Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Song Source

Oh, how music sources have changed in my lifetime! Records (33's and 45's), 8-track or cassette tapes even CDs have been replaced - feeling old yet? Whatever the source of our listening pleasure, music continues. Victor Hugo said, "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words, and that which cannot remain silent." Do you wonder whence came the beautiful, life-giving words of Elizabeth to the young expectant Mary - those words, "blessed are you among women" - where did they originate? The source of her words were divine: "And Elizabeth was filled with The Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!'" (Luke 1:41-42). Elizabeth's words were born of The Holy Spirit; words that flooded her heart to a ginormous overflow. How many times do we close our lips tightly against what we should speak yet carelessly blurt-out that which should not be spoken! Oh, to be so filled with The Spirit of The Living God that our heart-and-lips [together] become one effective tool in the Hands of The Redeemer! Like Elizabeth, let us live in expectation of holy words poured into our hearts only to move our lips to moments of praise and exclamation of Who Christ is. It's the perfect season to hear His Music within us and sing it out. This season, make Jesus your ... Song Source!

Monday, November 29, 2021

Speak Life

Are you a smiler?  My Dad sure is! I actually have no memory of when Dad hasn't welcomed me (or anyone else) into his presence with a welcoming and contagious smile. We read the sweet account of Mary's visit to Elizabeth; and, I wonder how very anxious Mary was to make that trip, how much she needed to get-away from the questions, looks, whispers about her pregnancy. Elizabeth just may have been the retreat, the refuge, the respite this young woman needed. And then we read how Elizabeth welcomed Mary: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord." (Luke 1:42-45). Surely, what a contrast to what Mary had left behind in Nazareth: an unexpected blessing! I wonder how many people who cross our paths on any given day need a smile and a word of encouragement. Proverbs 18:21 says with our tongue we speak life or we speak death! In the madness of these days, let's remember Mary and Elizabeth: someone needs your life-giving words - be the one to speak them. Of course, smile but don't forget to ... speak life.

Sunday, November 28, 2021

Yet He Did!

A cleverly executed trick (aka slight of hand) can ooh and aah the masses: we call it magic. The lights, sounds and smells of the coming Season can certainly create an essence of awe and magic for children, even adults. There was nothing mystical nor magical of that which The Angel spoke to Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of The Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy - The Son of God ... For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:35, 37). Impossible ... YET He did! Man sees life through the lens of knowledge and logic: God, however, is limited by nothing! A child conceived by non-biological means ... impossible YET He did. More awing is that He "Who sits enthroned as King forever" (Psalm 29:10) takes human form to live and walk among men, ultimately fulfilling His Purpose of saving mankind ... YET He did! Do you believe this? Mary did: "Let it be to me according to Your word." (Luke 1:38). Advent has begun - the time to reflect on Jesus' coming - so let us focus not on the "magic" of the Season but on the "reality" of the impossible - the YET He did!

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Holiday Greeting

 

Miles of Smiles, Beverly

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Just Sing!

Where do you sing best? In the shower - alone in your car - with a crowd - in your sleep? There are many things that stir us to melodies. Perhaps the God-intended purpose of these wonderful vocal chords we've been given was to sing to and communicate with The Father. The psalmist says, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul." (Psalm 146:1). "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name." (Psalm 103:1). When the joy is so great, so intense, so urgent -- there's never enough music, never enough lips, never enough words, never enough songs, never enough tongues, never enough hands to raise. The soul grapples for enough of whatever to praise and worship The Most Holy One. Truly, the soul must sing so wherever you sing best ... just sing!

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Fear or Faith?

