Spiritual Health

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Arrow

You know those times when you are feeling really crummy? Perhaps you have a cold, ate the wrong foods, or put your back out. Ugh! You’d do almost anything to feel better.

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But when we’re in a spiritual slump, sometimes we are content to just stay there. Rather than making an ‘appointment’ with the All-Knowing One, we try to solve the problem ourselves and ‘prescribe’ our own ‘treatment plan.’ We seek advice online or in self-help books and ignore the Word of God. We binge the latest Netflix series or take frequent ‘doses’ of social media instead of attending church or small group.

Romans 12:1-2 provides a ‘prescription’ for spiritual health and how to specifically put our faith into action. “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (The Message).

As we offer our life to God, putting Him first, He transforms us from being self-centered or people-pleasers to being more spiritually healthy and mature believers. Being made new is a process. Similar to becoming physically healthy, spiritual health and growth takes patience, practice, and perseverance.

Let’s be a healthy part of the body of Christ!

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What Do We Want?

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Arrow

At holidays and birthdays, we may hear family and friends asking, “What do you want?”

In Scripture, we find some interesting requests presented to God and Jesus:

  • In Old Testament times, after being led by a number of judges, Israel asked God for a king. Why? Well, all the other nations had one (1 Samuel 8:19-20). Even though it was not what was best, God conceded, and gave Israel what she wanted.
  • In the New Testament, we find the disciples, brothers James and John, asking to sit at the right and left sides of Jesus in glory (Mark 10:37). Clearly, they wanted honor. Jesus’ response puts all followers in their place. “[A]nd whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:44).

Jesus also taught, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35). This requires flipping our priorities, being willing to sacrifice self and put Jesus first.

This teaching is exemplified in Jesus’ instructions to the young rich man. “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21).

Still wondering what we should want? The apostle Paul says, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection . . .” (Philippians 3:10a). More than simply knowing Christ, Paul wanted to experience God’s Son and His power.

With so many choices, may we examine our heart and consider what we really want. David wrote, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). May we allow God to put the right desires and ‘wants’ in our heart.

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Jesus’ Tender Touch

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Arrow

Greeting family and close friends is often accompanied by touch, whether it’s a hug, a strong handshake or fist bump, or my favorite, a grandchild running into my arms.

Today, I want to look at the story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law.

The day begins with Jesus teaching on the Sabbath in Capernaum. The entire story is described in three short verses. “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon [AKA Peter] and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them” (Mark 1:29-31).

Let’s dig into the details. At that time, the main Sabbath meal was served immediately after the synagogue service. The problem is Peter’s mother-in-law is lying in bed sick. The gospel writer, Luke, also a physician, says she was “suffering from a high fever” (Luke 4:38). Perhaps Peter’s wife had stayed home to care for her.

Next, Luke adds that they asked Jesus to help her. Note, this is what believers should do. We go to Jesus on behalf of those who are sick or in need and ask (or pray) for Him to heal and help.

I love Jesus’ response! He immediately takes action. The gospel writers describe the scene in various ways: Jesus went to her, He bent over her, touched her hand, took her hand, rebuked the fever, and helped her up. I imagine this as a very tender moment. It was personal.

Likewise, Jesus cares about us. He personally knows our needs and is able to tenderly touch our hearts, bodies, and minds to bring help and healing.

May we bring Him our needs today.

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Don’t Miss an Opportunity

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Arrow

Don’t you just hate it when you miss a great opportunity? Maybe you hear about an event too late, circumstances mess up your plans, or you ‘chicken out’.

I love the story of Bartimaeus. As a blind man, he supported himself by begging along a busy road near Jericho. One day, he asked about a growing commotion and learned Jesus was passing by. He must have previously heard about the healing miracles of Jesus because he immediately took action. He didn’t have time to consider his options, check his calendar, or worry about possible unpleasant consequences. He jumped at this opportunity and shouted for Jesus’ attention.

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“Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more” (Mark 10:48a). Note Bartimaeus’ persistence. This was a man who believed that Jesus could heal him and he was not about to give up.

I find it interesting that the crowd said, “Jesus of Nazareth” was coming by, but Bartimaeus called Him “Jesus, Son of David,” His Messianic title. This blind man, who had never seen Jesus, had faith that Jesus could heal his blindness because he believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

So, what was Jesus’ response? Jesus stopped and called for the blind man to be brought to Him. Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus knew exactly. “Rabbi, I want to see” (Mark 10:51).

“‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road” (Mark 10:52). Bart definitely made the most of his opportunity.

Do we? The apostle Paul warns believers, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Let’s keep our spiritual eyes open and not miss out on opportunities God puts in our path.

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No More Tears

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Arrow

Most of us have dried the tears of another, whether a family member or friend. If not, we’ve at least witnessed someone drying another’s tears.

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Drying someone’s tears is an act that demonstrates compassion, intimacy, and tenderness. It’s a gentle reminder that says, “I’m here for you. And I feel your pain.” I really love that this is something God does for us, His children.

Revelation 21:1-4 teaches that God will make all things new. He will bring down a new heaven, new earth, and even a new Jerusalem, compared to a beautiful bride dressed for her husband. John records what he hears God say in a vision. “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Scripture tells us God sees our tears (Isaiah 38:5). David wrote,
“You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8 NKJV).

God wipes our tears. Imagine the intimacy of the moment. He is so close that He touches our face. He knows what caused each tear. And He wipes it away, forever. For in His new kingdom, there will be no crying, no sadness, no pain, no death. That door is closed. That world is gone. No more tears. Period. All will be made new.

