Promise for Today - A Lesson on Pearls

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Matthew 13:45-46 NLT

I have always loved pearls. I think they are exquisite. I was in my twenties when my Aunt Amelia told me pearls were associated with sorrow and tears, and she was saddened to think pearls were my jewels of choice. Actually, that just made me love them more. I think the sorrow and tears thing has much to do with the way pearls are formed; something irritating to the oyster. We know the irritant in the life of the oyster is wrapped in layers of nacre, creating the pearl.

It's been a long time since I gave serious consideration to pearls and gems, so I thought I'd better check my facts. According to Pearl International,

"These layers [of nacre] are translucent, and reflect light in such a way that a real pearl appears to have an inner glow that is almost impossible to recreate with artificial methods.
If they are perfectly uniform without any differences or imperfections, it’s very likely that they were manufactured. Real pearls are born in the sea, so they grow up getting rolled around by wind and waves, and as a result, they are never, never perfect.
In nature, the longer a pearl remains within an oyster’s shell, the more likely it is to develop imperfections like dents and divots. As a result, pearls of a very large size can be extremely valuable."

It just reminds me of my walk with Christ in so many ways. First and foremost, HE is the pearl of great price to me. Everything else is worthless compared to Christ. And yet, HE gave everything HE had for me. How can you not love a God who considers you priceless?

Philippians 3:7-9 The Message says it all, "Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness."

And He's a God who wraps us in layer upon layer of His protection so we might reflect His light in such a way that we have an inner glow. Not shiny and brassy, but glowing.

We're not perfect. We're not perfectly uniform. We're not all the same. However, we are beautiful in His sight and we are extremely valuable to Him.

Prayer:

Father,
          We are overwhelmed by You! Your love. Your mercy. Your grace. Your faithfulness. How could we possibly thank You enough for all You have done and all You are doing even now? In our finite way, we love You, Father. We want to love You more. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

What If We Did?

Guest author and my friend, Ralinda Fenton. 
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This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
John 15:12-14 NKJV

This is part of my devotion this morning. It reminded me how I need to love regardless of the response. I want to give love, whether it’s deserved or not. After all, look what Christ did for me - a broken mistake-making woman.

But what if we made it our mission? Instead of getting even, we could commit our hearts to forgiveness and offering a true clean slate to another? What if, when we feel slighted or excluded from a situation, we do not hold tight to bitterness or fear and still offer our love freely?

What if it stopped being about everything we receive and became about what we can give - regardless of the response, the rejection, the lack of reciprocation, or reassurance? It would confuse others and lead them right to this thought: “Why do they give love that I have not deserved?” Herein lies the perfect opportunity for our hearts to exclaim, “Jesus!” His eternal hope is the reason we can love so freely in return, knowing that He will work as He sees fit.

Wouldn’t that be incredible? To not be scared to be the people who love more, forgive freely, give grace abundantly, and walk in a confidence that stems from the ever-flowing love of Jesus? That would be the Gospel.

Our hearts are fragile. We take things personally. We are scared to let in others once we’ve been wronged. We have been taught by the world to only give what we receive—they must be worthy.

But Jesus calls us to love others out of a heart that is fully and recklessly loved by Him. This does not mean our emotions become absent and our pain won’t be felt; it just means that when those things do happen, we can remind ourselves we’re already accepted and abundantly loved by our Creator. It is in this truth that we no longer crave and depend on the reassurance of this world, and we begin to look like people of hope.

Promise for Today - Endurance

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:2-4 NLT

You know it's easy to serve the Lord when everything is going well. It's easy to be kind. It's easy to be loving. It's easy to be patient in the good times. It's really easy to have great joy when everything's good. Would you agree?

We've talked about it before - there are times I still struggle with considering troubles as opportunities for great joy. I can lose sight of the joy when the mountains of obstacles overwhelm me on every side. That is the test of our faith - the opportunity for our endurance to grow. (Some translations read "patience for endurance".) So, how important is that, anyway, to let our endurance grow?

In Matthew 24:13, Jesus tells us just how important: "But the one who endures to the end will be saved." I don't want to have made it this far only to give up when we're so close to the end, do you? As the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

So let's join with James, and Jesus, and the great cloud of witnesses, and do as Peter says, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while." (1st Peter 1:6 NLT)

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for the opportunities for great joy! Thank You for the faith-building endurance training. Thank You for strengthening us to to be able to endure to the end, just as You have said, so that we will be saved. Let us be found faithful to the end. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Lest I Forget How Much

We love each other because he loved us first.
1st John 4:19 NLT

I have come to the conclusion that left to my own devices, I would be THE most selfish… because I know how selfish I can be now, and that’s with me trying to follow Christ. However, I have GREAT hope!

You see, since following Christ, there are things I won’t do now because I know the selfish act would hurt someone. But I sure used to and didn’t think twice about it… There are things I say now that pierce my heart as soon as they’re out of my mouth, but they’re fewer and farther between, thank God! And even at that, I’m encouraged because they DO pierce my heart whereas before I would have heedlessly used them to slice and dice. Because of Christ, I’m quicker to apologize and seek forgiveness.