Mister Bill often tells me I ask too many questions; I tell him he doesn’t ask enough questions,
which explains why he's so often in the dark!  When God asks a question, you can count on it
being probing and the answer revealing. On the run and in hiding from the wicked Queen Jezebel, Elijah found himself a long way from home. Twice during this time, God asked the prophet, “what are you doing here?” (1 Kings 19:9, 13). O. S. Hawkins makes a valid point about Christian life: we often react in fear instead of responding in faith. In the face of a life-battle – whatever it may be – it's particularly easy to forget God’s faithfulness and jump track, succumbing to fear. Did you know the phrase "fear not" occurs in more than 100 verses in Scripture!  Paul wrote to Timothy making sure he knew God has not given us a "spirit of fear" but rather a spirit of power (2 Timothy 1:7).  Fear paralyzes and just like Elijah, if we're not careful, we'll find ourselves in a cave hiding-out instead of facing our fears in faith.  Jesus said all the faith we need is the size of a mustard seed - and that's really really small - to overcome fear (Matthew 17:20).  If God is tracking your present location - aka "what are you doing here?" - consider it a probing question: fear or faith?

Monday, November 22, 2021

God of the Details

"The devil is in the details" - a phrase meant to remind us of things often overlooked or forgotten. It's usually the paper products or the ice or the cranberry sauce left chillin' in the fridge. One thing Believers must never forget is that God leaves nothing to chance or happenstance! When giving Moses the instructions for His design of the Ark of the Covenant, God didn't tell Moses to ask around or take applications and interview those who were skilled in building; no, God had already chosen one: "Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with The Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship." (Exodus 31:1-5).  God called Bezalel and God equipped Bezalel for the specific work to which he had been chosen. When Believers determine to live as God commands, we can rest assuredly that He will provide all the wisdom, strength and direction necessary! Just like God intended that Bezalel do His work on The Ark of The Covenant, God filled him with everything necessary to obey and to complete the work. Is there something specific God has called you to do? If so, is fear or apprehension paralyzed you in saying "yes" and moving forward? Remember, God equips those He calls! Say "yes, Lord" and leave the details to Him!

Sunday, November 21, 2021

Faithful and Firm

Oh, how we loved to sing, "Slip slidin' away - Slip slidin' away," - Paul Simon's 1977 fun words put to a catchy tune. Believers, however, aren't quite so eager to see nor admit that's exactly what's happenin' in their spiritual lives. The slippery slope of compromise and neglect deals its own spiritual casualties: apathy, cynicism, brutality, bitterness, oblivion and more. My basket coach drilled into us, "a good defense is always a good offense." In other words, be ever diligently pressing on, moving forward, never standing still! I assure you of this: if Believers are not faithfully growing in their faith, we are losing ground! When we "take a vacation" from study, prayer, worship, fellowship, service Satan goes into overdrive, taking advantage of the moment. Psalm 119 is a beautifully rich testament of how God's Truth keeps Believers established and sustained in these trying times. V.89 assures us, "Forever, O LORD, Your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens." Be sure, there's no revisions, updates, amendments, addendums to what The Ancient of Days has spoken in His Word and through His Son - yes, even for us today! Simon continues, "You know the nearer your destination - The more you're slip sliddin' away." Not so, Simon: slippin' and slidin' is a constant danger but not an inevitable end: those who faithfully persevere in spiritual disciplines such as study-prayer-worship-fellowship-service will be upheld by The Mighty Hand of God. I encourage you to avoid the slippin' and the sliddin' - by The Word of The Lord ... stay faithful and stand firm!

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Press On!

Our previous house is undergoing some serious changes: new floors, walls, colors, windows, window treatments. The new owner is making it her own! In Philippians 3, Paul writes of "former things," which indicates the presence of the new. Do you struggle, even resist, to lay-down, set-aside, leave-behind things that are non-glorifying to God? Paul wrote, "Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own." (Philippians 3:12, AMP). I suggest many Believers fail to press-on, neglecting what it takes to [as Paul said] actively move toward personal Christ-likeness. "How does a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your words." (Psalm 119:9). As we faithfully and seriously read, study, meditate on, obey and apply God's words to our lives, those words actually become functional (active) in us. Because God's Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), It is not dormant-inactive in the lives of those who make holiness a priority. Like the new owner is making the house her own, Believers are to make The Purity and Holiness of Christ their own. Persevere, Child of God - Press on!

