Month: November 2020

Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:38-42

Even if you are familiar with this Scripture about Mary and Martha, let’s remind ourselves of valuable lessons we can learn from observing Jesus as He and His disciples visit His friends.   While Martha was busy preparing a meal for them, Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to Him.  Martha came to Jesus and asked Him, Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Martha was doing a good thing which was very necessary, but Jesus’ response revealed that her attitude was not pleasing.  Martha, Martha, you are distracted, worried and bothered about so many things. But only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Especially in this year 2020 so much has been taken away from so many by the Coronavirus pandemic. Many have lost lives, loved ones, jobs, businesses, homes. We have all been affected. For those who are followers of Jesus, we have the assurance that He knows what is going on in our lives, His promise that He will never leave us, He will provide for us, and the promise of eternal life with Him. We can encourage others to come to the Lord for the hope that only He can offer. Those promises can’t be taken away.

What can’t be taken away from our daily lives if we belong to the Lord and we choose to make time with Him a priority?

As we get to know Him through His word, our faith and trust will be strengthened.

We will grow deeper in our love for Him.

We discover His will and gain His wisdom and strength by complete dependence on His Spirit to accomplish it. 

Walking in His will brings purpose and meaning to every activity.

We enjoy His peace and joy as we allow Him to guide our steps throughout the day.

We can go through times of trial and loss knowing that He is with us and we have nothing to fear.

            It’s easy to be so busy with jobs, family, church activities, multiple obligations outside the home – all good and necessary things.  But we can become overwhelmed with all the responsibilities and become like Martha – distracted, worried, bothered.  I want to be like Mary, willing to spend time Jesus, making that time with Him my highest priority, listening to Him as I read His Word and pray.  But if we wait until the perfect time when we are all caught up with everything else that needs to be done, it will never happen!  Jesus took time out of His busy life to spend time alone with the Father.  If Jesus knew that was necessary, how much more must we need to follow His example!  His Word calls us to “Be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10).

Here are some practical thoughts and ideas that may be helpful as we choose to spend time with the Lord:

• Find a time and place that you will be able to spend quality time alone.
• Do your best to be uninterrupted.  If possible, turn off the phone.  Most situations can wait awhile.
• It takes time to “be still” in your mind.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you set aside all other distracting thoughts so you can focus on the Lord.
•  Praise Him for who He is all He has done.
• Ask God to search your heart and see what needs to be confessed, and then ask forgiveness.  Remember Lamentations 3:22-23: His compassion and mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
• Listening to (or singing) a favorite worship song may help to settle your mind and create a peaceful and worshipful attitude.
• Maybe you’d like to go for a walk as you talk with God.
• Pray for your own needs and the needs of others as He brings them to mind.  Then leave your concerns with Him and trust that He hears, He knows what is going on, and He is in control.
• Read and meditate on His word.  Meditating is more than just reading – it’s thinking and praying about how you can apply it to your life.  Ask God for the message He wants to speak to you.  You can ask yourself:
  • What did I learn about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit in this passage?
  • Is there a command that God wants me to obey?
  • Is there something that needs to change in my attitude or actions?
• Journaling – I find it so helpful to write the thoughts God brings to mind as I read His Word and pray.  A journal and pen nearby remind me to expect that there is a message I need to respond to. I love looking back at what I’ve written and being reminded of ways God has provided answers to situations when I have asked Him for wisdom and understanding.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Is time alone with Jesus a priority in my life?

As I look at how I spend each day, what is a higher priority?

What are some practical steps I can take to “sit at the feet of Jesus?”

Am I living in fear of the future, or am I trusting God’s promises in His Word?

Create in me a clean heart, O God

                                                                    Psalm 51:10

I think about the way I often clean house.  I straighten the piles of books and magazines, make sure everything is neatly arranged, hang the coat someone tossed over the back of the couch.  So, usually my house looks neat and in order to a casual observer.  But upon closer inspection, it isn’t thoroughly clean.  I dusted the exposed areas, but what about under the couch or behind the chair?  What about the areas where no one looks?

            The way I clean house is the way I lived much of my life in the past.  I felt satisfied as long as things outwardly look good.  To a casual acquaintance my life would appear to be in good order when I talked about my volunteer work at a Christian organization, regular church attendance, and weekly Bible study.  But what about the areas of my life that no one could see?  What about my occasional boredom with those Bible studies?  What about my regular attendance at church just because people expected it of me?  What about the attitudes that were hidden from others?  I easily became complacent about my Christian life.  I knew my relationship with God lacked intimacy.  When I felt a twinge of spiritual dissatisfaction, I mentally listed all the things I have done for God, even sacrifices I have made.  But then what about these scriptures:

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:16-17). 

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom (Psalm 51:6).

Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

God wants to shine His light on those hidden areas of our lives.  Once He exposes sin, we can confess and He will forgive.  The Holy Spirit who lives in us can renew us and fill us with His living water. 

            I thank God that I am no longer satisfied with a life that outwardly appears in order to the casual observer, or even to my closest friends.  I long for an intimate relationship with God, cleansed in my innermost being so nothing stands in the way.  I long for a clean heart pleasing to God.  I pray with King David, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Find a time and place where you can be alone and undisturbed to spend time with God. Ask Him to reveal any obvious sins of action or attitude that need to be dealt with. 

What about the sin you know about, but no one else sees?  There may be sin you are not even aware of.  Ask God to reveal anything that needs to be exposed so you can confess it and be cleansed.

May our motivation be unbroken fellowship with our Father, a clean heart filled with His Spirit, loving Him and loving others and desiring to please Him above all else.

Be imitators of God, as beloved children…

                                                                   Ephesians 5:1

What does it really mean to be an imitator of God?  I had been thinking about this verse for several days wondering what it means for me.  Then our l0-month-old grandson came with his parents to spend the weekend with us.  It became very clear that everything he learned came from observing and imitating those around him.  I tried to teach him to call me Nana.  What a joy to hear him repeating the sounds “na-na-na-na.”  In order to be imitators of God, we must spend lots of time with Him listening to His words through reading the Bible and asking Him to show us what He wants us to see and hear each day.  It is a moment-by-moment walk with God that will encourage us to imitate Him.  He wants to live His life through us.  We are to be His hands and feet and voice reaching out with His love to those He brings into our life each day.

            The rest of Ephesians 5 and continuing into chapter 6 explains some specific details about being imitators of God.  Two categories become apparent as we read these chapters — negatives and positives.  Do not act this way, but do this instead. First, let’s look at the negatives:  There is to be no immorality or impurity, or greed, no filthiness, silly talk or coarse jesting. We are not to participate in unfruitful deeds of darkness. We are not to be foolish or drunk with wine (Ephesians 5:3, 4, 11, 18).

            Now let’s look at His instruction for the positive behavior.  He tells us to walk in love, as Christ loved you, and gave Himself up for us…walk as children of light (the fruit is goodness, righteousness, truth) …learn what is pleasing to the Lord…be careful how we walk, making the most of our time.  For a second time we are told to understand what the will of the Lord is and be filled with the Spirit and encourage each other with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…always giving thanks to the Father… be subject to one another in the fear of Christ (Ephesians 5:1, 8-10, 15-20). He then goes on to explain relationships with husbands and wives, children, fathers, slaves and masters. He tells us to be strong in the Lord by putting on the full spiritual armor that He provides.  Finally, we are to pray at all times in the Spirit.

            God’s standards for us are high.  If we begin to compare ourselves with people around us, we can be guilty of thinking we are much better than they are — we could think, “I would never do what they do; I would never go to the places they go; I’m pretty good compared to them.”  Or the opposite could be true – “I could never be as wise as they are; I could never be as good as they are.” We all fall short when we hold ourselves up to God’s standards, but I’m so encouraged by God’s promise in Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB)  The lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

            Children learn by observing people in their environment.  Let us, as God’s beloved children, observe Him, walk with Him moment by moment,  and learn what is pleasing to Him.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Below are two lists from Ephesians 5, the list of negative behaviors we are to avoid, and a list of positive behaviors we are to pursue.  Take some time to consider each item on both lists. Ask the Lord to show you any attitudes or actions that need to change, and then give you the power by His Spirit to make that change.  Be encouraged in the areas where you are making progress.

Negatives

immorality

impurity

greed

filthiness

silly talk

coarse jesting

unfruitful deeds of darkness

foolishness

drunk with wine

Positives

walk in love, as Christ loved you

walk as children of light (the fruit is goodness, righteousness, truth)

learn what is pleasing to the Lord

be careful how you walk, making the most of your time

understand what the will of the Lord is

be filled with the Spirit

encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

always giving thanks to the Father

be subject to one another

be strong in the Lord, putting on the full armor

pray at all times in the Spirit

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, and forever.

                                                                   Hebrews 13:8

This Scripture is easy to memorize and tuck away with lots of other verses about the character of Jesus.  We can easily take this truth for granted. But consider how different life would be if this verse were not true?  What if Jesus’ words are not always true?  What if His will or His standards changed from one generation to the next, or even one day to the next?

            My college freshman psychology instructor was an example of someone with a changeable nature.  He told the class on the first day that he would often “role play” during his lectures, and we would never be able to tell if he actually believed what he said or not.  I never knew what to expect from him, and always had to be on guard, wondering what reaction I might get to an opinion I expressed in class. He gave us several assignments to do outside of class which he never mentioned again.  He promised on several occasions to bring a particular specimen into class for our observation but never brought it in.  It is extremely confusing and unsettling to deal with people like that.  Changeable people can never be trusted completely or counted on to keep their word.  You can never be sure what to expect or know for sure what is expected of you.

