus! Wow! God had amazing plans for that little shepherd boy!
Let's fast forward just a bit. Bathsheba. Oh the trouble that happens when lust is allowed to enter our minds! Now if David had seen Bathsheba and just looked away, life would have been so much simpler. But he didn't. If David had just resisted the temptation to have her brought to him. But he didn't. If David had drawn from the faith of his childhood. But he didn't. He allowed lust to take over and he committed adultery with Bathsheba. When it was discovered that she was pregnant with David's child, David tried to fix things. But it didn't work. David then tried to cover one sin with another and had Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed. That allowed David to marry Bathsheba and make himself look like the good guy.
The baby was born. The baby became very sick. The baby died. And David found out that his sins were exposed. David spent time in regret. David spent time in mourning. David spent time in prayer. David spent time in repentance. Psalm 51 is David's prayer for pardon from God. I absolutely love Psalm 51! Years ago we had it on a cassette tape (pre-CDs in case you've never heard of a cassette tape) by Brown Bannister. That part of the tape probably wore pretty thin as we would rewind it and listen to it over and over and over, singing along with all our hearts. "Create in me a clean heart oh Lord my God. And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me......Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation. And renew a right spirit within me. Within me."
David had realized he couldn't hide his sins from God. He repented. Was David perfect? No. So why did God call David a man after His own heart? Because David knew to repent and did. David had faith. And even though David forgot his faith and let his flesh make a mess of things at times, He always came back to God. David's choices made life for himself and his family very difficult. Death and destruction. Battles. Nevertheless.....God wrote a nevertheless in David's story! In Max Lucado's "Facing Your Giants" Mr. Lucado tells us that David was scorned just like satan dumps buckets of discouragement on us today:
"You'll never overcome your bad habits."
"Think you can overcome your addiction? Think again."
Mr. Lucado goes on. "If you've heard the mocking David heard, your story needs the word David's has.......Nevertheless." Has God written a nevertheless in your biography? In this same book Mr. Lucado refers to other examples:
Peter....the man who's motto was "speak now, think later". Nevertheless God released satan's stronghold on Peter's tongue and he became an amazing preacher.
And the woman at the well. Oh my! a five-time divorcee. Men used her a threw her away. Nevertheless, Jesus discipled her. And she then introduced her entire village to Jesus! (Would we listen to her today? Perhaps a topic for another blog.)
2 Corinthians 10 is Paul describing his own life. Paul, who had been Saul and persecuted Christians. Nevertheless! And oh what a nevertheless it was! Paul became an amazing evangelist, denying himself and spreading God's Word in a way that it even reached us!
Perhaps the biggest nevertheless....Jesus died. Nevertheless He rose again!
Do you need a nevertheless in your life? As David did, ask God to make your heart clean. Like David, stop listening to the mockers and Goliaths in your life. Listen to the voice of truth. The voice of God. Your heart. That's what He wants. Your heart may be hardened, broken or confused. Nevertheless He will make it clean and beat like new when you ask Him!
Well David grew and went thru some pretty crazy stuff. He became best friends with the King's son. King Saul because very much not a fan of David even though he enjoyed David's musical abilities. Interesting. Just had a thought. David was a very well rounded young man. Athletic and musically gifted. A Psalmist. Nice looking. And God's pick to be heir to the thrown. And he was named in the lineage of Jesus! Wow! God had amazing plans for that little shepherd boy!
Let's fast forward just a bit. Bathsheba. Oh the trouble that happens when lust is allowed to enter our minds! Now if David had seen Bathsheba and just looked away, life would have been so much simpler. But he didn't. If David had just resisted the temptation to have her brought to him. But he didn't. If David had drawn from the faith of his childhood. But he didn't. He allowed lust to take over and he committed adultery with Bathsheba. When it was discovered that she was pregnant with David's child, David tried to fix things. But it didn't work. David then tried to cover one sin with another and had Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed. That allowed David to marry Bathsheba and make himself look like the good guy.
The baby was born. The baby became very sick. The baby died. And David found out that his sins were exposed. David spent time in regret. David spent time in mourning. David spent time in prayer. David spent time in repentance. Psalm 51 is David's prayer for pardon from God. I absolutely love Psalm 51! Years ago we had it on a cassette tape (pre-CDs in case you've never heard of a cassette tape) by Brown Bannister. That part of the tape probably wore pretty thin as we would rewind it and listen to it over and over and over, singing along with all our hearts. "Create in me a clean heart oh Lord my God. And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me......Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation. And renew a right spirit within me. Within me."
