2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
Up until now, whenever I read that first verse, I always thought it was just about the giving. But when you put it in the context of the entire Bible, which would include the second verse listed here, it becomes to mean so much more.
If you are living the way you should, at peace with your “brother,” then you will have the “cheerful” disposition while serving and giving to the Lord.
When we look at the example of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, God compares their offerings. Abel’s shortcomings was not because he gave fruit from his fields, while Cain gave animals from his flocks. It came down to their attitudes. We can assume that Abel was living right with the Lord, and therefore gave the very best to God. But Cain had something against his brother, and was not living in complete joy and peace with the Lord. Cain did not give the best of what God had allowed him to grow and gather, but gave the leftovers from his crop-yield with an angry, bitter attitude. Instead of adjusting this attitude and getting right with God and his brother, he thought he could pretend his way through obeying God, and let his hatred go to the point of murdering Abel.
Well, back to the word “brother” from the second verse listed above. This is to be interpreted as our Christian siblings – brothers OR sisters. We are to live in harmony with each and every one of them. Our love for God should be spilling out to those around us... especially to those closest! And when we are practicing and experiencing this, this will impact how we serve and give - it is the evidence of our close walk with God.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Truth
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”
Truth does not depend on what we believe, or how much we believe in something. Truth is a fact, and there are no quirks around that. There can only be one truth. Either something “is” – or it “isn’t.” It is either one way or another way.
I am going to use the analogy of a table. The table will represent God and all that He stands for. Although, if speaking to any skeptic, I would say that the table merely represents Truth – whatever that is. (Seek and you shall find it.)
My kitchen table is round. If you got to know me and trust me, you could decide to believe me. You could even decide to believe that I actually had a square table. Or, you could decide to boldly declare that I did not have any table at all. But no matter how emphatically you believed that, it would not change the fact that I do have a table, and that it is indeed round.
People who visit can see and confirm that I do have a round table. After eating a meal at my table, if they had an enjoyable meal, they would probably be more apt to believe and declare that my table is round. But let us say that I served a terrible meal, or that during the meal the friendship broke down and spiraled into quarreling and bitterness. One might feel disgruntled enough to start making claims that the table was in fact square. Or that the table did not even exist. It would not be the table’s fault that I didn’t know how to cook well. And it would not be the table’s fault that we began to argue. Why would one blame or denounce the table because of my shortcomings?
We sometimes do that with God. We look at the faults of the people around us associated with Christianity and the Church, and then transfer that disappointment and disdain towards God. To have a “bad experience” because of quirky individuals should not cause us to see God any differently. We are all not perfect. And that is why we all need God. If we are wise, we would seek the Truth and look directly to God for all the answers.
Truth does not depend on what we believe, or how much we believe in something. Truth is a fact, and there are no quirks around that. There can only be one truth. Either something “is” – or it “isn’t.” It is either one way or another way.
I am going to use the analogy of a table. The table will represent God and all that He stands for. Although, if speaking to any skeptic, I would say that the table merely represents Truth – whatever that is. (Seek and you shall find it.)
My kitchen table is round. If you got to know me and trust me, you could decide to believe me. You could even decide to believe that I actually had a square table. Or, you could decide to boldly declare that I did not have any table at all. But no matter how emphatically you believed that, it would not change the fact that I do have a table, and that it is indeed round.
People who visit can see and confirm that I do have a round table. After eating a meal at my table, if they had an enjoyable meal, they would probably be more apt to believe and declare that my table is round. But let us say that I served a terrible meal, or that during the meal the friendship broke down and spiraled into quarreling and bitterness. One might feel disgruntled enough to start making claims that the table was in fact square. Or that the table did not even exist. It would not be the table’s fault that I didn’t know how to cook well. And it would not be the table’s fault that we began to argue. Why would one blame or denounce the table because of my shortcomings?