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Uniform of The Spirit

Someone in uniform is usually an attention-getter! Military personnel, police officers, waiters and waitresses, store clerks, etc. are often the ones we look to for help and assistance. Why? Because that's what they do ... help and assist. Galatians 5:25 says, "If we live by The Spirit, let us also walk by The Spirit." I love how the Amplified Bible breaks it down: "If we [claim to] live by The [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by The Spirit [with personal integrity, Godly character, and moral courage — our conduct empowered by The Holy Spirit]." When that person puts on the uniform, he or she assumes the role for which the uniform represents. So it is [also] with those who find spiritual life in The Spirit; they will proceed in such a way they are directed by that same life-giving Spirit. There will be no obvious disconnect, no interruption, no confusion in The Christ they represent and how they represent Him! Those who put on the uniform of The Spirit do (live, walk) as The Spirit leads! And, as we "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him," we bear "fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10). How important it is we be dressed in the Beauty of Christ, and that Beauty bear-out in our lives.  Check your uniform and make sure it represents Christ!

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Most Satisfying One

 Variety - Options - Choices ... these tempt us! Restaurant buffets, for example: we largely overpay, not for the amount of food [we consume] but for the variety, the options, the choices made available to us. Oh, how we often find ourselves at the buffet of soul-satisfaction. There are times and seasons when we seem to eat from the well of discouragement, despair, hopelessness, anxiety, bitterness, fear, faithlessness - really, the list is endless. Interestingly, the more we feast on these things, the greater our appetite grows. Jeremiah gives a lengthy description of his afflictions in Chapter 3, Verses 1-19 but scantly before his feast-of-affliction, he says, "But this I call to mind; and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is my Portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him." (Jeremiahc 3:21-24). Oh! We are reminded we have no need for variety or options or choices: The Sufficiency of The Father is enough! Let us, dear Believer, stop looking to and for that which draws us again and again for frivolous fulfillment. The LORD is The Complete and Most Satisfying One.

Monday, November 15, 2021

Sing Truly

Do you remember your first remote control? Mine and Mister Bill's first remote control came with a VCR; it connected to the VCR with a 30' cable. We could sit in our recliners and command Play, Fast Forward, Rewind and Stop without leaving our chairs! David's [Gittith] melody begins like this: "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth! Who has set Thy Glory above the heavens." (Psalm 8:1). The first LORD (all caps) refers to Jehovah - the uncreated, self-existing One; The second Lord (capital L) refers to lord, master, king - the One Who rules-controls Believers. Believers are wise to consider: can I with honesty say, "My Lord and my God"? It seems [to me] we more quickly and easily testify of The Creator God (LORD) than we surrender to Jesus Christ (Lord of our lives). Unlike the remote that commands the VCR from afar (remotely), there is One Who lives within Believers - The Holy Spirit; He directs and strengthens. Life happens: plans, hopes, dreams often dashed and interrupted. We forget: "A man's heart plans his way, but The LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9). Empowered by The Holy Spirit, as we obey Christ as Lord and Master, we submit to [come under the control of] The LORD God. Complete surrender to God - The Godhead, The Three-in-One! Only then can our hearts truly sing with David, "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth!" Let's not just sing but ... sing truly!

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Faith in The Faithful

You probably know a someone who can rightly be described as "a person of few words."  My Dad, a writer, has been referred to as a wordsmith - one who is an expert on words. Makes perfect sense to me that I'm so fond of words! Of words today that are seldom used, the word "faithful" is one. Oh, for sure, we know what faithful means even looks like: one who is firmly devoted. In [KJV] Scripture, the actual word is used 82 times but the words that illustrate "faithful" are endless. The psalmist says, "Praise the LORD all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 117). Steadfast. Enduring. In a world where few things endure and remain firm - even those with lifetime warranties - we can believe this word "faithful" about our Heavenly Father. Isaiah said the grass withers and the flower fades yet God and His Word remain ... firm, steadfast, eternal, secure ... yes, faithful. Of words we should relate to God alone is ... yes, faithful. Let's faithfully take faith in Him Who alone is ... The Faithful.

