Simply Surrendered

The actor, Jim Nabors, gave us lots of laughs as Gomer Pyle but I don’t recall anyone laughing when Jim Nabors sang!  His singing voice in no way resembled his speaking voice.  God cares deeply how I match up. That is, am I in private what I am in public?  Oh, that we all were real through-and-through, never a need to weigh real against pretense. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that … simple.  Paul wrote, “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”  (2 Corinthians 1:12 ESV)  Devout & pure motives, simple godly sincerity – what a state-of-being!  In front of our local high school once stood a sign with these words: do the right thing.  Simple and profound - a whisper of The Father to my own oft fickle heart. O Lord, give me a humble heart ... simply surrendered.

Spiritual Grit

Grits are great! My Granny taught my Mama who taught me who taught my boys how to make grits. The recipe has been “tampered” with by adding this-and-that so there’s some debate who makes the “best” grits but nonetheless ...  grits are great! God is never in a hurry. We, on the other hand, are seldom patient!  Have you noticed the more unpleasant the circumstances, the more impatient and whinier we grow? Most of us just don’t do well in God’s greenhouse yet it’s where great spiritual growth occurs as we surrender to His sovereignty in quiet and peaceful and obedient patience.  Oswald Chambers makes this observation: “If we wait, we shall see that God is pointing out that we have not been interested in Himself but only in His blessings.” Perhaps it's true: Believers are more interested in what God can do and give instead of the awesome Creator and Redeemer and King that He is!  When we persevere [by God’s grace], the spiritual hammering produces (like Christ) that “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2).  Oh, how we need spiritual grit!   Grit is produced by pounding, and we [Southerners] love the taste of that coarsely ground and pounded corn.  Yeah, yeah, I know not everyone appreciates a good bowl of hot grits, but [oh my] how the world needs to see God glorified when His Children persevere by patiently waiting upon The Lord.  Let’s take a breath, step back, and put forth some spiritual grit to the glory of The Father!

Optimum Best

Yesterday we had our heating-cooling system serviced. We were not surprised to see the collection of dust-debris-etc that had accumulated through seasons of use. It brought to my mind how much I need the cleansing power of God's Word in my life! The psalmist wrote, "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Psalm 119:11 KJV). Oh, I want to say that with all the confidence of the psalmist! I fear I've hidden too many other things - polluting, unclean things - that have (like my heating-cooling system) have junked-up my heart. Believers' hearts need continual cleansing and God has given us the means: "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever." (Psalm 12:6-7 ESV). What a foolish notion God's children have in thinking they can know closeness to The Father (pure and holy) when our hearts are full of sin and impurities! Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth writes, "Your progress in holiness will never exceed your relationship with the holy Word of God" (The Quiet Place). The Word of God is life-giving and life-sustaining for those who belong to Jesus. I'm happy to say our system is now clean and working at optimum best; in the same way, hearts cleansed and minds transformed by The Word of God will always honor Jesus at ... optimum best. 

Praise The Lord

It's the bloomin' time of year again. My gardening skills do not qualify me as a gardener but even so ... I enjoy the blooms such as the daffodils pop-out at the first sign of spring. Have you considered the blooms that appear where there's no one to observe and enjoy their beauty? For example, the Indian Pipe that thrives in dark forest floors; or the Night-Blooming Cereus, a desert-dwelling cactus that blooms once a year; or the Desert Wildflower with its super blooms that appear only after rare rains. These blooms mostly go unobserved, their beauty lost to human eyes ... yet they bloom still! God's Word tells us creation speaks of Him, reveals His handiwork ... "day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge ... there is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard" (Psalm 19:2-3 ESV). God said this to Job, "Ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12:7-10 ESV). Yes, the blooms - seen and unseen - declare the glory of The Creator; they proclaim His excellency in all the earth. So, why do we not? The psalmist encourages us, "let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" (150:6 ESV). God did not send His only Son to die for the blooms; rather, it was for you and me, He came! Let's learn from the blooms that bloom unto The Lord ... Praise The Lord!

Rest Well

Sometimes we read things that touch us in an extraordinary way; here's one such thing: "The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side." (Luke 16:22). My sisters and I miss our parents so much, and it's hard to believe how quickly the years have passed since they went to "Abraham's side" - to heaven. What comfort it is Jesus confirmed heaven is a real place and it is where The Father is and His children (His true children) will also be one day. "In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." (John 14:2-3 ESV). We might "slip away" for a brief respite but a child of God never "slips" away o one "slips away" The Creator. God's Word assures us as we  live, we are engraved on the palms of His hands and we are continually before Him (Isaiah 49:16). From first to dying breath, we are in His care and keeping; then when our lives here are done, God sends His angels to bring us to our eternal home in heaven! As hard as it was to see Mom and Dad (and so many other loved ones) take their final breaths here, know they left this world in the perfect keeping of The Father and His angels ... we can rest well in that!