We sometimes do that with God. We look at the faults of the people around us associated with Christianity and the Church, and then transfer that disappointment and disdain towards God. To have a “bad experience” because of quirky individuals should not cause us to see God any differently. We are all not perfect. And that is why we all need God. If we are wise, we would seek the Truth and look directly to God for all the answers.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Faith and Hope
Hebrews 11:1-3 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
I always have the toughest time wrapping my head around the differences between faith and hope. After being a Christian for so many years, I can see how my faith has continued to grow stronger, and my hope is more and more “confirmed.” My “hope” is way more than just wishful thinking, but rather the thing that I move towards because it does give me hope. I see it as more of the “light at the end of the tunnel.” The longer I go through life (the tunnel), the closer I get to the end of it - the bigger the light becomes. See? Not so easy to explain.
While I was on a trip with my husband, I came up with an interesting example to put this into some perspective. After a few sleepless nights, and one long day of traveling, my hope was to have a great night’s sleep in a nice hotel. There were reservations, and we knew the hotel existed, but we still had to get there.
While navigating through unknown territories, we have come to rely on things like GPS systems. And we put a good amount of faith in these things – blindly following their directions. But the more we use them successfully, the more faith we have in them – with the hope of getting us to our destinations. God’s word, as well as His Holy Spirit, is like our spiritual GPS system.
So this hotel – we knew it existed because we had caught “glimpses” of it from their website. But even as we neared it physically, we still could not see it from the road – even as the GPS system said “Your destination is on the right. You have arrived!” Looking to the right, all we could see was a gas station and a restaurant. But obeying the command, we made the right-hand turn, and only THEN could we see that it was indeed there. The driveway’s entrance was tucked in between the two other buildings.
Had we doubted the GPS system and instead trusted in our own wisdom and thinking, we would have driven right past it. Just so, I am continually grateful to God who gives us “hope” - glimpses of “heaven” through creation, His word and evidences of how He faithfully works in our lives. When we sincerely search for truth, we just have to learn to have faith that God’s GPS system will bring us right to it!
I always have the toughest time wrapping my head around the differences between faith and hope. After being a Christian for so many years, I can see how my faith has continued to grow stronger, and my hope is more and more “confirmed.” My “hope” is way more than just wishful thinking, but rather the thing that I move towards because it does give me hope. I see it as more of the “light at the end of the tunnel.” The longer I go through life (the tunnel), the closer I get to the end of it - the bigger the light becomes. See? Not so easy to explain.
While I was on a trip with my husband, I came up with an interesting example to put this into some perspective. After a few sleepless nights, and one long day of traveling, my hope was to have a great night’s sleep in a nice hotel. There were reservations, and we knew the hotel existed, but we still had to get there.
While navigating through unknown territories, we have come to rely on things like GPS systems. And we put a good amount of faith in these things – blindly following their directions. But the more we use them successfully, the more faith we have in them – with the hope of getting us to our destinations. God’s word, as well as His Holy Spirit, is like our spiritual GPS system.
So this hotel – we knew it existed because we had caught “glimpses” of it from their website. But even as we neared it physically, we still could not see it from the road – even as the GPS system said “Your destination is on the right. You have arrived!” Looking to the right, all we could see was a gas station and a restaurant. But obeying the command, we made the right-hand turn, and only THEN could we see that it was indeed there. The driveway’s entrance was tucked in between the two other buildings.
Had we doubted the GPS system and instead trusted in our own wisdom and thinking, we would have driven right past it. Just so, I am continually grateful to God who gives us “hope” - glimpses of “heaven” through creation, His word and evidences of how He faithfully works in our lives. When we sincerely search for truth, we just have to learn to have faith that God’s GPS system will bring us right to it!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Treasures in Heaven - The Teacup Story
Matthew 6:20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal...”
