God Will Take You Up

Psalm 27:10, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up." While driving my children to school yesterday, I was listening to the local news and traffic report. As the news was given I was appalled to hear the commentator report about a three year old girl that had been murdered by her own mother. I will admit that all the facts are not in yet, and that this whole matter is still under investigation but here is what I know so far. The little girl has been in and out of foster care since the day she was born for different things. The mother and her boyfriend had recently finished classes that had been court ordered so that they could regain custody of the child. It appeared that they had done everything necessary to get her back. Slowly the system eased her back into her mother’s care. First with supervised visits, then a weekend, and so on. On Thanksgiving, whomever was in charge of the child’s case allowed her to return home to live with her mother (and her mother’s boyfriend.) By Tuesday, the 27th , the child was found dead in her home. She was hanging by her t-shirt from a coat hook. Her under arms severely marked from the shirt that had tried to support her weight. After some investigation it was decided that she had been beaten (while hanging there) with a leather belt, suffered several blows to the chest with a fist, and finally, kicked in the head by a foot or boot. When asked why this was done to the child the response was, "she wet her pants." The mother and the boyfriend, who both participated in the beating, began to point fingers and blame each other. The Prosecutor is seeking life in prison without parole. Now, I am going to sound carnal...ready?...As a citizen, I do believe that life in prison is a good thing for these two. I believe that justice should be done. As a mother, I think they should be hung by their t-shirt in the town square and beaten with a leather belt, then punched in the chest, and finally, a blow to the head with someone’s boot! I know, I know, that is so mean and unforgiving and you can’t believe that anyone would say such a thing. I ask myself over and over how ANYONE could do such things to a defenseless child? When you hear this and read this your mind automatically tries to picture it. When I do that I get even more upset. Can you see it in your mind yet? Do you have children? Can you fathom this happening to them? Even worse, can you imagine YOU being the one to do it to them? I can’t. I sat there last night as I read the story again in the newspaper and wondered how anyone, whether related or not, could do these things to a little child. But worse than that, someone whom you trust. Someone who has said, "I love you." Someone who is supposed to love you and protect you from harm, not be the one to inflict it! Trust me, I know that this goes on every day, all over the world. Abuse, murder, lying, the destruction of lives, I know that sin is rampant. But still, I cannot fathom this! And I know, without a doubt, that the Lord took this child up. She is with him this day and will never suffer abuse ever again. Ps. 27:11 "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies." I also remember a time in my life when I was going through a horrible trial. It was an emotional trial more so than physical. I was the innocent one this time. I was being emotionally beaten and bruised for no reason and when I tried to understand why this was happening to me, I couldn’t. Why would someone purposely inflict pain (whether physical or emotional) on another person for no reason at all? Why would they hurt my children too? Why would someone who is supposed to love you not care how their actions affect you? Why me? Why me? That is how we all are when we go through a trial. Then, a dear preacher friend of our family said this to me, "You do not want to comprehend this. If you could comprehend it, it would mean that you were capable of it." That was years ago and that statement still comes to my mind. When you think about it that way, then you are so thankful that you don’t understand. I found myself begging God to never let me understand, but just to trust him. I can’t tell you the countless times that I have prayed Ps. 27:11 back to God. I beg him to make things plain so that I will understand and do exactly what He wants me to. I fail him but still he leads me and delivers me. Ps. 27:12-14, "Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Without God, I would have most definitely "fainted." Without God I still could. Thank God, he took me up. As I sat there remembering this personal trial and also thinking about this poor little girl, I thought about my Saviour. I realized that I to am guilty of inflicting pain for no reason upon someone who loves me. Just as this mother and her boyfriend abused and tortured this innocent child, my dear Saviour endured all manor of pain and suffering for me. He too was innocent. He took physical and emotional abuse for me though he did not deserve it. He did it because he loves me. Though I find what this mother did to her child appalling, I am guilty of inflicting pain on my precious, holy Saviour. And though I think she deserves whatever punishment that she gets, my punishment has already been borne by my Lord. Isaiah 53:3-6 " He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." It is we who are guilty. It is we who deserve to die. Yet He died for us, knowing we would hurt him, deny him, refuse him, betray him, even murder him. Why? Why me? Why us? Because He loves me. Because He loves YOU. Think about this. Have you hurt your Saviour today? Have you caused him pain or shame today? God, who loved you and gave himself for you, have you tortured him today with your sin? Or maybe you don’t even know Him. Maybe you aren’t related to Him yet. Let Him adopt you today. Maybe you don’t think anyone loves you or cares about you. My Jesus does. Who else do you know that loves you so much that they would lay down their life for you and not care what you ever did, or were, or where you’d been? God loves you. Receive him as your Saviour, and let him take you up. John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

WISE, WILLING, & WOUND UP!