David had realized he couldn't hide his sins from God. He repented. Was David perfect? No. So why did God call David a man after His own heart? Because David knew to repent and did. David had faith. And even though David forgot his faith and let his flesh make a mess of things at times, He always came back to God. David's choices made life for himself and his family very difficult. Death and destruction. Battles. Nevertheless.....God wrote a nevertheless in David's story! In Max Lucado's "Facing Your Giants" Mr. Lucado tells us that David was scorned just like satan dumps buckets of discouragement on us today:
"You'll never overcome your bad habits."
"Think you can overcome your addiction? Think again."
Mr. Lucado goes on. "If you've heard the mocking David heard, your story needs the word David's has.......Nevertheless." Has God written a nevertheless in your biography? In this same book Mr. Lucado refers to other examples:
Peter....the man who's motto was "speak now, think later". Nevertheless God released satan's stronghold on Peter's tongue and he became an amazing preacher.
And the woman at the well. Oh my! a five-time divorcee. Men used her a threw her away. Nevertheless, Jesus discipled her. And she then introduced her entire village to Jesus! (Would we listen to her today? Perhaps a topic for another blog.)
2 Corinthians 10 is Paul describing his own life. Paul, who had been Saul and persecuted Christians. Nevertheless! And oh what a nevertheless it was! Paul became an amazing evangelist, denying himself and spreading God's Word in a way that it even reached us!
Perhaps the biggest nevertheless....Jesus died. Nevertheless He rose again!
Do you need a nevertheless in your life? As David did, ask God to make your heart clean. Like David, stop listening to the mockers and Goliaths in your life. Listen to the voice of truth. The voice of God. Your heart. That's what He wants. Your heart may be hardened, broken or confused. Nevertheless He will make it clean and beat like new when you ask Him!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Restoration
Ever restore an old piece of furniture? I have. It was a lot of work. And I loved it! Several years ago my husband's grandfather's estate was being auctioned. There was an antique secretary that was in pretty bad shape. It had been painted over a couple of times and was a very strange shade of a reddish brownish something or the other. The glass was broken in the door. And someone who didn't recognize me thought the secretary was being taken out of the family and bid against me! But I finally won the bid and owned great-grandma Lula Zula's (yes, that was her name) secretary.
Well that day was just the beginning of the adventure. My husband had to drive a 5 hour round trip to bring my treasure home. As rain was forecast for the whole day, he stopped at a grocery store near the dinky southeastern Oklahoma town where the secretary had been waiting to be picked up and bought a a few rolls of plastic wrap. Carefully wrapping great-grandma Lula Zula's antique secretary over and over with plastic wrap, he made sure it was completely water proof before loading it into the back of PT the truck and headed for home. When he arrived at home I couldn't believe all the work he had gone to just to bring home that sad looking prize. But he knew how much it meant to me so he worked extra hard to make me happy.
After unwrapping the secretary, and unwrapping and unwrapping, I carefully inspected it. I cleaned out the old pens, rubber bands, pencils and even a role of film (that I later had developed and found nothing but picture after picture of a young child that no one recognized) and wondered who might have used the things inside. Did my hubby use those pencils to do his homework as a child? Were those pens used to pay the bills of the large family who grew up in that house? Anyway, I started cleaning the wood. The drawers, the shelves, every piece of the entire thing. And it was still a strange shade of reddish brownish something or the other with a broken glass in the door.
So I researched. I visited my favorite antique shop and asked questions. Then the real work began. Stripping away the layers of paint and varnish took some time. It took patience.....something I used to not be very good at....and it took elbow grease. It took opening the front and back door of the garage to have some air circulation so I didn't pass out. It took time. As I worked though, the beauty of the wood underneath all that disgusting paint and filth was starting to come thru. It was so pretty! I'm sure great-grandma Lula Zula thought so too, back in the day.
After the piece was refinished and the broken glass in the door replaced, we moved it into the house, filled it with other treasures and decorated it with pictures of ancestors, including Lula Zula. I don't remember how long ago that was but I'm thinking it was about 10 years ago now. And it still holds a place of honor in our home.
Thinking about restoring that secretary leads me to another kind of restoration. Restoration of relationships. Marriage in particular. Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman, ordained by God and blessed by God. It is an amazing adventure and a beautiful thing. But sometimes it gets covered in reddish brownish something or the other and the glass in the door gets broken. Is that time to throw it away? Never! It's time to clean out the drawers, keep what is usable inside but throw away the trash. It's time to scrape off that reddish brownish gunk and reveal the beautiful wood underneath. It is still there. What a shame that some couples choose to discard the marriage, even being encouraged by well meaning people to do so, instead of revealing the beauty of where it all began and restoring the love that once ruled the day.
Imagine what would happen if churches and communities provided marriage restoration classes and support groups instead of divorce care groups. Imagine how different our society would be if moms and dads stayed together and worked on things instead of dividing belongings, time with the kids, holidays. Sound like an old movie maybe? What it really is though, is God's plan.