“Treasures in Heaven” is the title of this entry, but it should really be “The Teacup Story.” When I was a little girl, I would visit my grandma who did not own a television at the time. Finding things to do there could be a bit of a challenge, but being the creative and resourceful kid that I was, I would use her drapery hooks to create interesting centerpieces, or played dress-up with her outdated hats and dresses... then I’d move on to study and admire her small teacup collection. There was one in particular that captured my attention. It was yellow and white, with fancy gold trim, and had legs which would nestle into its matching saucer. I never considered the actually cost of this teacup, but was enamored with its beauty, as well as the story that went along with it – as it was a very precious heirloom.
Catching my curious gaze, Grandma would point out the beautiful teacup and say, “Do you see that cup over there? That is a very special cup. My great-great Grandma gave this cup to my Grandma when she got married. Then she gave me the cup when I got married. And some day, I will give this cup to you.” As time progressed, I grew up, I got married, we had kids, we moved away – but whenever we came back, we would always make sure we visited Grandma. It was after her second husband had passed away, and we were there for a visit that I remembered she had a lovely teacup collection. I went to point out the unique cup to my daughter, when I noticed that it was missing. “Oh,” Grandma said, “I hope I didn’t do anything wrong.” She bit her lower lip, and looked like her heart sank a bit.
Apparently my step-grandpa’s granddaughter had helped her out with something and in order to thank her, Grandma told her that she could pick anything she wanted from her china cabinet. I reassured Grandma that it was fine, but deep down I was very hurt. This was one of the very few heirlooms in this family, and now it had gone to another. It took a while for me to deal with this oversight, but I had to realize that it was just a teacup. It was hers to give to whomever she wished - and it was just a teacup. What would I do? Set it somewhere behind glass and look at it every so often? I didn’t need that to remember my grandma’s kindness, generosity, joyful spirit and what a faithful prayer-warrior she was. That is the heritage that she passed down to me that I will cherish and remember. This is what is valuable in life. And one day I’ll see her in heaven, with no sorrows – and an existence that will far outweigh any heirloom of any worth.
“Treasures in Heaven” is the title of this entry, but it should really be “The Teacup Story.” When I was a little girl, I would visit my grandma who did not own a television at the time. Finding things to do there could be a bit of a challenge, but being the creative and resourceful kid that I was, I would use her drapery hooks to create interesting centerpieces, or played dress-up with her outdated hats and dresses... then I’d move on to study and admire her small teacup collection. There was one in particular that captured my attention. It was yellow and white, with fancy gold trim, and had legs which would nestle into its matching saucer. I never considered the actually cost of this teacup, but was enamored with its beauty, as well as the story that went along with it – as it was a very precious heirloom.
Catching my curious gaze, Grandma would point out the beautiful teacup and say, “Do you see that cup over there? That is a very special cup. My great-great Grandma gave this cup to my Grandma when she got married. Then she gave me the cup when I got married. And some day, I will give this cup to you.” As time progressed, I grew up, I got married, we had kids, we moved away – but whenever we came back, we would always make sure we visited Grandma. It was after her second husband had passed away, and we were there for a visit that I remembered she had a lovely teacup collection. I went to point out the unique cup to my daughter, when I noticed that it was missing. “Oh,” Grandma said, “I hope I didn’t do anything wrong.” She bit her lower lip, and looked like her heart sank a bit.
Apparently my step-grandpa’s granddaughter had helped her out with something and in order to thank her, Grandma told her that she could pick anything she wanted from her china cabinet. I reassured Grandma that it was fine, but deep down I was very hurt. This was one of the very few heirlooms in this family, and now it had gone to another. It took a while for me to deal with this oversight, but I had to realize that it was just a teacup. It was hers to give to whomever she wished - and it was just a teacup. What would I do? Set it somewhere behind glass and look at it every so often? I didn’t need that to remember my grandma’s kindness, generosity, joyful spirit and what a faithful prayer-warrior she was. That is the heritage that she passed down to me that I will cherish and remember. This is what is valuable in life. And one day I’ll see her in heaven, with no sorrows – and an existence that will far outweigh any heirloom of any worth.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Believing the Best
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...”
