Give and Take

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Arrow

The English language is a curious thing. Look at the word ‘take’ for instance. We can ‘take a seat,’ ‘take a stand,’ ‘take a bow,’ ‘take a photo,’ ‘take the blame,’ and ‘take a temperature,’ but we really aren’t physically taking anything away.

So, let’s look at the word give. We can ‘give credit,’ ‘give congratulations,’ ‘give a hand,’ and ‘give respect.’ Apparently, we are a society of give and take.

As we take note of this topic, do we find Jesus giving any advice? We actually do. Jesus taught:

  • “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).
  • “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).
  • “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).
  • “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Let’s look at a few things God has given us:

  • He gives us our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).
  • Good gifts ~ “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).
  • His Son ~ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
  • Eternal life ~ “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

God gave us the greatest gift, His Son. I pray you have received this gift that keeps giving, including eternal life.

May we give Him our best.

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Benefits of Stretching

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Arrow

As I age, my muscles tend to stiffen quickly if I stay in one position too long. A good morning and midday stretch echoes with ‘ow, ow, ow,’ but soon it feels ‘aaaaaah’ so good!

According to Healthline.com, stretching increases flexibility, range of motion, performance in physical activities, and blood flow to muscles. It improves posture, helps heal and prevent back pain, relieves stress, calms the mind, and decreases tension headaches.

The pain of surrendering to the stretch yields many benefits. Without it, my back, neck, and hips would soon be ‘stuck’ as my chiropractor likes to say.

Spiritual stretching can also be painful, but without it we remain weak and immature, ‘stuck’ in a state of infancy. Learning stretches our mind beyond the elementary truths of God’s Word. Growing in our faith helps develop strength to stand against temptation and the ability to persevere when trials and testing come. Those faith muscles mature as we exercise trusting in God and surrendering to Him. Constant use and training are necessary for us to continue to ‘run our race’ and ‘make it to the finish line.’

May we, like the apostle Paul, be able to say at the end of our life, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Therefore, “Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

Now those are some spectacular benefits to s-t-r-e-tch-i-ng!

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Thankful for Surprises

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Arrow

Stop and think back. Can you identity events or circumstances where God truly surprised you? Just, out of the blue, something totally unexpected occurred? If you hang around Jesus long enough, it’s bound to happen.

Once, Jesus and His disciples were attending a wedding feast. When the host ran out of wine for his guests, Jesus requested the servants fill large jars with water and … Surprise! Jesus turned the water into choice wine. (John 2:1-11)

Another time, collectors came to Peter for the required temple tax. I’m sure Peter was surprised when Jesus sent him to the lake to fish with instructions to “Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours” (Matthew 17:27). I bet Peter loved telling that story!

Recently, I spoke at an event and all attendees were surprised when right at the climax of my testimony, as I shared how I had waited four long years for God to open a door into the publishing world, a woman’s phone went off. The room exploded with laughter as we realized her ringtone was the song “At Last”! It was a perfect touch.

A life with Jesus is bound to be full of surprises. A ‘chance’ meeting, a miraculous answer to prayer, a special gift from your Heavenly Father, or just the right ringtone or song on the radio.

It may be a fun Thanksgiving Day activity to discuss with others how God has surprised you in your walk with Him, whether in big or small ways.

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 95:2). “Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them (Psalm 111:2).

Ponder and be thankful!

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Edit to Edify

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Arrow

A wisp of an idea
A thought
A fragile word
Fortified by others
A phrase
That’s almost heard

Strengthened into
Sentence shapes
With sense
And sayings too
Spreading meaning
Sharing, feeling
Forming something new

The battle to communicate
A skirmish for each line
To tame the mind
Leave noise behind
Create a page that’s true

With purpose and conviction
Bare boldness and desire
To speak into the ages
Filled with Holy Spirit fire
Transformed by painful edits
Refined revision and research
Help me, Lord, skillfully scribe
To edify Your church.

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).

Edification is the spiritual building up of one another. Let’s do it.

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Extended Arms

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Arrow

There’s nothing much better than being greeted by a youngster who’s running joyfully into your open arms. This is one of the delights of being a grandparent. For some kiddos, it’s a natural response. Others need a little more coaxing. But once they experience the thrill of this loving interaction, you’d better be ready next time Jr. arrives at your front door or you at his.

Scripture is scattered with references to God’s arms.

  • God made Himself a nation “by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 4:34).
  • “[H]is right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him” (Psalm 98:1).
  • The LORD spoke, “With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please” (Jeremiah 27:5).
  • The LORD is portrayed as a shepherd who “gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart” (Isaiah 40:11).
  • In the New Testament, we find Jesus gathering the children in His arms and blessing them. (Mark 10:16)

But one of the most beautiful illustrations of all is Jesus’ parable of the prodigal or rebellious son. When the son realized his mistakes, he decided to humbly return to his father. Jesus described their meeting. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

Note that this time, it was not the child who was running. It was the father.

Imagine that, you and the Father . . . and know that the heavenly Father is near whenever you choose to come to or return to Him. His love for you never wavers and you are never out of His reach when you reach for Him.

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Competent ~ Not!

