“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well’ but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” James 2:8-9
Have you ever walked the streets of your city and mentally stuck your nose up at a beggar, vagrant, or bum? Oh, you may not say anything out loud about them but as you’re driving down the street in your nice car you may be thinking in your head, “Why don’t these people get their acts together?” Do they scare you? Just what are you afraid of? Becoming like them one day?
Beggars and bums are not so different than you or me. Their struggles and failures, unlike ours, are more visible to the world’s scrutiny. But they still need a loving, caring God. They still need a Savior.
James tells us that we should show no partiality to people whether they are a king or a poor person. So how do you greet the kings and beggars who come into your church? Is it done with partiality? Do you seat the kings in the front rows and best seats and leave the beggars to sit in the back unwelcomed and alone? Sure, everyone is not so distinct to be seen as a king or a beggar, but we do play partiality even if it’s unintended.
I will never forget as long as I live how this lesson was brought to life for me as a young married inexperienced believer. My husband was witnessing to a man who had come to our church for charity. His name was Terry Heaven. He asked Terry and his wife and children to come to our home after church one evening. I panicked! These folks were not the cleanest or the best-smelling folks I’d ever met. All I could think about in my selfish heart was…they’re going to sit on my couch. Their dirty little fingers were going to touch my nice clean stuff. I was the epitome of selfishness.
My husband led Terry Heaven and his wife to Jesus that night, sitting on my couch with their little children handling all the figurines on my coffee table. I felt as if God had slapped me right upside the head! You fool! Don’t you know what’s important here, He said? That was a heavenly-timed event! One week later Terry was killed crossing a busy street in Grand Rapids. What if I had refused to let them come to my home? What if I’d thought my couch was more important than the people were? Stupid, stupid stuff! That was a good 30 years ago and I’ve learned a lot of lessons since then. Thank the LORD I’ve grown some spiritually and know that loving people is the most important thing.
So have you entertained any kings or beggars this week in your home? If not, open your door. You’ll be amazed who’s standing there waiting for you to ask them in.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Orphans, Widows, and Purity - The James Sequence
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27
Because they were alone, pastors, deacons, and bishops were instructed to visit the orphans and widows and take care of their needs. I know a lot about both of these people groups and certainly not because I’m a pastor or bishop.
1. Orphans: a subject dear to my heart. I’ve made 16 trips to Romania to work with orphans in a government-run hospital. I’ve seen and dealt with just about everything. Our teams cared for orphans who were not only abandoned, but also some were HIV positive, had Down syndrome, were hydrocephalic, and some were dying. I’ve seen couples walk into a hospital, sign abandonment papers, turn over their newborn baby, and walk away. The baby was inconvenient for them. Imagine a healthy, perfect baby being inconvenient!
I’ve held a newborn baby girl (diagnosed with Down syndrome who had been abandoned to die) just so a human touch would console her as she took her last breath. These kinds of events change your worldview about humanity and the lengths they will go in selfishness. Caring for orphans is a privilege, not a chore or an inconvenience. It’s our responsibility.
2. Widows: now there’s a subject I also know from personal experience. My husband of forty years died when he was 60. Besides my family, my pastor, the deacons, and the body of Christ were the main forces during my bereavement. They still are! They comfort me, love me unconditionally, allow me space, and provide for me as believers should. I have family, and Scripture says in I Timothy 5 that if you have family they are to help you first, and they do. But my church family is like my own family and they care for me in other ways. Like praying for me when I go out speaking or on a ministry trip, or by sending me cards on the anniversary of my husband’s death. I know the body of Christ is there when I need them. It’s more than a comfort to me.
3. Purity, or keeping oneself unspotted from the world, is a mighty big order. My only thought on this is that if we’re in the body of Christ, doing His work and accomplishing His plan for our lives, we won’t have time to become spotted with the world’s view of life. The Prince of this world, satan (sorry, I won’t give him the recognition a capital deserves!) won’t be able to get our attention because we are focused purely on doing God’s will and plan for us. We’re not being constrained within the walls of the world doing satan’s bidding. We’ve expanded ourselves to heavenly bidding!
So care for the orphans, console the widows, and keep yourself separate and unspotted from what the world would have you do and be. The rewards are unbelievable. You might even say they are heaven sent!