Many times, before restoration can begin in a marriage, restoration has to be done between the spouses and God. Each must have a restored relationship with the Lord first. David knew that. In Psalm 51, after David's adultery with Bathsheba had been exposed, he wrote, "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord my God. And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence oh Lord. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation." There it is. Restore! Restoration! David had lusted after another man's wife. He committed adultery with her and she became pregnant. He called her husband back from battle in hopes that he would spend time with his wife and they could hide the fact that she was pregnant with David's child. That didn't work so David had him killed. David married Bathsheba. The baby was born. The baby died. David and Bathsheba were punished for their sins. Then David repented. He asked God to forgive him. He asked God to restore his relationship with the Lord. That is always God's desire, That is always God's desire for families. That is always God's desire for marriages. That is always God's desire for our relationship with Him. God is all about restoration. Always.
Well that day was just the beginning of the adventure. My husband had to drive a 5 hour round trip to bring my treasure home. As rain was forecast for the whole day, he stopped at a grocery store near the dinky southeastern Oklahoma town where the secretary had been waiting to be picked up and bought a a few rolls of plastic wrap. Carefully wrapping great-grandma Lula Zula's antique secretary over and over with plastic wrap, he made sure it was completely water proof before loading it into the back of PT the truck and headed for home. When he arrived at home I couldn't believe all the work he had gone to just to bring home that sad looking prize. But he knew how much it meant to me so he worked extra hard to make me happy.
After unwrapping the secretary, and unwrapping and unwrapping, I carefully inspected it. I cleaned out the old pens, rubber bands, pencils and even a role of film (that I later had developed and found nothing but picture after picture of a young child that no one recognized) and wondered who might have used the things inside. Did my hubby use those pencils to do his homework as a child? Were those pens used to pay the bills of the large family who grew up in that house? Anyway, I started cleaning the wood. The drawers, the shelves, every piece of the entire thing. And it was still a strange shade of reddish brownish something or the other with a broken glass in the door.
So I researched. I visited my favorite antique shop and asked questions. Then the real work began. Stripping away the layers of paint and varnish took some time. It took patience.....something I used to not be very good at....and it took elbow grease. It took opening the front and back door of the garage to have some air circulation so I didn't pass out. It took time. As I worked though, the beauty of the wood underneath all that disgusting paint and filth was starting to come thru. It was so pretty! I'm sure great-grandma Lula Zula thought so too, back in the day.
After the piece was refinished and the broken glass in the door replaced, we moved it into the house, filled it with other treasures and decorated it with pictures of ancestors, including Lula Zula. I don't remember how long ago that was but I'm thinking it was about 10 years ago now. And it still holds a place of honor in our home.
Thinking about restoring that secretary leads me to another kind of restoration. Restoration of relationships. Marriage in particular. Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman, ordained by God and blessed by God. It is an amazing adventure and a beautiful thing. But sometimes it gets covered in reddish brownish something or the other and the glass in the door gets broken. Is that time to throw it away? Never! It's time to clean out the drawers, keep what is usable inside but throw away the trash. It's time to scrape off that reddish brownish gunk and reveal the beautiful wood underneath. It is still there. What a shame that some couples choose to discard the marriage, even being encouraged by well meaning people to do so, instead of revealing the beauty of where it all began and restoring the love that once ruled the day.
Imagine what would happen if churches and communities provided marriage restoration classes and support groups instead of divorce care groups. Imagine how different our society would be if moms and dads stayed together and worked on things instead of dividing belongings, time with the kids, holidays. Sound like an old movie maybe? What it really is though, is God's plan.
Many times, before restoration can begin in a marriage, restoration has to be done between the spouses and God. Each must have a restored relationship with the Lord first. David knew that. In Psalm 51, after David's adultery with Bathsheba had been exposed, he wrote, "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord my God. And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence oh Lord. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation." There it is. Restore! Restoration! David had lusted after another man's wife. He committed adultery with her and she became pregnant. He called her husband back from battle in hopes that he would spend time with his wife and they could hide the fact that she was pregnant with David's child. That didn't work so David had him killed. David married Bathsheba. The baby was born. The baby died. David and Bathsheba were punished for their sins. Then David repented. He asked God to forgive him. He asked God to restore his relationship with the Lord. That is always God's desire, That is always God's desire for families. That is always God's desire for marriages. That is always God's desire for our relationship with Him. God is all about restoration. Always.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
The Perils of Pippa Parks
It's been a while since I've written anything about little Miss Pippa Parks. I think it's time for an update. A lot has been going on in her life!