Exodus 35:1-2 "And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death." How many times have you entered the church house, whether it be Sunday AM or PM, Wednesday night, or a revival meeting, with a "ho-hum" attitude? Maybe it was because you were weary from your day, your week, your month, your year, or just life in general. Or perhaps it has become part of your schedule, a habit, or a ritual that you perform on a weekly basis. Or maybe you only go because you know if you don’t there will undoubtedly be someone who calls you to find out where you were. Whatever the reason, we have all had those times where we have allowed our service to the Lord to become "cold-natured." It is a time when we lack the willingness to do anything, regardless of the simplicity or even urgency of the task. I have even heard people say, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak," as an excuse for not doing something. Those words, found in Matt.26:41, are words of the Lord used to caution his disciples to "watch and pray" lest they enter into temptation, but we use them as a reason for not getting something done. Lets face it, we all have times where we let the daily grind cause us to lose siight of what the main goal in a Christians life is. What is that? TO GLORIFY GOD AND WIN LOST SOULS TO CHRIST. Exodus 35:4-5 " And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD;" The words "willing heart" struck me. The Lord commanded us to give to Him, and to serve Him but He wants it to be from a willing heart. IICor. 9;7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." The children of Israel were great at serving the Lord while things were going well, and then grumbling about him when things looked a little bleak or hard. (Not that we have any room to talk) But in this passage their example to us is amazing! Exodus 35:21-22 "And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted," You know, if your heart is right with the Lord, then your spirit is going be right too. A heart for God will easily give you a mind to work. And when everyone is willing to work, and their heart & spirit are in sync, then the possibilities are endless! And look at what happened to them. They got "stirred up!" Ever been in a church service or a revival, and the fire of God’s Word start to touch that cold heart? All of a sudden you find yourself "stirred up!" And that kind of fire is "catchy." And the next thing you know there are others around you who are getting stirred up too! Souls are being saved, hearts are being changed, lives are renewed and rededicated to Christ. A wise heart + a willing spirit = WOUND UP (stirred up) WORSHIP! When you read on into the next chapter (Exodus 36) the children of Israel are so "wound up" that they give so much that the sanctuary cannot contain it! WOW! That sounds so exciting! Can you picture it? They were giving EVERYTHING they had for the service of the Lord. Ex. 36:5-7, "And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." I’ll bet most pastors cannot even imagine that. Can you imagine yourself, and the rest of your church family getting so excited about serving the Lord and doing his work that your pastor would have to ask you to stop because their was no more room??? What about this? I wonder how the next generation will serve the Lord if their actions are based solely upon what they see from us? Deut. 30:5-6, "And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." Oh, that is what my heart longs for more than anything. To see my children love the Lord and serve the Lord with all their heart and soul. Guess we better put all our heart into it then, don’t you think?

WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

"You are right now, or soon will be, what your friends are." This is a quote from a preacher I heard at a youth rally, years ago. It has been embedded in my mind ever since. I was not a teenager at that rally, I was a grown woman, working with teenagers. However, it struck me that even as adults we need to be careful who our friends are. After all, our closest friends do seem to have the greatest impact on us, regardless of our age. The quote came back to my mind recently when I was having devotions. In my devotions, I read a Psalm every day. This particular day it was Psalm 26, "A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." I have read this chapter many times before, but when I got to the end of verse 7, I just stopped. This phrase, "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." Made me go back and re-read the verses before it. Whomever you are friends with, or associated with, or hang out with, or however you say it, make a difference in your life. Some of those choices you make while with those friends may even affect you for the rest of your life. I caution my children all the time that they think things through carefully. Sometimes, we make life altering decisions on a mere whim. Why do we do that? And when we make these decisions they are most often irreversible, and the results are most times heartbreaking. But once they are made, you can't go back. You have to live with the consequences. And friends, especially close ones, are often part of those choices. I Corinthians 15:33 says, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." Bad company can corrupt the morals of a righteous person. And II Corinthians 6 :14-18 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Though we are in this world, to be a witness for Christ, we are not to be "of" this world. What business does a Christian have "hanging-out" with lost folks? What if you or I were the only testimony for Christ that our friends will ever see? Would they be won by our choices? Or have they already affected us and our worship? Those with whom you fellowship will have an affect on your worship of Christ, now AND in the future. These people are described in Psalm 26 as vain persons, evil doers, dissemblers, and the wicked. We are not supposed to associate with these folks because it will eventually affect how we voice our thanksgiving and publish the Lord's wondrous works. Look at Proverbs 13:20..."He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." How do you know if someone is a fool or a wise man? Well, Proverbs describes what a wise man or son is, over and over. It says he will hear his father's instruction and will not forsake the law of his mother. It says that a wise woman buildeth her house. It says a wise person is discreet and chaste. The list goes on and on. But how do you know who a fool is? Well, the easy answer would be someone who is the opposite of all those things. Remember this, a fool is not someone born with difficulty comprehending or reasoning. A fool is someone who is what he is by his own choice. Now back to Ps. 26:7. It speaks of a thankful heart, a voice of thanksgiving, or one who can boast of all the Lord's wondrous works. This comes so much easier to those who have made right choices. It is so much easier to be thankful for what you haven't done. It is a better testimony too. I say that because you can share your testimony without having to be ashamed of all the wicked choices you've made. Of course anyone can share their testimony but we also know that in order for it have a great spiritual impact, it is better if it is a pure one. Philippians 2:15 is a verse that was instilled in me from the age of seven and it has never left me. You might even say, it haunts me sometimes. :-) It says, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" So no matter how old you are you must remember that our goal is to be a light in this world. Do your friends see your light? Do they even know you have one? Do they have your character, or have you adopted theirs? The Bible says, "Iron sharpeneth iron" so we need to be careful to choose the right friends so that they can "sharpen" us, and we in turn can "sharpen" them.

IMITATORS & COPY-CATS

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery." This is an old saying I used to here when I was a child. However, if you have ever been the victim of the "copy-cat" game, you might not agree with the above statement. Did you ever play the "copy-cat" game when you were younger? This is the game where a person just randomly walks up and starts to repeat everything you say, word for word, or copy your actions, or both. Usually, younger siblings like to play this with their older siblings. I say, usually, because I know that older siblings know how to torment too. (Ask my older brother) However, in this game the younger ones find it funny and the older ones find it annoying. It can be a never ending game if the younger one refuses to tire of it. The game typically will go something like this... "Mom, he’s copy-catting me," says the older sibling. "Mom, he’s copy-catting me," says the younger one. "You better leave me alone," says the older sibling. "You better leave me alone," says the younger one. "MOM! Would you please tell him to stop!" says the older sibling. "MOM! Would you please tell him to stop!" repeats the younger one. "I’m telling you, you better leave me ALONE!" says the older sibling. (Younger one now grinning) "I’m telling you, you better leave me ALONE!"repeats the younger one. "MOM! WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE HIM QUIT IT!" cries the older sibling. (There is usually a little giggling about this time by the younger one) "MOM! WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE HIM QUIT IT!" repeats the younger. (Are you weary of this game too?) At some point the older one either pounces on the younger one, or you will hear a calm reply from Mom who says, "Alright. That’s enough, stop tormenting your brother or sister." Now that I am grown and have children of my own, I try to find unique ways to end this game. For instance, I might say to the older one, "You know, you should be complimented that he or she loves you so much that they want to be just like you." This will sometimes detour the one doing the copy-catting because they immediately get defensive. "No way! I don’t want to be like them, I was just having a little fun." Which (if you know the rules of "copy-catting") ends the game. But there have been times when I have said, "Then you best be careful what you do while they’re "copy-catting" you, so that you do not teach them some bad habit." In life, we are all "copy-cats" or imitators. Unless you are the original designer of something, then the only way you can wear it, cook it, look like it, or whatever it may be, is to copy what someone else has already thought up. I know women who hate to tell you their recipe for something because they don’t want anyone to be able to copy it. Or they will tell you all but one ingredient so that it is similar but not exactly the same. Why? Well, because that is their "specialty" and they like that they are known for it. I also know people who do not like to tell you wear they bought that new outfit because they don’t want anyone to have the same clothes as they do, or perhaps buy it and look better in it. The fact is that when we see something that we think looks good, we tend to want to have it too. I even know people who get on this blog and like what they see or read so much that they try to imitate it in their own blogs. I love that! I think it is cool that someone would get on my blog and take my ideas and use them on theirs. But, there may be folks out their who do not like to be "copy-catted." Do you know what the definition of Christian is? CHRIST LIKE. You will never BE Christ, but as Christians we are to strive to be "like" Him. Basically, you "copy-cat" Him. I guess I better say here that it is supposed to be from the heart, not just for appearance. Titus 2 is FULL of God’s instructions on how the aged men are to teach the younger ones, and the same instruction is given to the aged women for teaching the younger women. I Peter 4:4 says, "Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:" You will come across some who will think you strange for being "Christ-like". They may mock you for your stand or your standards. They may scorn you for your beliefs. It is possible that you will suffer some for trying to be "Christ-like." I Peter 4:16 says, "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." On the other hand, there will be some who will see that you are different and they want what you have. They want to know peace, like you have. They want to know happiness, like you have. They want to know joy, like you have. All of these things that can only be found in Christ. And they will watch you and perhaps "copy-cat" you a little because they don’t know any other thing to do. Remember this, "Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks, more than your talk talks." Be careful that you are not just a talker. Maybe you feel like someone is "copy-catting" you today. It may be your walk, your talk, your dress, or your actions. Whatever the case may be, you better take heed. When someone "copy-cats" you, it is because they see something in you that is absent from their own life. It is, in fact, a compliment.