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Blog Break

 MWB will resume Monday 11-15
Stay in The Word
Miles of Smiles, Beverly

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Blessed Belonging

Being part of something bigger than ourselves is quite often challenging. Words, attitudes and personalities can certainly make us want to flee to some remote island where we perceive there is relief from such struggles. Those who have trusted in Jesus for their salvation are part of God's Family - The Body of Christ ... His Church. We are marked, set apart, bear a distinction from those who have not believed. We can deny it, avoid it, drop-out, even refuse to participate but it cannot be denied ... we are a member of The Body. "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." (1 Corinthians 12:13). Those who have lost loved ones find certain days difficult; they miss their family! Believers cannot [and should not] forget their blessed belonging to The Family of God. While not perfect, of course, the sense of community is real and it is sweet! I love the words from this Puritan prayer: "Let those that are united to me in tender ties be precious in Thy sight and devoted to Thy glory." Oh that Believers never consider their place in The Body of Christ as casual but rather know and feel the tender ties to Christ and other Believers. Let us love Christ and His Church - what a blessed belonging!

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Let Mercy Flow

Oh, how we love mercy! If mercy wasn't such a huge part of life, we wouldn't need to say, "excuse me" or "pardon me" or "I'm sorry."  Each expression is a way of saying ... oops, my bad, I messed up - now, I need a little ... yes, mercy. And, without exception, there will be one who refuses to excuse and pardon our blunder to which we're head-on with the unpleasantness of reality: it's our mistake so we get what we deserve, grin and bear up under the result of our mistake, move ahead ... without mercy. Luke writes, "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ [Jesus said] 'I tell you, this man went to his house justified ... for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.'" (Luke 18:13). What a picture of one who stands in need of mercy - like me and you. The Puritan prayed about his sinful state: "This I am by nature and practice, this Thy Word proclaims me to be, this I hope I feel myself to be; yet Thou has not left me to despair ... I have all the assurance I need that with Thee is plenteous redemption." Mercy ... not what I deserve but what God gives - freely and abundantly to those who stand humbly before Him. Let us remember our own need of daily mercy and the freedom in which God has given to those who trust Him; then, let us freely extend the same mercy to one another. Let mercy flow.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Wholly Holy

What do you do whole-heartedly? What about shoppers who, after a Thanksgiving gathering, suit-up and brave the traffic and lines to get the good deals; or, the pitcher who stands on the mound so zoned-in he is deaf to to the roar and chants of the thousands of voices in the stadium? Focused - fixed - undistracted - wholly committed to purpose. The opposite of "whole" is ... divided. Isn't this what we offer The Lord? Half-heartedly (less than wholly), we read His Word, pray, serve, worship with that luke-warmness Jesus said of the Believers at Laodicea: "neither hot nor cold ... I will spit you out of My mouth." (Revelation 3:16). The psalmist says, "Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart." (Psalm 119:2.). Is your commitment to God and the things of God luke-warm [at best], kinda sorta, half-hearted? Ask for grace (strength) to break down the walls of division in your heart - for unhindered obedience to His call to be ... wholly holy.

Monday, November 1, 2021

Good Practice

An oft-asked little-boy question was "Mom, why do we have to remember our manners at home when it's just us?" My answer was always the same: "We practice our manners at home so we'll be really good at it when we're away from home." Not sure how good an answer that was but it sufficed. Think about how frustrating it is when our children pick-and-choose which manners they will use or they kinda sorta remember to do as they well know to do. The psalmist recalls, "You [God] have commanded Your precepts to be kept diligently." (Psalm 119:4). Diligently - that is attentively, carefully, consistently, earnestly, painstakingly, without neglect. Truth is, we often know exactly what is right but we conclude it doesn't suit the occasion or the situation or our mood. Rather quickly the writer adds the joy of choosing righteously: "Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments." (V.6). The more we choose to obey and the more of a holy lifestyle we practice, the greater the joy we find in The Lord. "Practice makes perfect" may [possibly] apply to some areas of our life but for certain developing a spiritual habit of Godly obedience is just ... Good Practice.