Not too long ago Pippa would sneak outside any chance she got. If she saw the door open, she was out quicker than we could even think to stop her. Pippa makes lightening look slow! One evening her "daddy" was outside scoping out where the wasps were nesting for the spring season. For some reason I opened the door without thinking, and out she went! She ran around the front of PT (the truck I wrote about in a previous blog), around the back of the truck, across the yard and up the street by our backyard fence. I ran after her in my heels and skirt, screaming her name and to stop. Daddy came around the corner just as she ran back to the front yard and up the side of the truck, ears back and running for all she was worth. He couldn't stop her but yelled "shes coming around again!" just and she headed toward me. I lunged for her as she dashed around the truck again. Daddy jumped towards her at just the right time and scooped her up in his arms. Whew! Wish we had that on video! It was quite a show.
Pippa has always loved playing in the backyard. The bigger the stick she can find to carry around in her mouth, the better. But when it was time to come in, oh my. I actually had to sneak up on her and grab her to get her in the house! Now at almost 6 months old she is doing so good! She watches for the door to open and comes running. She's such a smart girl!
Three weeks ago today Pippa was not feeling so well though. That was the day she was spayed and had her dewclaws removed. Oh that poor puppy Pippa. She felt so badly it broke my heart! The vet had sent us home with meds that she had to take but she was not interested at all. Then I had an idea. Peanut butter. Not only did it work, but now every time I have a spoon full of peanut butter, Pippa won't leave me alone until she gets to lick the spoon clean! (Don't tell my mom. She would have a fit!) During recover unfortunately Pippa couldn't keep from gnawing at her stitches on her paws so she had to wear the cone of shame. It was so sad but so cute at the same time!
When we first got Pippa, there were two things we were not going to let her do. She would not eat table food and she would not sleep in anyone's bed but her own. Well the peanut butter thing kinda gave it away that the first rule is out the window. She also loves popcorn and chicken and even green beans! Sometimes she even eats her dog food! :)
Now as far as that second rule. Well........a couple of us break that rule occasionally....or maybe a lot! Just say "Ready to go night night Pip?" and she can't wait to get into bed! For a 9 pound dog (yes she has grown a lot!) she takes most of the bed. I've actually walked in our 6' tall son's room and found him hanging on the edge of the bed asleep while Pippa took the rest! About the only time she doesn't do good is when she hears someone else still up after she has gone night night. Pippa doesn't want to miss a thing and whimpers and barks and whines until she gets her way and can run to where the fun is instead of the snoring.
So she's gotten bigger....a lot bigger. Had surgery. Survived the cone of shame. Learned to not run away. Usually anyway. She does run thru the house with her ears back and eyes glazed over at times though. She's gotten us to give her table food and most especially peanut butter. And she takes over our beds. She has us wrapped around her little paws. We love that Pippy Parks. Even when she eats our throw rugs!
Not too long ago Pippa would sneak outside any chance she got. If she saw the door open, she was out quicker than we could even think to stop her. Pippa makes lightening look slow! One evening her "daddy" was outside scoping out where the wasps were nesting for the spring season. For some reason I opened the door without thinking, and out she went! She ran around the front of PT (the truck I wrote about in a previous blog), around the back of the truck, across the yard and up the street by our backyard fence. I ran after her in my heels and skirt, screaming her name and to stop. Daddy came around the corner just as she ran back to the front yard and up the side of the truck, ears back and running for all she was worth. He couldn't stop her but yelled "shes coming around again!" just and she headed toward me. I lunged for her as she dashed around the truck again. Daddy jumped towards her at just the right time and scooped her up in his arms. Whew! Wish we had that on video! It was quite a show.
Pippa has always loved playing in the backyard. The bigger the stick she can find to carry around in her mouth, the better. But when it was time to come in, oh my. I actually had to sneak up on her and grab her to get her in the house! Now at almost 6 months old she is doing so good! She watches for the door to open and comes running. She's such a smart girl!
Three weeks ago today Pippa was not feeling so well though. That was the day she was spayed and had her dewclaws removed. Oh that poor puppy Pippa. She felt so badly it broke my heart! The vet had sent us home with meds that she had to take but she was not interested at all. Then I had an idea. Peanut butter. Not only did it work, but now every time I have a spoon full of peanut butter, Pippa won't leave me alone until she gets to lick the spoon clean! (Don't tell my mom. She would have a fit!) During recover unfortunately Pippa couldn't keep from gnawing at her stitches on her paws so she had to wear the cone of shame. It was so sad but so cute at the same time!