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Arrow

I took my car in for an oil change. Soon, I was given the paperwork and keys and pointed to my vehicle. It wasn’t until I arrived home that I realized the oil had not been changed. Apparently, the guy only considered the mileage, missing the fact that the car had not been serviced in a year!

When we examine the lives of Bible heroes, we also find incompetence. Sure, many accomplished great feats or were faithful in certain circumstances, but they also had their share of failures. Abraham, Jacob, Job, David, Gideon, Elijah, and Esther. The list goes on and on.

When it comes to living for Jesus, we are all incompetent. Even the apostle Paul wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” A few verses later, Paul concludes, “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:15, 22-25)

Paul’s summary is clear, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Thank You, Jesus, for being perfectly competent and sinless, for surrendering to torture and death on a cross so that we could be seen as competent in the Father’s eyes.

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Your Turn

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Arrow

Currently, our pastors are doing a series on the 23rd Psalm. One of the assignments given was to rewrite the psalm ‘in your own words.’ People came up with all kinds of versions based on their experiences and how God’s Word spoke to them. I encourage you to give it a try. If you do, I have no doubt you will be blessed.

Here are a few things to consider:

  • How has God met your needs?
  • How does He provide, protect, and present Himself faithful to you?
  • How has He intervened?
  • When and where has He made you lie down?
  • Have you allowed the Lord to restore your soul?
  • Have you chosen Him as your Shepherd? If so, are you following His lead?

Here is my rendition:

I choose Yahweh as the Lord of my life.
He meets all my needs.
Past, present, and future.
He provided a way for my soul to be restored
So that my relationship with Him is intimate and personal.
He gives good guidance that brings Him glory.

When I experience dark, difficult days, 
   He is right beside me so I need not fear.
I can be at peace because He protects me.
He blesses me beyond measure in unimaginable ways.
He has chosen me.
I will live in His love and in His Presence forever!

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Wicked Among Us

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Arrow

“Help, LORD, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race. They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.”

Who hasn’t felt like that lately?! Even though the tirade sounds typical for today, those words were penned by King David about 3000 years ago. They are the opening verses in Psalm 12 which closes with a similar message. “The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race (Psalm 12:8).

While this Psalm is bookended with verses of despair, let’s see what lies between. Verse 3 contains David’s prayerful plea that the lies and falsehood would cease even though the wicked have no regard for God (verse 4).

God makes a bold entrance in verse 5 as He hears the cries of the needy and steps in to provide and protect.

Next, we find a stark contrast to the words of the wicked. “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6). The metaphor portrays the words of the LORD as thorough and complete, flawless perfection.

In verse 7, David injects the ingredient we all need, hope. “You, LORD, will guard us; you will protect us from this generation forever.”

The wicked are among us. They do what they do.

So, let’s do what David did.

  • Acknowledge there are wicked among us who lie and try to deceive.
  • Pray regularly for evil to be defeated.
  • Know that God hears and answers the prayers of the righteous.
  • Be familiar with and study God’s Word.
  • Remain faithful to and hopeful in the one, true God.
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Who’s In the Mirror?

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Arrow

According to the Mayo Clinic, a pregnancy glow is real. “Greater blood volume brings more blood to vessels, resulting in skin that looks flushed. Changes in hormone levels might also cause the skin glands on the face to secrete more oil (sebum), which can make skin look slightly shinier.”

Trivia: Do you know what man in the Old Testament glowed so glaringly that he had to wear a veil? If you said Moses ~ BINGO! Exodus 34 describes how his face shone after talking with God and bringing the commandments down from Mt. Sinai. Moses’ supernatural glow was the result of being in the presence of God!

Scripture teaches that believers should also reflect God’s glory. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Through personal times with the Lord, applying godly principles from His Word, and allowing Him to work in our lives, we become more Christ-like, reflecting His character and responding more like Him. This gradual renovation is the work of the Holy Spirit and transformation transpires as we surrender to Him.

Let’s look in the mirror and examine our heart. Whose ‘image’ are we reflecting? Those we admire on social media or on the big screen? A Hollywood diva or famous athlete? Musician or political personality? Impatient, rude, name-calling bystanders caught on the evening news?

Instead, may we strive to reflect the One who should influence us the most, the LORD.

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De-clutter

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Arrow

It was such an unexpected blessing recently when we received a list of household and classroom items needed by a church in Africa. My ‘mission’ was to scavenge each closet, cabinet, and cranny to locate those objects camouflaged in our house. To us, those things were extras, but for others, they met desperate needs.

I soon felt euphoric as I walked around the house. Sorted shelves, weeded drawers, and cleared spaces made my soul sing.

Hmm, could this concept apply to de-cluttering our spiritual lives as well?

What email subscriptions, social media distractions, phone apps, etc. are sucking time away from what we should focus on? What ‘garbage’ needs discarded for good, for our good? What unhealthy habits need a hefty (and final) heave-ho? Do priorities need reordered, waste trimmed, and clutter cleaned out?

James, the half-brother of Jesus, challenged believers to “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). Yes, even believers need to regularly recalibrate and assess. Becoming Christ-like is a process. It’s a lifelong journey, a purification progression that melts away impurities to leave pure gold!

May our prayer be “Create in me a pure [clean] heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

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