Brave, Truthful and Unselfish

I was working in the kitchen the other day listening to a friend read Pinocchio to my children. I listened thoughtfully as the “Good Fairy” told Pinocchio that he was a walking-talking puppet because of Gepetto’s wish for a real boy, but for him to become a real boy, he would have to prove himself brave, truthful and unselfish. Pinocchio goes on to make a number of obvious mistakes, following his desire for fame, fortune and fun. Each adventure winds up getting him in more trouble than the previous one. Finally, his conscience takes over and at a point of desperation, he proves himself brave, truthful and unselfish, and he becomes a real boy.

The story immediately struck me. WE are saved by the will of God. He has given us the opportunity for life. All-too-often, we are wandering around with no real direction, following our desires for fame, fortune or fun. We think that THIS will be the means to some perceived end that will make us happy. Sometimes we achieve one or more of these desires and find that it wasn’t exactly all we had hoped it would be. What do we do then? Set out to conquer some other worldly desire. But until we stop and listen to that still, small voice within, we may miss our real purpose. Are we brave enough to honestly face ourselves and listen to our conscience (that deposit of God within us)? Can we be truthful with ourselves and others? Will we stop looking just for our own satisfaction and start thinking of others? Pinocchio did. Can you?

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NKJV)

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.

Proverbs12:22 (NKJV)

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV)

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Precious Lord, Thank You that You’ve made a deposit of Yourself in me. I pray that we will Bless You by being brave, truthful and unselfish, and that we will all become a “real” child of God.

Barb

Splinter

On a recent trip to the “castle park,” my 5-year-old, Ryan, got a splinter in his finger. He came running to me and asked for some water and a band-aid. Since he’s seen us clean “boo-boos” with water in the past, I’m certain that he determined that remedy would suffice to resolve this issue too. I reviewed the small, yet obviously painful, splinter and told him that it would have to come out. Being not too deep, I thought I might be able to maneuver it out right there; but he pulled from my grip at the first sensation of pain. I tried again, but this time tears began to well up in his eyes. He said, “No, Mommy, that hurts; I just need some water.” I explained to him that water wasn’t enough this time and that if this splinter wasn’t removed, it would get really sore and hurt his finger a whole lot more than it did right then. He allowed me to try one more time but pulled from my grasp again at the first indication of pain. I told him that he was going to have to go through a little pain, but when it was over, he would forget that it even happened and be able to play with no pain. My explanation didn’t help, so we headed home where I got a sterilized needle and some tweezers. When he saw the needle, he became VERY anxious. I looked at the splinter under a magnifying glass to see clearly what needed to be done. As I began to work, he again pulled away and tears flowed freely. I touched the needle to a different finger to show him that it probably wouldn’t hurt nearly as much as he thought it would. Finally, after numerous attempts to “convince” him that it would be OK, I gripped his hand tightly and loosened the opening enough to remove the splinter. Meanwhile he was WAILING, clearly more in fear than in pain. When all was done, I held him and told him that it was all over – the splinter was gone. He looked down at his finger and between sniffles said, “Thanks Mom.” I added a band-aid (for evidence of his heroics more than anything), and he was off and playing without another thought.

As I reflected on this experience, I wondered how many splinters I had that the Lord wanted to remove. What fear grips me from enduring a little pain? Are the remedies that I pray for the ones that will extract the splinter, or are they just pain-free band-aids? Do I trust that God sees clearly under his magnifying glass and knows better than I what is needed in my life? Do I pull away from His touch when the tears begin to flow? Are there times when He just has to grip me for my own good, regardless of my tears? How about you? Do you have any splinters that the Father needs to remove?

Heavenly Father, I pray that we can trust first in You and be willing to endure whatever is needed to fulfill Your perfect will for us. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

Hebrews 12:11 (NKJV)

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

John 16:21 (The Message)

When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there's no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain.

Romans 8:18 (NKJV)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Zechariah 13:9 (Amplified Bible)

I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, `These are my people,' and they will say, `The LORD is our God.'