Before Christ, I used to pride myself on how fiercely I loved those I considered mine. Now I know I didn’t have a clue. The only way I can love others – the ONLY way they can love me – is because He loved us first.

In our sin… In our selfishness… In the absence of all things holy… When we were unlovable by any standard, He loved us.

You’ve seen it lots of times in e-mails. Let me share it again.
I asked Jesus, "How much do You love me?"
"This much!" He replied.
Then He stretched out His arms and died… because He loved us.

Prayer:

Father,
           Lest I forget Gethsemane; Lest I forget Thine agony; Lest I forget Thy love for me – lead me to Calvary! In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

Learning Who to Rely On - A Reminder

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

1st Timothy 4:7 NIV

In The Message, it reads this way, "Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion."

I hope you will read to the end. I'm about to jump all over two statements that some people believe are from Scripture. I've even been asked where they are in the Bible. Remember, my goal is that the Truth will set you free. 

1. God helps those who help themselves.

2. God won't give you (or put on you) more than you can bear.

I grew up hearing those two fallacies preached at me like they were gospel - straight from the Word of God. They are NOT!

I think the first one might remotely hint at 2nd Thessalonians 3:10, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." I guess if you really reach, you might be able to loosely define those who work so they can eat as helping themselves, but that's a real stretch...

And for the second one, people tout 1st Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." This Scripture passage in context (read verses 6-12) is actually about people being tempted to sin and God in His grace providing the way of escape from the temptation. It has nothing to do with bearing a load.

The DANGER in believing those two statements are Scriptural is when life really IS more than we can bear in (and of) our own strength. When we fail because it's not within OUR strength, we blame God because we tried to help ourselves, so why didn't He help us? And believing (the fallacy) that He won't put more on us than we can bear, we get angry and hurt and disappointed and feel betrayed by God because it WAS more than we could bear... on our own. Paul tells us the Truth when he addresses the church in Corinth from his own experience.

In 2nd Corinthians 1:8-9a NLT, Paul writes, "We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die..."
Yes, he said, "We think you ought to know..."

Now here's the treasure! The Truth that will set you free! Continuing in verse 9b - 10, "But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us."

It's always been about us learning to rely on God.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for opening our eyes to the Truth of Your Word. Cause the roots of it to go deep into our hearts. Forgive us for believing silly stories dressed up as religion. Give us the opportunity to spread the Light of Your Truth to all who will listen. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Reminder - Everything I've Got

Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got—
Psalm 111:1a&b The Message Bible

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to complain? There is a real propensity to only see the down side of things. We are bombarded by today's media with so-called reality shows - sensationalizing the ugly side of people... not ugly opposite of good-looking. Ugly as in mean and hateful. And then there are the other shows and news programs that prey on people's fears. If we're not careful, we get tunnel vision and all we see is bad. And all we talk about is bad. We can easily become blinded to the good in our lives.

Recently, I touched base with someone I've only visited with a few times in the last couple of decades. At one time, we were in each other's daily lives. And, as we are wont to do, we tend to remember people as they were when we last saw them. We don't allow for the change brought about by a decade or two of time and choices. 

But here's the great news—at least it was for me - In responding to her questions, I realized just how much God has done in my life in the last 20+ years! How He's caused me to grow in my relationship with Him and with others. How He is the Lifter of my head! How He has patiently - lovingly - taught me how to cast all my burden on Him because He cares for me! I love the way The Message Bible reads in Philippians 4:12-13, "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." And because of the opportunity to reflect, to stop and look back - that selah moment - I have been enjoying a praise party! They're the best!

I keep thinking of the verse in that great old hymn, How Great Thou Art. "And when I think that God His Son not sparing sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in... That on the Cross - my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin!"

Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got—

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us when we whine and complain and take our eyes off of You and all that You've done to redeem us from sin and save us from ourselves. When I think about all of that and MORE, then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee... How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Father, help us to stay focused to think on these good things, according to Your Word in Philippians 4. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Weight Loss Done Right

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:1-5 NLT

If you've ever struggled with a weight issue, you know there are more quick-fix, empty promise, flat-out lying so-called plans and programs than you can shake a fork at.

However, God made the original eating plan. In Genesis 1:29, God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food." And nutritionists will tell you, fruit is obviously healthy for you - Eat more fruit.

Christ also told us that it's not what goes into the man that defiles him, but what comes out of him, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that our mouths speak. And that's a totally different kind of fruit. Some of it just stinks - Some of it is rotting.

Galatians 5:22-23a NLT tells us, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." So, if we follow God's plan for our lives then the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be evident in our lives, and we'll be healthier because of it. For instance, we will lose the weight of bitterness and unforgiveness and past hurts, just to name a few.

Would you like some more fruit?

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for the provision of nutrition for our minds, souls, and bodies. Help us to clear our temple so that You feel welcome in our hearts and there is plenty of room for You. In Jesus' Name we pray.