Because they were alone, pastors, deacons, and bishops were instructed to visit the orphans and widows and take care of their needs. I know a lot about both of these people groups and certainly not because I’m a pastor or bishop.
1. Orphans: a subject dear to my heart. I’ve made 16 trips to Romania to work with orphans in a government-run hospital. I’ve seen and dealt with just about everything. Our teams cared for orphans who were not only abandoned, but also some were HIV positive, had Down syndrome, were hydrocephalic, and some were dying. I’ve seen couples walk into a hospital, sign abandonment papers, turn over their newborn baby, and walk away. The baby was inconvenient for them. Imagine a healthy, perfect baby being inconvenient!
I’ve held a newborn baby girl (diagnosed with Down syndrome who had been abandoned to die) just so a human touch would console her as she took her last breath. These kinds of events change your worldview about humanity and the lengths they will go in selfishness. Caring for orphans is a privilege, not a chore or an inconvenience. It’s our responsibility.
2. Widows: now there’s a subject I also know from personal experience. My husband of forty years died when he was 60. Besides my family, my pastor, the deacons, and the body of Christ were the main forces during my bereavement. They still are! They comfort me, love me unconditionally, allow me space, and provide for me as believers should. I have family, and Scripture says in I Timothy 5 that if you have family they are to help you first, and they do. But my church family is like my own family and they care for me in other ways. Like praying for me when I go out speaking or on a ministry trip, or by sending me cards on the anniversary of my husband’s death. I know the body of Christ is there when I need them. It’s more than a comfort to me.
3. Purity, or keeping oneself unspotted from the world, is a mighty big order. My only thought on this is that if we’re in the body of Christ, doing His work and accomplishing His plan for our lives, we won’t have time to become spotted with the world’s view of life. The Prince of this world, satan (sorry, I won’t give him the recognition a capital deserves!) won’t be able to get our attention because we are focused purely on doing God’s will and plan for us. We’re not being constrained within the walls of the world doing satan’s bidding. We’ve expanded ourselves to heavenly bidding!
So care for the orphans, console the widows, and keep yourself separate and unspotted from what the world would have you do and be. The rewards are unbelievable. You might even say they are heaven sent!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
What Tempts You? Number 2- The James Sequence
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:14-15
Temptations. I’m not talking about silly stuff like eating decadent chocolate or buying another pair of shoes. I’m talking about temptations that deal with the real you and those places in your heart and soul that nobody knows about.
What goes on inside that inner part of you that, if told, would blow people away? What are you thinking in your head that if uttered by mouth would sink your spiritual reputation in an instant? Don’t tell me you don’t have these thoughts because we all know better.
There’s that person you just wish would disappear and you wouldn’t have to deal with again. The really pretty girl that grabs the attention of a married man when he least expects it and those angry words on the tip of your tongue just waiting to be said.
The natural man wants to sin—that’s a given. It’s what we as Christians do with those urges and temptations that call us to attention in front of a holy, reverent God. A friend of mine said that men are born to look; it doesn’t mean they want it, they just look. Satan can do a lot with that look. It can turn into something that grows and is fed by lust. That lust has ruined many marriages and families over the centuries. Is that your temptation?
Satan’s desire is that the temptation he lays before you will draw you away from a holy God. He creates that temptation in the form of another human being, a gambling habit you can’t break, the insatiable desire to have the biggest, best, most expensive of…something. Whatever he sees in you that is hidden in that inner part of your heart and soul that is not God-like, He expands it right in front of you and makes it so enticing the urge to resist flees.
Don’t forget about the last part of that verse either. “When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” Many of us think things in our heads and hearts that never come out. We never allow Satan the upper hand and let the temptation metastasize. But…(that little word), when we DO, we’re sinning and sin brings death. The Bible says physical death and (I’m thinking) death of your testimony before others. Death of relationships long nurtured. Death of God’s perfect plan for your life.
THANK GOD for salvation, forgiveness, a loving God! Without His accepting love covering our mistakes we would be sunk. Thank you, Jesus, for making a way of escape from Satan’s tempting snares.
