Saturday, June 30, 2012

Beautiful Day

Just decided to stop for a few minutes and share this beautiful day. The oven is preheating to 375° and I'm working on the laundry. Still in the pj's, my bed's not made, and I'm entertaining myself by dancing around the kitchen, singing in a silly voice while preparing the classic breakfast-type lunch for the family. Not "brunch"...it's too late for that! Bacon, eggs and pancakes, a breakfast-type lunch. Mom just finished grading my brother's papers from yesterday, Dad just finished ironing his clothes, little brother and butterfly are hurrying through chores so they can hang out with the grands, and little-big brother is doing his thing (whatever comes to his mind on the spur of the moment). Outside is a high 88 and I see thin, wispy clouds. The sky is gorgeous blue.

...Now I'm back after 3 1/2 hours and am going swimming with the little-big brother in a couple minutes! Last night I read Romans 6 and talked with the Lord before falling asleep. This morning, read Psalm 5 and 64. It's so hot outside but the air is so sweet! I walk hand-in-hand with the God of the whole universe. He is on my side even though I fail Him at times. He is good enough to show me when I fail Him, and oh how it hurts when He does! But He always gives this wonderful peace and a calming reassurance when I turn back to Him.

Tonight, Lord willing, I and the same brother will arrive safely at the church house at 7:00 for Reformers Unanimous. I watch the kids in the nursery and he works in the sound booth. We reach out to the struggling there and pray for them throughout the week. We also struggle. We need the Lord's help every day, in our spiritually bankrupt state. And daily, in the most crucial way, we need to put on the armor of God and diligently watch out for our adversary.

We are so blessed to have all these things, to have the Word of God with us always. So blessed to have such a beautiful day! I love you Lord!
"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee." Psalm 5:11



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Ugly Christians in an Ugly World





Life is crazy! Life is hard sometimes...and it's also precious. So many times we find things to complain about and have a critical spirit inside of us. What does that mean to the world? What does it mean to them when professing Christians walk around with a sour expression and an attitude of UNthankfulness?! Why in the world would they want what we've got when we don't even seem like we want what we've got?
It is tiring to be around self-proclaimed Christians who sing a song in church and two minutes later, scream at their kid for spilling something on the floor. I am so TIRED of reading in the Bible how we ought to encourage and pray for one another - be kind to eachother - and all we do is make fun of and gossip about people behind their backs! No wonder the world calls us hypocrites! And I feel so ashamed sometimes...I have participated in these things. I have witnessed these things and have rarely ever said a word about it. Just goes to show how ready I am to be a mom *sarcasm*! When I have kids someday, I'm sure I'll be the most outspoken mom, because I want my kids to be able to see through all the hypocritical fluff. But that's a whoooole different subject!
Life is crazy...and precious. We only have a second in time compared to all the years past. One moment in history - how are you spending yours? What do you do ith all your moments? When you walk through the door from a long day's work and your child runs into your arms, do you hold them like it will be the last time? When your husband puts his arm around your waist, do you look into his eyes with a loving smile? When you wake up next to your spouse each and every single morning, do you smile with a greatful heart that you don't wake up alone? When you walk into church do you greet your pastor with a smile and respectful tone in your voice? When you're at the grocery store, do you brush by employees and random people, or acknowledge their living presence right in front of your face? Are you kind and hospitable in character? Are you gracious and compassionate? Are you giving and forgiving?
This is serious stuff, folks. These questions are not asked very often. When they are asked, they are seldom answered or pondered. People might say I take life too seriously...they don't know me very well! I laugh ALL THE TIME! Ask anyone close to me. I am the complete opposite of serious - sometimes I don't know when to calm down and BE serious! I just like to laugh. Love it. But this is definitely one thing that has cut me to the heart. "Christians" don't help each other, they burden each other. We don't encrouage one another, we criticize. We don't smile, but actually frown at each other! What?! Talk about antichrist behavior! We don't pray for one another...God help us. We gossip and complain about each other. We don't look at our faults: laziness, complaining, bad attitude, envy, anger, bitterness, and on and on. We instead look at the faults of others, no matter how small or how big. We treat every day like we will have plenty more, like we are owed the days of our lives, when it is by God's grace that we live to see the next morning. This should cut us to the heart.

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. " Matthew 7:3-5

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35

Do those words not touch your heart? Doesn't it mean so much?
And doesn't it take a lifetime to come to the point where we are perfect in all things, holy, and without blame in love? Ask any senior saint and they'll tell you it has taken them their whole life in Christ to weed out all the sin in their heart, and they are still not finished. I am convinced that as long as I am broken and grieving over MY sin, I won't have room to criticize and find fault in others. As long as I'm focused pulling that beam out of my eye, I won't have time to focus on the little speck in my brother's eye. And you won't either.
We don't know what compassion is anymore. When someone falls, pick them back up and wipe the dirt off them. Tell them to press on and get back to walking with Jesus, Who will never forsake them! When some one is just so simple and foolish, pray for them. Open the windows of heaven on their behalf, through prayer! We don't know what love is anymore. We no longer understand sacrifice.
Friends, it's time we wake up and smell the coffee. This world is lost, dying, and going to hell, and we're not even soft-hearted enough to be kind to our brother!
What should we do? What will YOU do? Let's start praying for revival, for every Christian in this world. For ourselves...
God answers prayer. Prayer is our greatest weapon against the devil, and against sin. When you are feeling critical, cry out to Jesus. Thank Him for His love for you always. Thank Him for everything! When you feel irritable and not very loving, cry out to Jesus. The world needs HELP, but so do we. And our help is nearer than theirs.
This world is ugly. It is battered and scarred. It is angry and bitter and resentful. But I know some "Christians" - bought by Christ in His mercy and love - who match the same definition. That should break our hearts.