            Think about how different it is with Jesus.  What He promised in the past we can count on to be fulfilled.  What He expected in the past from His followers, He still expects today.  By studying His Word, we can know how He wants us to live – loving, trusting, obeying Him and following wherever He leads us.

            Think about the changes in society in recent decades.  The standards of morality change rapidly.  The unthinkable and unacceptable only a few decades ago became commonplace and accepted today.  And there are changes around the world in this year 2020 because of the Coronavirus pandemic.  Who could have predicted how so many lives would be forever changed because of this. 

            But Jesus never changes.  He hasn’t changed His moral code just because many consider the old standards outdated.  God revealed His perfect will in His Word, and His indwelling Holy Spirit guides and empowers us.  Following Jesus creates a firm foundation, stability, and security in life.   His Word is full of promises to those who follow Him.  He loves us, He will be with us always, He will provide, He is sovereign over all, no matter what is going on in our personal life or in the world around us. He remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Have you known someone who was unpredictable and changeable?  How did that person affect you?

How does the truth of Jesus’ unchanging nature affect you?  Think about what life would be like if that were not true.

What promise can you hold onto in this current time of worldwide change?

    

When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers… what is man, that you are mindful of him?

                                                                     Psalm 8:3-4

On July 19, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon. Twenty-five years later, the media devoted considerable time replaying that event on the anniversary of the landing.  Interviews with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin recaptured their emotions and impressions as the first humans to set foot on the moon.  What an awesome display of the ingenuity and daring of mankind to design a spacecraft and carry out a mission that resulted in sending men to the moon and getting them back to earth again!  And, of course, the accomplishments since then in space exploration are even more amazing!

            A picture of earth taken from the spacecraft on its way to the moon started my pondering of God’s awesome power.  Think about this with me — the Apollo astronauts reported from their vantage point that the earth looked like a marble suspended in space.  The moon is a mere 240,000 miles from the earth.  In contrast, the nearest galaxy to our own is 25,000 light years away. That means the light we see now from that galaxy has traveled at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) for 25,000 years to reach the earth. We can’t even begin to imagine that kind of distance!  That is only the nearest galaxy. And the universe contains billions of other galaxies!   Do you begin to feel small and insignificant when you see yourself in relation to the entire universe? Do you feel an increased sense of the unfathomable power of God to create such an immense universe?

            King David experienced that feeling of insignificance as he gazed into the night sky.  He was overwhelmed by the countless stars, and he responded by writing: What is man that You are mindful of him?…  Insignificance is a logical conclusion if we consider ourselves only in the context of living on this planet which appears as a marble even from the short distance of our own moon. 

            Now think with me about what we learn from God’s Word about each individual person.  Even before God created the universe, He knew you — He knew me.  Ephesians 1:4 says He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.  Can you even begin to grasp that truth?  Read Psalm 139:16:  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (NLT)

            With our finite minds it is impossible to comprehend how God created and sustains the immeasurable universe and yet so intimately involves Himself with each individual life ever conceived.  Psalm 139:13 tells us: You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.   

            If you ever struggle with feelings of insignificance, read and meditate on these verses and let God fill you with the wonder of His hands forming you in your mother’s womb and writing in His book what you would experience every day of your life. Ask the Lord to help you comprehend His love that caused Him to leave the glories of heaven, become a fully human infant, live and grow up on this planet He created, knowing that He would be rejected and crucified.  It was His love for you, for me, that brought Him to earth to die so anyone who responds to His love, accepts His forgiveness for sin, and receives Him as Lord of their life, will spend eternity with Him.  I say with King David: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high; I cannot attain to it (Psalm 139:6).

            Our finite minds can never fully comprehend the infinite love, wisdom, and power of God.  But we can ask Him to open our eyes and our hearts, to reveal all that we can possibly understand.  Our response should be one of awe and worship of our infinite, intimate God.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Have you ever struggled with feelings of insignificance and lack of self-worth?  Read Psalm 139 and meditate on God’s intimate knowledge of you and his creation of you as a unique individual.

Make it a point to go outside and gaze into the starry night sky.  Consider the vastness of the universe and remember that before God created any of this, He chose you to belong to Him.  Describe your experience.

Take time to read Matthew 6:26-30.  Think about the Father’s care for even the birds and the flowers.  Hear His words to you: Are you not worth much more than they?

Ask God to help you understand your priceless worth in His sight.  He gave His only Son to die for you! Read again Ephesians 1:4 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…

Write a prayer of response.