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The Moore the Merrier |
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June 20 That which I am entitled toI tend to get so lifted up in pride that I begin to believe I deserve everything good. I deserve a healthy family, a nice home, nice working vehicles. I deserve a good income and sunny days at the beach.
But, when I read the Bible, I find the awful reality. I only deserve these things: blood, sweat, toil, tears, death, and hell. I am a sinner. I trespass God's holy boundaries and those are the penalties He has laid out for sinners. God is just and righteous. He is holy and does what is right.
Then, as I read further in Scripture and begin to get the proper perspective, I learn something else. God is merciful. He allowed Christ to die for this wretch who is deserving of nothing good. His redemption is the first good thing He gives to me. While I still only deserve blood, sweat, toil, tears, death, and hell Christ comes and offers me grace and peace and life.
Life. You know, there is this possibility that I might not die. It may be that Christ raptures His church before I die. No death. But certainly no hell even if I do die.
Those things I am entitled to are horrifying and hard; those things freely bestowed upon me are gifts because He loves me, not because I deserve them.
These blessings I have? Not entitlements. Gifts. Gifts alone. I must remember to practice praise and gratefulness daily for these gifts of His love and grace and mercy.
June 18 Thinking out loudThere are so many things in my life that compete for the same attention. Right now, I'm sitting here with Sarah on my lap. She's the child who never really tires of being snuggled. I should put her down and go to the kitchen and clean. Yet, on the other hand, I know that in the blink of an eye she's going to be gone. I won't have this time to cuddle her. There will always be dishes. And laundry.
I hear Tabi playing through the hymnal. Experimenting and learning on the piano. That's what she does. All day. There are things that she needs to do, but only one thing she really wants to do.
Hannah is either in bed reading or out on the tire swing. Those are her two great loves. The only chore she never balks about is unloading the dishwasher. Strange...that's the one chore she's done happily since she was big enough to open it herself. She would wake up in the morning and race to be the one to unload it.
Mike is in his room playing Lego's. I can hear him. He needs to practice his tae kwon do kicks. He stinks at follow-through. He's not going to make blue belt if he doesn't fix his kicks.
We all have so many things we ought to do, but we choose what we like to do. Character flaw, certainly. Sin nature of course. Human weakness.
Pressing on to the prize of the high calling of Jesus is hard work. Snuggling babies, playing piano, reading books, playing Lego's are all so easy. June 14 Trying to live gluten-freeI suffer from severe congestion all year long. Allergies are hateful things. They batter one's body into exhaustion. The trees bloom, I sneeze; the yard gets mowed, I sneeze; the dust rises after a dry spell, I sneeze.
I began to notice a serious correlation, however, to my congestion levels and the amount of bread I had in a day. Less bread was less congestion; more bread was worse congestion. I went off the wheat.
I noticed immediate relief in several ways. Things that bothered me that I never connected to the congestion symptoms went away.
Am I celiac or gluten-intolerant? Who knows. The only thing I'm willing to say is that I can breathe easier without the wheat. I will experiment in a couple of months just to see. Besides, fresh fruits and vegetables are good for the body overall. June 10 The weekend reportRod's Aunt Norma and her husband live in Yakima. I met them once, when Jean and Carolyn came to visit. With relatives so close, you would think that we would visit a little more often, but no. So, this weekend, we went up. Aunt Norma was being baptized and was thrilled to have us there.
Report #1--Uncle Don and Aunt Norma spoiled us like grandchildren. They fed us; they housed us; they entertained us. Aunt Norma helped Tab and Hannah make a fleece quilt and then she made one for Mike. She gave Sarah a raggy flannel quilt. She gave Tabi a little not-so-girly purse; she gave slippers to Hannah and Becca. She gave Mike a pretty cool kaleidoscope. She gave Rod and me STUFF! Holy cow, did she give us stuff.
Report #2--Yakima is a beautiful area. Going through the high desert felt like home to me. I could live there.
Report #3--Aunt Norma's church is a Baptist church, which you would think is good. It wasn't so good. It's got no life left in. There are three types of people there. 50% of the church is Hispanic. They all meet for their own little services in another room. 49% is retired. The remaining 1% is family. The preaching lacked substance. What I will say about this church is that they love each other. This church could not be my home church, though. Spiritually feeding the retired population is one thing, I guess; feeding growing families is another.
If I could find my cord  , I would download some photos. Maybe later. June 01 Another simple thoughtDoing. We get so busy doing. Doing means little unless we are busy being. In the Christian walk, being is the key to all things. If we are not what we ought to be, then all of our doing is worthless. We do out of wrong motives and there is no reward in that. Our reward is earthly and fading. When our being is solid, then our doing is solid and our reward is firm.
Stop basing Christianity on doing. Base doing on being first. May 31 A simple thoughtPastor Jared preached on Caleb today. As he was preaching, it struck me that he (Caleb) is very like Elisha. I can see Caleb smiting the water and parting it just as easily as I see Elisha doing it. Both men had a vision from the Lord; both men acted upon that vision knowing that He who called them was (is) faithful. May 26 When we don't understandThere are a lot of things that happen in my life that I cannot even begin to understand. These things lately have been assailing me as though I were a mortal enemy. They come from left and right, top and bottom. I'm so battered right now that I would love to run away and hide in a cave for a season while these things pass. They will pass, right?
I am relieved to say that although these things come in like a flood, I don't have to be overwhelmed. I have a foundation that sure and strong and bigger than I am. My foundation is Christ. Psalm 18:31 says, "For who is God, save the LORD? or who is a rock, save our God."
Hiding in Thee
William O. Cushing
O safe to the Rock that is higher than I, In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour, How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe, Refrain Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee, |
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