When we first got Pippa, there were two things we were not going to let her do. She would not eat table food and she would not sleep in anyone's bed but her own. Well the peanut butter thing kinda gave it away that the first rule is out the window. She also loves popcorn and chicken and even green beans! Sometimes she even eats her dog food! :)
Now as far as that second rule. Well........a couple of us break that rule occasionally....or maybe a lot! Just say "Ready to go night night Pip?" and she can't wait to get into bed! For a 9 pound dog (yes she has grown a lot!) she takes most of the bed. I've actually walked in our 6' tall son's room and found him hanging on the edge of the bed asleep while Pippa took the rest! About the only time she doesn't do good is when she hears someone else still up after she has gone night night. Pippa doesn't want to miss a thing and whimpers and barks and whines until she gets her way and can run to where the fun is instead of the snoring.
So she's gotten bigger....a lot bigger. Had surgery. Survived the cone of shame. Learned to not run away. Usually anyway. She does run thru the house with her ears back and eyes glazed over at times though. She's gotten us to give her table food and most especially peanut butter. And she takes over our beds. She has us wrapped around her little paws. We love that Pippy Parks. Even when she eats our throw rugs!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Glory!
Once again while taking my walk on a rainy evening, I asked the Lord what to blog about. Not at the beginning of my walk because I was on the phone. And the middle of my walk I was texting and stuff. But He finally got my attention about the time I walked by a cedar tree that was wet with rain and smelling very strongly like, well, cedar.
"Lord, what do I blog about next?" I prayed as I took one last look at twitter. The word "Glory" caught my eye. Before I sat down to write this, glory had been part of a song I was singing as I gave our puppy Pippa a bath. It was also part of a message from a new friend. Quite obviously, glory was to be the topic.
So just what is glory? The Boss sings about "Glory Days" talking about the best of times. A person's glory could be their wealth like Solomon or great strength like Samson. Someone's or something's glory is what sets that person or thing apart. So if we are giving someone our glory, does that mean we are giving them the very best of what we are and have? Hmmmm.....hadn't thought of it that way before.
Giving God the glory is something that will be a part of this blog today. But maybe, just maybe, we need to discuss how to not glorify Him first. How are you living? I'm not judging here. I'm talking to myself as well. Just what does NOT bring glory to God?
We know sin does not bring glory to God. That's pretty obvious. What is sin? Anything that does not glorify God. Pretty simple. But who decides what does and doesn't glorify God? Who decides what is and is not sin? He does. It's in His Word. The Word tells us that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So everyone has done it. A list? Well it's pretty long. A few would be, in alphabetical order:
Adultery, backbiting, divorce, envy, hypocrisy, idolatry, lying, pride, stealing, unforgiveness. The list could really go on and and on. None of these things bring glory to God. He will NEVER bless anything He calls sin. What gives Him that right? He's our creator! He is God! I don't know how you feel about it, but I don't consider myself even close to good enough to argue with Him about this or declare something holy that He has plainly said is sin.
To make this easy, going from the few sins listed above that do NOT bring glory to God, what DOES glorify Him?
Marital faithfulness, saying good things about others, keeping marriage vows, being happy with what you have, honesty, putting nothing and no one above God, truthfulness, humbleness, don't take anyone or anything that does not belong to you, forgive. Why do these things matter? Because God said they do. These things all bring glory to God. He will bless those who do these things and love Him.
Do you claim to be a Christian but continue in sin? How does that make you feel? How does it make God feel? If you are doing anything other than giving God your very best, giving Him the glory, you're not living life to the fullest. You're not living life the way God intended you, His child, to live. It's time to get alone with the Lord and start on the road to glorifying Him with your life.
Are you a Christian? If not, first things first. Before you have any glory, anything that is the best, you must accept Jesus as your Savior. There is absolutely NOTHING good in you until He lives in you. Please pray right now, asking Him to forgive you of your sins. He truly died on the cross for you. God gave His very best, His Glory, so that you can be saved. Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". It cost Jesus His life. And it's free to us. Praise Him! Glory!
"Lord, what do I blog about next?" I prayed as I took one last look at twitter. The word "Glory" caught my eye. Before I sat down to write this, glory had been part of a song I was singing as I gave our puppy Pippa a bath. It was also part of a message from a new friend. Quite obviously, glory was to be the topic.
So just what is glory? The Boss sings about "Glory Days" talking about the best of times. A person's glory could be their wealth like Solomon or great strength like Samson. Someone's or something's glory is what sets that person or thing apart. So if we are giving someone our glory, does that mean we are giving them the very best of what we are and have? Hmmmm.....hadn't thought of it that way before.
Giving God the glory is something that will be a part of this blog today. But maybe, just maybe, we need to discuss how to not glorify Him first. How are you living? I'm not judging here. I'm talking to myself as well. Just what does NOT bring glory to God?