Barb

The Way of Love

With February being the month of Valentines Day, I was considering the “theme” of this holiday. Love. For some people it’s a great time, but others may be at a place that does not quite look like the one they envision. I looked to the Bible for further understanding. Clearly it says to love God and to love one another as we love ourselves, but I couldn’t find anywhere that it mentioned a part about getting melancholy or mad about your current perceived love-situation. In fact, the following passage sings about a Love that is content, unrelenting, others-centered, and joyous. Read it aloud, slowly, lingering on every thought.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (The Message)

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

The core message of the Bible is to love, love, love. Love Him first with all your heart. Then love your neighbor as you love yourself. God presumes without question that you will love yourself. When you’re hungry, you find food to eat. When you’re cold, you will find warmth. When you’re hurting, you will find comfort. You will go out of your way to meet your own needs – to love yourself. Likewise, we are to go out of our way to love others. Is love the first of your priorities, or an “add-on” where you might think it appropriate?

Lord of Love, I pray that we will all prioritize love above all else, as you have clearly instructed us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Barb

Covenant Friendship

Over the past year or so, I noticed in the books I’d been reading that every one of the authors spoke about their circle of Christian friends and prayer partners. They clearly found joy and strength in these relationships and espoused them highly. Being (temporarily) the only born-again Christian in my family, I was not surrounded by like-believers. Although Church and Life Groups are overflowing with the Holy Spirit, it just didn’t seem to be the same connection as was discussed in these books. I longed and prayed for that. I discussed this with my Life Group leader who filled in (wonderfully, I might add) some of the gaps. But this past Christmas, God interjected His interpretation of what I needed. And let me tell you, He had a WAY better understanding of my needs than I could have ever even imagined! He sent me a “covenant friend.” I have grown more through this friendship in the past month than I had in the past year. God looked WAY past what I wanted and knew not only what I needed, but blew the top off what I could even imagine possible.

I write this Bread for two purposes.

First, to remind you that we cannot even imagine in the same realm as God’s foreknowledge of what is best for us.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Second, to encourage you to understand, seek out, and BE a covenant friend.

The Two Major Roles of a Covenant Friend:

To discern and call forth the purposes of God in the other person’s life.

To do battle in the spiritual realm on the other person’s behalf.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT)

Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

1 Samuel 18:1-4 (NLT)

After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond of love between them, and they became the best of friends. From that day on Saul kept David with him at the palace and wouldn’t let him return home. And Jonathan made a special vow to be David’s friend, and he sealed the pact by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.

Heavenly Father, I pray that we all would seek covenant friendship, for in this bond, You are always present – a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Barb

Fast Time

As part of a 40-day fast I recently completed, I decided to make daily communion with Jesus the first thing I do every day. I get my grape juice and cracker and sit with the Lord for a few minutes. Among other things, I thank Him that the first food to touch my lips is the nourishment of Him (Body and Blood), and I pray that He will indeed nourish my spirit. A few days ago while praying this, I instantly received His reply. He is pleased, no happy, to nourish me, but He wanted to know what I am doing to nourish Him. What am I doing to nourish the Lord? Wow, I had to think about that for a moment. Since He resides in me, the question was, “What am I doing to nourish the Lord inside of me?” It took me all of one second to discern what would nourish the Lord inside of me. For me it CLEARLY is a deeper study of the Bible. Jesus told me He wants me to nourish Him in me, and He wants me to do it by getting deeper into His Word.

My first reaction was, “Just WHEN am I going to do that? I have no leftover time.” (He didn’t care about that!) “It’s too massive a project. I cannot see how I could ever find the time to complete such an overwhelming task.” (That didn’t move Him either. In fact, He reminded me that I would never complete it.) “OK, how will I do it?” (Once again, there He was, with a reply…fast.) “Fast studying the Bible?” (No, fast your time, and use it to study My Word and get quiet before Me.)

Of course He is wonderfully and perfectly right. I have already begun planning for my next fast, but I intend for this fast to be the catalyst for a permanent change in my use of time.
You may not need to change any habits for a deeper study of the Bible. You may be WELL along that path. But do ask yourself: “What do I need to do to nourish the Spirit (the Jesus) in me?”

Wonderful Lord, I pray that we can determine what nourishment is needed to feed the Jesus in us so that we continue to grow our roots deep into You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to Him. Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done.

Barb