Because we are all quirky in so many different ways, in order to get along, we must learn to look past all of that and choose to love each other ANYWAY. True love is not based on feelings - true love is a choice. It is also not a reaction – it is an action. Wait, am I talking about love again? I think, before we can truly forgive or look past each other’s unique tendencies, we have to truly love...
My husband has been very patient with me when it comes to all of my interesting traits - and I with him. Of course we all do things that are annoying, so I attempt to label this category as “amusing.” This simulates an ongoing “forgiving” attitude where you look past certain things, and not let them get to you.
Another level of forgiveness is “believing the best” of someone, which is more important than you think. Miscommunication is so common. It is so easy to react before getting to the truth of the matter. If someone says to you, “I do this” but “this” is not a good thing. Ask them, “Did you mean to say...?” Chances are they were THINKING “I do NOT do this” but forgot that little word “not.” So easy to do! Or you hear a piece of gossip about how someone spoke out against you. It’s just best to go to that person and ask them directly if they actually really said that. This can avoid so much grief.
We know that none of us are perfect. We know that we all make mistakes. But should we not think that, for the most part, people are sincerely trying to do the right thing. Give them the benefit of the doubt, and an opportunity to explain themselves. And if it was their “error,” give them a chance to apologize for it and/or correct it. Why blow it out of proportion so that reconciliation is made more difficult? Would we not rather have more friends than enemies?
Because we are all quirky in so many different ways, in order to get along, we must learn to look past all of that and choose to love each other ANYWAY. True love is not based on feelings - true love is a choice. It is also not a reaction – it is an action. Wait, am I talking about love again? I think, before we can truly forgive or look past each other’s unique tendencies, we have to truly love...
My husband has been very patient with me when it comes to all of my interesting traits - and I with him. Of course we all do things that are annoying, so I attempt to label this category as “amusing.” This simulates an ongoing “forgiving” attitude where you look past certain things, and not let them get to you.
Another level of forgiveness is “believing the best” of someone, which is more important than you think. Miscommunication is so common. It is so easy to react before getting to the truth of the matter. If someone says to you, “I do this” but “this” is not a good thing. Ask them, “Did you mean to say...?” Chances are they were THINKING “I do NOT do this” but forgot that little word “not.” So easy to do! Or you hear a piece of gossip about how someone spoke out against you. It’s just best to go to that person and ask them directly if they actually really said that. This can avoid so much grief.
We know that none of us are perfect. We know that we all make mistakes. But should we not think that, for the most part, people are sincerely trying to do the right thing. Give them the benefit of the doubt, and an opportunity to explain themselves. And if it was their “error,” give them a chance to apologize for it and/or correct it. Why blow it out of proportion so that reconciliation is made more difficult? Would we not rather have more friends than enemies?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Living in Freedom
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
1 Corinthians 3:10 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.”
Romans 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
There are so many verses I could use to support the reasons for my gratitude to God regarding my freedom in Christ. Yes, I love that God loves me, no matter how quirky I am! But I am so much in awe just knowing that God has forgiven me: past, present and future. God knows that I’m going to make mistakes; and as a Christian, He has already forgiven me for the mistakes that I will still make in the future. This is a freedom – I do not have to worry... about anything. Although I always want to be STRIVING to be perfect, I do not have to worry about HAVING to be perfect.
With this thought, one take-away is this: I am not here to judge others. To be more Christ-like, I must be exercising grace. I must realize that other people will make mistakes too, and when they hurt me, I need to forgive - just as I would hope they would forgive me when I mess up or hurt them.
Another take-away, especially as a mother whose children have become adults - I need to let go. Of course I don’t want to see them hurting or making crazy decisions, but it is their lives. I have done what I could while they were growing up. And even though I want to protect them, it would be wrong of me to try to control what they do. As God gives me freedom, I need to give that same freedom to others. I can only control my actions – and besides, I have enough difficulty with THAT. So daily, I must lean on God’s grace to build on that – in my own life. Through this, hopefully I can be a living example of what God’s grace can accomplish, and just how liberating that can be.