Temptations. I’m not talking about silly stuff like eating decadent chocolate or buying another pair of shoes. I’m talking about temptations that deal with the real you and those places in your heart and soul that nobody knows about.
What goes on inside that inner part of you that, if told, would blow people away? What are you thinking in your head that if uttered by mouth would sink your spiritual reputation in an instant? Don’t tell me you don’t have these thoughts because we all know better.
There’s that person you just wish would disappear and you wouldn’t have to deal with again. The really pretty girl that grabs the attention of a married man when he least expects it and those angry words on the tip of your tongue just waiting to be said.
The natural man wants to sin—that’s a given. It’s what we as Christians do with those urges and temptations that call us to attention in front of a holy, reverent God. A friend of mine said that men are born to look; it doesn’t mean they want it, they just look. Satan can do a lot with that look. It can turn into something that grows and is fed by lust. That lust has ruined many marriages and families over the centuries. Is that your temptation?
Satan’s desire is that the temptation he lays before you will draw you away from a holy God. He creates that temptation in the form of another human being, a gambling habit you can’t break, the insatiable desire to have the biggest, best, most expensive of…something. Whatever he sees in you that is hidden in that inner part of your heart and soul that is not God-like, He expands it right in front of you and makes it so enticing the urge to resist flees.
Don’t forget about the last part of that verse either. “When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” Many of us think things in our heads and hearts that never come out. We never allow Satan the upper hand and let the temptation metastasize. But…(that little word), when we DO, we’re sinning and sin brings death. The Bible says physical death and (I’m thinking) death of your testimony before others. Death of relationships long nurtured. Death of God’s perfect plan for your life.
THANK GOD for salvation, forgiveness, a loving God! Without His accepting love covering our mistakes we would be sunk. Thank you, Jesus, for making a way of escape from Satan’s tempting snares.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Are You A Perfect 10? The James Sequence
You remember that movie The Perfect Ten with Bo Derek? Yeah, I thought you would. It’s become a universal representation for what everyday women should look like. Or I should say try to look like. So how many of you have lived up to that criteria? Do I see any hands?
Outward appearance, how we look to other people, has become a status symbol. Do we have the right up-to-date hair style and cut? Do our clothes have the best labels, shown specifically on the outside of our clothing now so as to make sure people see them and acknowledge that we can afford to shop at certain stores? Are we the right height, weight, size? Do we have the prettiest hair and eye colors? Are we perfect tens in the world’s view?
I’d like you to see God’s description of a perfect ten. It’s found in James 1:2-4:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Did you notice that the passage didn’t say anything about perfect relating to outward appearances? It talks about endurance and patience, and if we make it through the various trials before us, we’ve reached a good end! Because we’ve made it, God counts that as perfect and complete and whole.
I know some perfect tens. One is a lady around 80 years old who has endured so many trials in her life that her countenance shines like 2500 florescent light bulbs! She draws people to her like a magnet because she has been where they are now. She’s lived through the fires and has risen above the scorching flames because of God’s influence in her life. It shows in every little thing she says and every action she completes.
Perfect tens are not always noticed. Sometimes they are the prayer warriors on their knees for others going through trials. Often these warriors can sense God’s leading for them to pray before the trials even arise. They are so close to God there is no space between them and the Savior. They sense His heart for others and in this way serve Him with strong hearts through prayer.
So don’t look in the mirror to find out if you’re a perfect ten. Go look in His Word to find the patience that will bring you to a complete and perfect life on the inside. Sounds perfect to me!
Outward appearance, how we look to other people, has become a status symbol. Do we have the right up-to-date hair style and cut? Do our clothes have the best labels, shown specifically on the outside of our clothing now so as to make sure people see them and acknowledge that we can afford to shop at certain stores? Are we the right height, weight, size? Do we have the prettiest hair and eye colors? Are we perfect tens in the world’s view?
I’d like you to see God’s description of a perfect ten. It’s found in James 1:2-4:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Did you notice that the passage didn’t say anything about perfect relating to outward appearances? It talks about endurance and patience, and if we make it through the various trials before us, we’ve reached a good end! Because we’ve made it, God counts that as perfect and complete and whole.