IS THE GRASS REALLY GREENER?

I have heard the story of Abraham and Lot many times in my life. I heard it in Sunday School when I was a child and I still hear it preached about in church today. One of the things I love about reading God's Word is that no matter how many times you've read it, or heard something taught, you can learn something or see something new every time. I was reading in Genesis 13 this week and I got to the part where Abram and Lot's herdsman are arguing (v.7-9). You may know the story of how they decide that it is best to part company and Abram gives Lot his choice of which direction to go. Basically, Abram tells Lot that whatever direction he chooses, then Abram will go the other way. When you get to verse ten it says, "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." When I read this verse an old phrase popped in to my head... "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." As humans, we tend to look at others and think that they have it way better than we do. Or we might look at what others have and think that if we follow in their footsteps then we will have that too. The phrase that stuck out to me this time though was, "like the land of Egypt." In the Bible, Egypt is always a picture of the world. I wonder what Lot saw in Egypt that affected his thinking? Back in Genesis 12, you'll remember, the family sojourns in Egypt for a while to escape a famine and Lot was with them. He must have liked whatever he saw because this land that he was looking at in Genesis 13:10 reminds him of it. So, he chooses it. He goes a step farther in pitching his tent toward Sodom. A decision we all know has affected his family for generation after generation. The Bible says that "the men of Sodom were wicked AND sinners before the LORD exceedingly." When you get to chapter 19, the LORD has had enough of Sodom & Gomorrah and sends angels to tell Lot to get out of there because he is ready to destroy it. I don't know the span of time between chapter 10 and chapter 19 but however long or short, Lot was a full-fledged resident of Sodom by that time. He's no longer living in a tent that is pitched toward Sodom, he is in the gate. Sadly, Lot had forgotten all the blessings that he was given while growing up. He had forgotten all the faith that he was taught by his Uncle Abram. In chapter 19, these angels have to rescue Lot several times. They pulled him in. (v.10) They persisted in telling him to get out. (v.12) They pushed. (v.15) They picked him up and put him out. (v.16) It would seem that Lot had gotten a bit to attached to the lifestyle of Sodom. So much that even his own family would not listen to him (v.14) They got so weary of trying to tell him that he needed to get out of there that they finally picked him up and carried him out of the place. Sadly, he did not leave with as many as he came in with. In fact, even though they came out of Sodom, they still had Sodom "in" them. By the end of chapter 19 he has lost all his children, his wife, and has two daughter left that are pregnant BY HIM!  We best be careful the place we take our children to, or the things we allow them to get involved in, or see or hear, or taste, or touch, or smell. It may be that Egypt stayed in Lot's heart, and then Sodom was instilled in his children. You never come out of sin smelling or looking like you did when you went in. As my father-in-law, Dr. Larry Groves, always says..."It's a lot easier to take your family into Sodom, than it is to get them out." Was the grass really greener for Lot by the time it was all said and done?