We know sin does not bring glory to God. That's pretty obvious. What is sin? Anything that does not glorify God. Pretty simple. But who decides what does and doesn't glorify God? Who decides what is and is not sin? He does. It's in His Word. The Word tells us that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So everyone has done it. A list? Well it's pretty long. A few would be, in alphabetical order:
Adultery, backbiting, divorce, envy, hypocrisy, idolatry, lying, pride, stealing, unforgiveness. The list could really go on and and on. None of these things bring glory to God. He will NEVER bless anything He calls sin. What gives Him that right? He's our creator! He is God! I don't know how you feel about it, but I don't consider myself even close to good enough to argue with Him about this or declare something holy that He has plainly said is sin.
To make this easy, going from the few sins listed above that do NOT bring glory to God, what DOES glorify Him?
Marital faithfulness, saying good things about others, keeping marriage vows, being happy with what you have, honesty, putting nothing and no one above God, truthfulness, humbleness, don't take anyone or anything that does not belong to you, forgive. Why do these things matter? Because God said they do. These things all bring glory to God. He will bless those who do these things and love Him.
Do you claim to be a Christian but continue in sin? How does that make you feel? How does it make God feel? If you are doing anything other than giving God your very best, giving Him the glory, you're not living life to the fullest. You're not living life the way God intended you, His child, to live. It's time to get alone with the Lord and start on the road to glorifying Him with your life.
Are you a Christian? If not, first things first. Before you have any glory, anything that is the best, you must accept Jesus as your Savior. There is absolutely NOTHING good in you until He lives in you. Please pray right now, asking Him to forgive you of your sins. He truly died on the cross for you. God gave His very best, His Glory, so that you can be saved. Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". It cost Jesus His life. And it's free to us. Praise Him! Glory!
Monday, May 5, 2014
Blue Skies
As I took my walk this evening I spent some time in prayer like I normally do. And like I also often do, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to blog about next. Immediately I saw a blue object and the words "blue sky" came to mind. Hmmmm.......was that You Lord?
Blue skies. With those words I became aware that I seldom even look at the sky while I'm walking. Look at the pavement? Yes I do that. And sometimes that's a good thing when I find dropped change. But some of the stuff I find I could certainly do without. There's the occasional dehydrated worm. The half of a small snake. The piece of a rope that I always think is a snake.
I also find myself texting and looking at twitter as I walk. It's a good time to catch up with friends and read inspirational quotes and such. But I do tend to get a little too involved with my reading sometimes and have had some awfully close calls with parked cars!
Now it's not that I never look up, because I do. But tonight I looked up with intention. The different shades of blue were beautiful, soft and even comforting. The crescent moon....oh wow. But it wasn't just the sky. As I looked up I started noticing the different trees. I couldn't tell you how many times I have walked and ran that exact same route but I had never really noticed the variety of trees. Or maybe I should say the personalities of the trees. Ever thought that trees really do have personalities? Some are tall and strong and seem to protect the houses they stand in front of. Some show scars of storms they've weathered. Yet even with their scars they stand tall and proud.
Then there's the sparrow floating almost effortlessly on the breeze. It doesn't seem to have a destination. The little bird just seems to be enjoying the beautiful spring evening. I'm reminded that the Word tells us God even watches the sparrows and knows when one falls. If He sees that little bird fall, He must also enjoy that little creation of His as it floats on the wind.
Recently while going thru some difficult times I found myself looking down, discouraged and about to give up. Then too God wanted me to look up. As I cried out, grasping for anything that looked like hope, I felt God put His hands on each side of my face and lift my face up to look at His face. He was smiling at me. He told me to look at Him, not at the circumstances around me. Each time I would start to become discouraged again, He would gently lift my face and smile. He would assure me He had the whole situation in His hands and that, despite how things looked, He had a plan.
Remember the story of Joseph? His brothers were jealous and even plotted to kill him. Instead they threw him in a pit and pretended he died. As the story goes, he was a slave in Pharaoh's house. A young Jewish man, the apple of his father's eye, a servant for the Egyptian Pharaoh.. He went thru highs and lows. He was in prison and even there God used him. Would his life had been good had his brother's not plotted evil against him? Probably. But God had a plan. God used Joseph to save the people of Egypt and the children of Israel. In Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph tells his brothers "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive."
The same God who turned around the evil used against Joesph and used it for good is the same God who will turn around the evil used against me, against you and use it for His glory and our good. Is there anything you need to trust Him for? Look up. Blue skies. And the God who created it all has His eyes on you. He loves you. Do you know Him? Would you like to?
Blue skies. With those words I became aware that I seldom even look at the sky while I'm walking. Look at the pavement? Yes I do that. And sometimes that's a good thing when I find dropped change. But some of the stuff I find I could certainly do without. There's the occasional dehydrated worm. The half of a small snake. The piece of a rope that I always think is a snake.