1 Corinthians 3:10 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.”
Romans 12:3 “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
There are so many verses I could use to support the reasons for my gratitude to God regarding my freedom in Christ. Yes, I love that God loves me, no matter how quirky I am! But I am so much in awe just knowing that God has forgiven me: past, present and future. God knows that I’m going to make mistakes; and as a Christian, He has already forgiven me for the mistakes that I will still make in the future. This is a freedom – I do not have to worry... about anything. Although I always want to be STRIVING to be perfect, I do not have to worry about HAVING to be perfect.
With this thought, one take-away is this: I am not here to judge others. To be more Christ-like, I must be exercising grace. I must realize that other people will make mistakes too, and when they hurt me, I need to forgive - just as I would hope they would forgive me when I mess up or hurt them.
Another take-away, especially as a mother whose children have become adults - I need to let go. Of course I don’t want to see them hurting or making crazy decisions, but it is their lives. I have done what I could while they were growing up. And even though I want to protect them, it would be wrong of me to try to control what they do. As God gives me freedom, I need to give that same freedom to others. I can only control my actions – and besides, I have enough difficulty with THAT. So daily, I must lean on God’s grace to build on that – in my own life. Through this, hopefully I can be a living example of what God’s grace can accomplish, and just how liberating that can be.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Feelings of Inadequacy
2 Samuel 24:10 “Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.’”
Acts 13:22 “...He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’”
There are days when I feel so inadequate and unworthy. I could supply an endless number of stories where I have done the dorkiest things and wonder – how do people put up with me? I can barely stand myself sometimes. I suppose we all have those experiences. And somehow knowing THAT can help me get through the day.
Of course, knowing that God loves me is all I really need, but that human component in me still does that “misery-loves-company” thing. Maybe this is why God included various details found in a lot of the Old Testament stories. Most of these men and women of God did some pretty crazy things, and yet, God still loved them and used them to help build His kingdom. Many of them are in Jesus’ genealogy.
God’s patience is tremendous, when you really thing about how much He has to watch and “put up with.” He is not only doing that with me and you, but EVERYBODY. I always have to shake my head when someone says something like, “Well, your mom is now up in heaven looking down on you.” And I’m thinking, “I hope NOT!” I know she isn’t, and I wouldn’t want her to be. Mind you, hypothetically if she was - I’m sure I’d amuse her at times, and even “do her proud,” but there’d be all those other times I’d be causing her to slap her forehead with disappointment, wondering “What is she thinking???” No, it’s enough that God is watching... He is all-knowing, as well as all-powerful – at least I can depend on God to help me out.
Acts 13:22 “...He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’”
There are days when I feel so inadequate and unworthy. I could supply an endless number of stories where I have done the dorkiest things and wonder – how do people put up with me? I can barely stand myself sometimes. I suppose we all have those experiences. And somehow knowing THAT can help me get through the day.
Of course, knowing that God loves me is all I really need, but that human component in me still does that “misery-loves-company” thing. Maybe this is why God included various details found in a lot of the Old Testament stories. Most of these men and women of God did some pretty crazy things, and yet, God still loved them and used them to help build His kingdom. Many of them are in Jesus’ genealogy.
God’s patience is tremendous, when you really thing about how much He has to watch and “put up with.” He is not only doing that with me and you, but EVERYBODY. I always have to shake my head when someone says something like, “Well, your mom is now up in heaven looking down on you.” And I’m thinking, “I hope NOT!” I know she isn’t, and I wouldn’t want her to be. Mind you, hypothetically if she was - I’m sure I’d amuse her at times, and even “do her proud,” but there’d be all those other times I’d be causing her to slap her forehead with disappointment, wondering “What is she thinking???” No, it’s enough that God is watching... He is all-knowing, as well as all-powerful – at least I can depend on God to help me out.
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