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God’s Gift

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Arrow

Christmas is the day we rejoice and celebrate God sending the greatest gift, Himself, in the form of baby Jesus. The very Presence of God with us in the form of His Son and later the Holy Spirit is an indescribable gift, a gift that includes eternal life with Him.

Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). She eventually understood that Jesus was the Son of God offering her eternal life. The Apostle Paul shares this contrast, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

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Experiencing life with God by our side is an incredible gift! He is our joy, our peace, our hope, our strength, our comfort, our guide, our help, and our Savior. Who doesn’t need and desire that?

May we accept this incomparable gift from God by believing Jesus is His Son, receive His forgiveness, and look forward to eternal life with Him.

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Not What We Expected

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Arrow

Who were the first to hear of Jesus’s birth? Surely it was proclaimed by palace trumpeters or broadcast across the earth. No.

Angels made the announcement to a small group of shepherds, lowly outcasts outside Bethlehem. After the shepherds heard the great news, they left immediately to search for the newborn. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:17-18).

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The people were “amazed.” Meaning what? Did those who heard the report from the shepherds spread the word? Did they believe that the Messiah had finally come? No such response is recorded.

We find a similar reaction years later to many of Jesus’s miracles and teachings. Upon hearing Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, “[T]he crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority” (Matthew 7:28b-29a). But this amazement did not necessarily translate to belief that Jesus was the Son of God.

The Jews of Jesus’s day expected the Messiah to rise up politically and end the Roman occupation of Judea. They thought He would free them from the power of Rome and establish an earthly kingdom then and there. But Jesus did not do what they expected.

The same attitude is found today. People refuse to accept Jesus because their expectations are dashed. Things don’t go as planned. Disappointment and bitterness harden hearts and keep people from turning to the One who can save them from sin.

We need to accept that God’s ways are not our ways and that He has a better plan. When we surrender to Him, we find a loving Savior.

May we go beyond amazed. Let’s believe!

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God Prepares Us

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Arrow

A close friend recently purchased a remote cabin in the mountains to escape the summer heat. As she and her husband worked to fix it up, she found herself thinking, what would I do if we had a medical problem or emergency? She reasoned through various scenarios and came up with appropriate plans of action.

Within a few days, a crown came off her tooth! She didn’t panic because she knew just what to do. She knew that this was not a coincidence. God was the One who had prepared her.

In Scripture, we find God preparing His people as well. Today, let’s focus on the virgin Mary.

When Mary learns that Elizabeth, who was previously barren, is six months pregnant, she makes the long journey to visit her. (I think this was a wonderful way for God to also protect Mary from the curious and judgmental eyes of her village at the onset of her own unexpected and unique pregnancy.)

Mary ends up staying with Elizabeth for three months, most likely helping with or observing the birth of Elizabeth’s son, John. What a wonderful way for God to prepare Mary. I’m sure she was really paying attention to all Elizabeth was experiencing those last few months of pregnancy. Seeing her relative go through labor and delivery would have helped prepare Mary for giving birth to Jesus far from her own home with only the help of Joseph.

God prepares us as well. Paul writes to Timothy that a believer can be “an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21b).

Whatever our future holds, we can be reassured that God is preparing us for it.

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A New Thing

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Arrow

Sometimes we think and act as if we have God all figured out. We look back and see how He worked in the past and figure we will see that same plan repeated. Or, we note how God answered a prayer in someone else’s life and determine He will answer our prayer the same way.

If anything, we should remember that our God is a creative God! Scanning Scripture reveals a hint of how far above our ways He truly is. Here are a few examples:

  • You’ve heard that God had Israel march around Jericho and shout in order to bring down its walls, but to defeat the five kings of the Amorites, God stopped the sun and moon for about a full day!
  • God whittled Gideon’s army of 32,000 down to 500 to defeat the Midianites!
  • God got Jonah’s attention by sending a large fish to swallow him in order to rescue him from drowning!
  • Jesus proved He was God’s Son through miracles of turning water into wine, multiplying fish and bread, healing the sick, raising the dead, calming a storm, and walking on water! No wonder the disciples were continually surprised!

When Job’s world came crashing in, he thought he had God all figured out, but after an eye-opening conversation with His Creator, he humbly proclaimed, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3b).

The prophet Isaiah echoes a similar theme. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8). And, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18-19a).

One thing we do know, God is trustworthy! When life presents challenges, may we have faith that God has a specific plan for our conundrum.

Watch and you might see a new thing!

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Thanks and Giving

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Arrow

Yes, tomorrow is the big day! Some of you have been making preparations all week, cooking, cleaning, thawing the big bird, and brandishing your skills on fancy side dishes. Others get off easy and bring a family favorite to compliment someone else’s table. A few may just enjoy a quiet, simple meal at home.

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No matter the size of the gathering or the spread on the table, there is more to consider than just filling our belly. Jesus beautifully exemplified what should be incorporated into our daily routines when He fed the crowd of more than 5000.

Remember, the crowd was hungry so Jesus’ disciples took an inventory of the food available. Five small, flat, barley loaves and two small fish. Afterall, it was the lunch of just one boy. Perhaps enough to share with a friend, but with 5000 men and their families? Hardly.

Watch what Jesus did. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people” (Matthew 14:19).

What can we learn? First, let’s observe what we have, no matter how little, and give thanks to God.

Then notice the repetition of the word ‘gave.’ Jesus gave to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the people. Later, we find the disciples picking up leftovers so the people were even able to give back.

Let’s instill the habit of giving thanks each time we receive and also being generous in giving away part of what we receive. Jesus instructed His disciples, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8b).

Thank you for taking the time to read  my “Wednesday Whisper” blog. Perhaps you can share it with others.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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