I also find myself texting and looking at twitter as I walk. It's a good time to catch up with friends and read inspirational quotes and such. But I do tend to get a little too involved with my reading sometimes and have had some awfully close calls with parked cars!
Now it's not that I never look up, because I do. But tonight I looked up with intention. The different shades of blue were beautiful, soft and even comforting. The crescent moon....oh wow. But it wasn't just the sky. As I looked up I started noticing the different trees. I couldn't tell you how many times I have walked and ran that exact same route but I had never really noticed the variety of trees. Or maybe I should say the personalities of the trees. Ever thought that trees really do have personalities? Some are tall and strong and seem to protect the houses they stand in front of. Some show scars of storms they've weathered. Yet even with their scars they stand tall and proud.
Then there's the sparrow floating almost effortlessly on the breeze. It doesn't seem to have a destination. The little bird just seems to be enjoying the beautiful spring evening. I'm reminded that the Word tells us God even watches the sparrows and knows when one falls. If He sees that little bird fall, He must also enjoy that little creation of His as it floats on the wind.
Recently while going thru some difficult times I found myself looking down, discouraged and about to give up. Then too God wanted me to look up. As I cried out, grasping for anything that looked like hope, I felt God put His hands on each side of my face and lift my face up to look at His face. He was smiling at me. He told me to look at Him, not at the circumstances around me. Each time I would start to become discouraged again, He would gently lift my face and smile. He would assure me He had the whole situation in His hands and that, despite how things looked, He had a plan.
Remember the story of Joseph? His brothers were jealous and even plotted to kill him. Instead they threw him in a pit and pretended he died. As the story goes, he was a slave in Pharaoh's house. A young Jewish man, the apple of his father's eye, a servant for the Egyptian Pharaoh.. He went thru highs and lows. He was in prison and even there God used him. Would his life had been good had his brother's not plotted evil against him? Probably. But God had a plan. God used Joseph to save the people of Egypt and the children of Israel. In Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph tells his brothers "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive."
The same God who turned around the evil used against Joesph and used it for good is the same God who will turn around the evil used against me, against you and use it for His glory and our good. Is there anything you need to trust Him for? Look up. Blue skies. And the God who created it all has His eyes on you. He loves you. Do you know Him? Would you like to?
Thursday, May 1, 2014
I'm a Shoeaholic and I Don't Want Intervention
Ok I'm not trying to make light of people with serious addictions here. I actually saw that title on Instagram or Twitter or something. And it, fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view, fits me. Also I've been blogging about serious stuff lately so I thought I would throw in something fun tonight.
When I was a kid I remember getting only one new pair of shoes for school each fall and a pretty new pair of Sunday shoes for Easter. Occasionally we would get an extra pair during the year but usually we just had to make sure there was plenty of growing room in the two or maybe three pair we got each year so they would last. I remember a pair of Go-Go boots when I was 6. They started out white but had to be polished often so my parents decided to make them black. Not sure why they were polished black but later they decided to make them white again. Which of course resulted in a kinda dingy gray. But at least I was stylin'.
Growing up, almost every school day I wore the same pair of shoes. Almost every Sunday I wore the same pair of Sunday shoes. How did I ever survive? Or maybe that's why I am like I am today. I would seriously do without food to buy a new pair of shoes! Especially ones with really high heels.
Not long ago I went to the mall with my two youngest kids. Yes, they are 17 and 19 years old but they still will be seen in public with me occasionally. Now I don't usually go to the mall. Too many people. But the movie we were hoping to see was sold out so we decided to do a little shopping. While in one particular store that usually has prices too high for me to even consider buying anything, I noticed a huge section of shoes at 65% off. Of course I was drawn like a fly to honey. Oh my. I found pair after pair that I just couldn't live without.....leopard print, red, black, blue, purple, high heels and more high heels and stilettos even.....how could I ever choose???? There were so many beautiful pairs of shoes just my size! I tried on pair after pair and modeled them for the kids and checked them out in the mirror. I absolutely fell in love with a bright blue pair of open toed Gianni Bini heels with little shiny black studs all over them. But I didn't want to stop there! Oh no! How could I?
Ever have your kids take over a situation? That's what happened that night. My 19 year old son literally started calling out for a store clerk. He was begging someone to come check us out before I picked one more pair of shoes. I just couldn't stop! He dragged me over to the register and made me pay for that one pair and took me out of the store. I haven't been back and that's a good thing I guess. I would love to go back. And even if I would give up food to have a new pair of shoes, my kids would probably rather eat.