I know some perfect tens. One is a lady around 80 years old who has endured so many trials in her life that her countenance shines like 2500 florescent light bulbs! She draws people to her like a magnet because she has been where they are now. She’s lived through the fires and has risen above the scorching flames because of God’s influence in her life. It shows in every little thing she says and every action she completes.
Perfect tens are not always noticed. Sometimes they are the prayer warriors on their knees for others going through trials. Often these warriors can sense God’s leading for them to pray before the trials even arise. They are so close to God there is no space between them and the Savior. They sense His heart for others and in this way serve Him with strong hearts through prayer.
So don’t look in the mirror to find out if you’re a perfect ten. Go look in His Word to find the patience that will bring you to a complete and perfect life on the inside. Sounds perfect to me!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Proverbs piece #10 – If You’re a Mom You Can Tell
“Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.” Proverbs 20:11
If you’re a Mom you can tell when your child is lying. It’s just something Moms know and can tell by the eye contact, body language, and tone of the child’s voice. Don’t ever try to fool us because it just doesn’t work. The Message translates the verse this way: “Young people eventually reveal by their actions if their motives are on the up and up.” That is so true! Even sweet little girls who look like angels with beautiful blue eyes and soft baby-like skin can lie. It’s true even when we don’t want to believe it.
Grandmothers can also tell when their grandkids are lying. I remember catching my youngest grandson in a lie a few weeks ago. One day, I found wrappers under the cushions in my couch. “Moe, did you put those wrappers there?” His huge blue-green eyes looked up at me with his extremely long eyelashes half-lowered, “No.” I knew in an instant he was lying to me. When I told him I knew it was him who had done the dastardly deed a pouty lip popped out and tears glistened in his eyes. “But, I didn’t do it!” he protested. “Are you sure?” I asked in my most grandmotherly voice. All the signs were there and now it was time to pour on all he had. Lip fluttering in and out, he quietly replied, “No.” I’d seen this all before. It was Moe’s way of saying, “I did it, but I didn’t want to be caught.”
What do we do when we’re caught? When God sees all we do anyway, how in the world do we think we can get away with the things we do? Do we really believe He’s not watching and is going to be surprised to find out? Come on! We’re just like my little grandson who knows it’s wrong to do something but does it anyway hoping nobody saw. How like little kids we are!
And like little children we too are prone to sin and our motives, though we somehow think are ok, are not. It’s sin. Just call it what it is. Take a good look through your heavenly Father’s eyes today and try to see yourself as He sees you. You are known by your deeds, whether or not they’re pure and right. Kind of shows the little kid inside of you, doesn’t it?
If you’re a Mom you can tell when your child is lying. It’s just something Moms know and can tell by the eye contact, body language, and tone of the child’s voice. Don’t ever try to fool us because it just doesn’t work. The Message translates the verse this way: “Young people eventually reveal by their actions if their motives are on the up and up.” That is so true! Even sweet little girls who look like angels with beautiful blue eyes and soft baby-like skin can lie. It’s true even when we don’t want to believe it.
Grandmothers can also tell when their grandkids are lying. I remember catching my youngest grandson in a lie a few weeks ago. One day, I found wrappers under the cushions in my couch. “Moe, did you put those wrappers there?” His huge blue-green eyes looked up at me with his extremely long eyelashes half-lowered, “No.” I knew in an instant he was lying to me. When I told him I knew it was him who had done the dastardly deed a pouty lip popped out and tears glistened in his eyes. “But, I didn’t do it!” he protested. “Are you sure?” I asked in my most grandmotherly voice. All the signs were there and now it was time to pour on all he had. Lip fluttering in and out, he quietly replied, “No.” I’d seen this all before. It was Moe’s way of saying, “I did it, but I didn’t want to be caught.”
What do we do when we’re caught? When God sees all we do anyway, how in the world do we think we can get away with the things we do? Do we really believe He’s not watching and is going to be surprised to find out? Come on! We’re just like my little grandson who knows it’s wrong to do something but does it anyway hoping nobody saw. How like little kids we are!