Boy do my shoes ever get attention! It was kinda freaky when a man driving an old beat up pick up on a store parking lot yelled out his window as I was wearing those shoes a couple of weeks ago and told me he loved my shoes though. As he walked by a minute later carrying a fishing rod he commented that my shoes would go with anything. Hmmmm........
Twice recently I have been shopping and little girls noticed my shoes. The first one, in awe, proclaimed "I love your shoes!" She just couldn't stop looking at them. Yesterday I was in a warehouse type store. A little girl was standing right where I needed to go. Her mother tried to get her to move but she was frozen. At first I thought she was just being defiant and I think her mother did as well. Then I realized what was going on. She was looking at my shoes and just couldn't move! It was too cute!
Due to car repair issues, that same 19 year old son who stopped me from spending my retirement on shoes accompanied me to an eye appointment this week. I was wearing my purple platforms with skinny heels. There were constant comments. A cute couple of older ladies mentioned them. Both were at least in their late 70s or maybe even 80s. One said she had a pair a lot like them but what she described didn't sound anything like them. It was so cute though. And my son got to see his mom's shoes getting lots of attention.
So whether I'm going to work or church or out on the town (yeah that doesn't happen much). Or if I'm chasing Pippa the puppy around the yard because she got out when she wasn't supposed to; whatever I'm doing, this 5'2" 52 year old lady will often be found in her amazing shoes. They make me feel good about myself. Haha....and they make me taller!
When I was a kid I remember getting only one new pair of shoes for school each fall and a pretty new pair of Sunday shoes for Easter. Occasionally we would get an extra pair during the year but usually we just had to make sure there was plenty of growing room in the two or maybe three pair we got each year so they would last. I remember a pair of Go-Go boots when I was 6. They started out white but had to be polished often so my parents decided to make them black. Not sure why they were polished black but later they decided to make them white again. Which of course resulted in a kinda dingy gray. But at least I was stylin'.
Growing up, almost every school day I wore the same pair of shoes. Almost every Sunday I wore the same pair of Sunday shoes. How did I ever survive? Or maybe that's why I am like I am today. I would seriously do without food to buy a new pair of shoes! Especially ones with really high heels.
Not long ago I went to the mall with my two youngest kids. Yes, they are 17 and 19 years old but they still will be seen in public with me occasionally. Now I don't usually go to the mall. Too many people. But the movie we were hoping to see was sold out so we decided to do a little shopping. While in one particular store that usually has prices too high for me to even consider buying anything, I noticed a huge section of shoes at 65% off. Of course I was drawn like a fly to honey. Oh my. I found pair after pair that I just couldn't live without.....leopard print, red, black, blue, purple, high heels and more high heels and stilettos even.....how could I ever choose???? There were so many beautiful pairs of shoes just my size! I tried on pair after pair and modeled them for the kids and checked them out in the mirror. I absolutely fell in love with a bright blue pair of open toed Gianni Bini heels with little shiny black studs all over them. But I didn't want to stop there! Oh no! How could I?
Ever have your kids take over a situation? That's what happened that night. My 19 year old son literally started calling out for a store clerk. He was begging someone to come check us out before I picked one more pair of shoes. I just couldn't stop! He dragged me over to the register and made me pay for that one pair and took me out of the store. I haven't been back and that's a good thing I guess. I would love to go back. And even if I would give up food to have a new pair of shoes, my kids would probably rather eat.
Boy do my shoes ever get attention! It was kinda freaky when a man driving an old beat up pick up on a store parking lot yelled out his window as I was wearing those shoes a couple of weeks ago and told me he loved my shoes though. As he walked by a minute later carrying a fishing rod he commented that my shoes would go with anything. Hmmmm........
Twice recently I have been shopping and little girls noticed my shoes. The first one, in awe, proclaimed "I love your shoes!" She just couldn't stop looking at them. Yesterday I was in a warehouse type store. A little girl was standing right where I needed to go. Her mother tried to get her to move but she was frozen. At first I thought she was just being defiant and I think her mother did as well. Then I realized what was going on. She was looking at my shoes and just couldn't move! It was too cute!
Due to car repair issues, that same 19 year old son who stopped me from spending my retirement on shoes accompanied me to an eye appointment this week. I was wearing my purple platforms with skinny heels. There were constant comments. A cute couple of older ladies mentioned them. Both were at least in their late 70s or maybe even 80s. One said she had a pair a lot like them but what she described didn't sound anything like them. It was so cute though. And my son got to see his mom's shoes getting lots of attention.
So whether I'm going to work or church or out on the town (yeah that doesn't happen much). Or if I'm chasing Pippa the puppy around the yard because she got out when she wasn't supposed to; whatever I'm doing, this 5'2" 52 year old lady will often be found in her amazing shoes. They make me feel good about myself. Haha....and they make me taller!
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