And like little children we too are prone to sin and our motives, though we somehow think are ok, are not. It’s sin. Just call it what it is. Take a good look through your heavenly Father’s eyes today and try to see yourself as He sees you. You are known by your deeds, whether or not they’re pure and right. Kind of shows the little kid inside of you, doesn’t it?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Proverbs Piece Number 9 – The Splash of Cold Milk
“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.” Proverbs 14:1
When my husband and I began our family, we were determined to make our home a great place for kids to grow up. I don’t mean all the stuff it takes to make a house, but the stuff it takes to make a home. I learned long ago there is a big difference between a house and a home.
Proverbs 14:1 talks about how a woman builds her family inside her house. What is she doing to encourage her children and husband? What characteristics are her children picking up from her that will help shape their personalities? What kind of disciplines is she using to train up her children in the ways of the Lord? Well, there you go, I’ve failed that one already! As a mother, I’ve done some things I’m not too proud of. One that my sons frequently bring up is about a cup of cold milk. For the sake of making a point, I’m going to tell a true story about myself. Honesty…here we come!
One night when my husband wasn’t home, my children (ranging in ages 8-14) and I were eating dinner when the phone rang. I answered the call, and it developed into a rather long and serious conversation. During that phone call, my teenage sons began to be rowdy and wouldn’t calm down. Since the phone was connected to the wall, I couldn’t leave. Soon, they became louder. They wouldn’t listen to me. The hand motions I was making failed to stop whatever they were doing, so…I did the only thing I could think of to get their attention. I threw my cup of cold milk on one of my sons who was laughing the loudest. I know, I know, not the best way to handle the situation but it instantly quieted the crowd. To this day, whenever I’m anywhere close to my son with a glass of milk, he says, “Watch out, Mom’s got milk!”
Did I leave a good impression on my kids that night? Probably not. Was that the best thing I could have done? No. I have no excuse and I am not going to make one up because sometimes Moms make mistakes—plain and simple. We’re not perfect people just because we’ve taken the handle of Mother. We fail, fall, and fake a lot of what we do because we’re making up the manual as we go. Only by the grace of God and His leading are we able to make it through those years of raising young kids.
So this week when you see your Mom for Mother’s Day, give her a hug and tell her, “Hey, thanks, Mom. I love you anyway.” She may not know what you’re talking about, but you do. Let bygones be bygones, and love her while she’s here and you’re able. You’ll never regret it.
When my husband and I began our family, we were determined to make our home a great place for kids to grow up. I don’t mean all the stuff it takes to make a house, but the stuff it takes to make a home. I learned long ago there is a big difference between a house and a home.
Proverbs 14:1 talks about how a woman builds her family inside her house. What is she doing to encourage her children and husband? What characteristics are her children picking up from her that will help shape their personalities? What kind of disciplines is she using to train up her children in the ways of the Lord? Well, there you go, I’ve failed that one already! As a mother, I’ve done some things I’m not too proud of. One that my sons frequently bring up is about a cup of cold milk. For the sake of making a point, I’m going to tell a true story about myself. Honesty…here we come!
One night when my husband wasn’t home, my children (ranging in ages 8-14) and I were eating dinner when the phone rang. I answered the call, and it developed into a rather long and serious conversation. During that phone call, my teenage sons began to be rowdy and wouldn’t calm down. Since the phone was connected to the wall, I couldn’t leave. Soon, they became louder. They wouldn’t listen to me. The hand motions I was making failed to stop whatever they were doing, so…I did the only thing I could think of to get their attention. I threw my cup of cold milk on one of my sons who was laughing the loudest. I know, I know, not the best way to handle the situation but it instantly quieted the crowd. To this day, whenever I’m anywhere close to my son with a glass of milk, he says, “Watch out, Mom’s got milk!”
Did I leave a good impression on my kids that night? Probably not. Was that the best thing I could have done? No. I have no excuse and I am not going to make one up because sometimes Moms make mistakes—plain and simple. We’re not perfect people just because we’ve taken the handle of Mother. We fail, fall, and fake a lot of what we do because we’re making up the manual as we go. Only by the grace of God and His leading are we able to make it through those years of raising young kids.
So this week when you see your Mom for Mother’s Day, give her a hug and tell her, “Hey, thanks, Mom. I love you anyway.” She may not know what you’re talking about, but you do. Let bygones be bygones, and love her while she’s here and you’re able. You’ll never regret it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)